Exclusively Pumping

Hi, I'm new here and have 8 week old girls and due to Sophie's laryngomalacia and her not being able to get a good latch I decided to pump and bottle feed the girls.

So, I have several questions. Am I insane for doing this? How much should they eat? What can I do to decrease the pain while pumping? Or when my milk comes in?

Any advice at all would be helpful. Thanks!

 

I exclusively pumped and for me it was way easier to keep track of the intake. Pumping should not hurt if your shields are the right size. My breast pump had a way for me to decrease the power of the suction as well. If your shields are not fitting your properly, then it could be painful. To me, exclusively pumping was just easier. A lot of times I would pump, then feed my girls, then store whatever wasn't put into a bottle for my girls. However, I did breastfeed for the first two weeks which helped to start my supply. The big thing about pumping exclusively is you can not miss a session, otherwise you won't have the supply you need. I pumped round the clock for the first 6 weeks...yes, I even got up during the night. I was on a strict 3 hour pumping schedule. Right before I went back to work I weaned myself off to where I was pumping before work, during my planning, then when I got home, then right before I went to bed. I had a really good supply by doing this and was able to pump enough to freeze. Hope this helps!!

 

I exclusively pumped for several weeks while my twins were in the NICU and couldn't BF yet. It did hurt for a while. My only suggestion is to lubricate your flanges with either lanolin or olive oil, so that your skin doesn't get pulled as much while pumping. And don't feel bad if you have to keep your pump on the lowest setting to tolerate it!

 

Congratulations on your twins! I breastfed/ pumped for my boys for the 1st year and a half but after they began to bite I strictly pumped.  I was kind of a loon about it to be honest.  I always set my pump to the lowest setting in the beginning and I waited to apply the pump to my breast until the initial faster speed stopped.  I used a medela pump.  I also ended up getting a larger flanges for one nipple.  Another tip is to massage your breast prior to applying the pump so that your milk begins to let down and continue to massage the milk ducts while your pumping.  The hands free bra was my life saver!!  It took months before I was able to pump without it hurting but it does get better.  Another tip is to allow your breasts to breath!  Fresh air with no pads, creams or contact after pumping helped as well.  Congratulations again

 

I recommend renting a hospital grade pump. Also, I wouldn't give up on nursing just yet if you think you want to. Babies get more efficient at nursing and nursing does get easier, is more portable, can do it in public, etc. Pumping doesn't get easier. I had to pump 8-10x/day for my first child for the first year in addition to breastfeeding because she was very poor at milk removal, also I had somewhat low supply. Now I'm pumping 9x/day for my twins and also nursing them but they're just not all that great at nursing yet at 8 weeks. I am still hoping they will get the hang of it. I understand pumping is easier than pumping and also nursing inefficient nursers but I would at least try to encourage you to try for a few more weeks or days or however long you think you can handle because they could still get good at nursing. I hate pumping, pretty much, but if you do decide to EP you are giving your babies a wonderful gift, it's just a lot of hard work.

 

I recommend using a good electric pump for faster milk extraction.