any of you only pumping

thinking about this option and wanted to know how it is going with anyone here

[mlb1234]

my sister pumped exclusively with her first as he never learned to latch correctly.  She pumped for six weeks - that was all she could take.  She thought it was hard.  I don't mind pumping occasionally but the problem is that you are doing double time then - the time it takes to pump and the time it takes to feed the baby.  In my mind it is just easier, faster and cleaner to just nurse.  
Before I tried it though I never thought I would actually enjoy nursing...but after the first try I fell in love with it.  I am not sure if you bf before but it is definitely worth a try, you might surprise yourself like I did!
best of luck - it's getting close now!

[Tanker Chic]

i'm not exsclusively pumping but I do have to pump my right breast multiple times a day because jacob won't latch onto it.  I get enough milk in my left breast so I don't have to bottle feed him from the right so I just store the milk but it is a huge pain in the ***.  Jacob likes to be held a lot and it is very hard to get the time to pump multiple times a day and when I do have that extra time, there are soooooo many things I rather be doing.  I don't even pump enough to keep my bbs the same size. I just pump enough to keep it producing and so it isn't quite so lopsided.  It is nice to have it as an option when you need it, but a huge pain to do it all the time. You have to lean forward to pump, so i can't even pump at the same time as I am breastfeeding.  You will also have to clean the parts and bottles between each use. Once the two of you get used to it, breast feeding is so much easier especially at night.  

excuse my typos if any... i'm not proofing these days :)

[dbestone]

i agree with Tanker Chic. i myself am a pumper overall, and it is time consuming. my ds always had trouble latching on, and i had started pumping to alleviate the pain from the left over milk he never drained and left my breasts engorged. at times i get annoyed with how much cleaning of the parts that needs to be done. i do however feed from the breast at night as its soooo convenient. the family gets the benefits of bottle feeding him the breast milk via bottle, and they really enjoy that. it really depends on you. go with what suits you best. either way, the fact that your giving the breastmilk is more essential than how he/she's getting it. ggod luck!

[tiredbuthappy]

i was an exclusive pumper and had a love/hate relationship with my pump. i resented it because i couldn't bf and i really wanted to. it is insanely time consuming and often uncomfortable. the amount of washing makes it even more time consuming. it's harder to maintain a supply with a pump, so even if your baby sleeps through the night, you still have to get up and pump several times during the night for the first 3 months. i personally would never choose to pump if bf'ing were an option.  i loved it because it gave me a way to provide dd with breast milk when nursing didn't work out. it also helped me lose weight very quickly, becuase i was producing more than the average breast feeder would.

if you want to know more about exclusively pumping, i suggest the following site:
http://****

it gives a good idea of the challenges associated with pumping, and just about pumping overall.

[lorraine330]

I just stopped pumping!  The previous posters are correct!  My baby was 6 wks premature and I started pumping to give him the milk when he was able to take it, but after he came home from the hospital he lost weight. He was latching good, but he was a lazy sucker. Since he was a preemie and I bf my first child with no problems for 2 yrs I really felt that I had to give it my all!  However, it took my baby 30-45 min. to drink his bottle, then I had to get him settled in a way that I wouldn't have to keep stopping puming to settle him down, then I had to pump, for me it took about 25 min. to empty my breasts, then I had to pump a few more min. to try and reestablish my supply that I had lost from when my baby first came home.  I did this for just over two months, it just became to much to handle, and I never fully regained my supply. I am still trying to just bf at night, it is truly so much easier than having to get up and warm a bottle, but he is now on formula during the day!  I wanted so badly for it to work out, but it is soooo time consuming, and I also have another child that needs time with me as well!  So, when considering this, just be very realistic about the time required to pump, clean, sterilize, and the storage requirements.  It's all quite overwhelming!

[casandbaby]

i've been pumping since my baby was born, he was in the hospital for a week after he was born, i could never get him to latch on unless lactation experts we're their so decided to pump exclusivley and it is hard, extremley time consuming, especially since he is now seven months and wants to be on the go constantly. i'm not sure about other moms but for me it's hard to maintain an adequate supply so i give him half breast milk half formula. i strongly agree with lorraine it is very over whelming, it's also harder to find time to pump with all the other things going on. its a huge commitment i wish i was able to bf it be alot easier :) and with my baby it was hard to find a formula he'd eat, most of them he would just throw up or wouldn't eat because he didn't like the taste. i'm n ot sure how much longer i can pump for. if your able to pump all the power to you :)

[montie2]

Pumping sucks.  I recently got my pump out to give it another go and I just hate it. I just wish that I could have plenty of milk and not have to be hooked up all the time.  Plus, pumping just confirms to me how little milk I am really making.