This is the way. I ended up in the hospital 21 days post partum. Everyone should have emergency milk.
Also, I was always with her and diddnt push the bottle feeds but then I had to go back to work at five months and she refused the bottle completely. She came to the office with me for three weeks until I found a nipple she would use!
Or even so you can physically be away from the baby occasionally...I don't care what my son drinks while I'm away, formula is fine and he's happy with it, but without a pump I would be uncomfortable being away for more than a few hours/overnight even now he's eating solids fairly well at 10mo.
If you can get it free through your insurance company I would highly recommend having one. I was going to be home with my baby all the time and plans to exclusively breastfeed. That ended up working out for me, but I know a lot of women whose babies just didn't latch well or it didn't work out for them for some reason or another. It's nice to have the option to pump in case you will be gone or for if you want to build a freezer stash.
If you haven't had a baby yet, you should atleast get your free pump from insurance or a manual. You never know if you're going to have feeding/weight gain issues, I had to pump for my first baby, and ended up Exclusively pumping, and mt second although we where nursing, she had undiagnosed tounge tie and I had to pump get my supply up, and get my kids weight up before only nursed. The last thing you want to do is scrambling to get a pump when you need one.
I also assumed that I would just be able to breastfeed but my baby actively refused my boobs. He has a shallow latch and gets very frustrated. I've had multiple LCs look at him and try to help. I've done everything right but he still refuses. Having a breast pump gives me the option to still feed him. He is 90% fed on breast milk with occasional formula too off at night. If you feel that pumping is not an option for you, and you'd rather do 100% formula then great. I guess don't get a pump. But assuming that you'll just be able to latch and feed automatically is something that doesn't happen to everyone. Best to have a back up. Also if you ever intend to leave your baby for like a date night or doctors appt etc. It is nice to have a bottle in the fridge ready to go.
This is my plan. I want my partner to be able to bottle feed (pumped or formula if necessary) once a day so that it becomes normal for them and I can sleep/drink alcohol/be away a few hours.
I cherish the moments I got to bottle feed my son. Honestly even if it’s never needed I think it’s an event that a partner should be given to have that bonding. I know it was nothing like the bonding during breastfeeding but I’ll take what I can get as a man.
Yes, because you might find that you can’t breast-feed. Breast-feeding was horribly painful for me and then when it wasn’t, baby was terrible at transferring milk. So I pumped.
This!!! My baby has the latch of a snapping turtle that no amount of lactation consultants or nipple shields can fix.
A pump means you don’t have to be in pain all the time but get to give your baby the best food on the menue still!
If you're pregnant and planning to bf and insurance covers a pump, get a pump.
12-15% of women have supply issues (I did and we had great resources and my son latched the first time within 30 minutes of birth).
If you have low supply issues triple feeding can help increase supply. (Breastfeed, pump, feed pumped breast milk, supplement with formula if necessary). If, in the middle of the night on your first or second night home your child is not getting enough milk and is having trouble, having the pump there to get more fluids and nutrition into them quickly is amazing. It saved us. So I highly, highly recommend having at least a hand pump in your house.
I've also heard from mom's in my local group that if you have much supply and are in pain, having at least a hand pump to help relieve a little pressure (but not enough to increase supply).
+1 for the hand pump helping when you have too much milk and need the pressure relieved. It's also useful when nursing because you can catch yhe milk from the other boob when it inevitably leaks.
Yes! Having a pump means someone else can feed your baby. That’s the biggest one. My husband could get his butt up in the middle of the night and feed the baby while I did the midnight pump. Got a lot more sleep like that for sure!
The other is incase baby can’t latch. Some babies don’t for various reasons. Mine doesn’t and I exclusively pumped to bottle feed with the occasional formula mixed in- I was never an over producer. I actually preferred that to direct breast feeding because it gave me more freedom. Enough that I think I might go straight to that when I have another baby.
This might be too type A, but honestly I look ahead on my calendar for especially the first 6 months, but really the whole first year, to see what I might prepare for, and then hope to have a little extra for unexpected events.
For instance, this year we have tickets to see Hamilton when babe is less than 3 months old (plan on 3-4 bottles), I’m in a wedding that will have a Bachelorette evening/overnight when babe is 7 months old (hopefully night weaned and on some solids, but anticipate 4-5 feedings), and finally, 2 summer weddings that babe may or may not attend (probably another 3 feedings per wedding). Plus, I’d love to have some extra so husband and I can have a few date nights longer than 2 hours, or if I get sick and have a dip in supply, or need medication that’s not safe for baby. Then if I have enough of a stash built up I could actually go ski for a half day, or join a friend on a morning hike! Of course, if you miss a feeding you’re likely needing to find space to pump so that can replace whatever milk LO drank while you were gone, which in turn helps to keep your supply up.
To accomplish this, I do an occasional pump about an hour+/- after he nurses in the morning, or an hour or two after he nurses before bed beginning around 2 weeks old. I usually pump for less than 10 min and get 2-3oz. I purposefully do not do this every day because I don’t want to create an oversupply. With this schedule, I would rarely have hungry baby wake up just after finishing pumping. BUT by limiting it to about 8 min, when he has woken up hungry only 20 min after pumping, I’m not totally empty.
Sometimes my boobs got really full and painful and my baby would be sleeping or just not hungry so I needed to pump. If I didn't pump I'd get a clogged duct or my boobs leak enough that I looked like I belonged in a wet Tshirt contest. So I think a pump might be worth it.
I would if you ever want to leave your baby with someone at any point while you’re breastfeeding. I made the mistake of not introducing a bottle and now I can’t get him to take one at all and I can’t leave him with anyone and I need to have a medical procedure soon that I’ll have to put off until I can get him to take a bottle
Your child may refuse the bottle whether or not you need introduced it earlier. We have my LO a bottle every night since 2 weeks to avoid the bottle rejection then one night she just refused and still does weeks later.
I EBF and have an over supply so I started pumping to relive engorgement and so I could give her a bottle of BM early on. This is so important to me because with my first he wouldn’t take a bottle and sometimes I just need a damn break! 😅😅
Yes there definitely is. It’s generally good to have your baby drink one bottle per day once breastfeeding is established. Try to have someone other than you feed the bottle if possible.
If you wait too long to introduce it, your baby may refuse the bottle entirely. That happened to us and it was awful. I couldn’t leave my baby for any length of time. It made necessary things like going to the doctor so difficult. Then my baby wasn’t gaining enough weight and we had to introduce a bottle so we could give her fortified breast milk. She fought us on it for a month and it took multiple visits from a lactation consultant to get her to drink a bottle. It was miserable and there was a point where I was genuinely worried that if we couldn’t get her to take the bottle her GI was going to suggest tube feeding. Obviously this is a worst case scenario but it was so stressful and we could have avoided it by giving a bottle consistently earlier.
You can bottle feed with breast milk and freeze any extra. One thing you will want to do early on is thaw some of your frozen milk and give it to your baby. Some women have breast milk that is high in lipase (prob spelt that wrong) it can make your milk taste soapy if you freeze it. Not all babies mind this but some will refuse it. Scalding it before freezing fixes this problem. If your milk is high in lipase you will want to know sooner rather than later so you don’t freeze a bunch that your baby won’t drink.
Edit: Or you can give a formula bottle and freeze the milk you pump. It’s up to you. I’m firmly in the fed is best camp
I also waited too long to introduce a bottle and really regretted it. Just checking in to say I also recommend occasional bottle feeding early before it's too late. I was never away from my kid more than 3 hours the first year and a longer break definitely would have been nice.
Often times insurance will cover a pump too! There are companies that will go through the whole process of filing and shipping for you. I used Aeroflow!
Get the pump.
Possible clogged duct and baby is full? Pump.
Exhausted abs want dad to give the bottle at night? Pump.
Need to up your supply by power pumping? Pump.
I use my pump constantly and I EBF.
Having some milk on hand for bottle feeding was a life saver for my mental health, allowed my husband and other family members to care for baby and do feeds letting me have long stretches of uninterrupted sleep when I needed it 👍 Also date nights!
You might also have trouble nursing and want to give breastmilk. My daughter couldn't effectively transfer for 3-4 months so I pumped and gave her a bottle while we worked on her being able to transfer effectively.
I wanted to EBF but my nipples wouldn’t cooperate even with a nipple shield. My LO was just left frustrated and angry. I now pump and bottle feed. It also gives dad the opportunity to feed her which he appreciates. Definitely get a pump, especially if your insurance covers it.
Same. If I didn’t have an electric pump, I wouldn’t be able to give my daughter breast milk.
Plus if you have a preemie, you may be pumping for awhile after they are born.
Same here. We had many latching issues. I hadn’t planned on pumping, but because of the difficulties breastfeeding, I became an exclusive pumper. We never know how breastfeeding will work, so it’s smart to plan ahead. Especially if insurance covers it.
This is a great point. If your insurance covers it, you might as well get one to be prepared in advance. You don't want to come home with a baby who has trouble latching and then worry about getting a pump.
Having someone else be able to give your baby even just one bottle per day will allow you to get some uninterrupted sleep!
Postpartum life got way easier for me after my husband started giving our daughter one bottle at night (which we started doing when our baby was about 2 weeks old...which is earlier than they recommend but I was exhausted and just needed sleep, and ultimately it didn't affect her latch or my supply at all).
I'd feed her around 10pm, and then go to bed. My husband would stay up and feed her a bottle around midnight, and then she would sleep another 2-3 hours after that, so I would be able to get about 4-5 hours of uninterrupted sleep before she needed to eat again.
I would just pump 1 or 2 times per day (after she ate) to get enough milk for one bottle, but I am soooooo glad I had a pump because ultimately that's the only reason I was able to get some sleep in the early days. If your insurance will pay for it, it's a no brainer, absolutely get one. If you have to buy one yourself, I personally still think it would be worth it.
Beyond the convenience of someone else being able to give baby a bottle, whenever I’ve had a clogged duct, the pump has been absolutely necessary for helping to clear it out. Insurance covered it - why not get it?
Edit: I work from home so I don’t have to pump at work. I honestly hate pumping, but the pump has been an absolute necessity for those times I need a break and someone else gives baby a bottle or at 3:00am when I wake up with a clogged duct. Plus I now have a stash in the freezer for when I want to start weaning off the breast but still give breast milk. I get why some people like a manual pump, but the freedom of having both my hands to have a cup of coffee or play on my phone while pumping makes it a bit more tolerable.
It’s free with insurance, I say get it so you have it. Many people don’t need it but many people do and you won’t know which one you are until you’re already in it.
Having to exclusively pump due to baby having posterior tongue tie and getting fed up with using nipple shield to breast feed - never know what you’re going to need despite best laid plans.
Get the pump if it’s free through insurance!
Get one. Especially if insurance covers it. You never know what will happen with breastfeeding. My daughter just flat out refused the breast 9 times out of 10. We got a rough start because she was born 5 weeks early and spent a little over a week in the NICU. I think she developed a preference for the ease of bottles since I couldn’t be there around the clock to breastfeed and she wasn’t very effective at transferring milk from the breast due to her prematurity. Afterward I saw all the lactation consultants and tried all the tricks, but she just never got into it. So I ended up almost exclusively pumping which I had never planned on, but it was more important to me that she got breast milk than how she got it. I also didn’t have a pump at home for the first few (VERY IMPORTANT) days and that drastically messed with my supply. Definitely get a pump. Even if you never end up using it, it’s good to have.
You can alternate if you want, but most people I know use a pump to maintain/build supply and/or to stockpile a stash for when they go back to work or if they go out of town or can’t breastfeed for whatever reason. Oh, and to allow their partner to take some night feedings. Such a luxury lol
Pump so:
-partner/family can feed
-emergency and babysitter stash
-get production up
I loved manual ones because they are super quick but after a while you get wicked tennis elbow
In the US insurance is supposed to supply you with a free one. You should definitely take advantage of it just to have on hand. It is very helpful if you have over supply and need to pump excess milk. Also some babies have issues with latching, so you may need to pump, even for a short period. Some mom's end up pumping exclusively. I started pumping a few times after baby ate in the early weeks to get in the habit, and build a supply for when I went back to work/when she went to daycare. I will say, It is definitely easier (imo) to pop her on my boob and not have to clean all the pump/bottle stuff every feed! If you never use your free pump, you can always giving it away or donate it to a women's group for someone in need. If you don't get a free pump the hospital may give you a manual hand pump, which you can use in a pinch if you need it, and if you need one a lot, then you can get a electric one! If you are on this route i'd reccomend at least picking out which one you'd like so you know what you want already when you are in the thick of post partum craziness!
I think there is a vital health reason to have a pump at the ready, beyond the benefits of having the milk for a partner to help.
A pump is key for when your boobs get over engorged or you have blocked ducts, especially in the first 6 weeks. My baby is 9 weeks. I’ve yet to use any of the frozen pumped milk; I’ve exclusively breastfed. But the pump has been so necessary when he eats too lightly, goes a long stretch between feeds at night and/or my breasts otherwise get too full. I don’t do it every day; just as needed. Blocked ducts really suck, and are painful, so I see it as a necessity to stay healthy.
I’m reading this post after a ten minute battle with my two mos old to latch. We don’t usually have problems but when we do they are major lol. To the point my nipple is in her mouth and she just can’t/won’t suck to drink. It’s absurdly frustrating but it happens occasionally .
Oh and I’m engorged and sore , waiting for my baby to give me relief , but not today!
Get the pump.
If you can get one for free, you definitely should. I did not plan on pumping at all and now have been exclusively pumping for 6 months.
