If you are or have been a breastfeeding Mom, I’m curious how pumping went for you?
A commenter, Beck, at my recent breastfeeding and the La Leche League post, prompted me to write a long comment about breastfeeding and pumping that I decided to turn into a new post of its own. Based on all the comments there, I know that quite a few of you are interested in the topic.
Some new moms may be wondering why they just can't pump?
I've written here on the blog about how I didn't know what I was doing and didn't have the support I needed to nurse our oldest more than 3 weeks or so, and most of that was supplementing with bottles. (I'm SO sad to think of it now. I remember the last time he nursed, I can picture the chair and the room clearly in my mind. It still wasn't going well and I sat there with tears streaming down my face knowing he was just going to have to be bottle fed…it still makes me cry to think of it now…especially knowing now that it wasn't too late at that point, not even close! Had I brought him right to bed with us and let him nurse as needed like I did with the others, he'd have been FINE. But all I knew and heard then was “Babies need to sleep in their own beds.” Read more about natural parenting.)
Anyway, so my experience with breastfeeding was only with our last 3 babies. Thank God I found some help with #2 and this was after years of infertility and I knew I was GOING to nurse my baby this time, now that we finally got to have another. Our babies all did great breastfeeding (once we got going that is) and I knew they were getting enough because:
- I could hear them gulping the milk
- They were satisfied and content afterward
- They had plenty of wet diapers
- They were growing well
Yet when I tried to pump I'd MAYBE get a couple ounces after 20 minutes. My friend, Meg, who I talk about on the blog sometimes, could get 8 ounces in less than 5 minutes! She has always drank a LOT of water each day and I wonder if that was it. I also wonder if I was taking in enough calories back then. Either way, it didn't matter to me because thank God I was able to stay home with all our babies (and did daycare here) so I didn't have a need for pumping. If I went anywhere in the first few months they just went with me, which felt perfectly natural and right anyway. Once they were 6 months or so, they could go longer between feedings and I could get out a little to go to the store, and I remember how nice it felt to have free hands!
I’d love to know what your experience with pumping has been. Were you able to?
- Unable to breastfeed at all? Try this homemade formula to avoid the commercial formulas out there!
photo credit, Creative Commons 2.0
Sheila says
I have a 7 m.o. little girl. Didn’t take a breastfeeding course while pregnant. My baby latched on successfully just minutes after being born. But after day 5, milk wasn’t coming in and my sister came over and gave my baby a bottle. I didn’t know I had to have stimulation on breasts every few hours. I continued to breastfeed- she was on my breasts all day- she was gaining just a pound a month. Then at month 4, pediatrician said I needed to supplement as she was in the 6th percentile for body weight. She all of a sudden wouldn’t take a bottle. I tried making her the WAPF formula, but it gets stuck in the lactation device and have to use formula. I use the one that has no corn syrup and non-GMO but I still feel horrible and guilty.
I pump with a medical grade pump and only get 2 ounces after 15 min.
It’s been difficult, as I have to put the formula in bags and put the little tube on my nipple just to make sure she gets enough milk. It’s been so difficult, but at least she is still getting some breast milk. I’ve noticed a difference with my supply after drinking chicken stock and kombucha. Hopefully next baby my supply will increase!
KitchenKop says
Hi Sheila,
I’d just like to encourage you to let go of ‘feeling horrible and guilty’!! It’s obvious that you’re a great mom! Just keep doing the best you can do and that’s all we can do.
Soon she’ll be old enough to start giving her other superfoods, too, like ground up liver, lightly cooked egg yolks, cod liver oil, and other goodies. 🙂
Kel
Sheila says
Thanks so much Kelly. You’re encouragement made me cry. (In a relieved happy way) 🙂 I’ve already started giving her FCLO and pastured egg yolks. I made her pate with chicken livers and she spits it out! I don’t know what else to feed her. I have the Nourishing Traditions book for children but there is not a whole lot of recipes for 6+ month old babies.
Grace says
I’ve been pumping since two weeks postpartum. I couldn’t make quite enough–my LO would drink 4-8 oz formula and still does, although now she get’s WAP formula for the extra formula. Because of this, I feel no worries about when I will stop pumping. I’m going for a year. We’re at eleven months now, and I expect to keep going for awhile after a year because she’s still so much of a baby and needs all the milk she can get, as we aren’t vaccinating.
KitchenKop says
Eleven months and beyond is wonderful!!! You are blessed.
Kelly
Magda says
I wanted to add my experiences to this wonderful thread. I worked and pumped with both of my boys. With the first one I exclusively BF till he was 5 months then continued to BF while I pumped for another 6+ months. I then continued to BF till he was 3. Never had an issue. It was wonderful!! With my second I wound up nursing till he was 10.5 months because I was let go at work and stayed home while looking for another job. I went back to work and pumped for over 3 months. I’m still breastfeeding at 19 months. This baby was a bit tougher: his latch wasn’t perfect and my nipples hurt for a bit. I also had to deal with biting but not much. Pumping worked great with both kids. I made sure to drink plenty of liquids, ate oatmeal and an overall healthy diet (pretty much the same as during pregnancy). I did have days when I wouldn’t up as much but I never used formula. I’m very proud of that. I did know abouthe raw milk formula so I would have used it if the need arose. I used an online working/pumping support board and the ladies there had tons of useful advice. Yes, it can be done !!! Look for help if you need it. Stress is a great deterrent to good supply so learn to relax and let go.
Anna @ DWELLpure says
I just hit the 6 month mark of exclusively pumping for twins. Baby A had a difficult time latching in the beginning and EPing was the next best thing and convenient at the time. It is a lot of work, but worth it. I’m still pumping 6 times a day and producing 60-64 oz a day. In the beginning I was producing almost 80 oz a day… so I have quite the frozen stash. I was hoping to quit early, but I’m finding that the girls don’t like the taste of my frozen milk. I’m assuming I have a lipase issue and it’s causing the milk to taste different, almost sour… ugh. I just finished writing about my “Pumping Saga”. All I have to say about exclusively pumping is that it can be done!
RAnn says
I’m a working mom who nursed three kids past a year, and pumped for all three. I had nursing problems with my oldest right before I went back to work (but honestly he had been on the edge for a long time) and even though I managed to pump a bottle/day by pumping at lunchtime, he got a lot of formula. We weaned by mutal consent at 15 mos. I pumped for a year with a medela hospital grade pump. My second child was a girl and she was on the tiny side. By pumping out the extra in the morning after I fed her and at lunch, I managed to keep her in bottles at the sitters. Again I used the hospital grade medela and quit pumping at a year when the pump was due back. I chose to rent with both those kids because I didn’t know how long I’d be doing it, and the Pump-in-Style and similar pumps didn’t exist.
My baby is nine years younger than the middle child. With her I used a Pump-in-Style and managed to not only meet her needs at the sitter, but also put away milk to feed her for a week while I took my oldest on a school trip. I quit pumping regularly at a year, but would pump at lunch if I happened to be in my office. Then, when she was 15 mos old we evacuated due to Katrina and she was with me full-time for a month. She also didn’t sleep through the night. When I went back to work when she was 16 mos old, the pump didn’t go with me, but she didn’t wean completely until she was 26 mos and it was my idea not hers.
Betsy says
Oh how I remember those days. I learned fast how to tell if the baby was getting plenty of milk. When the baby’s head was bigger than the breast, the meal was about over.
Pumping – I would nurse the baby, then pump. Let-down was no problem that way, and when you take every drop, production goes up. My baby didn’t seem to want to sleep in the big bed much, but I did nurse all through the night as long as possible to keep milk production up. The pumped, frozen milk was warmed up in the day by whoever (if I was away or my husband wanted a turn), and I never ever ran out.
