Pumping vs nursing

Im planning on just pumping only for my 2nd baby on the way. I dont like breastfeeding and i like knowing how many ounces my baby is drinking so you do what works best for you and dont mind all the other perfect breastfeeding moms. Breast is for connection, nothing else.

Breastfeeding can be very hard, and pumping can be an easier alternative. It’s entirely up to you what you do, but I only breastfed for a few days and switched to pumping, I found it a lot better for my mental health xxx

I’m planning to exclusively pump with my bub due in August! Breastfeeding doesn’t appeal to me but still want to give her the good stuff + means my partner can help with night feeds and if I’m out without baby etc

It is a great connection. Using breast to pacify helps with supply too. Usually baby gets more milk than a pump can, and breastfeeding help release the oxytocin to help with let down. I personally loved the feeling and connection from breastfeeding my baby. Sadly she won’t latch any longer. Breaks my heart.😔

Pumping is still breastfeeding as baby is still getting breastmilk but in a bottle. Baby feeding straight from the breast is more efficient etc and milk changed to babies needs etc

I wanted to breastfeed in the beginning and now I just pump and use formula. Mentally it has helped me so much. Time management has become easier. All preference though :)

My 5mo can now breastfeed in less than 10min, anywhere, on the go, with no bottles to clean, no sterilisation, no need to sit to pump, etc. It's just easier (for me).

It's each ti their own really the experiences differ but depends on what you need or prefer at the time A good pump is essential though I've tried to breast feed exclusively from the start each time First time I got put on meds so wasn't able to Second time my child couldn't latch so was forever pumping and cleaning pump parts it was long as I make a lot of milk naturally only managed it for 3/4 months but had enough spare to last6 months as I wasn't really sleeping so needed to stop And third time I only breast fed until she was about 6/7 months and then I had a weird drop in breast milk for a few weeks due to a bad illness so she was bottle fed my milk so ended up preferred the easier milk so I now pump all the time which sucks 😐 I really liked breast feeding less washing up too and my milk changed colour when anyone was sick etc pumping doesn't get out all my milk properly as let down isn't as good with it loved her falling asleep while feeding on me

Thank you all for the input!! She definitely cluster fed the second day at the hospital, but after that she wouldn’t latch well and would take my breast but just sit there and not suck at all until I would nudge her, and then she would do maybe 2 sucks and stop completely again, which is why I felt I was being used as a pacifier and she wasn’t really feeding. I also 100% agree to the comments about knowing how much she’s eating with the bottles + having my husband help more. I would love the connected feeling of feeding from the breast, but it was taking me 2.5 hours from start to finish of trying to get her to latch and stay awake to feed, then pump anything else, handle diaper and cleaning the pump + getting her back to sleep. Again, I feel bad like I’m giving up quickly being one week in, but I have felt a huge relief and gotten better sleep with my high supply while pumping and her feeding so well from the bottle.

I don’t like pumping. I don’t like washing pump parts or bottles. I personally prefer to feed at the breast. I am normally home so not a big deal that it has to be me that does it. I will say the in the beginning it was tiresome. I felt like I was always feeding. Being used as a pacifier is usually just cluster feeding but it in turn increases milk supply. My nipples were sore in the beginning but using nipple balm or expressed milk on them helped. There were many days that I wanted to quit and I also have clogged ducts and mastitis twice. I continued to have pain in one breast after feeding and after meeting with a midwife and lactation consultant was diagnosed with vasospasms and started on medication. Breast feeding is not easy. Whatever you choose to do (breast, bottle/pump, or a combination) is going to be amazing!

I know it sucks but to get your supply good, you should nurse and pump regularly. Like whenever baby nurses, pump after. It is extremely tiring in the beginning I know, it will get better and it will pay off. Also in the beginning when they’re a couple weeks old, they will fall asleep at the bottle or nipple, that’s normal, you will have to keep giving a little nudge. They should still be feeding, but keep in mind they eat SO little at that age. Remember to pump overnight too. Even if you choose to exclusively breastfeed, know that when they sleep longer stretches, you still need to pump on a schedule. Breastmilk supply regulates around 6 weeks PP and unfortunately you really have to work it until then. -A mom that tried to exclusively BF/pump and has to supplement 80% formula and power pump constantly at 4m PP

I went straight to pumping when I had my first,i didn’t even try to breast feed but I had already planned on going back to work after my maternity leave was up so it made more sense for her to be bottle feed breast milk so we weren’t struggling with latching problems and her not taking a bottle.

Everyone always uses “breastfeeding” pumping is breastfeeding because baby is essentially still getting breastmilk.. i think they mean “nursing” which is feeding directly from the breast.. which is still breastfeeding.. i think terminology needs to be updated..

@Jessica what is considered a good supply for each pump session, in your experience? My milk just came in on Saturday, 3 days ago, and I’m getting 2 full ounces out of each breast as of today already. I read 0.5-2oz per breast is typical, I was just surprised I’m producing 2 per breast already and feel great about that. I’ve been pumping still each time we bottle feed her, day and night.

I wanted so badly to EBF bc of the connection factor and not having to worry about bottles etc. BUT, my lil's just didn't latch well so I was EP for my twins and my Aug22 baby. It's a lot of work still but at least I knew they were getting good feeds in. So there was peace of mind that way. Do what u feel is right/best for u and baby...