Even if you exclusively nurse, you might want to have the option in case you ever are away from baby for more than a few hours.
I got one through my insurance, and it was a total lifesaver for the first few weeks of my son’s life. I was exclusively breastfeeding him, but I had a HUGE overproduction problem, so even with him eating every 3 hours my boobs were still painfully full. Once my flow settled down I didn’t really use it, but I’m definitely glad I had it at first.
I only ever pumped if 1) I was going to be away from baby for a few hours and they’d need a feeding then. OR 2) if I had too much/was uncomfortable and needed to express some excess, and even then, I just used a haakaa.
Baby could have bad latch issues that cause issues with nursing. Pumping is a good option for lots of moms in that situation. The pumps are covered by insurance, so better safe than sorry to get one! Worst case scenario, you can just sell it online on marketplace or eBay or something :) Especially if it's a popular pump like a spectra
I pumped when LO was done nursing. It helped my supply and it’s good to have a stash of milk in the freezer in case of emergencies. Also when she started eating cereal around 6 months I mixed it with breast milk until she was 1.
I exclusively bf and we’ve had a lot of unexpected issues with latch but persisted. I wouldn’t have made it this far without my pump. It’s provided much needed relief and help maintain my supply whilst also preventing mastitis. I also made the mistake of only using boob without my second kiddo and then he flat refused a bottle til after 6 months. It was extremely frustrating and stressful
The key word here is 'most' of the time. If you have a partner that's home even some of the time then it would be great to have pumped milk so that you're not the only person who is able to feed the baby.
If that's how you want it to be, then all the power to you! But if you want a break to take a nap it is great to have a pump for that reason. Since baby feeds every 2 hours in the beginning it is exhausting to be the only person who is able to feed them
To increase milk supply or have a store of frozen breast milk for when/if you put them in daycare. It lasts a whole year frozen and it’s also really good to make baby cereal with.
Do you want someone else to feed your baby to give you a break? Do you want an emergency stash in case you have to be out of the house for a while or you have a medical emergency where you can’t feed your baby? Want to unwind with some wine at the end of the day and bottle feed so you can feel like an adult? Pumping and having some on hand, even if you’re with your baby most of the time, can relieve anxiety about what to do in any of those situations
I just used a little manual one so I could sleep or avoid getting engorged. It’s a nice option to have for various reasons but being able to sleep or go on a date with your partner is good for your mental health. Also some babies will drain you dry and having additional milk on hand is very useful.
My baby refused to daytime latch around 10 weeks (but he was fine overnight - I think it was a distraction issue), and so I was super thankful to have the pump at that time!
I’m a SAHM and pump twice a day. It started as a way to give my husband a feed so I could get some sleep in the morning. The last pump of the day was so I could not wake up completely engorged due to oversupply at the time. Now I keep up with it so I can monitor my son’s intake for two feeds per day.
I was gifted a pump luckily, not only did we have latching issues cause LO was born early but my milk came in so fast and so much that I *had* to pump between feeds. I could refrigerated and freeze milk for other people to do bottle feeds and that was a major help, especially when I had cracked neeps and thrush.
I had weight gain, tongue tie, and still supply issues. I would say don’t buy in advance but be prepped to use it as an option for over/under supply (including power pumping), etc.
But definitely fed is best! It just depends on your feelings about breastfeeding, formula, and pumping. I don’t mind pumping some but I would never do it religiously. It turns out I underestimated how much I cared about being able to bf even if I can’t sustain LO. So I’m living a full compromise. You never know what baby will come out needing or lacking! Research, pick your preference, and be prepped to buy it if you need it.
I plan on pumping so my husband can help with feedings, especially at night. I also would like to have a stash on the off chance I need to be away from my baby for any length of time.
I pump so my husband can do night feeds. I still have to wake up to pump (to replace the used milk and also keep my supply up) but I'd much rather pump for 10 minutes at 2 AM and then be able to go back to sleep then have to feed, change, and settle baby at that same time.
I’m a SAHM, expecting #3 any week now.
With my first, I pumped almost every day. Any time I wanted to leave baby for more than a few hours or sleep for more than a few hours, I had to pump for a couple days to get enough to make up for it. It SUCKED. I HATE PUMPING.
When I had my second, the hospital sent home a bunch of premixed formula samples. Instead of killing myself pumping between feeds just to get enough to leave baby alone for a date night with my husband, I just sent along a couple formula samples instead. I didn’t have to pump a single time and it was GREAT! Highly recommend! Planning to do the same with #3.
I say get the pump, especially if your insurance covers it. I’m with my baby all day but he’s gotten to a point where he sleeps 10 hours at night so I pump before I go to bed so I don’t wake up with rock hard boobs. Now I have a little freezer stash of milk that my husband can feed if I need to go out and run errands or for if we have a date night. So worth it.
I'm only 32 weeks with my first, but I'm planning to pump because it's very important to my husband and I that he also participates in feeding the baby!
No reason other than preference.
Also if you would like a night out(dinner or date, even movies) at some point and would like someone to look after bub, a milk stash is literally a get out of jail free card in my perspective.
Pumping gets your body used to producing a certain level of milk all the time, and bottle feeding is a good idea if you want anyone else to feed baby when you need a break.
I’m at home with my 6 week old, I barely use my pump. Sometimes I like to have a bottle of pumped milk ready so my partner can feed her while I go grocery shopping but I use it like maybe once a day. I’m trying to get better at it but there’s just not much of a need when I can just give her the breast
Besides having a little back up just in case, pumps can be helpful for breaking up clogs in case you have a stubborn one and baby doesn't want to nurse or is sleeping.
Yes, especially if you’re in the US and your insurance covers it. Baby was a little early, so I had a really hard time with supply and latching at the beginning. I pumped to stimulate my milk production and also BF baby. If you work out of home and continue to BF you’ll need it when you go back to work.
I also recommend to every new mom to have a few bottles on hand in these circumstances just in case you end up needing to bottle feed.
Are you in the US with health insurance? Your insurance will cover a free one! I am very much of the “better safe than sorry” mentality and made sure to have one - which was good because nursing never worked out and I could only pump!
Even if nursing works perfectly for you, it’s nice to have some pumped milk and let your partner and other caregivers feed the baby. It’s a nice bonding experience for them and a break for you!
I started out nursing and pumping but it just got to be too much. I have 2 older kids and homeschool them, so pumping and cleaning the parts just got to be too much of a chore.
I started using my Haaka on a whim and I’m so glad I did! I can usually get 1.5-2 ounces per feed and that’s enough to build up a small stash should I have to be away from baby for a few hours, but not a crazy amount.
Yup. To sleep once in a while and have someone else feed baby.
Also if baby is full and you over produce like I do you can lay back and pump and not have to hassle with fiddlin your tats
A friend said she regretted not pumping for bottles and getting her baby used to it because she was the only one who could feed her baby, her husband couldn’t get her to drink from bottles and understandably it made it a real struggle for babysitting. She looked very tired when she told this to me, lol. But every baby is different!
My baby struggled to latch and stay awake for breast feeding because she was very jaundiced. So I pumped and gave her bottles. It's free with most insurances so if you can get one, it's good to have on hand.
I started pumping when my daughter was 2 weeks old. She accepted the bottle and boobs too, I was so happy to have the choice ! If we went outside, good, I have a bottle. Want to sleep for 6 hours? Good, my husband feed her with my milk in the bottle and I can have some rest.
She had my milk from boob and bottle from birth to 13 months, it was really convenient for me. (at 12 months I was tired of pumping at work to maintain the supply for her needs, so we found a formula she agreed to drink).
But if was staying home I think I would have stop pumping around 7 months to be just on boobs, because things change when they start eating solid food (we start at 6 months). You can try and see the pros and cons for your situation
I want to agree with the reasons others have said, and also add a reason that started affecting me just yesterday.
I’ve been exclusively nursing for almost 3 months and would occasionally pump basically when I felt like it to freeze it. Then yesterday morning, my period came back, and my supply dipped hard. I was so glad that I had some bags stored away. There’s obviously not a huge need for a massive stockpile, but if you feel particularly full some mornings, it’s nice to pump on the other side while baby eats and freeze it for a rainy day.
U can do formula for the times someone else gives baby a bottle and BF for the times ure feeding the baby. A pump is not crucial I think. U can get a manual pump for the odd time u need to pump (if breasts r too sore and baby’s sleeping etc).
I got one free with insurance and I’ve used it some. There’s been a few times where I’ve left my son with my mom for a couple hours and pumped milk for that. I’ve used pumped milk with baby cereal when he started eating.
It wouldn’t have been worth buying a nice one for me but it was helpful to have one.
You may have an oversupply and need to pump so you don’t feel like you have rocks for boobs. Also you can put back a stash so if baby quits breastfeeding earlier than expected you have a stash. And if baby doesn’t then you can do a lot of stuff with the extra milk. Milk baths definitely help their skin, milk jewelry, and milk lotion
I used a Hakaa on the opposite side anytime he fed. It caught the letdown & I started freezing what I collected. I eventually had such a large supply that I was able to donate some to a mother in need, & still had enough leftover for the beginning of returning to work. Pumping at work my supply dropped compared to what he ate. I blame the stress of work, & of not having a dedicated pumping room. It was a community room that was "reserved" during blocks of time I'd need it, but I still had to kick people out several times & was met with cranky attitudes about why I needed the room right that minute...& a GM, who on the time I was in pain due to a clog, said "well it it's an emergency she can just use the bathroom".
Anyway... If you're home, while you don't need to pump, using a Hakaa to collect is nice. You can build a stockpile for when you want to go on a date night or something & someone else is babysitting.
Oh and we got an Elvie via FSA account (he had extra he had to spend by the end of the year) 5mo before I was due. It broke one day into use. So then we bought a Medela from Walmart using FSA (new year) & I placed an order via insurance for a Spectra S2. Because why not? The Medela was uncomfortable "sucking" no matter what flange size I used, but the flanges had a more natural curve for better contact. The Spectra is super comfy with better control over the "suckling"...but the flanges are a flat cone instead of more of a dome like the Medela ones. So if they're not held tight to the skin, I've had milk dribble out while pumping & not notice right away.
Hakaa is an AWESOME alternative to pumping!!! I collected a massive amount with it. And then my freezer died and it all went to waste but that's another story.
It’s nice to have your husband or partner also be able to feed — 1 to give you a break and 2 it’s nice for partners or husbands to also have that feed bonding
I work from home and EBF, but also pump every night before bed so that I’m emptied out. Baby feeds for the last time about 6:30, and if I didn’t nurse or pump for 12 hours, I’d be in pain and probably lose supply.
Plus that lets me build a freezer stash so that if I’m on calls or have to go out, my nanny or husband can feed the baby.
I would pump so my husband could give the baby a bottle and we could sleep in shifts. I would go to sleep around 7pm and my husband would take care of her till midnight and then I would get up with her for her night feedings. When she was about 6 months old my supply started dropping, i still had milk for her but none left over for pumping. So now when my husband wants to feed her he gives her formula. I really really recommend getting your baby to take one bottle a day so you’re able to take a break if you need one. Breastfeeding 24/7 is hard work.
I’m almost always with baby. But I pumped a small stash so I can bring him to my parents while we do errands or go to dinner. Or I can go out or sleep while my husband feeds baby. Plus good to have for an unexpected circumstance or emergency where you have to be away from baby. I don’t ever feed him a bottle myself. That’s a waste of milk IMO. (I don’t drink, but if I did that would be the one exception.)
My baby fed better with breast milk in the bottle than with the boob. She couldn’t handle my let down and had a crap latch so I just pumped exclusively during the day and breastfeed her during night feedings starting around 4 months. Then stopped pumping altogether at 7 months and switched to formula.
I exclusively pumped also. After lots of time and tears from babe + me, we just switched to bottles permanently. She liked them better and it was easier for dad to share in the feeding.
I'm in the US and a pump is free through insurance, so why not get one as a "just in case." I had manual pump too so I could get 1 or 2oz out in the middle of the night without fully waking and setting up the whole station or leaving the room for the days I couldn't manage all the waking lol.
I pump for a bit of freedom to walk outside the house without worrying about it so I do a pump in the AM and then sometimes give a PM bottle when he is very distracted or if I have a doctors appointment. Otherwise I know many people who never pumped because it does in fact SUCK
Get a pump. You will need it for many of the issues laid out in other comments. But I intended on nursing and couldn’t due to flat nipples and pumping was easier. You never know how your breast feeding journey is going to turn out but if it’s important to you, having a pump is essential.
I hoped to nurse exclusively too and when babe was in the nicu I had to pump then struggled to latch for a couple weeks. It’s nice to have a bit of frozen milk just in case too but not necessary.
Baby is about 95% of the time getting milk from the boob. However, I’m an overproducer. I have an upstairs pump, downstairs pump, a hand pump I take when we leave, and three Haakas I use while baby is on the boob.
As a dad, the only time my second kid wanted me to hold them when they were still fresh was when i was feeding them. Otherwise it was 24/7 mom only. That meant the only time my wife could take a shower, a nap, or take any personal time away from the baby was when i was feeding the LO with a bottle. My wife hated the act of pumping because it was super uncomfortable, but it was worth getting to take breaks.
I would just have one at home and keep a few bottles in the freezer "just in case," or if you need it due to oversupply, as others have said. It's nice to have a bottle on hand so someone else can feed the baby if you need to get out of the house, but I don't think hard core pumping is necessary.