I did feel a bit like a bovine at times, and smelled like a cheese factory at times, but so what.
Sue E. says
My first born was 6 weeks premature and wouldn’t latch on. I had to try so many tricks to get her to latch on at each feeding. Besides it being my first child, I had to have a c-section, and she was on an apnea monitor! I so much wanted to breastfeed, and I had some lactation consultant help, but at each feeding if she didn’t latch on, I had to bottle feed her. I pumped with a hospital-quality pump, but after awhile I couldn’t get enough to feed her and had to supplement with formula (ugh! This was 11 years ago, about 4 years before my food conversion…). Anyway, she did eventually latch on, but I was so used to the bottles, as was she, that nursing sadly didn’t last long for her, and by about 3 months my milk dried up.
I was (thankfully) able to nurse my next three children, but I did use a hand pump if I woke up engorged (I didn’t co-sleep with my babies). I took full advantage of being able to pump out lots of milk that I could freeze for those times I wanted to scoot out and let Dad give her a bottle (or if the other children wanted to see what it was like to feed baby). I knew my body would continue to produce more milk for the hungry baby when he woke up, and I never fully drained each side. Actually, when it came to the third nursing baby, I ended up not really using many bottles with him, so I used the banked milk to mix with the baby food I prepared myself when he was ready.
Sue E.
KitchenKop says
I just LOVE it when a post draws out so many neat stories from you all, I hope more keep coming in! You guys are so fun! 🙂
Janice says
My son was born almost 15 years ago and it was a challenge for me to pump a lot of milk. I breast fed exclusively for the first six months but had to go to work, so I breast fed him at home and would supplement during the day with bottles. I was under a lot of stress at that time and wonder if that contributed to my challenge.
My daughter was another experience. My daughter was born ten years after her brother. I was able to pump enough milk but she refused to take bottles even with the breast milk. A friend had the same problem with her daughter and her pediatrician suggested that it may have to do with the shape of the mouth. HAs anyone heard of this?
Ricky says
You are a supermom and great spacing with the kids.
Ricky says
My oldest daughter, now 25year old was my first was breastfeeding experience. I was 17 years old and terrified but my mom said that I had to tough it out and feed my daughter. I had no pump at that time so I manually squeezed my breast, getting as much as possible to leave with my mom for her feedings. Then I would put her on both breast for at least an hour before leaving for work. Those were long days,of embarrassing milk-stained clothes and painful swollen breast. I couldn’t wait to get home to put my daughter to my breast in order to get some relief. It was a painful experience at first but I stuck it out and weaned her at 15 month, she was not happy. I breastfed my now 16 year old for 3 weeks. He cried all the time while being fed and since my mum was not available for advice, I switched to the healthiest formula available. Several year later I now have 4 year old twins. They were premature at birth and very tiny so I was very determine to do my part, providing them a fighting chance at life. I tried the manual pump for a few hours while still at the hospital, then realized it would not work for me. I was given the electric pump to try, it worked. It was very painful at first but I kept my mind on the two little angels struggling to survive. The milk was very slow coming but when it came, it came in bottles. They had to give me my own refrigerator to keep my milk and I was able to take home over 3 dozen bottles of breast milk. I brought one of the babies home after 1 week while the other one followed 2 weeks later. I used the pumped for 8 months straight along with putting them to the breast. We used no formulas for the first 8 month but it became necessary after I have to return the pump and my production company slowed down lol, lol. The twins gained the required weight quickly but I must say they gave me quite a fight when I began the weaning process. I breastfeed them until their 2nd birthday then decided, that’s enough! My son was the fighter, he fussed in public and tried taking my shirt off a few times but with a little patience and lots of love, he grew to accept that his milk factory was closed for good. They are now the most healthy, intelligent and fun 4 year olds I have ever come across.
Mrs. V says
My little daughter is 6 weeks old. Our breastfeeding adventure is still going but I can share how the beginning went. The first week was the hardest for me because even though I *thought* I was getting the right latch I always wasn’t. Breastfeeding hurt badly, not just because my nipples were sensitive at first but because I was already showing signs of latching incorrectly. It got to the point where I needed to pump because of the pain and condition of myself. I pumped for the first time when she was 1 week old and it was painful, but not as bad as nursing. I soon got used to the feeling and was able to pump enough to feed the babe. I pumped for 1 week, and during that time I actually thought about pumping exclusively. At first it was wonderful but after a few days I saw how much more time consuming it was was to pump. I changed my mind once I started to heal and tried again. I am so glad I did! When my daughter was 3 weeks old I went back to nursing only and it was a whole different experience. I was healed enough to deal with the discomfort and I was patient enough to work on the latch. It only got easier. I just pumped earlier today so my husband could feed her while I went to work for a few hours and pumping is now quick and painless. So much can happen in so little time. I try to remember those times when I thought “this is unbearable!” and I am glad I stuck through it.
Dawn says
What an interesting discussion! So many varied experiences! Really tells us how individual we all are and learning as we go along.
My first daughter didn’t latch in the hospital. I never took a breastfeeding class because I figured it was natural and what could be so difficult about it. My husband and I even chuckled about a friend of ours who had their first 2 mos before ours and some of her issues only to find out when our daughter came that it made perfect sense! When my daughter didn’t latch at all the first night, I asked the nurses what I should do. They said it will come. Don’t worry about it and brought me a pump to at least work on my supply. No one told me how to use it. When I asked, the nurse said, I don’t know how to use those new ones and I ended up having to figure it out on my own. By the second night, when my daughter would cry, I would cry hearing how weak it was and knowing I was trying so hard but it wasn’t working. My husband who was sleeping there finally went to get a nurse and said SOMEONE HELP MY WIFE! She came in and made me sit on the couch instead of the bed, manhandled my breasts and the baby but something finally started to work just a bit. My dd would suck a lot on my little finger but not the breast. The nurse said I had a “good breast” but my dd couldn’t latch well. So she convinced me to give her an ounce of formula through a tiny tube next to my finger and she slept well for a bit after that. After that, I tried to latch every time we fed her for about 10-15 min. It was hit or miss with mostly miss. I charted everything. Then I would pump and then we would feed her what I pumped. It took both of us to handle the baby and the bottle with the little tube and get it in the right place but we could see what she was getting and knew it was enough. After a week of doing that for every single feeding, she finally figured it out and the next six weeks of nursing through pain started. I know now that she just didn’t latch well, but we finally got through the painful stage after those first 2 months. I remember counting the days for my six weeks of pain when the nursing books said it would be better. It took a bit longer but we got through it. I had plugged ducts several times but never full blown mastitis with her. I pumped periodically so my hubby could give her a bottle or when I was out which wasn’t often because I couldn’t bear to leave her. I just cried. At 6 mos. she had such a bad yeasty diaper rash and the script from the dr made it worse and they told me to stop nursing and to give her formula to make it get better. I found it too difficult to pump and dump and give formula and keep up with all the bottles and everything and my supply suffered. I finally went on a complete sugar free diet and nursed her through the diaper rash but my supply never came back up and we moved on to formula. She had trouble switching to solids and eating and had an easy gag reflex and spit up a lot, breastmilk or formula, and didn’t start real solids until well after her one year birthday.
