Do you HAVE to pump when nursing?
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I had to pump because my baby wouldn’t latch (for first 3 months, now ebf). When he woke in the night I would try to latch him to help my supply then I’d follow with a bottle of breast milk. I never pumped at night when my baby was asleep (for all of 45 minutes😂). I found that pumping first thing in the morning would get me enough milk to feed him into the afternoon then subsequent pumps would yield a bottle or two but much less than the first pump of the day. I had an oversupply so never needed to pump more than 3-4 times in 24 hours. Even a small breast feeding session will stimulate your supply, honestly I over did it with the pumping because I didn’t know any better- I’ve got big boobs so a load of storage capacity maybe 😂
I pumped maybe one bottle a month just if I needed to go somewhere without baby so dad had something to give him - otherwise didn’t pump at all, it was such a faff hats off to the mums that do!! X
No you definitely don't need to pump if you are nursing on demand and not having time away from baby. Baby removing milk from your breast is what will keep your supply up. Just nurse on demand and seek specialist breastfeeding support if there are issues with latch. Obviously if you miss a feed you would need to pump to keep up your supply but if you are nursing for all the feeds then it's not necessary to pump on top of this. Many people like to build up a stash for if they are going to be away from baby or if they are returning to work but again if these things don't apply to you in the near future you don't need to pump. I've been breastfeeding for nearly three years and the only time I've pumped was in hospital due to latch issues, I stopped once we got home and haven't pumped since.
You don't need to. I pumped and breastfed with my first so dad can also bond during feedings. Around that time my husband and I started alternating nights. I still had to get up to pump but it was still quicker than breastfeeding and getting my son back to sleep. Anyways we both ended up getting more rest this way. Also it helped having some extra milk on hand if we wanted to go out to dinner and had a babysitter. Overall, just more flexibility in my day since the baby could take either bottle or boob
I couldn't get my newborn to latch either so I ended up pumping exclusively for 1 year!! I'm hoping I can nurse more with my 2nd but I will still have to pump at work 🥲
Of course not. Pumps didn't always exist! Lots of women pump because they have to go back to work quickly. In the US for example lots of people only get 2-6 weeks maternity leave. If they want baby to be breastfed then they need to pump.