Has anyone here exclusively pumped for their little one? How was the experience? How did you manage the supply? Was it a lot of work? What was the age of child when you started? How long did it last?
If not exclusive pumping, anyone who did 50% of each n successfully switched between pumping and breast feeding? Plus all of the above questions
Re: Exclusive pumping?
My cousin started exclusively pumping when she went back to work, around 6 months in. But her supply went down quickly and after a month or two, she stopped.
Re: Exclusive pumping?
I tried exclusive pumping around the time the baby was 5 mo.The reason was that she started to fuss too much and refused BFing but was way happy with the formula bottle.I used to feed her all day long and give her formula before bedtime.Around this time (4-5 month mark),I started to give another bottle of formula during the day.
Although I was BFing most of the day and at night,I felt there were supply issues.I switched to exclusive pumping but very soon realized (in about less than 2 weeks) that BF would have to end.I took a ll natural supplements and desi totkas to increase supply,but for some reason it never went up.
The strongest stimulus is the baby suckling itself.No pumping can replace that stimulus (not to discourage,but just stating a fact).
I still do not know why I faced BFing issues,when I really wanted to continue doing that.She switched to only formula around 5.5 months of age.
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Sighhhhh I m scared of the same thing!
I will be seeing the lc soon to establish a routine but I was hoping to hear some positive experiences here!
Chipsy.. I feel like I have supply issue in the evening because he just wants to be nursed.. Cries n unlatches, tries again for 2-4 mins n then cries agIn.. It goes on from 6 pm to about 3am... I m just exhausted now!
Sometimes to put him to sleep fir more than 30 mins, I give up, pump n give it to his dad to feed because at that point I can't eve hold him anymore!
I have a surgery coming up n then I m going back to work so I feel like pumping is our only option if I want to give him breast milk for as long as possible. :(
Re: Exclusive pumping?
check this group- The Exclusive Pumpers! | BabyCenter
its very very helpful and has answers to all your questions. if not, just ask. they’re lovely ladies!
as well, my cousin couldn’t bf her daughter since she was very preemie, but she exclusively pumped, and is still pumping, although her daughter is past 1 now. her daughter has only had bm throughout, no formula. it is entirely possible however you have to be very very diligent about it and can’t miss any pumps. most people recommend around 12 pumps a day just as you would be bfeeding that much. you can’t start dropping pumps till months later when your supply is good and established. and remember to store it properly so it can continue to be used!
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GTG i used to pump becoz Jr was having issues latching on to one side and I pumped but the supply did dwindle.
And i did pump for almost 2 weeks during the day coz i was working full time. I used to come home and pump for as long as i could and then nursed Jr. During the night. I did have medela's heavy pump and the supply ddoes/did go down because i wasnt keeping up with pumping. Another thing to remember is that the more u pump the more ur body will produce. Good luck, also do the saunf and methi dana totka to increase supply.
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Babies clusterfeed in the evening. It's very normal. You do usually produce less milk, HOWEVER your milk has higher fat content in the evening, probably designed to help them last longer. But I used to get exhausted with the crying and constant feeding at that time and I think we ended up supplementing with a bottle of formula around 7-8pm. Not sure we needed to, but it gave me some peace of mind. And then I would nurse her around 10-11 before going to sleep and doing night feeds when needed.
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I do, I do. I have been exclusively pumping from day one since the baby had issues latching on. I love it. I had a c-section and it was so hard to sit up or try different positions to breastfeed. So i gave up on that idea. ppl have acutally told me that its not as good as breastfeeding but i asked a doctor and she said its perfectly fine. her only concern was for me...because incase i dont have a good supply i would have to pump a lot. I started with pumping every 2-3 hours and now three months later i m back to work and pumping 4-5 times a day. I love it! We spend close to $300 on a medal double pump and i highly recd. it. My supply is really high. I am producing 35-40oz a day and am able to freeze abt 6-12oz for later. I think since i got a good pump i didnt expereince any pain either.