My second daughter latched on from the beginning and wouldn’t let go! She nursed for hours after she was born and I finally asked the nurses to give her a paci so I could take a break. She went through a couple of strange spurts where she would nurse until the let down and then pop off and scream at me for a few days. Or she would nurse more frequently. By 5 mos with her I was ready to be done and she would have nothing of it. She would take a pumped breastmilk bottle but not formula at all and not breastmilk mixed with even 1 oz formula so it would all have to be dumped. Now, knowing what I do, I’m so glad for that, but wasn’t so much then. She nursed until 9 mos when we found a formula she would accept. I got mastitis with her. HORRIBLE! I was feeling horrible while on vacation in FL and couldn’t get warm. I was SO cold. I curled up in a blanket and she slept longer than normal and I dozed in and out on the couch. My skin was on fire and I was sweating through the blanket. My hubby was worried and wanted to take me to the hospital. I had a feeling it was mastitis. She woke up to nurse around 11pm and I was so weak I couldn’t pick her up. Hubby placed her on my lap. She nursed and he took her to burp and I crawled in bed. Around 2am my fever broke and I felt so much better. She nursed and then spit up blood. I freaked out. I did some online research and confirmed my suspicions. We called my doc in the morning and he prescribed antibiotics. I pumped the infected breast and fed her more frequently on the ok breast so she’d still get enough. Even pumping the infected breast made me feel nauseous. It was gross. By the end of the next day, the milk was clear again and we were fine. I hope I don’t have to go through that again but if we do, at least I know we can get through it.
Hopefully, there’ll be a new baby soon. We’re working on it! 🙂 I miss those little snuggle times. My daughters are 4 and soon to be 3. We need a baby around here again!
Suze says
My oldest son was born in 1996. I nursed him for 6 months in total and felt like that was a big deal back then! No one I knew nursed, and I was so lucky that workplace was fine with my using an office for pumping a couple if times a day. My son’s day care was close by, so I used to spend my lunch hour nursing him. I remember he was the only one who was breastfed and the caregivers commented that he was also the only baby there who never had a cold, ear infection, etc. I would have made more of an effort to go longer if I’d had more knowledge. Fast forward to today: I have a nearly four-year-old son who is still at it. If I had my choice, he would be well on his way to weaning, but he seems to need it still. He was a high-needs baby who turned me into an attachment parent before I knew what it was! Trying to meet his needs led me to babywearing, cosleeping, and. CLW. I am really grateful for the existence of the Internet: it was just becoming popular when my oldest was born; if I’d had such easy access to the same info when my oldest was a baby I’m sure I would have pumped longer. I haven’t pumped for my youngest because he was ALWAYS at the breast and I was lucky to be able to stay home with him.
Kelly says
I nursed and pumped with my first. I had one flat and one very short nipple so I had to use a breast shield for the first month with her. Nursing sure fixed that! Since I had such short nipples, I had to use the little inserts in the pump cups, (I was able to borrow a friend’s professional medela pump), otherwise pumping was painful and non productive. Manual pumps were completely useless for me. But I had good production and my daughter self weaned at 13 months and it was harder for me than her! 🙂 My second was a good strong sucker but always shallowed up within a minute of latching on and nursing was always uncomfortable. She was also a marathon feeder and hated a bottle nipple so I never had the chance to pump with her. I regret it, but finally weaned her to a bottle she would take at 9 months. It was definitely not the pleasurable experience nursing her that I had with my first. 🙁 I definitely recommend taking advantage of any postpartum breast feeding help available. We have a great nursing center at our hospital. They are very helpful with solving latch and other issues. My first daughter’s disorganized suck reflex was fixed in less than an hour right in the birthing suite. And they sent me home with the shield that worked so well for her latch. I should have tried that for #2!
Rachel Keller says
I nursed all 5 of my children from 13 months to 2 1/2 and 3 years for one. We did not co-sleep b/c my husband & I are already crowded in our double bed. I just did not feel comfortable having a baby sleeping w/us.
I used the same manual pump for all 5 babies though 2 of my children never took a bottle or pacifier so I really didn’t pump a whole lot anyway, but fortunately, I never had a problem getting milk from the pump, though at first, it hurt a little. I preferred breastfeeding over pumping any day so I only used the pump if I would be away from the baby too long which didn’t happen too often. 🙂
Heather says
I returned to work when my first was just over five months old. She was exclusively breastfeed for the first year-fifteen months. I was told for pumping, it was important to pump for time not for the amount of milk that you would get because milk production was all about the nipple stimulation. If you only pump for five minutes, but get 4 oz, that’s great for the milk quantity short term, but not good for the milk production long term. I pumped milk about every three hours for 15 minutes at a time. I had a double electric breast pump, which I loaned from a friend. (These pumps are built like an oil pump and last forever. Yes, it is recommended by the manufacturer not to share them, but there was nothing that came in contact from one person to another that was of concern for me.) I pumped at work until my daughter was over two years old and I had become pregnant with baby #2. At that time, I decided that continuing to pump was just too much; afterall, my milk was getting less due to the pregnancy and it just didn’t feel good anymore-although, I did nurse her throughout the pregnancy and then a little more. Fortunately with baby #2, I didn’t return to work and I was able to return the beloved breast pump to my friend who had loaned it to me because she was having another baby!
Megan says
I am currently nursing my 11 month old daughter and have never used a pump, don’t even own one. I’m a SAHM so that’s the only way it’s possible. I just take her with me and nurse wherever (she still doesn’t go longer than 3 hours, and currently I think she’s trying to build up my supply b/c she wants to nurse every half hour!)
I truly admire the women who pump at work to give their babies the best. It’s great reading people’s comments too in case I ever do need to pump with her or the next child.
Megan says
Oh the irony! Just an update: my 2nd daughter has quite a few issues and now I exclusively pump for her as she is tube fed while still nursing my now 2 yo! I will have to go back through and read comments again for helpful tips!
Heather says
My daughter was born at 35 weeks, and spent 6 days in NICU, and under the jaundice lights. They had me pump & try nursing a little & then give her bottles, but she was only allowed out from under the light for 1/2 an hour at a time, so there just wasn’t time to get real nursing established. Once I got her home, we started working on nursing. She figured it out, but she was 4 months old before I stopped being sore–and that was with the help of breast shells & LOTS of lanolin! But we did figure it out, and, well, she’s going to turn 3 next week & is about to wean. Her brother is 18 months old, born full-term at home, and has been nursing like a champ since shortly after he was born. We co-sleep, and I’m a stay-at-home Mom. I used a pump a little when my daughter was newborn (& at the hospital, of course), but quickly decided it was more of a hassle than just nursing, no matter HOW sore I was. Out in public? Use a breastfeeding top and a sling. I have had people standing right in front of (facing me) me not realize I was nursing the baby in the sling! In Costco, where there is plenty of light.
Kate says
I HAD to pump to make nursing work with my oldest. She wouldn’t latch and we had all kinds of problems at first. For 6 weeks I pumped and fed her with a bottle and it was…crazy. I was in pain, I hated it, but I was determined to make it to a year. I blame the fact that we were separated for quite awhile after her birth, and that I had drugs, for this. We DID make it, because I was totally determined, and she is still nursing now at 27 months. I pumped occasionally after she was nursing normally just to have milk “in case.” Didn’t use most of it. Only a double electric worked for me; I tried a highly-rated manual first with no success.
My son latched on within minutes of birth (born at home) and we’ve never had a moment’s issue. I’ve never needed or wanted to pump for him and did not introduce a bottle at all.
Liz says
Well, I had very large breasts, especially while nursing, so I found that while I didn’t let down for the pump very well, I could get a lot of milk if I pumped for a long time.
I started pumping during my lunch hour at work, using a hands-free pumping bra and eating my lunch and reading magazines. Pictures of my little ones were nearby. After about 40 minutes, I’d have around 16 oz. Then I’d put it all in the fridge – including shields and pump equipment – so I didn’t have to wash it before my next use. That saved me 10 minutes and a potentially embarrassing walk to the bathroom. The second time I pumped, a few hours later, I’d only get a few ounces – maybe 4 or so, but that was usually a shorter session of around 15 minutes.
As a working and breastfeeding mom, pumping was a “must.” I pumped at work until my first was 6 months old, and I thought it was the hardest thing I’d ever done. I absolutely collapsed when it was over. My milk lasted another two months before it dried up. I beat the odds – most working moms don’t even make it 6 months.