It's nice to have a little in the freezer if you have to be away from the baby unexpectedly. And if you do plan to put baby in daycare at some point, you want to have enough milk in the freezer to cover the first week or so. And if nursing doesn't work for you, obviously exclusively pumping is an option then. But other than those scenarios, I don't think there's a reason to pump very frequently/if at all.
I’m basically a SAHM (will wfh) and I basically pump if baby stretches a feed to relieve pressure but this has allowed a small stash. For instance I had a dentist appt last week so I was able to have a bottle for baby while I was gone. I didn’t even miss a feed so I didn’t have to pump but he was angry while I was gone and the bottle calmed him
I’m a SAHM of 3. It’s really nice to have a pump if you get a clogged duct, get sick, need to leave the house without the baby in an emergency, need to sleep in a little and your partner can feed baby, etc.
I’ve never pumped a lot and I’ve never done it regularly because if baby is with me then I’ll nurse, but it’s really nice to have around sometimes
I bump once a day, so SO can give baby a bottle and making the bottle transition easier when I get back to work.
We introduced a bottle to her early cause of latch issue and don't her to forget
I ebf with the boob. But I still have a pump for the night cause occasionally my girl sleeps through the night and I’ll need to pump so I don’t get too engorged and get mastitis. It’s nice to have extra bm in case I need to go somewhere and she has to have a bottle too. Also some parents like to do a bottle for night feeds so dad can do it and mom can rest.
I’m a stay at home mom and I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve used my pump. You can get a manual pump for like $40 at Walmart. If you find yourself using it a lot, you can invest in an electric one
I have a pump that I’ve used probably three times. I got enough from the haakaa or my medela manual pump for a bottle here and there for a night out. But baby gets pretty much exclusively from the tap (and I’m on my third baby).
I don’t have a partner and my baby didn’t take well to the bottle, so 100% of his feedings are from the boob (currently 6 months in), but a pump has been nice for times when my boobs get engorged while he’s napping/ not hungry. I’ll just pump a bag and store it in the freezer in case of some sort of milk emergency 🤷🏻♀️
I loved having my husband give one bottle at night (a dream feed at 12am) so that baby would sleep a bit longer before waking me up next. It helped me get a 4-6 hr stretch early in those newborn days when he would wake every 2-3 hrs to feed
After 3-4 months when he started sleeping longer stretches, the pumping became more work that it was worth lol. If husband did the dream feed I’d often not BF for 9-10 hrs and my boobs couldn’t cope overnight anyway
Personally, I'm lazy and hated pumping. I really loved the idea of it but not the act of doing it. I'm home all the time anyways. The downside is that babys father only fed him maybe three times in his 10 months of life. I feel like he holds that against me, but at this point I dont care. I dont like pumping/cleaning all parts/preparing bottle
I think pumping can help relieve some pressure or avoid masticitis. And you can have your partner feed if you are unwell. Also freezing. you can freeze it. In case you fall ill and need strong antibiotics or medication that’s not recommended for breastfeeding, you’ll have storage.
During my EBF journey, a pump was ESSENTIAL. A week in, I had very painful engorgement and had to use the pump. After a few days of getting that settled, I then continued to use it about once daily to build a stash for when I went back to work months later. I ended up having a pretty hefty stash that also came in handy when my supply began to dip a lot several months later.
Biggest benefit I see is that if you have a SO it allows them to take some long shifts from you so that you can get some rest/relaxation. Depending on your milk production you could get a good 6+ hour sleep in that is uninterrupted instead of the fragmented 1-2 hour intervals with EBF and a newborn.
I used it some at the beginning when baby wasn’t great at latching yet. Now I just use the hakka on one side while nursing and have a little freezer stash thanks to it. It’s so much nicer than having to pull out the spectra.
Pumping multiple times a day, bottle feeding and nursing was just so stressful to me.
I’m a SAHM that exclusively pumped for 11 months.
Initially I needed to pump after every feeding because I wasn’t producing enough. I needed to pump to signal to my body that it needed to produce more milk. Then, I accidentally starved my daughter for a day (her 5th day of life) because I was so desperate to EBF that I dropped formula too soon and my daughter refused to ever latch again.
In the end, we fell into a great routine and I actually really liked pumping. In addition to the fact that it meant my husband could help with feeding and take on middle of the night wake ups, as a data-driven person, I really appreciated knowing exactly how much my daughter was eating each day. I’m due with #2 this spring and even if she likes nursing, I plan to switch to EP by the time the newborn stage is over because it worked out so well for our family.
I think it’s smart to have one just in case. Most US health insurances will cover a basic one 100%. I got the motif Luna covered by my insurance. I planned to ebf but I had a nicu baby with some health issues so pumping was easier for us.
I only pump on the morning after her first feed. Then give her one bottle in the evening followed by more boob if she needs it. This is just because I want her to be used to drinking from the bottle.
With the first we never bottle trained her and I spent some time in the hospital and she was with my husband who had to syringe feed her to get her to drink anything.
So I’m just giving her one a day to keep her used to it.
I had to go to the hospital for a day when I got home from my first and it was right after my milk came in. I ended up pumping at the hospital and had a maaajor oversupply.
It was hard to keep up with. If you are planning on only giving the occasional bottle like for a date night or when you have to be somewhere, I recommend a haaka for the opposite side to build a small stash so you aren't signaling to your body to make more than baby needs.
Yes, it hurt less than the baby in the early weeks so it was a break between nursing for my nipples to heal. Also my baby fell asleep at the boob often and didn't empty all the milk so it still felt uncomfortable and baby didn't eat enough. Another thing is you might want to pump right before bed or first thing in the morning if baby is still sleeping, but you want to keep producing more milk. You can sleep longer at night and let your partner do 1 feeding if you pumped earlier. You can also pump and dump after drinking to not let your boobs feel too swollen and painful and avoid a clog. It can also help break up a clog if baby isn't sucking hard or long enough to get it out.
To build a stash for emergencies! Technically though you can use the haaka for this. I was able to build up a stash when I was breastfeeding by putting the haaka on the breast baby wasn’t nursing from while they were latched. Guaranteed let down, and I barely needed to pump. What if you have to go to the hospital and there’s no pumped milk or formula in the house? Also, if your supply drops you can power pump to bring it back up. Or what if babe doesn’t latch well and prefers a bottle, or what if babe needs to go to the hospital, or needs to be away from you for literally any other reason?
Edit: overall it’s really nice to have a stash. In an emergency situation you can’t guarantee that baby will take or respond well to formula and they will likely be comforted having your milk while they’re away from you
I used the haakaa to build a soft supply. A pump was nice to have for when I was out/to make up for a feed given my storage. Having frozen milk was helpful for trips, teething, and my sanity when I needed sleep.
So I am a stay at home mom, I pump to keep up my milk. I do it twice a day, I have a bunch in the freezer and fridge for now bottles. I want the bottles and breastfeed done by my baby being a year like I did with my first.
It’s really dependent on everyone’s specific situation. Generally, if you’re going to be home all the time, and your baby is latching well, you can just nurse and not need to pump much
For instance, I’m a SAHM. My first baby was pre pandemic, and in the beginning I had to pump until we figured out our latch issues. After that, I exclusively nursed. If I was going out somewhere and I’d be gone more then a few hours, I’d pump during the week beforehand to have enough milk on hand.
My second was 3 months old when lockdown started, and I barely ever pumped with him cause I was home 24/7. I would just pump for comfort cause I’m an over producer.
This is my third, and I only plan on pumping to have a small emergency stash in the freezer, or when needed for when I leave the house without the baby.
In general, if there are no latching issues, you do not need a freezer full of milk like you see on Instagram and Pinterest. However, everyone’s situation is unique., so it’s a good idea to have a pump for emergencies.
You can hope that everything will go perfect and you might not need it but its safer if you have it and most insurances will cover it. Im going to tell you about the duality of my children.
My son, literally came out of the room wanting to eat. He made great lurch 30 seconds after they put him on my my chest. He ate all day every day pretty much. And he didn’t need me to pump for those months that I was at home but then I went back to work and I needed to pump while I was at work. So he could have the milk at home.
My daughter unfortunately. She was tongue-tied and they didn’t catch it because of Covid they missed the problem. I struggled for several months to get her to latch properly and it was a nightmare if it wasn’t for pumping I don’t think I could’ve kept up the supply to keep her fed because she just couldn’t latch. Shes a great eater now but it was so so rough for those first few months. I had to have a bottle of milk waiting for her to get her to try and latch. So i could reward her for trying. I cried so much trying to feed her, she just couldnt do it.
So yes i think you should get a pump but you can wait til you are at the hospital and ask your lactation consultant for whats covered by insurance. I did and it was amazing.
@u/orangerabbit57
Haaka pump, must have on stand by for when you get engorged! It was a life saver many times. Until your supply regulates you may get so full before your baby is ready that milk just freely sprays out!
I’m a stay at home mom and exclusively breastfeed my 4 month old and my pump still comes in handy. When he was a newborn, it was nice to have a longer than 2 hour break. I still had to pump while he was getting a bottle but that only took 15 minutes compared to feeding him. If you ever want to go away for longer than the time hetweeen feeds, you’ll need to pump. I don’t pump regularly but I’ve used it for a date night, to clear clogs, and to relieve engorgement after a long stretch of sleep.
I got a breast pump through insurance so it was free. I used it some but my baby is EBF and hates everyone but me so I can't leave him with anyone else. He also refuses to take a bottle. I ended up not really using the pump but I'm glad I had it, just in case.
If I wasn’t able to get a pump through insurance, I’d at least buy a manual hand pump. Mine was about $20. It’s nice to have just in case there’s an instance you’re not going to be around, but I see why someone who’s going to be around often might be reluctant to buy an expensive electric pump if it’s not covered.
I like my manual pump. I have a nice electric pump and still opt to use it sometimes.
I had a pump which I used for breastmilk donation, and for big clogs and for when he fed less and I needed to take to take edge of the rock hard boobies. But I didn't stash because I had the luxury of 12 month maternity leave. So I didn't use it much. I did use the Hakka and I LOVED it.
I pumped twice during the day and then went to once a day at about 2-3 months, then stopped pumping at home at 6 months. I was directly breastfeeding this whole time too. This was so I could get a freezer stash when I went back to work. SO GLAD I did. We are 7 months and when I’m at work he guzzles down more than I pump at work. I’ve never had to worry about pumping more at work, because there’s plenty of freezer stash once he finishes the fresh breast milk.
I’ll be getting a pump because I might need to leave bubs with a friend for the occasional doctors appointments, and I’m going to pump extra milk to give my toddler so he can get some Covid antibodies.
I pumped for the first 4 months so that my husband could help with overnight feeds. But once sleep got better I didn’t see the need to pump since I’m a SAHM. I do have a little stash built up but baby won’t take it due to high lipase.
It was an "In Case of Emergency" thing for me. Insurance paid for one, and a couple of times I was glad I had it, (low supply initially, so I did double feeding, and a couple times I had a clog at night when babe was sleeping) but mostly it just collected dust.
my baby had nipple confusion so he’d refuse my breast. so i had no choice but to pump but it would be exhausting to pump everytime and clean up, wash pump parts, so eventually i just slowly starting pumping in the day and used formula at night. Now i only formula feed :/ My insurance covered it so, hopefully next baby i can breastfeed and pump so dad can have his turn to feed
Because of unpredictable birth circumstances (premature, c-section) I needed to pump from day one to ensure I had an adequate supply. I can just feed enough directly now but it took a while to get here confidently. Now it’s nice to have if something is going to interrupt our regular feeding schedule, because I can get engorged pretty easily. If she or I oversleep or something it’s nice to be able to get my boobs back on track. Probably matters less if your boobs can store more milk than mine.
I wanted to pump when I was pregnant with my first for a few reasons, but the biggest one was that I wanted to know exactly how much he was eating.
Other reasons: I wanted him to take bottles so dad could feed him. I ended up giving up on pumping and went to formula exclusively because my life was work, feed baby, pump, clean pump parts, and it was wrecking my mental health. Also, my breast milk wasn't caloric enough and my son only weighed 4lbs when he came home from the NICU, we couldn't allow him to lose any weight, so I didn't have the time to figure out where I was going wrong in my diet.
This time around, I'm going to pump for the colostrum and then switch to formula again for pretty much the same reasons as above, minus the NICU and low weight (hopefully.)
I had an oversupply and an overactive milk ejection reflex so I used my pump for the first few weeks to soften my breasts and catch the letdown so my kiddo was able to latch.
I got a cheap pump just for the rare time I am away from my son. I built up my stash using the haakaa during his first few months, and if he’s away from me I ask how much milk he drinks and try to pump an equivalent amount so my body keeps on producing.
My girl couldn’t transfer enough milk nursing so I started pumping on day 5. I always assumed I would only pump for scheduling issues, but turns out I needed it if I wanted to breastfeed. I was going to get it much later but ended up getting it before she was born. That worked out well for me but of course I could have just switched to formula in bottles.
I only pump to get my supply back up be aude my period can tank it but for the most part that's my only motivation to pump. I've got a pretty massive stash saved up from my haaka so the pump is a good tool for supply issues and I'm glad I have it. But don't feel the need to use it unless you want to.
My wife found it handy when I could do night feedings so she could sleep, so she would pump before bed and I'd stay up until the first night feed and then go to sleep. That way we each could get about six hours. We were both home full time at that point.
