Pumping vs Breastfeeding

Are there any benefits to breast-feeding naturally vs. pumping (besides having less bottles to wash!) Do babies still get the colostrum and everything they need through a pump? Also - how often do you pump with a newborn and how long does a session take?

Message edited 11/14/2013 10:21:48 PM.

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

Pumping vs Breastfeeding

sorry to crash but I ep for ds. Dd was 16 months when ds was born and I knew I wouldn't be able to chase her and bf him. I bf him for the first week or so. Benefits of pumping that I have found: others can feed the baby, you can build a freezer stash (I was recently able to stop pumping because I have enough in the freezer), you know how much your baby is getting which is not exactly important but I like knowing how much he ate, all of the benefits are the same. For the first 12 weeks it is really important to pump every 3 hrs around the clock for at least 20 min per session. As time goes on, you will know if you can drop a pumping session. If you have any questions, please feel free to fm me.

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

The only benefit I've heard of is that supposedly the baby takes in less air & is therefore less gassy from being on the boob rather than a bottle.

I pump only. I breastfed for the first few days, maybe a week, and was not a fan. I found it very stressful, as did the baby, we couldn't get comfortable & I didn't find it to be this great bonding experience that people talk about. I would become so impatient each time for it to be over. And I couldn't go anywhere even for a short time without the baby, because I'd be worried he'd need to eat.

Within a week after he was born, I began pumping exclusively & I have been doing so since then (he's now 3 months old). Although it's time consuming & involves a lot of preparation, I like it so much better. At first my supply wasn't terrific, but I've kept at it, gradually increasing the duration & frequency of pumping & now I get more milk than he can drink. My freezer is packed with frozen milk!

I generally pump 5 times a day, sometimes 6 (if I wake up in the middle of the night & my boobs feel full). Around 6am, 10:30am (at work), 2:30pm(at work), 7pm (when I get home from work), and 11:30pm. Those times are approximate, it's not always the same every day. I usually pump anywhere from 20 - 40 minutes during each session, and get anywhere from 5 - 12 ounces total combined each time I pump (usually end up around 35 ounces of pumped milk per day).

Good luck!! Any other questions, feel free to FM any time.

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

They still get all the benefits from pumping. For me pumping was WORK. I give sooo much credit to woman who EP. I thought that was harder than BFing, but everyone is different I guess!

Either is good for the baby because they are still getting the bm and all those good benefits! Just a personal preference.

Definitely pump as much as you would nurse, especially in the beginning, because the baby is more efficient and gets more milk when nursing than when you pump. So you want to make sure you build up your supply. You should be pumping every 3 hours in the beginning.

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

I EP'ed for a while and now I EBF. There is nothing better or easier than BF directly from the source.

Many women can not pump enough to meet their babies' needs when they are EP. When I was EP, i could not and I had to supplement with formula. However on the days that I started BF and got back into it, we threw the formula away. There is no longer any need for it.

Also, pumping takes A LOT of time away from the baby. All the time you spend pumping, washing bottles, prepping bottles etc, it's very difficult, if not impossible to tend to the baby. So unless you have help, EP can add another layer of stress.

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night for a feed. You could either 1) get up, go to the kitchen, take a couple of ounces out of the fridge or freezer, warm it up, but a bib on the baby, feed them the bottle, burp them, put them down, then wash the bottle or 2)) put the baby on the breast (even while youre still in bed!), burp them, go back to sleep.

I obviously feel very passionately about this because Ive lived both sides quite intensely. Feel free to message me if you want to talk it out.

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

You have to do what is best for your situation. I tried BF but had a hard time, so I EP for 13 months. When she was a newborn I pumped every 2-3 hours for about 15-20 minutes. As she got older I would go every 3-4 hours for 15-20 mintutes. I was able to biuld up a great frozen stash as well.

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

You can always try both. Having baby on the boob truly is the best way to make sure you have a good supply -- but it can be (for most people) very challenging mentally/physically.

Please hang in there through the first few weeks because there IS a learning curve to it and your body needs time to adjust to having a tiny human vacuum attached you to

Reach out to others who have been successful at breastfeeding and hang in there.

It maybe take a few weeks but one day you'll wake up and it'll be so much easier.

My DD is 16 weeks now and we're in the process of getting her to start taking a bottle of pumped milk... it will be liberating for me to be able to get out of the house without her and let my DH be able to feed her. But it IS so easy and convenient to have it be a no-thought-required option to just roll over and grab her in the night, stick her on the boob and then go back to sleep.

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

Thanks everyone. This was so helpful :)

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

nursing IMO is much easier than pumping, i pumped ATC in the beginning until DD learned to latch on, you get more milk production with nursing then with pumping, some people get lucky and have a big supply so it doesn't affect them if they don't nurse, but i love it, i started pumping again once a day b.c I'm started to build a stash for when i go back to work.

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding in my opinion is so thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable, whereas pumping you just kind of do out of necessity with no enjoyment. It feels like a chore. My son loves to bf and sometimes will pop off mid-boob to smile at me. It's the most heartwarming feeling. I feel especially passionate about breastfeeding because after years of infertility and loss, I was going to use a gestational surrogate which means I would not have had this experience. Everyone's experience is different of course, but I personally feel it's one of my favorite parts of being a new mom. You don't get that enjoyment from the pump.

Message edited 11/16/2013 10:11:08 PM.

Re: Pumping vs Breastfeeding