Doctor's suggesting I EP? Please help 🙃

Question

Due to some PPD/PPA issues I'm having, my doctor thinks it would be beneficial for me to pump and give a bottle rather than EBF. Does anyone have any tips for me to make the switch? I'm already pumping several times a day so that part is not new to me. Do you follow a schedule? What does your routine look like? Tia.

Answer

I don't do a schedule I just try to pump at least every 5 hours during the day which only ends up being 3 or 4 pumps. I make plenty of milk and usually don't become engorged needing to pump any sooner than what I do. For the first month I was pumping every 3 hours and pumping during the night and it was just excessive and made me become engorged often. Once I spaced out my pumps I stopped becoming engorged and I even produce what most would say is an oversupply now.

Answer

I try to pump every 3 hours during the day. I pump right before bed and then usually just get up and pump after baby wakes up to eat. I usually pump around 11-11:30pm and then again anywhere from 3-5am depending when baby wakes up. If I wake up and am feeling full but baby hasn’t woken up, I will pump then but I don’t set alarms anymore to pump. I need the sleep!

Answer

I don’t necessarily pump on a specific schedule during the day but at night I do and my alarms wake me (lately struggling but getting through it). During the day I pump when I feel full or just before leaving the house and right when I get back! I make sure to have at least 8 pumps a day sometimes I hit 10!

Doctor's suggesting I EP? Please help 🙃

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