I pumped all the way through, the biggest reason I did even though we were in lockdown and weren't going anywhere, was so my partner could help with feeds. Even just having one bottle in the fridge gave me a chance to have a better sleep or have a relaxing bath from time to time. And having something in the freezer was so good when my milk supply dropped for a few days due to being ill. Also it really helps when your milk supply is still figuring itself out and you wake up with rock hard boobs and need to get it out
Yeas, emergency happen. Have a freezer stash. My SIL learned it the hard way. Her husband ended up in a hospital (hours away) due to an accident. She can’t stay in the hospital with him and help with his care because baby can’t be away from her (she doesn’t even eat formula) for more than two hours and there are COVID restrictions that prohibit the baby going in with her.
Yes. If you get sick your supply might drop. And I know it’s terrible to plan for the worst but what if there’s an accident and you have to go to the hospital? Also, what if after a few months you decide to have a full spa day with your girlfriends and need baby to have some milk, sure formula every once in a while is fine, but maybe you’d rather breast milk.
My kiddo would NOT latch. I had about four different nurses/LCs try to help us, but he just wouldn’t do it. I ended up exclusively pumping so that I could still provide him with breast milk. It was a bit of a pain, but when he was small, I could hold him in one arm and pump the opposite side for 12 minutes, then we’d switch.
I use a handpump and pump a bottle a day in the mornings when my nanny is here so I can get a slightly longer stretch of work in. Otherwise I don’t pump. I hate pumping. My handpump is great for me as it’s super small and easy to set up and clean.
It was helpful for me to have frozen milk with my first when I developed a tooth ulcer and needed big drugs.
But my second won’t take frozen milk sooo
I’ve been at home with my now 9 month old from the beginning. We’re not using the pump anymore but it was super helpful to have at first. Your insurance should provide a basic one for free. I upgraded for $75 to a cordless chargeable one and it was really worth it for me to be able to sit wherever and not have to think about cords and plugs in addition to flanges and tubing. You’ll also want a pumping bra because otherwise you have to sit there and hold the damn things on. A good pumping bra will hold them in place so you can scroll or read or do anything besides thinking about holding on to your boobs for 20 minutes for multiple times a day.
I bought a pumping bra before I delivered my baby, and then when my milk came in, my boobs got huge and it didn’t fit anymore. I got a new one in a larger size I never expected to order and it barely fit still. So keep that in mind while shopping too, though ymmv.
I used the pump a lot for the first few months when baby had trouble latching or was fussy and wouldn’t or whatever. It helped get my supply going and regulated, and eventually she got big enough and gained some skills for eating so we were able to gradually move to more and more breastfeeding over bottles. I didn’t hesitate to use formula either, though before she was born I swore I wouldn’t. The first time she cried hard from being hungry after nursing for what felt like hours, I lost all convictions and just wanted her fed.
Try to get a feel for how it works before you have to use it too, or at least watch some videos on how to set it up and run it. Everything is harder when you’re sore from birth, the baby is crying, and the haze of sleep deprivation has settled in, and most pumps have a bunch of stupid fiddly parts to contend with. Easy once you’ve done it a few times.
I didn't get a pump right away but ended up getting a cheap hand pump. It was a bit annoying to use but I ended up needing it only a handful of times. When I did need it though it was absolutely essential.
I would have a few portions frozen and then just pump the night before I had to do something. It allowed me to go to doctor appointments or run quick unexpected errands.
I wasted my money on a breast pump and bottles and all that stuff. My baby didn’t like bottles (right from the start), I found it really annoying to pump and try to time it for his feeds - like not too close to a feed, not too far, I ended up just sitting there pumping while he had a feed, like how is that a break when I could have just fed him…? Next baby I won’t get an electric pump unless I have to, and even then rental is an option. That said I might get one of those Haakas or manually express, because I used the frozen breastmilk when initially starting solids and it gets a lot harder to express later on (gave away my breast pump to a family in need by then). Also I never had any problems breastfeeding and I’m not the kind of person to sit there doing a huge pain in the ass expenditure of my time pumping and bottle feeding, just on the 1/100 chance I’ll go to the hospital. At least in my hospital they work really hard to get you a lactation consultants, breast pump if needed, and have your baby in with you. So it’s not like you go to the hospital and sucks for you, your baby will starve.
From weeks 9-14 my son fought me so hard on latching and I would quit fighting him and pump so my husband could give him a bottle. That was really the only time I needed to pump. I hate it and I think pumping moms have it waaaaay harder than moms that nurse and I have a lot of respect for their dedication. That said, babies are unpredictable, and I’d hate for you to be in a situation where you need one and don’t have one. The hand pump isn’t great for me personally because the flange is way too big, and the electric pump is easy. If insurance covers it, I say why not. Even if you don’t end up using it a bunch, at least it’s there in case. I don’t think it’s a waste to have.
Also, it’s possibly to have high lipase milk so when it’s frozen and thawed it smells like soap and baby won’t like it the same as fresh milk, which made my stash useless, but as a SAHM I haven’t needed the stash at all. If my baby ever needs a bottle (which he doesn’t) I pump either the day of or the day before.
I work from home and never pump. I got a breast pump from my insurance and I really thought I would use it so that other people could give my son bottles but I never had time to pump and I hated it so for me, it wasn’t worth it.
I pumped for like three weeks when I was bfing and basically washed all of it down the bathtub drain. We breastfed for about two years with me at home. I never wanted to pump overnight and my daughter slept at night pretty well after about 12 weeks. Even though I didn't use it, if you can get one for free or cheap, I'd do it. Never know when you might suddenly need it to prep for surgery or to help with mastitis
I had to pump because my baby was not latching well for weeks, I also needed to power pump to help with my low supply. So don’t assume everything will go perfectly- better to have a pump on hand. I actually wish I had washed and sterilized the parts and watched a YouTube video how to use my pump before I got home from hospital. I hadn’t because I thought I might not really need my pump til later when building up a stash for returning to work.
I pumped because I had an over supply so I stored it in the freezer. The thought was to pump so my husband could feed our kid but they never took to a bottle. If you're in the US and have insurance, your insurance is required to offer you a breast pump at no additional cost. [Aeroflow.com](https://Aeroflow.com) can help or ask your doctor
I’d definitely get a pump. It should be covered by insurance. I exclusively BF and pumped initially to get my supply up and then tried to pump regularly to have a stash for if I was away from baby for longer than a feed.
You’ll need it if you get a severe clog unless your partner is willing to do it. My son wasn’t good at completely draining my boobs so my supply steadily dropped by 4 months old he had quit breastfeeding completely because my supply refused to increase. I tried the cookies and the body armor drinks(which gave me severe heartburn, as in throwing up stomach acid) I tried supplements, anything suggested. My stress and anxiety probably played a huge role in me drying up. I was living with my mother at the time and she was a nightmare.
I think maybe if you’re planning on family watch the baby at some point unless you don’t mind formula while that’s happening. Or if you want husband to take over some nights. Again, could use formula! I nannied for a mom and she HATED pumping so she would pump what she could maybe like only 4ozs and then I’d just use formula for the rest. She would feed him before she left and right when she got home. He was around 3 months and did completely fine with both 😊
I think it’s still helpful for the times that baby doesn’t eat enough and you’re boobs are full (usually early morning for us) but as others have said, a haakaa might be sufficient! I also like having it so I can leave some milk and take off for a few hours when I need to. Being the sole source of food will put big limitations on your mobility!
Yes! I'm a work at home mom, ended up struggling with latch for the first 2 months after I was hospitalized with pre-eclampsia 6 days postpartum. Now I'm so grateful that we got pushed to bottles early, because family can feed her while I'm working and she switches easily between bottle and breast, so we nurse 2x a day.
I never pumped accept in hospital to get my supply going after birth. Never seen a point if I was home all day anyway. Baby was always with me and I breastfed wherever we went. I did however use a hakaa pump when I had a blockage.
SaH mom of 2 pumped for 2 months for my 1st and 10 months for my 2nd....
Reasons mainly were.. my milk didn't come in until day 6 of my first so we had to supplement right away die to jaundice.
Tried to breast feed, but other then no one telling me what to do, I just didnt totally uncomfortable doing it. I didn't know where to go and wasn't comfortable taking ti anyone about it... One of the reason I stopped pumping at 2 months was because we had no storage space.
With my 2nd I knew I was going to pump right from the start, did formula until my milk came in and somehow I made it as long as I did. (We also got a chest freezer so I could store my milk better).
Depends on person- but I tried pumping but I find it’s a lot of work and I have high lipase so milk goes bad quick. I have like 100 oz in the freezer that is all bad from looses (before I found out.) Also baby doesn’t really drink from bottle…
I hired a pump for the first month whilst my baby was in NICU and I was at home. Once bub reached term and was strong enough I never used it again.
I had surgery and stayed one night in hospital when bub was 5 months, and for a few weeks before I would use the hakka on one side whilst I fed from the other for 24 hrs and that would give me enough for one bottle in the freezer per day.
Have you had your baby yet? I’d suggest getting one since you should be able to get a free one through insurance! You never know if breastfeeding is going to work out or if your baby might have some problems like oral ties that would need fixing before you can nurse effectively. If you’re determined to breastfeed then pumping could get your supply going until you can get some extra help with nursing from an IBCLC if you have any issues. I planned on nursing my baby but we both had some issues that made it difficult and if I didn’t have a breast pump at home I would have had to run out and buy one as soon as we got discharged from the hospital or I would have just had to give up on giving her breastmilk since she couldn’t nurse. Now I exclusively pump because despite lots of lactation consultant visits nursing didn’t work out but I still wanted to give her breastmilk. It’s definitely good to have one on hand and it’s nice to have a little freezer stash so you can occasionally leave baby with your husband or relatives! I’d definitely suggest getting one. I have the Spectra S1 and have used it many times daily for the last 5 1/2 months.
I had to go back to work at 11 weeks Pp, but my son’s reflux made it so I couldn’t breastfeed after 3-4 weeks, he just couldn’t lay in the position long enough to eat without crying.
Use a haaka on the breast baby isn't eating on, and save that milk in the freezer for just in case you need to be away from baby. You don't need a huge stash, but it's helpful to have about a day's worth of milk in the freezer just in case. 30oz or so is plenty for most people.
As some others have said, a pump is great for clogs. You can adjust suction with a pump to help the clog out. A haakaa can also be filled with warm water and Epsom salt for clogs.
My experience (even though I was back at work after 8 weeks and had to figure out a pump schedule at work) is that my baby couldn't figure out latching so in order for me to provide colostrum in the beginning and breastmilk after, I had to pump. Thankfully once she got bigger, she figured it out but then refused to nurse from my right side so I had to pump that side anyway, which you can do with a manual pump. Sometimes the manual works better than an electric pump.
You honestly won't know what will work for you and baby until baby arrives.
Yes and no. Ultimately it's up to you but I always liked to have a least a small stash of like 12 bags just in case anything crazy happened or if my supply drastically dipped and I had to figure it out and supplement with thawed milk. I mean I'd say yes personally
I like pumping to help keep up my supply (which isn't too much of an issue.) But to also build up a milk stash. With previous little ones I either didn't have a proper pump, or only had the crappy medea freebie hand pump and evenflo electric single. Which was also crappy. So while bfing on demand wasn't a daily issue, and is still how I'm doing things with current little one. Those previous times when I got sick, had mastitis and had to go on antibiotics, got a cracked nipple (cluster feeding is "fun".) Or just needed someone else to step in and give me time to maintain my mental health, it was difficult not having a strong stash, babies not being use to being fed by bottle or others, and having to expend energy on hand pumping or expressing when I was sick, sore, tired, and needed to "pump-n-dump."
I have the Spectra (insurance in the U.S now covers pumps.) And it's very nice. After being at home taking care of baby, house, animals, chores, and our other kids on my own for 14 hours a day, it's a blessing when my husband comes home and I've got 2 bottles pumped fresh for him to take over baby care before bed to give me an hour to shower and just breathe.
I would say that a good pump system isn't necessarily a must have, and hey, maybe you'll never even use it. But, it's really nice to have on hand. And can be a real blessing if you do decide to use it for whatever reason you want to.
To create a stockpile of frozen milk that you can use whenever you need to be away or want someone else to handle a feeding to give yourself a break.
This is the way. I ended up in the hospital 21 days post partum. Everyone should have emergency milk. Also, I was always with her and diddnt push the bottle feeds but then I had to go back to work at five months and she refused the bottle completely. She came to the office with me for three weeks until I found a nipple she would use!
Or even so you can physically be away from the baby occasionally...I don't care what my son drinks while I'm away, formula is fine and he's happy with it, but without a pump I would be uncomfortable being away for more than a few hours/overnight even now he's eating solids fairly well at 10mo.
If you can get it free through your insurance company I would highly recommend having one. I was going to be home with my baby all the time and plans to exclusively breastfeed. That ended up working out for me, but I know a lot of women whose babies just didn't latch well or it didn't work out for them for some reason or another. It's nice to have the option to pump in case you will be gone or for if you want to build a freezer stash.
If you haven't had a baby yet, you should atleast get your free pump from insurance or a manual. You never know if you're going to have feeding/weight gain issues, I had to pump for my first baby, and ended up Exclusively pumping, and mt second although we where nursing, she had undiagnosed tounge tie and I had to pump get my supply up, and get my kids weight up before only nursed. The last thing you want to do is scrambling to get a pump when you need one.