With my second, I was much better prepared for how hard pumping would be. I made it until his first birthday, which was my goal, and was able to stop pumping but keep nursing him until my milk dried up when he was 18 months old. We kept co-sleeping until he was 15 months, and all of that night nursing is what helped me keep my milk that long after stopping pumping.
I did need to supplement with formula and food, but only after he was around 8 months old, and I just couldn’t devote the pumping time necessary during the day to produce the amount of milk he wanted. Fortunately, all that night nursing kept my milk supply up even without more than one or two pumping sessions during the day.
I never had a “freezer stash” as I could never really figure out how to pump while at home, since my little nurslings always wanted to eat. I often tell women not to stress if they don’t have a freezer stash. I never had more than 4 bags in the freezer at a time, and we were just fine.
I had heard stories about women who quit nursing because of marathon nursing sessions at 2-3 weeks. Thanks to a wonderful lactation consultant, I learned this was one of the many growth spurts, and that the marathon sessions don’t persist beyond a few days. I wish more women knew that or had that support.
I also see women who breastfeed, but bring bottles when out in public – what a hassle! I feel sad that they don’t feel comfortable breastfeeding in public. I always smile when I see a nursing mom. I practiced in front of a mirror A LOT before going out in public with DD, but I did get the hang of it, even without being one of those moms who can discreetly nurse in a sling (I tended to suffocate my babies when I tried to nurse them that way – not good!). This is the kind of thing that needs more support for women – what they need to know, what they need to feel comfortable, etc.
I would love for every woman who wants to breastfeed to have the support to be able to do so.
Jenny @ Nourished Kitchen says
I nursed my son until he self-weaned at about 3.5 years, and it was worth it. 3.5 years seems so long, but it isn’t really. I had to go back to work when he was only 4 weeks old (part-time) and full-time when he was 8 weeks old and that breaks my heart when I think about it. So I nursed and pumped and pumped and nursed and we were fortunate that I was a milk-making machine and we never had to supplement with anything until he reached the age of starting solids and then he self-fed and consumed breast milk in abundance. Sure there were a few months that were touch-and-go, but I saw a naturopath who helped to boost my milk supply naturally. We also dealt with thrush and mastitis at different points.
I also pumped an excess, at least in the beginning, and was able to donate gallons and gallons of breastmilk to the mothers milk bank and felt blessed to be able to do that. At work, this was before legislation was passed that would have improved the issue, I had to pump in a bathroom (how gross is that!), but at least I could take the time to make it happen.
Anna says
I had my first & only child at age 36 in 1998. My mom and grandmother were breastfeeders when breastfeeding was practiced less and less in the 40s, 50s, & 60s (my grandmother had her last baby when I was 3 yo!), so with that background, there was no question that I would breastfeed my baby, esp as I was able to remain at home with him.
However, I had a very painful time breastfeeding for the first two months and it was sheer willpower and determination that kept me from quitting. He gained weight extremely well, so the amount of milk he was getting was very adequate – but it was just agony for me each and every time I fed him (and I have a rather high threshold of pain – I was induced with Pitocin and delivered without any anaethesia and felt exhilarated by the experience). I can see why many women give up breastfeeding, even if they want to do it very much. Finally, one lactation specialist I talked to via phone in desperation suggested his frenum might be very tight (aka tongue-tied) and he wasn’t latching on quite properly (despite weekly lactation nurse appts, several doctor consultations, and reporting my observation that his lower lip did not show while latched-on, no one could see why I was in such pain). That made total sense, as my husband also cannot stick out his tongue very far past his lips and when I looked, he has pronounced labial and lingual frenums (some say they run in families). I was just about to screw up the courage to ask the pediatrician if he’d snip my son’s lingual frenum, when it seemed to stretch out by itself, he latched-on properly, and the pain resolved in about a week. If only I’d known about Dr. Palmer’s research back then (www.brianpalmerdds.com), I’d have figured out the problem much earlier and saved myself considerable angst and pain (and might have actually enjoyed the experience of feeding my baby instead of doing it through grimaces of pain).
Back to the subject of pumps ;-), the right pump can make a huge difference. One type doesn’t work for all. At the same time I was breastfeeding my newborn, I had a very good friend with a baby 3 mos older, who could fill an 8 oz bottle with milk from just one side in about 3-4 minutes using a manual Avent pump. So naturally, that’s the pump I bought. I could only get an ounce or two with it after pumping for 10 minutes a side, so it sat unused in a drawer. I have breasts that are more round at the nipple than pointed (& one nipple is slightly inverted), so I don’t know if breast shape was a factor. Another friend mailed me her expensive electric Medela pump system (it is packaged in an ugly black “handbag” but they probably look nicer now). That pump worked like a charm, was very comfortable, and I could easily pump 5-6+ oz from each side quickly (but it does make a low droning noise as the pump works, unlike a nearly silent manual pump). The Medela came with several nipple fittings (can be boiled or sanitized in the automatic D/W, and replacement sets can be purchased if loaning or selling the pump later), so I think it would work for just about any breast shape or size (the friend who loaned it to me is quite flat chested and it worked very well for her, too). I did later learn that there was a local breastfeeding support business that allowed “trying out” pumps out before purchasing (a nipple attachment and bottle kit had to be purchased though, for hygiene/sanitary reasons). Rentals of electric pumps were also avail.
Because I was able to stay at home with my son (actually we were out and about a lot when he was a baby, so I quickly got used to nursing in public – it’s the ultimate in fast food), the need for bottle-feeding breastmilk was minimal for us, but if there was an emergency or something came up that created a nursing difficulty, I wanted him to be willing to take a bottle of breastmilk, so we got into a routine of my husband feeding him with a bottle of pumped milk twice a week. Actually, he’d take a bottle from me, too, but I’d leak so much watching him nurse I didn’t do it unless my husband wasn’t able to (prolactin is strong stuff! LOL).
By the time he was 6 wks old I was having trouble staying asleep with him in our bedroom because I would wake at every tiny sound he made (even contented sleeping sounds), so we moved him into his room down the hall (doors open so we could still hear him if he woke). At 7 weeks he began to sleep through the night, eventually sleeping as much as 11 or 12+ hours straight. That was GREAT for our sleep, except that the frequent nursings during the day (every 2.5 hours, practically like clockwork, except during his 4 hour afternoon nap) meant I was continually making milk, even if he was sleeping all night. I’d wake up 5 or 6 am in a pool of milk. So for many months I set an alarm for 4am and while my baby slept, I pumped just enough milk to fill a small bottle and prevent a spill-over (I didn’t want to pump too much and encourage yet more milk production). I also too a very PT job one Sunday afternoon a week at the local yarn shop (to feed my yarn habit and hang with my yarn friends) when he was 6 mos old and I pumped during the missed feeding for a short time (that afternoon “off” was great for all of us). I built-up a far larger frozen milk supply than I could ever use.
