Does anyone else not pump?

[Toms Mummy]

I never gave my son a bottle as he was tube fed for 1st week and then he thankfully latched on really well, so I was paranoid that if I introduced a bottle then he would refuse the breast.... So I ebf for the 1st 6 months, until he started blw. I then bf until he was 15 months old.

It was really tough, never being able to hand him over during his growth spurts when we'd be up every hour, and then on a normal day I could never be away from him for more than 2 hours until he reached about 9 months and was eating more solids!

I read on here about a lot of people pumping, and now with my 2nd I am wondering whether to go down that road, or whether there is any real need?.... Yes I remember times with my son being hard, but thy were so short lived and we got through it. I just wonder whether pumping is more hassle than I need?

 

[cat lover]

i think... if u dont feel u need that break then its a faff u dont need. i combifed for that break , pumping has never been for me (except when dd2 was in ICU). if u are happy to do all feeds straight from the source then there is no reason to worry about pumping

 

[craftymama]

Personally, I wish I didn't have to worry about it. But I return to work already on Friday in the evenings, and will HAVE to be away and I don't want him having formula. It's a lot more time consuming. I usually pump the other breast while Gabe eats to try and cut the time down, but it still takes around another 10 minutes after he finishes to empty the breast. The pump doesn't seem to empty as efficiently as baby does. If you don't feel like it's a big deal to not get a little break now and then, I wouldn't pump.

 

[Calif]

Even if I didn't work and was next to my baby 24 hrs a day I would buy a pump. What if there's an emergency. Are you comfortable feeding your baby formula? If not, you need a pump to build a backup stash. If your baby suddenly sleeps longer or loses his appetite for a while, pumping can help relieve engorgement. If you don't use it a lot, just get a $20 manual pump.

Personally, I work and have to go places (exam, travel for work, doctor's appointments, etc) and can't imagine not having a pump. I also feel good having a freezer stash so if there's an emergency, I won't have to feed my baby formula.

 

[Tacey]

No, neither of mine have ever had a bottle. I hand express for a friend though, and it's not much effort.

 

[misspriss]

If I didn't have to work, I would not own a pump.

Okay, I would probably own one, because I took advantage of the one my insurance provided (although I didn't like it and bought another) it's good to have if the need arises.

But I would not pump. I had to when he was in the NICU, but otherwise, no. I have to work though, and thus, I pump.

 

[Odd Socks]

Lauren would never take a bottle so if I pumped, bella had the milk (at her request!). It suited me, I was quite happy to be the one doing all the feeds & I really, really wanted to breastfeed.

 

[CupcakeBaby]

No I rarely pump as DD won't take a bottle. I have a tiny stash in my freezer just in case from days when I've needed the relief.

You can get hand pumps really cheap. So I kind of regret the £100 I spent on the medela swing.

 

[Yipee]

To me, it seems like way more trouble than it's worth for those of us not going back to work or who don't have other issues with getting out babies to feed well straight from the breast. Washing and sterilizing pump parts, labeling and storing milk, spending the time actually pumping... I'd rather just put the baby there and let her do the work

 

[JenX]

My LO doesn't take bottles. I have pumped to relieve engorgement and for an emergency stash, but that's it. The emergency stash wouldn't do me much good with her being a bottle refuser, but I suppose at this point she could drink from her straw cup. I could have got by easily with just a manual pump to relieve engorgement once in a while, or maybe hand expressed if I had known what I was doing from the beginning.

 

[whistle]

I exclusively pumped with DS1 while he was in NICU, then when he was on the breast he had one bottle a day with his medicines in. I hated pumping and I really felt like that one bottle a dy was the slippery slope into more bottles/formula/stopping bf earlier than planned. This time round I am not pumping - I've written this year off to being on call 24/7, it'll be worth it!

 

[bananaz]

I thought a pump was a MUST HAVE and bought a really nice one before my LO was born, but she stopped taking a bottle when she was 2 months old so I didn't really bother after that. When I needed to express milk I usually just did it by hand. Hand-expressing is a lot easier than messing with tubing and shields and plugs.

 

[Toms Mummy]

Thanks everyone. I did think about making an emergency stash but if she's not used to a bottle then is there much point

 

[merristems]

At the moment my lo flits happily between breast and bottle it seems she doest mind where my milk comes from as long as shes getting it! I hate pumping I really begrudge it in the early hrs ehen shes sleeping through! If you can go without do!

 

[summer rain]

I don't bother with pumping and don't respond well to a pump anyway, and also the day after pumping I end up with an excess of foremilk which causes green stools in baby and all manner of other issues that take anything from 2-3 days to a week to fully resolve. Not worth the hassle. Pump and bottle manufacturers are in some ways just as pushy and as bad at playing on parent's fears as formula manufacturers and that makes me quite angry. An emergency could arise but my husband knows where to get donor milk should that ever happen xx

 

[ttc bubby no2]

I pumped a bit with my first and gave him the odd bottle of EBM but after a while he refused bottles so there was no point. Next time around I coudn't find the time to express, I did it once and he took the milk happily straight away in the bottle but never ever took a bottle again. It didn't bother me too much as I rarely left him with anyone else and didn't really feel like I needed a break from him. Maybe if I could be bothered pumping more often my boys would have taken bottles but I'm just a lazy mum and would rather just shove a boob in their mouth

 

[Toms Mummy]

I agree with being lazy bubby! ..... It is so easy to just shove a boob in her mouth any time any place!... Probably the reason why she's gained a lb in one week!

I don't think I'll bother then x

 

[LockandKey]

the only time I've pumped was when DH had a date night and our LO's stayed with MIL and she needed a bottle of BM for DS, other than that I never pump, I have a toddler to chase after and entertain, a cuddly baby who hates to be put down, laundry to do, dishes, and meals to cook, plus errands outside the home. I'm a SAHM, but it's a full time job and I could never find the time to pump really, besides that I don't feel like it! It's the one time I DON'T have something attached to my boob, I don't want to put something back on if I don't have to

 

[babies7777]

Never pumped nor given a bottle, not been an issue for us.

 

[Rachel_C]

When LO was under a year old, I occasionally hand expressed an ounce or two and put it in the freezer but never used it, I ended up throwing it away. It was nice to know it was there in case of emergency, but it would have to have been a pretty serious emergency for me to be away for LO for more than a couple of hours, in which case a bottle of formula to tide LO over until OH got some donor milk would really be the least of our worries (and I say that as somebody who would never give formula by choice).