MOms who exclusively pumped

ruby soho · February 2012

How long did you pump for?everyone says pumping long term isn't sustainable and it is a major pita but I feel bad when I even consider the thought of quitting. I am finally producing enough to where I don't have to supplement so at this point she is 100% breast milk and I don't like the thought of introducing formula again if it's not necessary. It's just a little daunting to think I have 9.5 more months of pumping.

ELCJet · February 2012

I pumped for 6 months. At that point I was exhausted, and the thought of even LOOKING at my pump for another second just made me bitter. I started DS on Gerber Good Start a few times a day, and I didn't notice a single change in him aside from stinkier poo. So I dropped a pumping session every few days and tapered off until it was over......and you know what? I didn't feel guilty for a second. I got way more sleep, I was happier, and I was able to work more during the day.

When the time comes and you get so sick of it you could just throw up, it's okay to make the switch. I was so mad at myself thinking about quitting....but when push came to shove, I was totally at peace with it. Pumping full time is really hard work.

tsmomma42 · February 2012

I pumped exclusively for 9 months. I had an oversupply so during that time I was able to save enough frozen milk to sustain him until a year and donate a ton of it as well. I could have continued pumping for a while longer too.

tra_la_la · February 2012

I weaned G just before 15 months. I Pretty much EP'd the whole time. I tried to get her back on the breast many times and did go through small spurts where I could nurse her a few times a week (it was no more than twice a day.) However I ended up with nerve damage in my nipples not sure from the pump or her horrible latch.

I never had a good enough supply to be able to stop supplementing but we did get to a point where only 1 bottle was formula. For me it was a very emotional rollar coaster. I stayed home and would have to lay her on the floor in front of me while I pumped. More times than I can remember she would lay there and cry and I would sit there attached to the pump crying because she was crying. I really felt like I was doing what I should be, I was giving her the best I could, but in hind sight I should have stopped and given her formula. I couldn't have done it without my husband, he really was just along for the ride and did whatever I needed, including most of the night feedings/wakings. I feel like I missed at lot of those first few months because I spent 2-3 hours attached to a pump every day. Between pumping, feeding her, putting away milk and parts, changing a diaper I really only ended up with a few minutes before the whole cycle had to start again. Then throw in naps, or spit up, or one of the other competly normal things a baby does and my whole day would be in a tizzy. My emotions got the best of me when people would tell me I should just stop and give her formula or that it wasn't possible to do it long term. I ended up a little bitter about the whole thing. It would have been a little different had I been pumping at work and I think I would have done better and felt better about it.

I really think you have to look at what is best for you and baby. Just because breast milk is best doesn't mean it's the best choice for your family. Some of the best adivce I never took was a happy family needs a happy mama. We have had many conversations about what would happen if we end up on the same path again with another baby and DH and I agree we cannot do that again, especially with a toddler. I know it wouldn't be a great situation for my family so hopefully we don't end up near that path again.

With all that said i don't mean to sound like Debbie downer. It is absolutly possible to pump long term, but it does take work. The best thing to remember (if you stop at any point) is you worked hard, and gave her a lot of bm and in that alone you are an awesome mom.

smilelari · February 2012

I pumped for 11 months. By the end I was supplementing pretty heavily, but that was partially so that I could put some in the freezer. I wanted to quit pumping but also wanted DS to get some breastmilk at least until his first birthday. G was just shy of 6 months when we introduced formula. I added more and more pumping sessions and just couldn't keep up.

skidunks · February 2012

I didn't EP but we had to triple feed Hudson for a few weeks and I know how hard that was. I would nurse, then pump, then bottle feed. Looking back on it I think I was SO hard on myself and refused to look at any other option other than giving him all breastmilk. I missed out on a lot of time with the boys over the summer because I was tied to my pump while we were feeding him that way as well as when I was pumping to try to get my nipple to heal. I also spent a ton of time pumping once I went back to work and that was really stressful too.

I think EP is way harder than straight breastfeeding and I applaud anyone that is able to do it for any amount of time. Like LBaker said, a happy mom helps to have a happy baby and you need to do what is best for you. If you decide to stop pumping it doesn't make you a bad mom, it actually makes you a good mom for making the best choice for you and your sweet baby.

daisies0406 · February 2012

i went back to work with dd at 6 weeks part time so i pumped then and then i started exclusively pumping when she was 6 months and did that until she was 11 months when i lost my supply due to being pregnant with ds , despite how hard i tried to keep my supply up. those were the hardest 5 months...i hated my pump, i hated being strapped down to it and always trying to plan ahead. even though i hated it i would have continued it for however long she needed me to no matter how much it sucked! i was able to be a stay at home mom after we had ds and i rarely had to pump and it was kind of my goal since i was soooo sick of pumping! (though my kids are 17 months apart so there wasnkt much of a break between them.)

uteandbuff · February 2012

I exclusively pumped from 8w until 9mo. From about 8mo on, my supply just kept dropping and I couldn't get it back up. Started supplementing at 9mo and by 9.5, my supply was completely gone and we had to move to formula completely.

This time, during the week, I only nurse at bedtime. He doesn't eat at night and I have a huge supply first thing in the morning. I can easily pump 15-18oz in the morning. If I try to nurse him, it's just too much and he chokes and gags. So in the morning, I pump and then give him a bottle when he gets up. Then he gets bottles at daycare. So the only time I nurse him is at bedtime, the rest is pumping. I do nurse on the weekends, but even then there is usually a bottle thrown in there because we are out and about (I never did get the hang of nursing in public), so I will pump then as well.