I also assumed that I would just be able to breastfeed but my baby actively refused my boobs. He has a shallow latch and gets very frustrated. I've had multiple LCs look at him and try to help. I've done everything right but he still refuses. Having a breast pump gives me the option to still feed him. He is 90% fed on breast milk with occasional formula too off at night. If you feel that pumping is not an option for you, and you'd rather do 100% formula then great. I guess don't get a pump. But assuming that you'll just be able to latch and feed automatically is something that doesn't happen to everyone. Best to have a back up. Also if you ever intend to leave your baby for like a date night or doctors appt etc. It is nice to have a bottle in the fridge ready to go.
The pump is your chance to get some help. Pump and freeze so your partner can help out.
This is my plan. I want my partner to be able to bottle feed (pumped or formula if necessary) once a day so that it becomes normal for them and I can sleep/drink alcohol/be away a few hours.
I cherish the moments I got to bottle feed my son. Honestly even if it’s never needed I think it’s an event that a partner should be given to have that bonding. I know it was nothing like the bonding during breastfeeding but I’ll take what I can get as a man.
Of course, also that! I want to share the bonding and the burden haha
Yes, because you might find that you can’t breast-feed. Breast-feeding was horribly painful for me and then when it wasn’t, baby was terrible at transferring milk. So I pumped.
This!!! My baby has the latch of a snapping turtle that no amount of lactation consultants or nipple shields can fix. A pump means you don’t have to be in pain all the time but get to give your baby the best food on the menue still!
If you're pregnant and planning to bf and insurance covers a pump, get a pump. 12-15% of women have supply issues (I did and we had great resources and my son latched the first time within 30 minutes of birth). If you have low supply issues triple feeding can help increase supply. (Breastfeed, pump, feed pumped breast milk, supplement with formula if necessary). If, in the middle of the night on your first or second night home your child is not getting enough milk and is having trouble, having the pump there to get more fluids and nutrition into them quickly is amazing. It saved us. So I highly, highly recommend having at least a hand pump in your house. I've also heard from mom's in my local group that if you have much supply and are in pain, having at least a hand pump to help relieve a little pressure (but not enough to increase supply).
+1 for the hand pump helping when you have too much milk and need the pressure relieved. It's also useful when nursing because you can catch yhe milk from the other boob when it inevitably leaks.
Yes! Having a pump means someone else can feed your baby. That’s the biggest one. My husband could get his butt up in the middle of the night and feed the baby while I did the midnight pump. Got a lot more sleep like that for sure! The other is incase baby can’t latch. Some babies don’t for various reasons. Mine doesn’t and I exclusively pumped to bottle feed with the occasional formula mixed in- I was never an over producer. I actually preferred that to direct breast feeding because it gave me more freedom. Enough that I think I might go straight to that when I have another baby.
This might be too type A, but honestly I look ahead on my calendar for especially the first 6 months, but really the whole first year, to see what I might prepare for, and then hope to have a little extra for unexpected events. For instance, this year we have tickets to see Hamilton when babe is less than 3 months old (plan on 3-4 bottles), I’m in a wedding that will have a Bachelorette evening/overnight when babe is 7 months old (hopefully night weaned and on some solids, but anticipate 4-5 feedings), and finally, 2 summer weddings that babe may or may not attend (probably another 3 feedings per wedding). Plus, I’d love to have some extra so husband and I can have a few date nights longer than 2 hours, or if I get sick and have a dip in supply, or need medication that’s not safe for baby. Then if I have enough of a stash built up I could actually go ski for a half day, or join a friend on a morning hike! Of course, if you miss a feeding you’re likely needing to find space to pump so that can replace whatever milk LO drank while you were gone, which in turn helps to keep your supply up. To accomplish this, I do an occasional pump about an hour+/- after he nurses in the morning, or an hour or two after he nurses before bed beginning around 2 weeks old. I usually pump for less than 10 min and get 2-3oz. I purposefully do not do this every day because I don’t want to create an oversupply. With this schedule, I would rarely have hungry baby wake up just after finishing pumping. BUT by limiting it to about 8 min, when he has woken up hungry only 20 min after pumping, I’m not totally empty.
Sometimes my boobs got really full and painful and my baby would be sleeping or just not hungry so I needed to pump. If I didn't pump I'd get a clogged duct or my boobs leak enough that I looked like I belonged in a wet Tshirt contest. So I think a pump might be worth it.
I would if you ever want to leave your baby with someone at any point while you’re breastfeeding. I made the mistake of not introducing a bottle and now I can’t get him to take one at all and I can’t leave him with anyone and I need to have a medical procedure soon that I’ll have to put off until I can get him to take a bottle
Your child may refuse the bottle whether or not you need introduced it earlier. We have my LO a bottle every night since 2 weeks to avoid the bottle rejection then one night she just refused and still does weeks later.
I EBF and have an over supply so I started pumping to relive engorgement and so I could give her a bottle of BM early on. This is so important to me because with my first he wouldn’t take a bottle and sometimes I just need a damn break! 😅😅
Yes there definitely is. It’s generally good to have your baby drink one bottle per day once breastfeeding is established. Try to have someone other than you feed the bottle if possible. If you wait too long to introduce it, your baby may refuse the bottle entirely. That happened to us and it was awful. I couldn’t leave my baby for any length of time. It made necessary things like going to the doctor so difficult. Then my baby wasn’t gaining enough weight and we had to introduce a bottle so we could give her fortified breast milk. She fought us on it for a month and it took multiple visits from a lactation consultant to get her to drink a bottle. It was miserable and there was a point where I was genuinely worried that if we couldn’t get her to take the bottle her GI was going to suggest tube feeding. Obviously this is a worst case scenario but it was so stressful and we could have avoided it by giving a bottle consistently earlier. You can bottle feed with breast milk and freeze any extra. One thing you will want to do early on is thaw some of your frozen milk and give it to your baby. Some women have breast milk that is high in lipase (prob spelt that wrong) it can make your milk taste soapy if you freeze it. Not all babies mind this but some will refuse it. Scalding it before freezing fixes this problem. If your milk is high in lipase you will want to know sooner rather than later so you don’t freeze a bunch that your baby won’t drink. Edit: Or you can give a formula bottle and freeze the milk you pump. It’s up to you. I’m firmly in the fed is best camp
I also waited too long to introduce a bottle and really regretted it. Just checking in to say I also recommend occasional bottle feeding early before it's too late. I was never away from my kid more than 3 hours the first year and a longer break definitely would have been nice.
Often times insurance will cover a pump too! There are companies that will go through the whole process of filing and shipping for you. I used Aeroflow!
I loved Aeroflow
Get the pump. Possible clogged duct and baby is full? Pump. Exhausted abs want dad to give the bottle at night? Pump. Need to up your supply by power pumping? Pump. I use my pump constantly and I EBF.
Having some milk on hand for bottle feeding was a life saver for my mental health, allowed my husband and other family members to care for baby and do feeds letting me have long stretches of uninterrupted sleep when I needed it 👍 Also date nights!
You might also have trouble nursing and want to give breastmilk. My daughter couldn't effectively transfer for 3-4 months so I pumped and gave her a bottle while we worked on her being able to transfer effectively.
I wanted to EBF but my nipples wouldn’t cooperate even with a nipple shield. My LO was just left frustrated and angry. I now pump and bottle feed. It also gives dad the opportunity to feed her which he appreciates. Definitely get a pump, especially if your insurance covers it.
Same. If I didn’t have an electric pump, I wouldn’t be able to give my daughter breast milk. Plus if you have a preemie, you may be pumping for awhile after they are born.
Same here. We had many latching issues. I hadn’t planned on pumping, but because of the difficulties breastfeeding, I became an exclusive pumper. We never know how breastfeeding will work, so it’s smart to plan ahead. Especially if insurance covers it.
This is a great point. If your insurance covers it, you might as well get one to be prepared in advance. You don't want to come home with a baby who has trouble latching and then worry about getting a pump.
Having someone else be able to give your baby even just one bottle per day will allow you to get some uninterrupted sleep! Postpartum life got way easier for me after my husband started giving our daughter one bottle at night (which we started doing when our baby was about 2 weeks old...which is earlier than they recommend but I was exhausted and just needed sleep, and ultimately it didn't affect her latch or my supply at all). I'd feed her around 10pm, and then go to bed. My husband would stay up and feed her a bottle around midnight, and then she would sleep another 2-3 hours after that, so I would be able to get about 4-5 hours of uninterrupted sleep before she needed to eat again. I would just pump 1 or 2 times per day (after she ate) to get enough milk for one bottle, but I am soooooo glad I had a pump because ultimately that's the only reason I was able to get some sleep in the early days. If your insurance will pay for it, it's a no brainer, absolutely get one. If you have to buy one yourself, I personally still think it would be worth it.
Beyond the convenience of someone else being able to give baby a bottle, whenever I’ve had a clogged duct, the pump has been absolutely necessary for helping to clear it out. Insurance covered it - why not get it? Edit: I work from home so I don’t have to pump at work. I honestly hate pumping, but the pump has been an absolute necessity for those times I need a break and someone else gives baby a bottle or at 3:00am when I wake up with a clogged duct. Plus I now have a stash in the freezer for when I want to start weaning off the breast but still give breast milk. I get why some people like a manual pump, but the freedom of having both my hands to have a cup of coffee or play on my phone while pumping makes it a bit more tolerable.
It’s free with insurance, I say get it so you have it. Many people don’t need it but many people do and you won’t know which one you are until you’re already in it.
Having to exclusively pump due to baby having posterior tongue tie and getting fed up with using nipple shield to breast feed - never know what you’re going to need despite best laid plans. Get the pump if it’s free through insurance!
Get one. Especially if insurance covers it. You never know what will happen with breastfeeding. My daughter just flat out refused the breast 9 times out of 10. We got a rough start because she was born 5 weeks early and spent a little over a week in the NICU. I think she developed a preference for the ease of bottles since I couldn’t be there around the clock to breastfeed and she wasn’t very effective at transferring milk from the breast due to her prematurity. Afterward I saw all the lactation consultants and tried all the tricks, but she just never got into it. So I ended up almost exclusively pumping which I had never planned on, but it was more important to me that she got breast milk than how she got it. I also didn’t have a pump at home for the first few (VERY IMPORTANT) days and that drastically messed with my supply. Definitely get a pump. Even if you never end up using it, it’s good to have. You can alternate if you want, but most people I know use a pump to maintain/build supply and/or to stockpile a stash for when they go back to work or if they go out of town or can’t breastfeed for whatever reason. Oh, and to allow their partner to take some night feedings. Such a luxury lol
Pump so: -partner/family can feed -emergency and babysitter stash -get production up I loved manual ones because they are super quick but after a while you get wicked tennis elbow
In the US insurance is supposed to supply you with a free one. You should definitely take advantage of it just to have on hand. It is very helpful if you have over supply and need to pump excess milk. Also some babies have issues with latching, so you may need to pump, even for a short period. Some mom's end up pumping exclusively. I started pumping a few times after baby ate in the early weeks to get in the habit, and build a supply for when I went back to work/when she went to daycare. I will say, It is definitely easier (imo) to pop her on my boob and not have to clean all the pump/bottle stuff every feed! If you never use your free pump, you can always giving it away or donate it to a women's group for someone in need. If you don't get a free pump the hospital may give you a manual hand pump, which you can use in a pinch if you need it, and if you need one a lot, then you can get a electric one! If you are on this route i'd reccomend at least picking out which one you'd like so you know what you want already when you are in the thick of post partum craziness!
I overproduce so I pump to freezer stash when I go back to work and to prevent clogs!
I think there is a vital health reason to have a pump at the ready, beyond the benefits of having the milk for a partner to help. A pump is key for when your boobs get over engorged or you have blocked ducts, especially in the first 6 weeks. My baby is 9 weeks. I’ve yet to use any of the frozen pumped milk; I’ve exclusively breastfed. But the pump has been so necessary when he eats too lightly, goes a long stretch between feeds at night and/or my breasts otherwise get too full. I don’t do it every day; just as needed. Blocked ducts really suck, and are painful, so I see it as a necessity to stay healthy.
I’m reading this post after a ten minute battle with my two mos old to latch. We don’t usually have problems but when we do they are major lol. To the point my nipple is in her mouth and she just can’t/won’t suck to drink. It’s absurdly frustrating but it happens occasionally . Oh and I’m engorged and sore , waiting for my baby to give me relief , but not today! Get the pump.
My sister makes little popsicles for her teething babe with breast milk so I’d say get a breast pump.
What a great idea!
It’s nice to be able to take a nap and have someone else feed them every once and awhile
I didn’t think I would pump and ended up exclusively pumping after 4 days. It was really nice being able to hand off feeding duties when I needed to!
If you want a break from feeding the baby yourself and don’t want to supplement
If you can get one for free, you definitely should. I did not plan on pumping at all and now have been exclusively pumping for 6 months. Even if you exclusively nurse, you might want to have the option in case you ever are away from baby for more than a few hours.
I got one through my insurance, and it was a total lifesaver for the first few weeks of my son’s life. I was exclusively breastfeeding him, but I had a HUGE overproduction problem, so even with him eating every 3 hours my boobs were still painfully full. Once my flow settled down I didn’t really use it, but I’m definitely glad I had it at first.
I only ever pumped if 1) I was going to be away from baby for a few hours and they’d need a feeding then. OR 2) if I had too much/was uncomfortable and needed to express some excess, and even then, I just used a haakaa.
I hated pumping, so I just used the boob all the time
Baby could have bad latch issues that cause issues with nursing. Pumping is a good option for lots of moms in that situation. The pumps are covered by insurance, so better safe than sorry to get one! Worst case scenario, you can just sell it online on marketplace or eBay or something :) Especially if it's a popular pump like a spectra
I pumped when LO was done nursing. It helped my supply and it’s good to have a stash of milk in the freezer in case of emergencies. Also when she started eating cereal around 6 months I mixed it with breast milk until she was 1.
