Exclusively Pump?

Did any of you moms exclusively pump?

I'm thinking this is the way I want to go for various reasons. My job supplies me with the medela pump so I'm covered on that end.

Any advice/tips/suggestions? TIA!

Re: Exclusively Pump?

I did, for 3 months. My son never latched well (I have small, inverted nipples) so when trying to breast feed it became very frustrating for the both of us. I decided to just pump, and although it was very time consuming, it worked out pretty well and I plan on doing it again with my 2nd.

In order to keep your supply up, you just have to ensure you are mimicking the babies feeding schedule, so if they are eating every 2 hrs, you need to pump every 2 hours. You just really have to be committed because if you start going longer intervals, then your body may not produce enough, thinking that the baby is only eating every say 3-4 hrs when they are really eating every 2.

It ended up working out well for me because I always over produced too - so I had a freezer full of stored milk so I would just bag and date it and rotate as I needed it. So even though I only pumped for 3 months, I had enough to give him exclusively breast milk for about 5 months.

It's was definitely a pain having to clean the pump all the time though! I would usually keep a bowl in the sink and every time I pumped, I would fill it with very hot water and soap and let it soak until the next pump session.

Exclusively Pump?

I did it for 10 months, started when the baby was about 1-2 weeks old. I liked it better knowing how much the baby was eating and what worked ounce wise for them. I pumped every 3 hours and 1 time overnight and at about 12 weeks dropped the overnight pump and still remained the same. As the baby got older I dropped down to about 4 pumps a day and still was able to pump about 32 oz day which was enough

Exclusively Pump?

I did for a few days while dd was in the nicu and that was long enough for me lol. It was easier than I expected since I hated pumping with my first and only did it occasionally. My best advice is to keep your pump parts in a ziploc in the fridge. This way you only have to wash once a day and don't even have to take them apart each feeding. I had two sets and switched them each day so I could put one through the dishwasher. I think getting started that way is tricky bc pumping colostrum isn't easy. I recommend hand expressing until your milk starts to come in. Also, a hands free bra like simple wishes for sure.

Re: Exclusively Pump?

I exclusively pumped for both my kids til they were just over a year.

I tried breastfeeding my first and in the beginning I though it was going well, but after a week or so I broke down, not knowing how much she was getting, etc. So I started EP.
The only tip/advice I have is to get yourself on a schedule. It will become a part of your routine real quick. It is time consuming but it is totally worth it.

Also - I used the nursing tanks from Target (I found them to be more comfortable than nursing bras). I had a stash of nursing supplies in my office (creams, breast pads, storage bags and a cooler).

Best of luck!!

Exclusively Pump?

I did for about 2-3 months because of an oversupply issue and fast let down that my DS could not handle. When he got older ad my supply evened out I bf and pumped but mostly bf.

My advice is to get on a schedule and do your best to stick to it. Also get a LOT of bottles and extra pump parts so you're not constantly washing them. I use to refrigerate my pump parts in a zip lock for the next session to avoid washing them after every single session.

Hands free bra is key.

Medela steam bags also key.

Medela bags leak so don't lay them flat. I liked lansinoh brand better. But medela bags you can pump into.