@Patty what pump are you using? X

My baby is 5 weeks old, I always wanted to both breastfeed and pump, at first my lil girl wasn’t latching and was getting so frustrated and I was unsure she was getting enough it was also hurting a lot so we went to just giving her pumped breast milk in bottles, it made me quite emotional that we didn’t grasp breastfeeding so I started putting her to the breast once a day as practice and worked our way up from there now we breastfeed at home and use bottles when we’re out and at night if my partner wants to help

There’s a lot of pros I already see about nursing, here in the comments. But I think something I found fascinating was that your breast milk changes with baby. If baby is sick, your breast milk will change to help baby fight off an infection or cold. Not sure the same applies to pumping. Whenever my little one gets sick, he’s only sick for about a day and then is back to normal. It’s wild. The first 6 months suck. I was ready to give up after two months. But then all of a sudden it just became wayyyy easier. Especially traveling cross country and around the world. this kid has been on 12 long distance flights already 🙈 And here we are 14 months later 😬

@Becky the spectra S1 as my primary and Elvie Stride as a secondary/ wearable. I’ve only used the elvie stride twice so far in the past week, but I’ve gotten just as much milk from it as the spectra!

@Patty amazing thank you. Also looking to exclusively pump xx

You can always try breastfeeding again in the future if you continue to pump! I exclusively pumped for 4 weeks and then my baby randomly latched! She's now almost 17 weeks and we breastfeed and bottle feed expressed milk x

@Lyndrel wouldn’t the milk change the same whether you’re nursing or pumping though? Maybe I’m missing it 😬 but how would a baby’s mouth on your breast vs a machine change the milk? It’s still the same milk coming out regardless of method. Genuinely curious because that’s very interesting!

Do what works for you! You can do both, either one, or neither. I personally pumped for two weeks because I was a pacifier and cluster feeding was my hell. I exclusively pumped for about 11 months and she also drinks formula now. (She’s a year old) You have options for your family!

One of the benefits of feeding directly is that your milk adapts depending on what baby needs, for example you might notice milk you pump while baby is poorly looks different! It's super clever. Your supply would adapt if you wanted to stop pumping but if you're happy with the system you have then that's fine! You don't need to measure what a breastfed baby is getting in the same way as you won't overfeed them and as long as they gain weight and have wet Nappies you know they're getting plenty. Might be worth checking that her latch is OK? X

Its the bonding for me and much easier then the hassle.of pumping just to give it to my baby anyways and have to clean a bunch of stuff and sit up and pump and still have to.sit and feed him regardless. But i really enjoy how thats just our special time. My little baby boy ❤️

Also don't worry about ur milk adjusting to baby if ur only pumping...milk adjust if u feed directly or pump...smelling, kissing baby, baby drolling on u all will cause milk adjustment...

@Deanna that's so true I try sniff my baby regularly as weird as that sounds to help my milk adjust as needed but I kiss her loads anyways The contact and smell all Helps ☺️

We ended up pumping at first due to poor latch. Got him used to the bottle and meant dad could feed and bond whilst still getting breast milk. With the help of nipple shields, he got much better at latching once he got a bit bigger and stronger. It wasn't planned (our first, and frankly we've been stumbling through and working it out as we go along!) But I now feel like we've got the best of both worlds. I can pop him on the boob whilst out and about, or at night or whatever, but I can also go out for a few hours and leave him with dad or grandparents and some bottled milk. The only downside was pumping from early on gave me a massive over supply (which sounds great but in reality meant a lot of pain, engorgement, leaking and blocked ducts) so it took a while to regulate it back down, but we got there!

Baby’s saliva gives your body info on what baby needs

Pumping is absolutely exhausting because you’ve got so much to worry about. I’m over 6 months in and I absolutely hate it.

Honestly, if I were to go back and do things again I would spend far less time trying to get baby to latch. I tried every day up until 2 months. Even a breastfeeding doctor recommended I attempt latching less. The only thing about going to pumping is that you probably won't be able to go back. Whereas if you try and try now there is a chance you will succeed... If I may though, one gripe I have is that the AAP acts like with enough support and enough help from an LC, breastfeeding is possible. And that is ridiculous, as it isn't true. Sometimes even the most tenacious moms and babies cannot get their breastfeeding groove figured out.

My baby was on bottles till 1.5 months old. EBF since. My best friend’s baby didn’t start EBF till she was 2 months old. I swear sometimes they just can’t get it in the beginning and it’s always ok to do what works best especially in those exhausting first weeks and months. You can always try breastfeeding later on if you decide you want to and baby just may take to it better than you could’ve imagined.

I swear sometimes their mouths are just so little and it takes time to get better coordinated, or the milk supply coming in and getting established can flow so fast babes can’t always keep up, but down the line things get easier so always worth a try again later if it’s not working now and you want it to. Babies can still take a few days to start to nail it even then.

Exclusively pumping is still 100% breastfeeding! Caution on the Magic Number chart posted above: that is only for after you regulate (sometime around or after 12 weeks). You need to consistently pump to establish your supply before that... and even then the magic number chart is only sometimes accurate

That's so great! I had the same experience - that it was a time saver to just pump and that baby didn't feed efficiently on me. Good for you for figuring that out right away instead of trying for 8 weeks like me! 🤦🏻‍♀️