On a somewhat related note, I’ve learned a lot recently (from Dr. Palmer’s website and a variety of other orthodontic, ENT/sleep disorder, & nutrition sources) about how an infant’s tongue movement and sucking action is quite different when sucking from the breast and from a bottle, and how sucking/soft tissue force is an important factor for proper growth and development of babies’ facial bone structure, good dental occlusion later on, and overall many health issues. Sucking breastmilk directly from the breast vs from a bottle or sippy cup is not the only factor, of course (non-nutritive sucking, tongue-thrusting, open-mouth breathing, inability to absorb adequate fat soluble vitamins and minerals due to gut issues, and other factors are also implicated in poor facial bone development). But keeping in mind that even subtle facial bone development irregularities (esp if other co-factors are present for a prolonged period) can result later in restricted airway space, sleep apnea, susceptibility to allergies and illness, poor vision, and dental malocclusion, there should be more information available that breastmilk sucked directly from the breast still offers advantages over breastmilk delivered from a bottle or cup. If I could do it all over again (now as a mom of a kid in orthodontic treatment), I’d not have weaned my son at only 10 months and would have continued to breastfeed much longer to encourage better development of his facial bones. I’d also not have been so neutral about his thumbsucking habit (aged 6 wks to kindergarten), even though at the time we thought it was great, as he was able to self-sooth and sleep well thanks to that thumb. I’m not trying to lay a guilt trip on mothers who bottle feed with breastmilk, but as it seems the more I learn (often too late), the more I come across info that supports doing what has worked well for eons for humans instead of employing “modern” conveniences.
Liz says
Anna, I just don’t see why women think that bottle-feeding breastmilk is “convenient” at all! You spend time pumping, instead of being with your baby, as you would nursing. Then after your baby eats, you have to wash all the bottles. More time and work!
I’d rather spend the feeding time cuddling with my baby and skip the pumping and washing. I only did the pumping and washing when I was working – and that was out of necessity!
Except for women who have that bacteria in their milk that requires them to freeze their milk before feeding their infant, I just don’t see the allure of exclusively pumping. And your points on malocclusion (sp?) are well-taken. Normal jaw development is at great risk in modern society. However, I know children who were exclusively breastfed to 3+ years old who have malocclusion. So while breastfeeding helps, bottle-feeding is not the only cause. Much of it actually happens during in-utero development, from what I’ve read.
Anna says
Liz,
LOL, I couldn’t agree more – BFing is soooo convenient, especially when traveling long distances. Not to mention much cheaper…
Kate says
I ditched the pump pretty quickly because it hurt. My hands work just fine to get the milk out, so I express into a milk storage bag. It’s fast and efficient.
Elisabeth says
I nursed both of my children for two years each. It was 1992 when I started, though, and I had to fight with the hospital to support breastfeeding. My first child was having trouble getting going- latching on and nursing for more than a few seconds at a time. The nursing staff told me that they had to give her water from a bottle to keep my child from dehydrating- so the bottle was confusing her. Plus, it was quite apparent that they disliked the chore of bringing the baby to me each time she needed to be fed. They encouraged me to give up the whole “unnecessary” nursing thing and go with formula. I finally enlisted a lactation specialist to advocate for me and my child.
I chose a different hospital the second time around…and it was three years later…so we had much different experience. The baby stayed with me so we nursed, and did whatever we pleased throughout our stay.
kmillecam says
I breastfed my first until he weaned himself around one year. I literally never pumped with him, besides one trial when he was brand new. He ended up figuring it out and I never needed to mess with bottles or pumps.
Then my second came along. He was born with bilateral cleft lip and palate and simply could not figure out breastfeeding. I rented a hospital grade Medela pump for a reasonable monthly fee (definitely cheaper than formula, not that I would ever consider formula) and pumped several times a day to give him bottles with a special nipple called a “Haberman” or now called “Special Needs Feeder”. It was exhausting, but I made it my priority. The first few months were brutal, but it got better and better. I got into a pumping rhythm, and I am privileged to stay home with my kids so I had this option.
I only made it to his first birthday, but it was more than I thought I could do. Now he drinks raw whole milk, and eats plenty of egg yolks and liver when I can get my hands on it.
Brandy Afterthoughts says
Kacie! Wow, you sound like me, only my condition was due to disease–Lyme Disease throughout my teens. But again I say it: wow. I don’t meet any others like myself. And yes, there is a lot of guilt attached, especially when you are already convinced of the superiority of nursing, but aren’t able to pull it off. The guilt comes from within, and the frustration from recognizing that your body is refusing to do what it is obviously designed to do!
With my firstborn, we did formula because we couldn’t afford to buy breastmilk from the banks. However, with our second-born we received a true blessing. I was in a Bible study group with two other women due around the same time. I had my baby first, but both of those women ended up overproducing. Truly, my cup was overrun! They both pumped, and my daughter is the only of our four children who went at least half a year without drinking any formula at all. It was so refreshing that instead of feeling condemned by nursing moms who produce effortlessly, they shared their bounty and blessed our family.
With that said, I agree that donating to banks is wonderful, but the banks at the time my son was born were charging an exorbitant amount, plus they were often pasteurizing the milk. If any of you know a mom who needs milk, “donating” directly to her freezer is a wonderful plan!
Jessie says
My daughter, my first and only, who just turned one yesterday, is still breastfeeding (why, yes, I AM rather proud of myself. 🙂 ). If you can believe it, I’ve never pumped and don’t own a pump. Honestly, I’m a little scared of them and they seem like a hassle. I’ve never had to be away from her for more than a couple hours at a time, so it works for us!
It’s good to hear about this from others, in case I have a reason to pump for my future children.
Cheryl says
I’ve been breastfeeding non-stop for nearly 14 years, since my oldest was born. My youngest is ten months old; there are four others in between those two. In all those years, I’ve probably pumped a total of two dozen times. I’m not a fan, but am very impressed by moms who work hard to make sure their babies are getting the best.
Henriette says
I breastfed my daughter for 9 months but I did pump as well
cause I only had 1 month maternaty leave ( however it is common to have at least 52 paid leave here)so most people breastfeed a lot.
I found it fairly easy to pump- BUT I do think it was a mistake to mix bottle and breast cause my daughter got lazy an decided not to feed on my slow right breast so for 6 months I only fed her on the left.
Kacie says
Wow, I could have written that response from “Brandy Afterthoughts”…
When I got pregnant with my firstborn, I was so stoked about natural parenting in every aspect (cloth diapering, breastfeeding, babywearing, etc.). Little did I know I had a medical condition caused by my growing years that left me incapble of producing more than about an ounce and a half of milk every three hours. Hypoplasia of the breast–a severe lack of breast tissue, which is necessary for milk production. This has nothing to do with a cup size, but rather to do with how much tissue actually exists in each breast. It’s not very well publicized as a disease because it is rare–something like 1% of women (which is still a lot of women if you look at the real numbers).
So, after baby was born (and me not knowing about my condition), he fed happily for about a week and a half and then quickly began to fail to thrive because no matter what I did (supplementation on both our parts; me with herbs and foods, him with donated breastmilk and eventually formula), I couldn’t make any more milk. I tried every trick in every book, believing as they said that every woman could breastfeed, it just took patience and courage. Lots of guilt, shame, near-hospitalization moments, lactation consultations, and beaucoups of money later, we realized I had hypoplastic breasts and the problem was not bad latch or a simple low supply, but instead a very serious disorder.
It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders… it didn’t make things anybetter practically, but at least I was able to stop beating myself up about my supply and also able to shake off all the comments from other moms and grandmoms about how I needed to just stick with it and things would work out. They worked out, but just in a different way.
We got interested in real foods and nourishing traditions stuff about four months ago and realized my hypoplasia is likely a result of my diet growing up (I ate very poorly; all processed and junk foods and no veggies until I was in college). I can’t do much about the issue now, but I can at least deal with my current circumstances better now that I know what the problem is. My son is 11-months old, and though my body stopped producing milk altogether in his fifth month, he is getting along fine and is healthy to boot. We’re six months pregnant with our next and working with our midwife to get a milk share program installed in the hopes being able to provide breastmilk supplements to our new baby along with whatever milk I can produce (I’m not giving up! My children will get everything I can give them).
For all you moms who make tons of milk, perhaps you should consider donating to a local milk bank or participating in a milk share program–there are lots of us moms out here who could really use your “extras”!
