exclusively pumping… is it difficult?

Question

i’m 26 weeks pregnant and i planned to formula feed from the start BUT…  this formula shortage has me in a panic, so i am going to attempt to pump when my baby boy gets here. 
i tried to breast feed with my first and i didn’t like it. at all. i switched to formula when he was 2 weeks. 
i’m wanting to start pumping as soon as baby is born. is pumping exclusively, no breastfeeding difficult? anyone have tips? can you give me your schedule of when you pump vs. when baby is eating? i have an electric pump already and i registered for 2 Hakka’s!

Answer

Exclusively pumping is the hardest feeding method.
It is doable. You have to be strict.
You have to pump every 3 hours around the clock. Clean the pump parts. Clean bottles. Change pump parts monthly. 
Again, doable. Just double to work compared to latching.

Answer

I will be brutally honest here. Exclusively pumping is much much harder work and way more time consuming than just nursing directly. You have you pump every 2-3hrs, feed baby and make sure pace feeding is done, wash pump parts, wash bottles, sterilize all them, power pump when baby cluster feeds, still have to get up during the night to pump when someone else feeds baby, change pump parts every 2 months if not sooner. Etc etc. there’s a difference in pumping and nursing when baby eats. When babe nurses the saliva transfers into your nipple and telling your body what fat content is needed, can tell if baby is sick and produce antibodies for them etc. exclusively pumping doesn’t do any of that. 
It can be done yes, it is just much harder work and more difficult to be successful with. 
I nursed my girls when they were with me and had to pump while at work. I absolutely hated pumping. It just sucks.

Answer

thank you EVERYONE! maybe i will try a combo of both 🤣 i had latch issues with one boob so hopefully this time around i won’t have that issue, but i’ll cross that bridge when i come to it!

Answer

I gave mine formula since he was a week old because I assumed I wasn't able to breastfeed but I pumped and I was producing colostrum but the flange thing that goes over the boob was too big so I just have up 🥴
With this 2nd one I'm going to push myself harder especially because of the shortage

Answer

If you search "the hypnobirthing podcast" on Spotify the presenter does an episode on her experience of exclusively pumping for one of her babies. Maybe hearing someone's experience will help.

Answer

I’m not going to lie, it can be difficult and you’ll be exhausted. There are far more bottles/parts to clean, also. I had to work while caring for a baby and pumping after a short maternity leave, though, so if you aren’t working, it won’t be quite as bad. On a good note, I managed to get myself to pumping enough twice a day to feed my baby the entire next day. I suggest getting a Dock-A-Tot to keep your baby next to you while you pump. Get a very good quality pump, because the more efficient, the better. Allowing the baby to latch now and then will give your body feedback about what the baby needs. 
When they’re very little, you’re going to pump after each time you feed the baby to get your supply up. You can start adjusting as needed after that.

Answer

Exclusively pumping can be hard yes.
You have to find a schedule that works for you and stick to it. Including throughout the night. 
A haaka isn’t really needed for pumping.
It’s mostly to place on the opposite breast while baby is nursing on the other so it can catch any milk that leaks. But it’s not really a “pump”
A cordless pump as well as a corded one is nice so you can move freely around the house. Being able to pump while doing other things is extremely helpful.

Answer

It’s definitely hard work! But I did it for 6 months and froze all my oversupply so she had milk even when I was done pumping. I used the app pump log, I paid for it, definitely worth it. And I pumped every 2-3 hours the first few months then went to every 4 hours. Even at night, I tried to go 5 hours but would get clogs and that turned to mastitis. I had to pump for 30 mins each time but some women empty much quicker.

Answer

Exclusively pumping is pretty tough. I wouldn't personally do it again unless we had latch issues (which I did with my first). I do see you say you didn't like breastfeeding though so I think it's a reasonable route to take. It's tough but having the right stuff and schedule will help you a lot. I went to 9 months with my first, I only stopped for my mental health. I breastfed my second, barely pumped but my supply lasted only til 6 months. So I'm going to do a combo this time and hopefully make it to a year even if those last few months are just from frozen.
For the first 3 or so months, I didn't pump on a schedule. I would feed baby when he was hungry and pump after. Once he started sleeping though the night, I started more of a schedule and would pump around every 3 hours and not at night. I had a few times where my supply dropped (sick, started period) and I needed to power pump or pump every 2 hours to bring my supply back up. Those are the times where pumping can truly be discouraging and quite hard.
For cleaning, I ended up putting my pump parts in the fridge during the day so I didn't have to fully clean them as much. I'd rinse them and put them in the fridge. It helped my sanity a lot but also having maybe 2 or 3 sets of pumping stuff helps too. I'd highly suggest a supportive pumping bra. I went through it with my first without one and it was way harder 😂 get plenty of milk bags too so you can freeze any excess. People will try and scare you out of exclusively pumping but if you don't like breastfeeding then it's the second best option imo! You don't have to worry about formula recalls and shortages and it's free as well (beyond the pump of course)

Answer

Exclusively pumping for the past 4 months.
It’s exhausting.
I want to quit. But thanks to formula shortage I’m stuck pumping a few more months. I should be grateful I have the supply I know.
I pump 5-6 per day. 3 times minimum during my work day. It’s draining and wears on you. I don’t know how else to say that. 
For awhile I’d have anxiety if I didn’t pump xyz ounces every day and then increase more pumping. Vicious cycle.

exclusively pumping… is it difficult?

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