Breast Pump

I’m waiting to see if I’ll need one too if that helps. Couple of my mom friends didn’t have any issues BF or worked it out with lactation consultant int he early days although I know everyone’s journey is different

thats what im thinking- ive been advised on here by many people that breastfeeding may be a struggle but usually people work it out but incase I can’t i can’t really afford £200 on a pump! also im planning on trying to exclusively breast feed unless really necessary so im guessing i wont really need one that much- atleast not until i start leaving her alone with anyone else xx

I plan on exclusively pumping so have bought before. I’d recommend having a look on vinted, people sell pumps off relatively cheap, some are also not used x

@Samantha if you don’t mind me asking if you are exclusively breastfeeding why do you defo need the pump? do you just mean exclusively feeding breast milk but also using bottles or straight from the breast xxx

I just got a Spectra S1 the other day, I was going to wait but it was on offer and I had insomnia….a dangerous combination! I wanted one to help increase production early on if needed, which is why I got the spectra, but definitely holding off on any of the more expensive wearables until I know what I need.

I EBF my girl for 12.5 months, the first time I used a pump was 7ish months and I just got a light use second hand Tommee Tippee one as wasn’t sure how much I’d use it. She never took a bottle and wasn’t even that keen on drinking breastmilk from a cup so barely used it but did help me when dropping her night feed. So I’m really glad I never bought an expensive one prior. Yes breastfeeding is hard to start with but it does become easier… we had a particularly tough ride with tongue tie and weak suck reflex. Initially I just was feeding round the clock and honestly pumping on top would’ve been more taxing and didn’t see it as helping because I would’ve had to pump the missed feed and she couldn’t take a bottle then. Then once things improved it again felt like pumping would be extra work and just easier to feed. And by 5ish months we fell into a pattern so I could still feed, go off and do something and be back for the next feed. Definitely would wait and see how you go.

@Lauren brilliant thankyou! that’s what i was thinking xxxx

@Ellie-May I think what Samantha means is she is going to pump only and give bottles (breastmilk) Correct me if I'm wrong. I was going to go this route with My first and it was going well until my partner went back to work and I just couldn't keep up with it all, washing bottles, pumping etc etc. And of course looking after baby. His latch was bad so that's why I wanted to pump. Then I started to get him on breast more and more but because he was having bottles he wasn't that great with latching on boob so I got nipple shields (but also because my nipples hurt) around 4 months he started to pull off nipple shield and started latching on properly! It was amazing! 😆 I feel like pumping wasn't efficient for me and there are women who can't seem to pump loads but that doesn't mean they have a bad supply. The best way to remove milk is for baby to latch. The more baby removes the more gets replaced. It's on demand and supply bases! X

@Alina yes this is a worry for me keeping on top of cleaning bottles and pump and things especially as i’m a single mum so will be just me xxxx

@Ellie-May so I’m exclusively pumping, so not breastfeeding at all. Feeding baby my breast milk in a bottle xx

@Samantha yes sorry re reading message idk how i missed that! that makes sense now xxx

@Ellie-May that was another thing that put me off too. My girl contact napped for every nap the first 3 months and I just could not fathom how and when I would keep on top of bottles/sterilising etc. the whole thing just would not compute. And as she was napping on me, there was no time to pump. And if I had pumped I would’ve got so little out as I had only just fed her. It’s a lot to demand. The thought of it all totally overwhelmed me and while breastfeeding was one of the hardest things I’ve done it did then become easier and I loved that we never had the faff of bottles or even have to wean from them etc. because from 6+ months BF was much easier even if there were still days I didn’t love it/touched out. I think those that exclusively breast pump are superstars and don’t know how they do it.

One suggestion though is the Haakaa milk collectors or a medela hand pump. These are inexpensive and actually some people do better with a hand pump than electric anyways. The Haakaa has lots of resources online on best ways to use and you can use the ladybug collector or haakaa hand pump. Other brands also do milk catchers. When you are first breastfeeding, quite often then second breast will leak a lot until your supply is regulated so while baby feeds from one side, you can naturally collect milk from the other without pumping. Some women get quite a bit of letdown and can build up a bit of stock. The haakaa pump option needs to be used without full suction as then it’s actually ‘pumping’ and this should be more of a collection tool. Milk catchers just collect what’s coming out. I did use these but I was so novice and wasn’t sure how to sterilise so would just discard what I collected. This time I know how to sterilise/store milk so will use to collect any letdown.

Eventually letdown becomes less and less because your supply becomes regulated so these typically only work well in the first few weeks. But again inexpensive and catches precious milk and saves lots of leaking. Also by using a milk catcher, you aren’t stimulating the breast to produce more and baby can still switch to that side and get the milk it needs. Remember what comes out via a pump or letdown etc. is not an indication of your supply. Baby is the best at withdrawing milk and it is hard to trust a process you can’t physically see but they know what they are doing. The best measure of supply is baby putting on weight, nappy output and contentment after feeding. Hope that helps! It is a minefield of information and things to learn.

I brought one, I plan on pumping from day one alongside breastfeeding if I’m able to, and if I can’t get a latch etc at least I can still give baby breast milk. I waited with my first and my son was tongue tied, my supply plummeted and I had to give formula which made me very upset, while I waited nearly 2 weeks for a pump to arrive and for a tongue tie assessment and revision. Also as I have a toddler too so I would like the ability for dad to give a bottle as and when, I would rather this be expressed breast milk than formula.

Even if you breastfeed you might not want or need a pump especially not straight away. I've breastfed for over 2.5 years and I don't own a pump. Some people don't take well to pumps either but can breastfeed perfectly fine directly. I would wait and see how you feel about pumping later on and what will work best for you and your circumstances. Also just to say it's rare someone has a genuine supply issue and if you are having issues with breastfeeding then there's likely something else going on, in most cases the right breastfeeding support can help.

I plan on buying one because even if baby doesn’t latch I’d still like them to have my breast milk x

With my first, I exclusively BF and then bought the pump a month later (I actually had it for my birthday 😅). Ideally you don’t want to pump until you’ve established a good latch anyway, so you need to give it a month or two before other people bottle feed baby with your breast milk. It worked for us 🥰