Christie says
I have nursed all three of my babies…I only ever had to use my medela pump in style with my first as I had to work 6 hours a day then. I pumped twice and usually got no more than 4 ounces at a setting , but it was just enough so that he had one bottle of formula and one of breastmilk every time he was being cared for by someone else…When he was with me I nursed him of course. On a side note I have been lucky enough to be able to nurse all the way through both of my pregnancies with my younger two, so I have been nursing almost constantly for over 5 years now! Hard to imagine that!
Janice says
My daughter is 18 months now, and we just weaned her off breastmilk a month ago. If she had still been nursing, we would have continued, but she stopped nursing at 10 months so I pumped for the last 7 months.
F was born full-term with no complications. We had a lot of trouble with latching in the hospital. I had the lactation consultant in the hospital come to the room a few times to try and help. I have flat nipples so it was really hard for F to get a good latch. The nurses and LC actually brought a pump in so I could pump colostrom. I remember how impressed they were that I could pump 10 ml of colostrum her session. Thinking back now, I want to smack them! F also was a little jaundice so the Pediatrician at the hospital wanted us supplementing with forumla.
We went home, but I continued to try to breastfeed. I bought every breastfeeding supply out there trying to help our latching issues and trying to sooth my very sore nipples. When my milk came in, I was so engorged it was impossible to get F to latch and in trying she really traumatized my nipples. I called in an outside lactation consultant who came to the house to help me. We watched F latch, showed me a few more positions, and we came up with a game plan to keep me breastfeeding. I almost exclusively for about a week or two to allow my nipples to heal, then we went back to breastfeeding. It took 2 weeks full weeks of exclusive breastfeeding and then things clicked for us. And I breastfed exclusively from Nov 2008 to Sept 3, 2009.
F has a severe food allergy to soy. She began with blood in her stool 2 days after her 4 month vaccines (she hasn’t had a vaccine since, but that’s a whole other rant). The doctor thought it was a dairy allergy and suggested I eliminate dairy. I did, no improvement. So I began researching on my own. I ended up on a total elimination diet for 4 weeks. I ate chicken, rice, zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, and sweet potatoes only, with olive oil, salt and pepper. It was hell, but the blood ceased. So we knew we were on the right track. As luck would have it, the first thing I decided to add back into my boring flavorless diet was a soy based sauce from Costco. Immediately the blood started again. Bingo! We knew then it was either soy or corn, but the symptoms were more common for soy, so I stayed away from all soy protein and things seemed fine. Seemed is the key word!
F was stable for about a month, then started teething horribly. We tried everything, but nothing helped. And during this time, I came across Nina Planck’s Real Food for Mother and Baby. It was a life changing moment. I immediately connected with what was written and started overhauling our diet. Unfortunately, the changes were not drastic enough.
On Sept 3, 2009, F refused the breast. We hadn’t given her a bottle since she was less than a month old, but we tried it. She refused that too. We took her to the pediatrician twice, they figured it was a nursing strike, told us to keep trying to get liquids into her and watch for dehydration signs. We syringed what we could into her but she ended up so dehydrated, we had to take her to the ER. She was admitted to the hospital on the 7th, Labor Day. They gave her IV fluids, she still wouldn’t drink, they did an upper GI and thought they say a narrowing of her duodenum. They were thinking abdominal cysts, cancer, all sorts of really horrible things. They did an ultrasound which showed nothing, a CT scan, and a upper endoscopy with biopsy samples which all also showed nothing. At that point, F went on a NT feeding tube. She was fed 25 oz of breastmilk by feeding tube, I was pumping around the clock to keep my supply up in hopes she would nurse again. We were discharged after a week with the feeding tube, and F started occupational therapy three times a week to get her drinking. This went on for 3 weeks with no improvement.
Finally, as luck would have it, someone from a yahoo group for food allergies, mentioned that her daughter had a similar issue at one point and it was her food allergies. I decided to cut soybean oil and soy lecithin from our diet. 3 days later, F was drinking her required 25 oz from a sippy cup. We removed the feeding tube about 4 days before her 1st birthday.
I continued pump breastmilk until she was 17 months old when my poor nipples couldn’t take it anymore. Pumping is so hard. I started out getting about 50 oz a day when F first stopped nursing, but I had to pump every 3 hours to maintain that. So I worked to get it down to about 30 oz a day. This would take my 4-5 pumping sessions daily for about 45 mins per session. I was eventually able to cut that time down by increasing the pump suction. I used a rented Medela Symphony on the strongest setting. Then I was able to drop to 3 pumps a day and maintain the 30 oz. But as F became more mobile, it became harder and harder to get the time to pump consistently. So I gradually dropped to 2 pumps a day, then 1. I still have milk over a month after stopping pumping and my weight has gone crazy, so I am planning to get checked for hormonal issues, thyroid issues, adrenal fatigue, and estrogen dominance by a local doctor that follows NT and real food practices.
Brandy Afterthoughts says
I had an extremely low milk supply due to health problems during my adolescence, so I had to supplement no matter what (I found this out the hard way, with our first born almost dying of dehydration shortly after his birth and spending nine days in the hospital). I fed him using a supplemental system, and I used a pump constantly, even though pretty much no milk came out. My lactation consultant, who specialized in hard cases like mine, taught me that pumping after feeding when you are low-supply like me actually helps develop your ability to make more milk for future babies. I am so glad I did this because each time we had a baby (we’ve had four) I really did make a little bit more milk and it was a little bit easier.
What I learned, however, is that if you are having severe difficulties, the hospital grade pumps really are the only choice. Many women do not respond well to the lower-grade pumps, even if they have plenty of milk because the mechanism is not as similar to actual nursing as the higher grade pumps…
gojigirl says
My oldest was born at 32 weeks and was unable to coordinate swallowing & breathing at first. I started pumping within 12 hours of her birth and a few days later she was able to receive a few teaspoons of expressed colostrum through a nasal feeding tube every 4 hours. (in addition to IV feedings) She was in the NICU for 4 weeks, and I was able to pump much more milk (using a rented hospital double electric pump) than she could consume. One night I slept through my pumping alarm (it was wonderful to have a full night’s rest!) and that morning I pumped 12oz – and had to stop only because the containers were full, not because I was empty lol. I was able to try nursing while she was still in the NICU, but it didn’t work so well. Now I know that the nipple shield the lactation consultant told me to use was likely a large part of the problem. Once DD1 came home from the hospital, I tried switching to completely nursing. I thought it was going well for a few days, then realized she wasn’t getting enough (diapers, etc). DH asked me to go back to pumping, and I was horrified to discover my supply had dropped to almost nothing! I gave over my desire to directly feed my daughter, and was willing to pump until she weaned. The week of my daughter’s due date I decided to try nursing just one more time, and she took off! She was finally mature enough to handle the variable nature of breastfeeding, and never had another bottle by her choice. Once she discovered mommy she didn’t look back. 😉 I tried to continue to pump for an emergency back-up, but soon my body no longer responded to the machine – it knew what a baby was like. DD1 weaned shortly after her due date birthday (nearly 15mo).
My second daughter was born mature, and nursed easily from the start. I attempted pumping occasionally, mostly to placate my DH. He wanted to have that backup stash, so I could leave DD2 with him for a few hours. My body did not respond to pumping – although the Avent ISIS did a decent job of stimulating. (If only it was completely BPA free!) But DD2 had no interest in bottles, so I was happy to pack away the pump again. DD2 was exclusively breastfed for 8 months, and then slowly added solids, but continued to nurse after almost every meal (or as a meal) When she was 14mo, she had a tummy bug & could not keep solids down. Thankfully we were still nursing, and she was able to keep my milk down. For a whole week she went back to exclusively breastfeeding – and was definitely satisfied. 🙂 A month later she had over 4 teeth come in at once, and it hurt her too much to latch on. She weaned cold turkey, it was very hard for me! I think she would have restarted after the teeth came through, but DH felt that it was ok for her to be done at 15mo.