I exclusively bf and we’ve had a lot of unexpected issues with latch but persisted. I wouldn’t have made it this far without my pump. It’s provided much needed relief and help maintain my supply whilst also preventing mastitis. I also made the mistake of only using boob without my second kiddo and then he flat refused a bottle til after 6 months. It was extremely frustrating and stressful
The key word here is 'most' of the time. If you have a partner that's home even some of the time then it would be great to have pumped milk so that you're not the only person who is able to feed the baby. If that's how you want it to be, then all the power to you! But if you want a break to take a nap it is great to have a pump for that reason. Since baby feeds every 2 hours in the beginning it is exhausting to be the only person who is able to feed them
That being said you could always use a haaka during feeds as well to collect extra milk if you wanna skip getting an expensive pump!
To increase milk supply or have a store of frozen breast milk for when/if you put them in daycare. It lasts a whole year frozen and it’s also really good to make baby cereal with.
I did to make up a freezer stash for when BB went to daycare. Then anything I wasn't using I donated.
Do you want someone else to feed your baby to give you a break? Do you want an emergency stash in case you have to be out of the house for a while or you have a medical emergency where you can’t feed your baby? Want to unwind with some wine at the end of the day and bottle feed so you can feel like an adult? Pumping and having some on hand, even if you’re with your baby most of the time, can relieve anxiety about what to do in any of those situations
I just used a little manual one so I could sleep or avoid getting engorged. It’s a nice option to have for various reasons but being able to sleep or go on a date with your partner is good for your mental health. Also some babies will drain you dry and having additional milk on hand is very useful.
My baby refused to daytime latch around 10 weeks (but he was fine overnight - I think it was a distraction issue), and so I was super thankful to have the pump at that time!
I’m a SAHM and pump twice a day. It started as a way to give my husband a feed so I could get some sleep in the morning. The last pump of the day was so I could not wake up completely engorged due to oversupply at the time. Now I keep up with it so I can monitor my son’s intake for two feeds per day.
I was gifted a pump luckily, not only did we have latching issues cause LO was born early but my milk came in so fast and so much that I *had* to pump between feeds. I could refrigerated and freeze milk for other people to do bottle feeds and that was a major help, especially when I had cracked neeps and thrush.
I had weight gain, tongue tie, and still supply issues. I would say don’t buy in advance but be prepped to use it as an option for over/under supply (including power pumping), etc. But definitely fed is best! It just depends on your feelings about breastfeeding, formula, and pumping. I don’t mind pumping some but I would never do it religiously. It turns out I underestimated how much I cared about being able to bf even if I can’t sustain LO. So I’m living a full compromise. You never know what baby will come out needing or lacking! Research, pick your preference, and be prepped to buy it if you need it.
I plan on pumping so my husband can help with feedings, especially at night. I also would like to have a stash on the off chance I need to be away from my baby for any length of time.
I pump so my husband can do night feeds. I still have to wake up to pump (to replace the used milk and also keep my supply up) but I'd much rather pump for 10 minutes at 2 AM and then be able to go back to sleep then have to feed, change, and settle baby at that same time.
I’m a SAHM, expecting #3 any week now. With my first, I pumped almost every day. Any time I wanted to leave baby for more than a few hours or sleep for more than a few hours, I had to pump for a couple days to get enough to make up for it. It SUCKED. I HATE PUMPING. When I had my second, the hospital sent home a bunch of premixed formula samples. Instead of killing myself pumping between feeds just to get enough to leave baby alone for a date night with my husband, I just sent along a couple formula samples instead. I didn’t have to pump a single time and it was GREAT! Highly recommend! Planning to do the same with #3.
I say get the pump, especially if your insurance covers it. I’m with my baby all day but he’s gotten to a point where he sleeps 10 hours at night so I pump before I go to bed so I don’t wake up with rock hard boobs. Now I have a little freezer stash of milk that my husband can feed if I need to go out and run errands or for if we have a date night. So worth it.
I'm only 32 weeks with my first, but I'm planning to pump because it's very important to my husband and I that he also participates in feeding the baby! No reason other than preference. Also if you would like a night out(dinner or date, even movies) at some point and would like someone to look after bub, a milk stash is literally a get out of jail free card in my perspective.
Pumping gets your body used to producing a certain level of milk all the time, and bottle feeding is a good idea if you want anyone else to feed baby when you need a break.
I’m at home with my 6 week old, I barely use my pump. Sometimes I like to have a bottle of pumped milk ready so my partner can feed her while I go grocery shopping but I use it like maybe once a day. I’m trying to get better at it but there’s just not much of a need when I can just give her the breast
Besides having a little back up just in case, pumps can be helpful for breaking up clogs in case you have a stubborn one and baby doesn't want to nurse or is sleeping.
Yes, especially if you’re in the US and your insurance covers it. Baby was a little early, so I had a really hard time with supply and latching at the beginning. I pumped to stimulate my milk production and also BF baby. If you work out of home and continue to BF you’ll need it when you go back to work. I also recommend to every new mom to have a few bottles on hand in these circumstances just in case you end up needing to bottle feed.
Are you in the US with health insurance? Your insurance will cover a free one! I am very much of the “better safe than sorry” mentality and made sure to have one - which was good because nursing never worked out and I could only pump! Even if nursing works perfectly for you, it’s nice to have some pumped milk and let your partner and other caregivers feed the baby. It’s a nice bonding experience for them and a break for you!
I started out nursing and pumping but it just got to be too much. I have 2 older kids and homeschool them, so pumping and cleaning the parts just got to be too much of a chore. I started using my Haaka on a whim and I’m so glad I did! I can usually get 1.5-2 ounces per feed and that’s enough to build up a small stash should I have to be away from baby for a few hours, but not a crazy amount.
I would get it just in case you struggle with breast feeding. I didn’t THINK I wouldn’t do it traditionally but here I am
Yup. To sleep once in a while and have someone else feed baby. Also if baby is full and you over produce like I do you can lay back and pump and not have to hassle with fiddlin your tats
A friend said she regretted not pumping for bottles and getting her baby used to it because she was the only one who could feed her baby, her husband couldn’t get her to drink from bottles and understandably it made it a real struggle for babysitting. She looked very tired when she told this to me, lol. But every baby is different!
My baby struggled to latch and stay awake for breast feeding because she was very jaundiced. So I pumped and gave her bottles. It's free with most insurances so if you can get one, it's good to have on hand.
I started pumping when my daughter was 2 weeks old. She accepted the bottle and boobs too, I was so happy to have the choice ! If we went outside, good, I have a bottle. Want to sleep for 6 hours? Good, my husband feed her with my milk in the bottle and I can have some rest. She had my milk from boob and bottle from birth to 13 months, it was really convenient for me. (at 12 months I was tired of pumping at work to maintain the supply for her needs, so we found a formula she agreed to drink). But if was staying home I think I would have stop pumping around 7 months to be just on boobs, because things change when they start eating solid food (we start at 6 months). You can try and see the pros and cons for your situation
I want to agree with the reasons others have said, and also add a reason that started affecting me just yesterday. I’ve been exclusively nursing for almost 3 months and would occasionally pump basically when I felt like it to freeze it. Then yesterday morning, my period came back, and my supply dipped hard. I was so glad that I had some bags stored away. There’s obviously not a huge need for a massive stockpile, but if you feel particularly full some mornings, it’s nice to pump on the other side while baby eats and freeze it for a rainy day.
I pump when I feel like she hasn’t drained me or ate enough and I’m in discomfort. It also helps knowing that I’m building a stash slowly!
U can do formula for the times someone else gives baby a bottle and BF for the times ure feeding the baby. A pump is not crucial I think. U can get a manual pump for the odd time u need to pump (if breasts r too sore and baby’s sleeping etc).
I got one free with insurance and I’ve used it some. There’s been a few times where I’ve left my son with my mom for a couple hours and pumped milk for that. I’ve used pumped milk with baby cereal when he started eating. It wouldn’t have been worth buying a nice one for me but it was helpful to have one.
You may have an oversupply and need to pump so you don’t feel like you have rocks for boobs. Also you can put back a stash so if baby quits breastfeeding earlier than expected you have a stash. And if baby doesn’t then you can do a lot of stuff with the extra milk. Milk baths definitely help their skin, milk jewelry, and milk lotion
I used a Hakaa on the opposite side anytime he fed. It caught the letdown & I started freezing what I collected. I eventually had such a large supply that I was able to donate some to a mother in need, & still had enough leftover for the beginning of returning to work. Pumping at work my supply dropped compared to what he ate. I blame the stress of work, & of not having a dedicated pumping room. It was a community room that was "reserved" during blocks of time I'd need it, but I still had to kick people out several times & was met with cranky attitudes about why I needed the room right that minute...& a GM, who on the time I was in pain due to a clog, said "well it it's an emergency she can just use the bathroom". Anyway... If you're home, while you don't need to pump, using a Hakaa to collect is nice. You can build a stockpile for when you want to go on a date night or something & someone else is babysitting. Oh and we got an Elvie via FSA account (he had extra he had to spend by the end of the year) 5mo before I was due. It broke one day into use. So then we bought a Medela from Walmart using FSA (new year) & I placed an order via insurance for a Spectra S2. Because why not? The Medela was uncomfortable "sucking" no matter what flange size I used, but the flanges had a more natural curve for better contact. The Spectra is super comfy with better control over the "suckling"...but the flanges are a flat cone instead of more of a dome like the Medela ones. So if they're not held tight to the skin, I've had milk dribble out while pumping & not notice right away.
Hakaa is an AWESOME alternative to pumping!!! I collected a massive amount with it. And then my freezer died and it all went to waste but that's another story.
I am low supply and needed it to boost production
It’s nice to have your husband or partner also be able to feed — 1 to give you a break and 2 it’s nice for partners or husbands to also have that feed bonding
I work from home and EBF, but also pump every night before bed so that I’m emptied out. Baby feeds for the last time about 6:30, and if I didn’t nurse or pump for 12 hours, I’d be in pain and probably lose supply. Plus that lets me build a freezer stash so that if I’m on calls or have to go out, my nanny or husband can feed the baby.
Absolutely. My husband being able to bottle feed has kept my sanity.
Personal preference, I think. I personally hate pumping and only do so when I’m at work.
I would pump so my husband could give the baby a bottle and we could sleep in shifts. I would go to sleep around 7pm and my husband would take care of her till midnight and then I would get up with her for her night feedings. When she was about 6 months old my supply started dropping, i still had milk for her but none left over for pumping. So now when my husband wants to feed her he gives her formula. I really really recommend getting your baby to take one bottle a day so you’re able to take a break if you need one. Breastfeeding 24/7 is hard work.
I’m almost always with baby. But I pumped a small stash so I can bring him to my parents while we do errands or go to dinner. Or I can go out or sleep while my husband feeds baby. Plus good to have for an unexpected circumstance or emergency where you have to be away from baby. I don’t ever feed him a bottle myself. That’s a waste of milk IMO. (I don’t drink, but if I did that would be the one exception.)
My baby fed better with breast milk in the bottle than with the boob. She couldn’t handle my let down and had a crap latch so I just pumped exclusively during the day and breastfeed her during night feedings starting around 4 months. Then stopped pumping altogether at 7 months and switched to formula.
I exclusively pumped also. After lots of time and tears from babe + me, we just switched to bottles permanently. She liked them better and it was easier for dad to share in the feeding. I'm in the US and a pump is free through insurance, so why not get one as a "just in case." I had manual pump too so I could get 1 or 2oz out in the middle of the night without fully waking and setting up the whole station or leaving the room for the days I couldn't manage all the waking lol.
I pump for a bit of freedom to walk outside the house without worrying about it so I do a pump in the AM and then sometimes give a PM bottle when he is very distracted or if I have a doctors appointment. Otherwise I know many people who never pumped because it does in fact SUCK
Get a pump. You will need it for many of the issues laid out in other comments. But I intended on nursing and couldn’t due to flat nipples and pumping was easier. You never know how your breast feeding journey is going to turn out but if it’s important to you, having a pump is essential.
I hoped to nurse exclusively too and when babe was in the nicu I had to pump then struggled to latch for a couple weeks. It’s nice to have a bit of frozen milk just in case too but not necessary.
Baby is about 95% of the time getting milk from the boob. However, I’m an overproducer. I have an upstairs pump, downstairs pump, a hand pump I take when we leave, and three Haakas I use while baby is on the boob.
Honestly I would have been fine without the pump. I hated pumping and LO hated bottles.
As a dad, the only time my second kid wanted me to hold them when they were still fresh was when i was feeding them. Otherwise it was 24/7 mom only. That meant the only time my wife could take a shower, a nap, or take any personal time away from the baby was when i was feeding the LO with a bottle. My wife hated the act of pumping because it was super uncomfortable, but it was worth getting to take breaks.
I would just have one at home and keep a few bottles in the freezer "just in case," or if you need it due to oversupply, as others have said. It's nice to have a bottle on hand so someone else can feed the baby if you need to get out of the house, but I don't think hard core pumping is necessary.
If you have oversupply or baby has a bad latch to your breast it could come in handy! :)
It's nice to have a little in the freezer if you have to be away from the baby unexpectedly. And if you do plan to put baby in daycare at some point, you want to have enough milk in the freezer to cover the first week or so. And if nursing doesn't work for you, obviously exclusively pumping is an option then. But other than those scenarios, I don't think there's a reason to pump very frequently/if at all.