Pumping sucks - not sure I have ever found anyone who enjoyed it. You get into your routine and it's just another part of my day. I don't love doing it, but it doesn't bother me.

ruby soho · February 2012

uteandbuff:
I exclusively pumped from 8w until 9mo. From about 8mo on, my supply just kept dropping and I couldn't get it back up. Started supplementing at 9mo and by 9.5, my supply was completely gone and we had to move to formula completely.
This time, during the week, I only nurse at bedtime. He doesn't eat at night and I have a huge supply first thing in the morning. I can easily pump 15-18oz in the morning. If I try to nurse him, it's just too much and he chokes and gags. So in the morning, I pump and then give him a bottle when he gets up. Then he gets bottles at daycare. So the only time I nurse him is at bedtime, the rest is pumping. I do nurse on the weekends, but even then there is usually a bottle thrown in there because we are out and about (I never did get the hang of nursing in public), so I will pump then as well.
Pumping sucks - not sure I have ever found anyone who enjoyed it. You get into your routine and it's just another part of my day. I don't love doing it, but it doesn't bother me.

I am majorly jealous of your morning pump output! I thought my morning pump was a lot at 8-9 oz!

As far as the pumping itself goes, it's definitely easier on work days than weekends since I am more scheduled and don't have LO to worry about for two of the pumps (I only pump 4x per day).

At this point I feel like quitting would only be because I was sick of it, not anything more than that. And that feels selfish to me. Momma guilt I suppose (:

Now if my supply tanks or something then that's a different story.

uteandbuff · February 2012

It is definitely easier to pump on the weekdays at work than at home. Just wait until she's mobile and trying to pull out your tubing or unplug your pump like C was trying to do to me this morning. Big Smile

Do what is best for you and what works for you and L. I definitely understand the guilt, but you shouldn't feel guilty no matter which way you decide to go. There have been many times (both with K and C) that I have wanted to quit and haven't because of guilt. Now, I look back and think it was silly not to, and I probably would have saved my sanity some had I quit.

Mrs.Greeko · February 2012

Major issues early on led me to mostly pump for Lucy. I would nurse her once or twice a day at most, always followed up with a bottle too. I would pump several times a day and was able to get half her bottles by doing that. The other half was formula. I did it until the day she turned one. Honestly for me it never occurred to me to stop. I had major issues with the fact that I couldnt EBF so I was going to get her every drop of BM I could. When we traveled I brought the pump and did my pumping where we were. It was just one of those things that I did. Didn't really think twice about it. I didn't really mind it, I actually mind pumping a whole lot more when I am EBFing than when I was EPing. It wasn't always easy, that's for sure, but I have no regrets. She got 50 percent BM until she was one and some BM (from nursing) till 15 months. The only way I was able to do it was cause she was my first and cause DH started to mobilize for Iraq when she was 6 months old so it was just me and her for most of those second six months (so I had less to do if that makes sense since I stayed home more). No matter what you decide it will be fine.

happythoughts1 · February 2012

I EPd for 16 months. It's definitely doable. I agree that supply makes a difference. I started at 7x/day, went down to 5x pretty quickly, eventually down to 2x. I found that I was able to be pretty flexible with pumps until the end, so not forcing myself to stick to an uber-strict schedule helped. And not making myself get up in the middle of the night! DH was super supportive, which also helped. I had a decent supply, and DD wasn't a big eater, so I didn't have to supplement. We just started adding whole milk shortly after she turned one.

It can be done. I used my pumping time as my 'online' time. You can get a pumping bra, or use rubber bands (google rubber band trick) and a nursing bra so that you have both hands free. That was huge for me. Some people pumped while driving, but I never tried that one. There's a slightly annoying EP board on iVillage that has some great information. Just take it one month at a time! Because what really matters is that you're feeding your baby, no matter how you're doing it!

brandall · February 2012

I EP for 5 months with DD and honestly it was awful and I wish I would have stopped sooner. Like LBaker I would lay her in front of me so I could watch her and she would just lay there in cry. It stressed me out. I did not have good output and it would take over an hour at the pump for just 4oz. I was attached to that pump all day and all night. In the middle of the night I would get up and feed DD and then sit down at the pump for over an hour and then just as I fell asleep she would be up again and the whole cycle would begin again. I didn't get any sleep and I literally felt like I was pumping or feeding a baby all day. The day I quit I felt a bit a guilty, but looking back on it, it was the best thing I could have done. I was happier, getting more sleep and more importantly my baby was happier. I could interact with her and snuggle with her all day instead of watching her cry while I was attached to a pump. I told DH with DS that if he did not latch that I was NOT pumping and he wholeheartedly agreed. DS latched, but I had horrible nipple infections and then was on major drugs for gallbladder attacks and then had surgery to have my gallbladder removed less than month after he was born, so I gave it up. Which was actually a good thing because when he was 1.5 months old I fell and broke my arm and could barely pick him up, much less nurse. So fortunately he was already weaned at that point!

Do what is best for you and your family My kids are both very healthy (knock on wood), happy and smart and they just got a bit of breast milk each

MOms who exclusively pumped

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