My third daughter was born this last December, and we struggled more starting breastfeeding than either of the others! That was partly due to the fact that she is a high needs baby, and partly due to my desire for her to latch perfectly. I would unlatch her and try again – which only frustrated my poor colicky baby. There were several times that she spit up my blood. By this point I was just happy if she latched on & stayed on. She never lost weight – if fact was up above her birth weight 2 days after birth – but it wasn’t the cozy nursings that I remembered from DD2’s infancy. Thankfully by 2-3mo DD3 & I had finally figured each other out! And now at almost 5mo we have a easy time breastfeeding. I haven’t even tried pumping this time – I know I won’t be separated from her for more than an hour or two, so there really is no point.
So to sum it all up – as a first time mom I was able to pump marvelously until my baby successfully breastfed. Once my body learned what my baby felt like, it has practically refused to let down for anything but my baby. <3 And that's ok.
Leah F says
I did really well with pumping when I was at home or away from Bekah for some reason and took my pump with me. When I went back to work, I was stressed because we were having trouble finding a bottle that she would take. My work does not have an area dedicated for pumping and I had to pump in the bathroom at work which majorly stressed me out. I hated that I was providing my daughter’s food in a bathroom. I think that the stress of the situation and the fact that I couldn’t relax enough affected my supply. I wish that I had known that just because I wasn’t pumping enough at work that she could still probably get plenty when she was with me.
Heidi says
When my daughter was born, she had no problem latching right on – but then, despite nursing almost constantly (she was literally sleeping only 10 hours out of 24 as a newborn, and mostly nursed for the other 14), she barely gained weight. We thought milk supply was the issue; I was given a prescription for Reglan. Not much improvement. Tried fenugreek, oatmeal was my usual breakfast, lots of water, rest, etc., etc. Pumping, just to theoretically increase my milk supply, was a huge frustration. I had to supplement with formula – it was that or watch her starve. After weeks of frustration, we were able to determine that the problem was that my letdown reflex wasn’t working! Needless to say, it became clear why pumping had been so frustrating. I bought a Lact-Aid nursing trainer and used that when I nursed, and that was what finally kicked my letdown reflex into gear – it felt like my body finally said, “Oh – this is what I’m supposed to be doing!” (It took much more time and frustration for it to become consistent, though…) Milk supply was still an issue, though – we had to supplement with formula until solid food became a regular source of nutrition. The bright side is that she’s now almost 16 months old, and in addition to a wonderful, varied diet of real food, she still loves nursing – she asks to nurse instead of snack. From reading around real food blogs, though, I have strong suspicions that my hypothyroidism is the major contributing factor to my milk supply issues. I’m planning to have my iodine levels checked before I start nursing another little one.
Kara says
I nursed my three year-old until she was a little over two years old, and pumped when I was at work or in between classes until she was a year old. I was able to get quite a bit from pumping and even though I stopped at a year there was enough breast milk frozen to get her through to 15 months on the days when she stayed with my husband or mother-in-law.
We’re seven weeks in with our newest arrival, and breastfeeding has been going equally well. He was born at a little over 8 lbs and was already up to nearly 12 lbs at four weeks! I’ve been pumping here or there to build up a stash for when I go back to work part-time and I seem to be getting 2-4 oz. on each side in about 10 minutes of pumping. I’m really grateful to have not had any issues with breastfeeding or pumping so far.
Cara @ Health Home and Happiness says
I love talking about breastfeeding! It’s right up there with cloth diapers LOL!
I had a really rough start bfing my oldest, and LLL just wasn’t much help. I found better support posting online. We were having trouble with her latching (she’d latch for a few seconds but pop off before I let down) and someone suggested to dropper feed her (expressed milk or formula), not letting her suck on the eye dropper. This made it so she *really* wanted to suck and eventually latched and stayed on a day later. I breastfed her for 2 years 🙂
Anyway, pumping- I kind of have a finicky supply, it goes down when I’m sick, stressed, don’t drink enough. To pump it worked best for me to stick to the same times a day, and pump for a set amount of time. After 3 days my body will be used to it and I’ll have milk. I didn’t do much pumping, though (just so the grandparents could feed her), and not at all with my second. Mother’s Milk Tea by Traditional Medicinals worked well for me too.
Elizabeth @ The Nourished Life says
I nursed both my daughter and son, and pumping/bottle feeding never worked well for either of them. With my daughter I couldn’t manage to get much milk from pumping, and she hated the bottle. With my son, I could pump plenty but he still hated the bottle. I never forced it and my breast pump was probably one of the least used baby items in my home. This was restrictive in the beginning, but now they are both older and the breastfeeding years have been gone for a while. So looking back I’m glad we had all those months of closeness without the bottle coming between us.
Elizabeth says
I nursed all five of my biological kids. (We have one adopted daughter whom I didn’t nurse.)
I loved nursing. It was very successful. Plenty of milk. Wet diapers. But pumping never worked well for me. I hated it. I never got much milk in the pump. And it was just easier for me to take my babies with me. (I’m a SAHM, so it worked out.)
RadiantLux says
I have always worked full-time. I took a breastfeeding class with a lactation consulting company in my 9th month. I bought the Ameda breast pump before birth. After my c-section, I had a real hard time with getting her to latch on. My SIL came to the hospital and spent the night with me. We ended up pumping and cup feeding the baby colostrum. The nurses convinced me she had to have formula. But when we got home I was determined to nurse. I managed to get her to learn how – even if 1 session took 40 minutes to get her to latch on. It was a good thing I had taken the class because I didn’t have many doubts about my ability to nurse. After a month everything was fine but I had to go back to work soon. I pumped while on leave. I started going to LLL meetings after I got back to work. They told me if I pump before she wakes in the morning, I would get a lot more. I could feed her after pumping because the body always meets the baby’s demand. I got tired of dragging the pump back and forth, so I bought another one. It was cheaper than formula! After about 9 months, I wasn’t getting a lot from pumping, so we supplemented while I was at work. I still mursed while with her. She weaned herself at 15 months. The next kid was less difficult. He slept in bed with me and that stimulated a lot more milk production for a longer period of time. He nursed until my milk quit while 5-6 months pregnant. It was the same with my 3rd child. I managed to never buy formula again. Both of those kids nursed until 18 months.
Early in the baby’s life I always had fresh milk for the next day and extra to freeze. I froze milk in those plastic bags. I labeled each one by date and ounces. I had them arranged chronologically in the freezer. My husband is the stay at home parent. It was nice not to have to drop the baby off anywhere. The milk supply was always in the house.
I never read the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. My LLL leaders are amazing.
jeanne says
I nursed all three of my children. The two boys nursed for 1 year. My daughter nursed for over 18 months. I was very fortunate that I could have hired myself out as a wet nurse. And would easily pump 4-8 oz. twice a day.
Like Meg, I would drink plenty of water at each day time feeding. Plus I tried to
pump consistently at the same time of day.
I also ate a very high protein diet, because that just tends to be what my body functions best on. Like Donielle I made sure I slept when the babies slept. Or at least quietly rested if not actually sleeping.
With my last baby I actually had to pump the morning after she was born just so she could latch on. She was born at 10:38pm and by 5am my breast were rock hard full of milk. The nurse was not happy to let me pump, but I did because I realized both baby and I would have been frustrated if she tried to latch on.
She got that milk later in a bottle.
Like Kelly, I vividly remember the last time all three of my children nursed.