Best thing is that anyone can feed the baby, while i rest :D my only compain is since i have a high supply, if i dont pump with in 5-6 hours the milk ducts get clogged :( but i guess that would have happened even if i wasn't pumping.
My best freind is alos exclusively pumping, but she doesn't have a high supply ( i really think its because of the pump,) so she gives her baby formula as well.
Again Kellymom.com is a good website for information. message me if you need more information abt this.
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^that's great!
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[quote="rabia3983, post:6, topic:251144"]
pumping 4-5 times a day. I love it! We spend close to $300 on a medal double pump and i highly recd. it. My supply is really high. I am producing 35-40oz a day
/QUOTE
About how long does it take the pump to get a 4oz bottle of milk?
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i pump for 15mins. and get a total of 9-10oz... it really depends on your supply.
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It really does depend. If I skipped a feed and pumped, I got 5-6oz max (usually less). And I have the Medela Pump-in-Style.
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sgc.. Thank you so much for the link... it's very helpful!!Good to hear about the positive story.. my goal is 1 year too..lets see how everything goes!!
rabia.. this is awesome!!!I have been doing well with c section n different positions but lately he is soo fussy that I feel like he isnt getting enough milk and it just makes me feel very guilty.. I have expressed before and was able to give him that when I felt like supply was really low in the evening and it was a major help. Honestly I dread bfing because it still hurts, I am producing more than what he is taking and I dont want the supply to go down when I know that I will need this milk in future.. so did you see the lc to establish a routine?
I have medela pump in style.. and with double pumping (an hour after feeding him) I was able to get about 6 oz of milk.. I stroed that in freezer for emergency purposes but then I woke up with engorged breasts due to oversupply and clogged milk ducts.. the lc told me to stop pumping all together and now I am confused on how to balance the two to store some milk and later just to pump exclusively.
sahar.. I have also given him bm from teh emergdency stash of the freezer in the evening.. my mom wanted me to have formula handy in case I need to supplement but I feel like if I have that at home, I will give up on bf considering I spend hours and hours holding him, trying to bf because I dont have an alternative! I hope to make it a year.. I am not asking for too much. :(
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GTG why did your lc tell you not to pump when your breasts are gorged? I used to pump at that time coz Jr. wasn't drinking all of it and I wanted to keep my supply up so I pumped when I was full and I got almost 9 -10 oz at that time.
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She wanted ne to feed him n pump only to relieve a bit..but recommended warm shower n manual expressing just so I didn't overstimulate it. If I keep pumping, the supply will keep going up...nahin?
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Yeah in my case the supply going up was a great thing coz then I would pump more and save more.
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^ I need to do the same!
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Not if you're going to end up engorged. That is all kinds of painful.
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^ agreed!
the thing with pumping is, gtg, you HAVE to be consistent with your schedule. you can't really miss any pumps because then you will end up engorged guaranteed.
your lc probably told you to stop pumping because most lc's are pro-breastfeeding and would rather you do that. however, pumping will also mean your baby gets bm, so if that is what works for you and makes sense for you, then do it but only if you can be 100% committed to it. you do not want to get engorged. my cousin used to carry a small electric pump with her at all times so if she was out, she was still able to pump and then put the milk in the freezer as soon as she got home. i wish i had known all of this while i was pumping because i had a very high supply and between the pain of bfeeding and not knowing how often to pump, i ended up with engorged breasts several times and it was really unpleasant.
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That's right.. I have started punpibg every 2 hours for 10-12 mins toestabkish the routine n will continue to do so at nite..I m too sore to nurse him directly..it's going to be hard but inshallah I have to make it work!
I had my pre surgery appt today n I was told to collect milk for 3-5 days if I want to give him bm..so I need to make sure he is ready for bottle only n that I have enough stored for those days n all other timesw hen I have medical appointments so I can leave him home instead of dragging around with me in cold.
Wish me good luck girls. :)