Irrationally against pumping

Rhiannon

I seem to have some deeply rooted fear/aversion/hate for the breast pump and I will do anything to avoid it.

I am staying home to take care of my baby and I’ve been fortunate to breastfeed exclusively. We use the haakaa to collect milk for bottles here and there.

My baby is gaining great and is very happy. But he’s a bad sleeper, and my husband always mentions this to others especially when we have to turn down events because I am just too tired to go. Hence, we get tons of advice from strangers. pump to increase supply. Cut with formula. Start feeding baby food at 3 months. Rice cereal. Etc. Obviously some good and some bad advice.

My husband thinks I’ll be much happier if I pump to both increase supply and to get more in our stash for outings and vacations. He thinks then the baby will get more milk in a feeding. (He is not offering to feed in the night for me, he works full time). But I am so scared that pumping will screw up a good thing! We have breastfeeding down great, or at least I think so. Not only am I scared pumping will mess with my supply negatively, but I also HATE the pump. It’s such a hassle, it’s not super effective, and I feel so degraded using it (not saying I think it’s degrading for moms to pump, but I feel just so weird using it myself). My husband can’t understand why I won’t do this because I am miserable at times from lack of sleep. I am fine with the idea of cutting the haakaa bottles with formula and storing the rest in the freezer, but if it fills my baby up more won’t that affect my supply too?

I dunno what to do. I just wish I could exclusively breast feed AND have a good sleeper so everyone would leave me alone.

Glow Resources

Let’s Glow

Glow is here for you on your path to pregnancy

Glow helps you navigate your fertility journey with smart tools, personalized insights, and guidance from medical experts who understand what matters most.

25+ million

Users

4.8 stars

200k+ app ratings

20+

Medical advisors