Hallee the Homemaker says
My oldest son Scott was born at 30 weeks. I pumped exclusively for the first 4 weeks of his life and carried milk to the NICU for them to feed to him with a feeding tube. When he was about 5 weeks old, he started nursing. I pumped regularly, to keep a stash in the freezer. My husband would often wake me to pump then let me sleep through the worst of the nights (Scott has insomnia and has always had sleep issues.)
My youngest son, Johnathan, was born at 36 weeks and spent the first week of his life in NICU. Once he was off of the vent and could try to nurse, he was unable to. The doctors determined that he was not born with the sucking reflex. We had to feed him with bottles with nipples open a little more so that the milk kind of dropped onto his tongue. They said that if he didn’t nurse by his due date, he would never be able to nurse. I pumped exclusively for him for 4 weeks, and once a day tried to nurse him. One day, the day before his due date, he latched on and sucked like a champion.
I pumped less when Johnathan was a baby, but my husband was not home so I did not need to make bottles for anyone.
Hallee
Hallee the Homemaker says
I also want to add that because with both boys exclusively pumping on an every-three-hour schedule for the first 4 weeks of their lives, my milk did not let down when I heard them crying (because I didn’t nurse on demand.) But, my milk WOULD let down when I touched the tubing of my pump! HAHA!
Donielle @ Naturally Knocked Up says
i pumped more with my first as I followed the normal thinking of ‘can’t breastfeed in public” bit and gave him bottles of expressed milk while out. The second time around I’ve pumped maybe a dozen bottles and gave it up rather quickly as she refused them!
I notice not only did water intake affect my pumping ability, but sleep did as well. And getting myself into the right mindset. Because if I didn’t actively think about him while pumping, it just didn’t work!
That being said, I know some women who just can’t pump as well. It does something to you hormonally too because when I had mastitis I was told I had to pump and dump and feed him formula for a week (I know better now!!!) and I then got good ‘ol aunt flow back at 3 months post partum. Once nursing full time again she stayed away until he self weaned at 16 months!
So it’s just not the same and our bodies know it!!
Awesome that you brought this up!
Elizabeth Ours says
I went back to work part time after my first daughter was born. I pumped each day in a stall in the ladies bathroom! (That was nearly 25 years ago!) I used both a manual pump and hand expression, and usually got about 3 or 4 ounces at a time. Since that wasn’t quite enough for the next day, I supplemented with formula for the time when I was at work. I exclusively nursed her when I got home and on my days off. I successfully breastfed her for a year in this manner. Then, I was able to Stay Home with her, and all future babies. Praise God for that!
With my other babies, I rarely pumped, and I rarely left my babies until they were old enough to go a few hours between feedings. I generally put them in their own beds to fall asleep, but when they woke in the night, I always pulled them in bed with me to nurse and fall back to sleep. Those were some of the Sweetest Times, and I miss that to this day! There is something so special about breastfeeding your baby, even when it is a challenge.
My 9th child gave me my greatest challenge, and if I had not known what a Blessing it is to breastfed, and how convenient, healthy, and special it is, I would have Quit. Instead, I endured a few weeks of Very Painful Nursing with Bleeding Nipples and Tears Streaming Down my Face each feeding. Finally, a Lactation Consultant was able to help me identify a bad habit he had of pulling in his bottom lip and sucking on it while nursing that was wreacking havoc with me! It took a lot of hard work to correct that habit, but I thank God for giving me the Grace to hang in there. Breastfeeding is such an incredible gift and it is worth it to work at it, as you know. I am so thankful to God for allowing me to breastfeed ten babies for a a total of ten plus years!
Karen says
This is a topic I tend to be pretty passionate about. Like you, Kelly, my first two babies were given a few weeks of pumped breastmilk but then they were weaned to formula (that included LOTS of tears.) I have kicked myself for years knowing that I did not give them the best. God has been gracious to me though. These two kids are actually my healthiest children. All of my breastfed babies have some kind of food sensitivity or allergy. But I don’t contribute those to breastfeeding. I think it’s the way we eat and we’re on the way to changing that.
I have use both a manual pump and a rented electric pump. I hated using the manual. I felt like it took forever. With the electric pump I was getting nearly a full 8 oz bottle for the next feeding plus some. It was nice to have.
I swore off bottles with my 3rd. In fact, I was so determined to nurse my baby that I didn’t even buy pacifiers for her. I ended up with a transported home birth with her and the only thing I said to every nurse that walked into my room was that this baby was not to have any bottle or pacifier. I even sent my DH with her to watch her like a hawk and bring her back to me ASAP. Fortunately, I was able to nurse her before they took her and she nursed like a champion. She also stayed w/ me all night. I have nursed all my babies ever since then and still don’t buy pacifiers. I only have 2 that use them and we didn’t give it to them until they were 10 or 11 mod (when the night weaning became an issue.) We also started to use more co-sleeping although after a certain point our small little queen bed get a little crowded. They sleep in my room until 10-11 mod and I continue to night nurse. As far as getting out on my own, I consider it a small sacrifice to give them that first year of nursing with momma.
I am currently up in the middle of the night hungry and waiting to see if stripping my membranes is going to bring my newest one into the world (she’s rather cozy in there right now. . .I am not!!! LOL!!) I can’t wait to hold her. I had to wean my last baby cold turkey (unfortunately to formula for a month. . .it was kind of whirlwind time in our lives. Threatened miscarriage and SIX children all with whooping cough. I was on bedrest and could do nothing in the way is watching our nutrition. I am thankful it wasn’t longer.) I miss nursing her so much. . .even now. I don’t expect to get back the month or so I lost with her. She’s healthy and happy and I am thankful once again for God’s grace in that situation. But I am SOOOOO ready to hold and nurse this little one.
I encourage all mommies struggling not to be afraid to get help. While pumping does have it’s usefulness, there is nothing better or greater than the one on one contact with your baby. It still fascinates me that babies can only see so far as the breast is from the face when they are first born. They are all about momma. Please don’t be afraid to get help. I was and I regret being so stubborn and prideful with my first two. Don’t be afraid to work hard for it either. It may take weeks to really get it down but it’s worth the fight. 🙂
Bethany says
I had my first child 7 months ago and have been exclusively breastfeeding so far (although we plan on starting him on some real foods in the coming week or so since he’s showing interest and all the other signs of being ready). I tried pumping a little bit at the beginning and HATED it! I used a manual pump and pumped for about 15 minutes but didn’t even get out an ounce. My sister then let me borrow her electric pump and I used that for about 30 minutes and only got about 3 or 4 ounces. It hurt and was uncomfortable and I didn’t get much from it. But, I knew I was producing plenty of milk – my baby was gaining weight like crazy, having tons of dirty diapers and was satisfied after nursing. I was also leaking a ton – I would wake up sometimes with my whole shirt drenched in milk – lol. I have been really thankful that since that firsts pumping experience I have never needed to pump again. I have always been able to take my baby with me where ever I’ve gone and I’ve appreciated the closeness that it has encouraged. Really, my experience with pumping sounds pretty similar to yours. Thanks for sharing – it was helpful for me to know that I’m not the only one who just couldn’t get pumping to work for me.
Tami says
I nursed all of mine, (I have 4 with twins at the end) and never really pumped much until the twins. I remember I had an amazing friend who got me a manual pump for my first baby shower, even though it wasn’t the one I ordered, telling me that I will thank her for it later. And I totally did! I suspect that the manual pump allows you to more accurately mimic your baby’s feeding methods and allows you to pump more than you might get otherwise. Either way, when I started pumping for the twins, (it was very hard to nurse them both at the same time out in public so I would take the pump with me everywhere and just pump and then feed them at the same time), I was able to get a full bottle for both of them. That comes out to about 10 oz when they were tiny, and about 16 oz when they were eating more! Some people are still shocked that I was able to exclusively nurse them for the first 6 months and then up to 3-4 times a day until they weaned themselves at about 15 months. 🙁