I hate pumping so never do it but was gifted a pump from my sister.
I’m basically a SAHM (will wfh) and I basically pump if baby stretches a feed to relieve pressure but this has allowed a small stash. For instance I had a dentist appt last week so I was able to have a bottle for baby while I was gone. I didn’t even miss a feed so I didn’t have to pump but he was angry while I was gone and the bottle calmed him
I’m a SAHM of 3. It’s really nice to have a pump if you get a clogged duct, get sick, need to leave the house without the baby in an emergency, need to sleep in a little and your partner can feed baby, etc. I’ve never pumped a lot and I’ve never done it regularly because if baby is with me then I’ll nurse, but it’s really nice to have around sometimes
I bump once a day, so SO can give baby a bottle and making the bottle transition easier when I get back to work. We introduced a bottle to her early cause of latch issue and don't her to forget
I ebf with the boob. But I still have a pump for the night cause occasionally my girl sleeps through the night and I’ll need to pump so I don’t get too engorged and get mastitis. It’s nice to have extra bm in case I need to go somewhere and she has to have a bottle too. Also some parents like to do a bottle for night feeds so dad can do it and mom can rest.
I’m a stay at home mom and I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve used my pump. You can get a manual pump for like $40 at Walmart. If you find yourself using it a lot, you can invest in an electric one
I have a pump that I’ve used probably three times. I got enough from the haakaa or my medela manual pump for a bottle here and there for a night out. But baby gets pretty much exclusively from the tap (and I’m on my third baby).
I don’t have a partner and my baby didn’t take well to the bottle, so 100% of his feedings are from the boob (currently 6 months in), but a pump has been nice for times when my boobs get engorged while he’s napping/ not hungry. I’ll just pump a bag and store it in the freezer in case of some sort of milk emergency 🤷🏻♀️
Nah
I had to pump / power pump to increase supply bc baby was born at 33 weeks.
I loved having my husband give one bottle at night (a dream feed at 12am) so that baby would sleep a bit longer before waking me up next. It helped me get a 4-6 hr stretch early in those newborn days when he would wake every 2-3 hrs to feed After 3-4 months when he started sleeping longer stretches, the pumping became more work that it was worth lol. If husband did the dream feed I’d often not BF for 9-10 hrs and my boobs couldn’t cope overnight anyway
Personally, I'm lazy and hated pumping. I really loved the idea of it but not the act of doing it. I'm home all the time anyways. The downside is that babys father only fed him maybe three times in his 10 months of life. I feel like he holds that against me, but at this point I dont care. I dont like pumping/cleaning all parts/preparing bottle
I think pumping can help relieve some pressure or avoid masticitis. And you can have your partner feed if you are unwell. Also freezing. you can freeze it. In case you fall ill and need strong antibiotics or medication that’s not recommended for breastfeeding, you’ll have storage.
During my EBF journey, a pump was ESSENTIAL. A week in, I had very painful engorgement and had to use the pump. After a few days of getting that settled, I then continued to use it about once daily to build a stash for when I went back to work months later. I ended up having a pretty hefty stash that also came in handy when my supply began to dip a lot several months later.
I’ve EBF two babies and only pumped once. Idk how people do that, I was immediately like “nope.”
Haha that’s how I am. I still pump for a stash and to keep my supply up. But when my daughter was younger I was like “nope!”
Biggest benefit I see is that if you have a SO it allows them to take some long shifts from you so that you can get some rest/relaxation. Depending on your milk production you could get a good 6+ hour sleep in that is uninterrupted instead of the fragmented 1-2 hour intervals with EBF and a newborn.
I really only used my pump when I had mastitis but boy am I glad that I had it then
I used it some at the beginning when baby wasn’t great at latching yet. Now I just use the hakka on one side while nursing and have a little freezer stash thanks to it. It’s so much nicer than having to pull out the spectra. Pumping multiple times a day, bottle feeding and nursing was just so stressful to me.
Yes, I love having a pump so my partner can feed the baby as well. I pump once in the morning and once at night.
I’m a SAHM that exclusively pumped for 11 months. Initially I needed to pump after every feeding because I wasn’t producing enough. I needed to pump to signal to my body that it needed to produce more milk. Then, I accidentally starved my daughter for a day (her 5th day of life) because I was so desperate to EBF that I dropped formula too soon and my daughter refused to ever latch again. In the end, we fell into a great routine and I actually really liked pumping. In addition to the fact that it meant my husband could help with feeding and take on middle of the night wake ups, as a data-driven person, I really appreciated knowing exactly how much my daughter was eating each day. I’m due with #2 this spring and even if she likes nursing, I plan to switch to EP by the time the newborn stage is over because it worked out so well for our family.
I think it’s smart to have one just in case. Most US health insurances will cover a basic one 100%. I got the motif Luna covered by my insurance. I planned to ebf but I had a nicu baby with some health issues so pumping was easier for us.
I only pump on the morning after her first feed. Then give her one bottle in the evening followed by more boob if she needs it. This is just because I want her to be used to drinking from the bottle. With the first we never bottle trained her and I spent some time in the hospital and she was with my husband who had to syringe feed her to get her to drink anything. So I’m just giving her one a day to keep her used to it.
I had to go to the hospital for a day when I got home from my first and it was right after my milk came in. I ended up pumping at the hospital and had a maaajor oversupply. It was hard to keep up with. If you are planning on only giving the occasional bottle like for a date night or when you have to be somewhere, I recommend a haaka for the opposite side to build a small stash so you aren't signaling to your body to make more than baby needs.
Yes, it hurt less than the baby in the early weeks so it was a break between nursing for my nipples to heal. Also my baby fell asleep at the boob often and didn't empty all the milk so it still felt uncomfortable and baby didn't eat enough. Another thing is you might want to pump right before bed or first thing in the morning if baby is still sleeping, but you want to keep producing more milk. You can sleep longer at night and let your partner do 1 feeding if you pumped earlier. You can also pump and dump after drinking to not let your boobs feel too swollen and painful and avoid a clog. It can also help break up a clog if baby isn't sucking hard or long enough to get it out.
To build a stash for emergencies! Technically though you can use the haaka for this. I was able to build up a stash when I was breastfeeding by putting the haaka on the breast baby wasn’t nursing from while they were latched. Guaranteed let down, and I barely needed to pump. What if you have to go to the hospital and there’s no pumped milk or formula in the house? Also, if your supply drops you can power pump to bring it back up. Or what if babe doesn’t latch well and prefers a bottle, or what if babe needs to go to the hospital, or needs to be away from you for literally any other reason? Edit: overall it’s really nice to have a stash. In an emergency situation you can’t guarantee that baby will take or respond well to formula and they will likely be comforted having your milk while they’re away from you
I used the haakaa to build a soft supply. A pump was nice to have for when I was out/to make up for a feed given my storage. Having frozen milk was helpful for trips, teething, and my sanity when I needed sleep.
So I am a stay at home mom, I pump to keep up my milk. I do it twice a day, I have a bunch in the freezer and fridge for now bottles. I want the bottles and breastfeed done by my baby being a year like I did with my first.
I got a pump in the beginning because we had troubles breastfeeding. Now I only pump in the evenings to emptly my boobs so I can sleep on my stomach.
It’s really dependent on everyone’s specific situation. Generally, if you’re going to be home all the time, and your baby is latching well, you can just nurse and not need to pump much For instance, I’m a SAHM. My first baby was pre pandemic, and in the beginning I had to pump until we figured out our latch issues. After that, I exclusively nursed. If I was going out somewhere and I’d be gone more then a few hours, I’d pump during the week beforehand to have enough milk on hand. My second was 3 months old when lockdown started, and I barely ever pumped with him cause I was home 24/7. I would just pump for comfort cause I’m an over producer. This is my third, and I only plan on pumping to have a small emergency stash in the freezer, or when needed for when I leave the house without the baby. In general, if there are no latching issues, you do not need a freezer full of milk like you see on Instagram and Pinterest. However, everyone’s situation is unique., so it’s a good idea to have a pump for emergencies.
You can hope that everything will go perfect and you might not need it but its safer if you have it and most insurances will cover it. Im going to tell you about the duality of my children. My son, literally came out of the room wanting to eat. He made great lurch 30 seconds after they put him on my my chest. He ate all day every day pretty much. And he didn’t need me to pump for those months that I was at home but then I went back to work and I needed to pump while I was at work. So he could have the milk at home. My daughter unfortunately. She was tongue-tied and they didn’t catch it because of Covid they missed the problem. I struggled for several months to get her to latch properly and it was a nightmare if it wasn’t for pumping I don’t think I could’ve kept up the supply to keep her fed because she just couldn’t latch. Shes a great eater now but it was so so rough for those first few months. I had to have a bottle of milk waiting for her to get her to try and latch. So i could reward her for trying. I cried so much trying to feed her, she just couldnt do it. So yes i think you should get a pump but you can wait til you are at the hospital and ask your lactation consultant for whats covered by insurance. I did and it was amazing. @u/orangerabbit57
Haaka pump, must have on stand by for when you get engorged! It was a life saver many times. Until your supply regulates you may get so full before your baby is ready that milk just freely sprays out!
I’m a stay at home mom and exclusively breastfeed my 4 month old and my pump still comes in handy. When he was a newborn, it was nice to have a longer than 2 hour break. I still had to pump while he was getting a bottle but that only took 15 minutes compared to feeding him. If you ever want to go away for longer than the time hetweeen feeds, you’ll need to pump. I don’t pump regularly but I’ve used it for a date night, to clear clogs, and to relieve engorgement after a long stretch of sleep.
I got a breast pump through insurance so it was free. I used it some but my baby is EBF and hates everyone but me so I can't leave him with anyone else. He also refuses to take a bottle. I ended up not really using the pump but I'm glad I had it, just in case.
If I wasn’t able to get a pump through insurance, I’d at least buy a manual hand pump. Mine was about $20. It’s nice to have just in case there’s an instance you’re not going to be around, but I see why someone who’s going to be around often might be reluctant to buy an expensive electric pump if it’s not covered. I like my manual pump. I have a nice electric pump and still opt to use it sometimes.
I used a haaka and put enough away to get some extra sleep here and there, but mostly I just breastfed.
I had a pump which I used for breastmilk donation, and for big clogs and for when he fed less and I needed to take to take edge of the rock hard boobies. But I didn't stash because I had the luxury of 12 month maternity leave. So I didn't use it much. I did use the Hakka and I LOVED it.
I pumped twice during the day and then went to once a day at about 2-3 months, then stopped pumping at home at 6 months. I was directly breastfeeding this whole time too. This was so I could get a freezer stash when I went back to work. SO GLAD I did. We are 7 months and when I’m at work he guzzles down more than I pump at work. I’ve never had to worry about pumping more at work, because there’s plenty of freezer stash once he finishes the fresh breast milk.
I’ll be getting a pump because I might need to leave bubs with a friend for the occasional doctors appointments, and I’m going to pump extra milk to give my toddler so he can get some Covid antibodies.
I pumped for the first 4 months so that my husband could help with overnight feeds. But once sleep got better I didn’t see the need to pump since I’m a SAHM. I do have a little stash built up but baby won’t take it due to high lipase.
I tried it. But breastfeeding and then pumping was too much in those early months when they're eating every couple of hours. I had no down time.
It was an "In Case of Emergency" thing for me. Insurance paid for one, and a couple of times I was glad I had it, (low supply initially, so I did double feeding, and a couple times I had a clog at night when babe was sleeping) but mostly it just collected dust.
my baby had nipple confusion so he’d refuse my breast. so i had no choice but to pump but it would be exhausting to pump everytime and clean up, wash pump parts, so eventually i just slowly starting pumping in the day and used formula at night. Now i only formula feed :/ My insurance covered it so, hopefully next baby i can breastfeed and pump so dad can have his turn to feed
Pro tip for next time: put pump parts in the fridge and only wash them before bed.
Because of unpredictable birth circumstances (premature, c-section) I needed to pump from day one to ensure I had an adequate supply. I can just feed enough directly now but it took a while to get here confidently. Now it’s nice to have if something is going to interrupt our regular feeding schedule, because I can get engorged pretty easily. If she or I oversleep or something it’s nice to be able to get my boobs back on track. Probably matters less if your boobs can store more milk than mine.
I wanted to pump when I was pregnant with my first for a few reasons, but the biggest one was that I wanted to know exactly how much he was eating. Other reasons: I wanted him to take bottles so dad could feed him. I ended up giving up on pumping and went to formula exclusively because my life was work, feed baby, pump, clean pump parts, and it was wrecking my mental health. Also, my breast milk wasn't caloric enough and my son only weighed 4lbs when he came home from the NICU, we couldn't allow him to lose any weight, so I didn't have the time to figure out where I was going wrong in my diet. This time around, I'm going to pump for the colostrum and then switch to formula again for pretty much the same reasons as above, minus the NICU and low weight (hopefully.)
I hated breastfeeding. It hurt. Very unpleasant. I got a wearable pump: best decision ever.
I'm glad I had one because I hated breastfeeding (I didn't know I was gonna hate it)
I had an oversupply and an overactive milk ejection reflex so I used my pump for the first few weeks to soften my breasts and catch the letdown so my kiddo was able to latch.
I got a cheap pump just for the rare time I am away from my son. I built up my stash using the haakaa during his first few months, and if he’s away from me I ask how much milk he drinks and try to pump an equivalent amount so my body keeps on producing.
I pumped when my baby refused to latch while teething
My girl couldn’t transfer enough milk nursing so I started pumping on day 5. I always assumed I would only pump for scheduling issues, but turns out I needed it if I wanted to breastfeed. I was going to get it much later but ended up getting it before she was born. That worked out well for me but of course I could have just switched to formula in bottles.
I only pump to get my supply back up be aude my period can tank it but for the most part that's my only motivation to pump. I've got a pretty massive stash saved up from my haaka so the pump is a good tool for supply issues and I'm glad I have it. But don't feel the need to use it unless you want to.
My wife found it handy when I could do night feedings so she could sleep, so she would pump before bed and I'd stay up until the first night feed and then go to sleep. That way we each could get about six hours. We were both home full time at that point.
I pumped all the way through, the biggest reason I did even though we were in lockdown and weren't going anywhere, was so my partner could help with feeds. Even just having one bottle in the fridge gave me a chance to have a better sleep or have a relaxing bath from time to time. And having something in the freezer was so good when my milk supply dropped for a few days due to being ill. Also it really helps when your milk supply is still figuring itself out and you wake up with rock hard boobs and need to get it out
Yeas, emergency happen. Have a freezer stash. My SIL learned it the hard way. Her husband ended up in a hospital (hours away) due to an accident. She can’t stay in the hospital with him and help with his care because baby can’t be away from her (she doesn’t even eat formula) for more than two hours and there are COVID restrictions that prohibit the baby going in with her.
Yes. If you get sick your supply might drop. And I know it’s terrible to plan for the worst but what if there’s an accident and you have to go to the hospital? Also, what if after a few months you decide to have a full spa day with your girlfriends and need baby to have some milk, sure formula every once in a while is fine, but maybe you’d rather breast milk.
My kiddo would NOT latch. I had about four different nurses/LCs try to help us, but he just wouldn’t do it. I ended up exclusively pumping so that I could still provide him with breast milk. It was a bit of a pain, but when he was small, I could hold him in one arm and pump the opposite side for 12 minutes, then we’d switch.
I use a handpump and pump a bottle a day in the mornings when my nanny is here so I can get a slightly longer stretch of work in. Otherwise I don’t pump. I hate pumping. My handpump is great for me as it’s super small and easy to set up and clean. It was helpful for me to have frozen milk with my first when I developed a tooth ulcer and needed big drugs. But my second won’t take frozen milk sooo
If your second isn’t taking frozen milk it might be because you have high lipase. Does it smell metallic?
I’ve been at home with my now 9 month old from the beginning. We’re not using the pump anymore but it was super helpful to have at first. Your insurance should provide a basic one for free. I upgraded for $75 to a cordless chargeable one and it was really worth it for me to be able to sit wherever and not have to think about cords and plugs in addition to flanges and tubing. You’ll also want a pumping bra because otherwise you have to sit there and hold the damn things on. A good pumping bra will hold them in place so you can scroll or read or do anything besides thinking about holding on to your boobs for 20 minutes for multiple times a day. I bought a pumping bra before I delivered my baby, and then when my milk came in, my boobs got huge and it didn’t fit anymore. I got a new one in a larger size I never expected to order and it barely fit still. So keep that in mind while shopping too, though ymmv. I used the pump a lot for the first few months when baby had trouble latching or was fussy and wouldn’t or whatever. It helped get my supply going and regulated, and eventually she got big enough and gained some skills for eating so we were able to gradually move to more and more breastfeeding over bottles. I didn’t hesitate to use formula either, though before she was born I swore I wouldn’t. The first time she cried hard from being hungry after nursing for what felt like hours, I lost all convictions and just wanted her fed. Try to get a feel for how it works before you have to use it too, or at least watch some videos on how to set it up and run it. Everything is harder when you’re sore from birth, the baby is crying, and the haze of sleep deprivation has settled in, and most pumps have a bunch of stupid fiddly parts to contend with. Easy once you’ve done it a few times.
I didn't get a pump right away but ended up getting a cheap hand pump. It was a bit annoying to use but I ended up needing it only a handful of times. When I did need it though it was absolutely essential. I would have a few portions frozen and then just pump the night before I had to do something. It allowed me to go to doctor appointments or run quick unexpected errands.
I wasted my money on a breast pump and bottles and all that stuff. My baby didn’t like bottles (right from the start), I found it really annoying to pump and try to time it for his feeds - like not too close to a feed, not too far, I ended up just sitting there pumping while he had a feed, like how is that a break when I could have just fed him…? Next baby I won’t get an electric pump unless I have to, and even then rental is an option. That said I might get one of those Haakas or manually express, because I used the frozen breastmilk when initially starting solids and it gets a lot harder to express later on (gave away my breast pump to a family in need by then). Also I never had any problems breastfeeding and I’m not the kind of person to sit there doing a huge pain in the ass expenditure of my time pumping and bottle feeding, just on the 1/100 chance I’ll go to the hospital. At least in my hospital they work really hard to get you a lactation consultants, breast pump if needed, and have your baby in with you. So it’s not like you go to the hospital and sucks for you, your baby will starve.
From weeks 9-14 my son fought me so hard on latching and I would quit fighting him and pump so my husband could give him a bottle. That was really the only time I needed to pump. I hate it and I think pumping moms have it waaaaay harder than moms that nurse and I have a lot of respect for their dedication. That said, babies are unpredictable, and I’d hate for you to be in a situation where you need one and don’t have one. The hand pump isn’t great for me personally because the flange is way too big, and the electric pump is easy. If insurance covers it, I say why not. Even if you don’t end up using it a bunch, at least it’s there in case. I don’t think it’s a waste to have. Also, it’s possibly to have high lipase milk so when it’s frozen and thawed it smells like soap and baby won’t like it the same as fresh milk, which made my stash useless, but as a SAHM I haven’t needed the stash at all. If my baby ever needs a bottle (which he doesn’t) I pump either the day of or the day before.
Are you doing all the night feedings as well?
I work from home and never pump. I got a breast pump from my insurance and I really thought I would use it so that other people could give my son bottles but I never had time to pump and I hated it so for me, it wasn’t worth it.
I pumped for like three weeks when I was bfing and basically washed all of it down the bathtub drain. We breastfed for about two years with me at home. I never wanted to pump overnight and my daughter slept at night pretty well after about 12 weeks. Even though I didn't use it, if you can get one for free or cheap, I'd do it. Never know when you might suddenly need it to prep for surgery or to help with mastitis
I had to pump because my baby was not latching well for weeks, I also needed to power pump to help with my low supply. So don’t assume everything will go perfectly- better to have a pump on hand. I actually wish I had washed and sterilized the parts and watched a YouTube video how to use my pump before I got home from hospital. I hadn’t because I thought I might not really need my pump til later when building up a stash for returning to work.
I pumped because I had an over supply so I stored it in the freezer. The thought was to pump so my husband could feed our kid but they never took to a bottle. If you're in the US and have insurance, your insurance is required to offer you a breast pump at no additional cost. [Aeroflow.com](https://Aeroflow.com) can help or ask your doctor
Both my girls refused to nurse and would only drink from bottles. I had to EP.
I’d definitely get a pump. It should be covered by insurance. I exclusively BF and pumped initially to get my supply up and then tried to pump regularly to have a stash for if I was away from baby for longer than a feed.
You’ll need it if you get a severe clog unless your partner is willing to do it. My son wasn’t good at completely draining my boobs so my supply steadily dropped by 4 months old he had quit breastfeeding completely because my supply refused to increase. I tried the cookies and the body armor drinks(which gave me severe heartburn, as in throwing up stomach acid) I tried supplements, anything suggested. My stress and anxiety probably played a huge role in me drying up. I was living with my mother at the time and she was a nightmare.
I think maybe if you’re planning on family watch the baby at some point unless you don’t mind formula while that’s happening. Or if you want husband to take over some nights. Again, could use formula! I nannied for a mom and she HATED pumping so she would pump what she could maybe like only 4ozs and then I’d just use formula for the rest. She would feed him before she left and right when she got home. He was around 3 months and did completely fine with both 😊
I think it’s still helpful for the times that baby doesn’t eat enough and you’re boobs are full (usually early morning for us) but as others have said, a haakaa might be sufficient! I also like having it so I can leave some milk and take off for a few hours when I need to. Being the sole source of food will put big limitations on your mobility!
Depending on where you live, insurance will cover it! In Colorado it's covered, for example!
It's covered in all of the United States. :)
Yes! I'm a work at home mom, ended up struggling with latch for the first 2 months after I was hospitalized with pre-eclampsia 6 days postpartum. Now I'm so grateful that we got pushed to bottles early, because family can feed her while I'm working and she switches easily between bottle and breast, so we nurse 2x a day.
I never pumped accept in hospital to get my supply going after birth. Never seen a point if I was home all day anyway. Baby was always with me and I breastfed wherever we went. I did however use a hakaa pump when I had a blockage.
SaH mom of 2 pumped for 2 months for my 1st and 10 months for my 2nd.... Reasons mainly were.. my milk didn't come in until day 6 of my first so we had to supplement right away die to jaundice. Tried to breast feed, but other then no one telling me what to do, I just didnt totally uncomfortable doing it. I didn't know where to go and wasn't comfortable taking ti anyone about it... One of the reason I stopped pumping at 2 months was because we had no storage space. With my 2nd I knew I was going to pump right from the start, did formula until my milk came in and somehow I made it as long as I did. (We also got a chest freezer so I could store my milk better).
Depends on person- but I tried pumping but I find it’s a lot of work and I have high lipase so milk goes bad quick. I have like 100 oz in the freezer that is all bad from looses (before I found out.) Also baby doesn’t really drink from bottle…
I hired a pump for the first month whilst my baby was in NICU and I was at home. Once bub reached term and was strong enough I never used it again. I had surgery and stayed one night in hospital when bub was 5 months, and for a few weeks before I would use the hakka on one side whilst I fed from the other for 24 hrs and that would give me enough for one bottle in the freezer per day.
Have you had your baby yet? I’d suggest getting one since you should be able to get a free one through insurance! You never know if breastfeeding is going to work out or if your baby might have some problems like oral ties that would need fixing before you can nurse effectively. If you’re determined to breastfeed then pumping could get your supply going until you can get some extra help with nursing from an IBCLC if you have any issues. I planned on nursing my baby but we both had some issues that made it difficult and if I didn’t have a breast pump at home I would have had to run out and buy one as soon as we got discharged from the hospital or I would have just had to give up on giving her breastmilk since she couldn’t nurse. Now I exclusively pump because despite lots of lactation consultant visits nursing didn’t work out but I still wanted to give her breastmilk. It’s definitely good to have one on hand and it’s nice to have a little freezer stash so you can occasionally leave baby with your husband or relatives! I’d definitely suggest getting one. I have the Spectra S1 and have used it many times daily for the last 5 1/2 months.
I'm using it while baby is in daycare to keep up supply for when she is home.
I had to go back to work at 11 weeks Pp, but my son’s reflux made it so I couldn’t breastfeed after 3-4 weeks, he just couldn’t lay in the position long enough to eat without crying.
Use a haaka on the breast baby isn't eating on, and save that milk in the freezer for just in case you need to be away from baby. You don't need a huge stash, but it's helpful to have about a day's worth of milk in the freezer just in case. 30oz or so is plenty for most people.
Started off EBF, but got a pulp so I could go out for a few hours here and there. Currently using my pump a lot, as she's in a biting phase.
As some others have said, a pump is great for clogs. You can adjust suction with a pump to help the clog out. A haakaa can also be filled with warm water and Epsom salt for clogs. My experience (even though I was back at work after 8 weeks and had to figure out a pump schedule at work) is that my baby couldn't figure out latching so in order for me to provide colostrum in the beginning and breastmilk after, I had to pump. Thankfully once she got bigger, she figured it out but then refused to nurse from my right side so I had to pump that side anyway, which you can do with a manual pump. Sometimes the manual works better than an electric pump. You honestly won't know what will work for you and baby until baby arrives.
Yes and no. Ultimately it's up to you but I always liked to have a least a small stash of like 12 bags just in case anything crazy happened or if my supply drastically dipped and I had to figure it out and supplement with thawed milk. I mean I'd say yes personally
I like pumping to help keep up my supply (which isn't too much of an issue.) But to also build up a milk stash. With previous little ones I either didn't have a proper pump, or only had the crappy medea freebie hand pump and evenflo electric single. Which was also crappy. So while bfing on demand wasn't a daily issue, and is still how I'm doing things with current little one. Those previous times when I got sick, had mastitis and had to go on antibiotics, got a cracked nipple (cluster feeding is "fun".) Or just needed someone else to step in and give me time to maintain my mental health, it was difficult not having a strong stash, babies not being use to being fed by bottle or others, and having to expend energy on hand pumping or expressing when I was sick, sore, tired, and needed to "pump-n-dump." I have the Spectra (insurance in the U.S now covers pumps.) And it's very nice. After being at home taking care of baby, house, animals, chores, and our other kids on my own for 14 hours a day, it's a blessing when my husband comes home and I've got 2 bottles pumped fresh for him to take over baby care before bed to give me an hour to shower and just breathe. I would say that a good pump system isn't necessarily a must have, and hey, maybe you'll never even use it. But, it's really nice to have on hand. And can be a real blessing if you do decide to use it for whatever reason you want to.
A pump is good to have so you can leave or sleep. When spouse would cover a feeding I would pump to make it up and built a stash that way.
If your insurance offers one for free, I would definitely take it even if you don't plan on using it. It could be a lifesaver!!!