breast feeding or pumping???

i need help, advice! no one in my family has ever breast feed other than my grandmother. she doesn't know anything about pumping though. i don't have no one to tell me what's best. what do u ladies recommend? what's better, and why? what hurts less? im 5months pregnant and I really plan to breast feed but everyone tells me it hurts... i sometimes think its better if i pump. what do u guys recommend, breast feeding or pumping?

[nola0805]

Hi and congrats on your pregnancy.  I am by no way as expert on this but I will give you my experience.  I have a 7 week old and have been breastfeeding and pumping.  Many mothers that breastfeed end up pumping to some degree along with breastfeeding for many reasons (to help increase supply, to ease a sore nipple, to allow others to give a bottle, to return to work, etc...), so it is not an either/or situation.  If you breastfeed you do not have to pump, it is just that it is often helpful.  Some mothers have to exclusively pump - but that is usually because of a specific reason such as the baby not being able to latch onto the breast. In my experience, breastfeeding is now less painful than pumping, but everyone is different.  But let me stress that when done correctly breastfeeding does not have to be and should not be painful.  I strongly recommend attending a breastfeeding class before you have the baby and requesting a consultation with a lactation specialist in the hospital before you go home.  When the baby is latched on properly, breastfeeding should not hurt.  Also, in my opinion there is something so nice about the connection with the baby during breastfeeding.  Either way you are providing your baby with wonderful nutrition by giving him/her your breastmilk.  You might want to start off breastfeeding and see how it goes.  Best of luck.

[30something13]

You will need to brestfeed only till your milk comes in good first before just pumping and by then any soreness will have gone away. BF is better and easier! Pumping you would have to wash the horns and bottles and still eat and drink to get enough milk which is hard! You will never get as much milk as a baby would get! I have BF 4 children now and twice fed 2 at a time (tamdum feeding) It is so nice to not have to wash bottles and what the baby needs is right there! No warming, and the bonding is so wonderful. I suggest you ask your local hospital or health department if they know of a breastfeeding support group in yorur area so you can talk with other moms. Also take a class on it. There is no comparison. If later on you want to pump a bottle then that is fine but believe me you will not want to wash and prepare all the time on top of pumping and might end up quiting. Also if you try a bottle to soon you can give the baby nipple confusion. Pumps, bottles, pacifiers should not be used in the first three weeks. I suggest you call a la leche leauge consultant in your area, look them up online. You really need to talk one on one with someone who has BF

[tiredbuthappy]

My first was 4 weeks early and had feeding issues so I had no choice but to pump. It was hard work and stressful. I wished desperately that I could have nursed and felt cheated.

My second started out nursing very well. It did hurt a LOT for the first 2 weeks. Then, the pain quickly faded. Even in those first 2 weeks, the pain was primarily when she first latched and it did fade in 30 seconds or so. I ended up having to pump with her because severe reflux and colic interfered with nursing. The nursing was easier, when it was going well. Once she was thrashing and screaming 7 hours of the day, that went out the window. I dreaded going back to the pump, but it was easier than the first time around since I knew I could do it, and I knew tips and tricks.

If I were you, and what I will do if I have another, is plan on breastfeeding. Try it out. It is easier in most cases than pumping. But know that you have pumping as a back up. And after a while you can do a combo to give you some flexibility. Either way, baby gets the best nutrition.

[roxy562]

thanks guys. i will take ur advice.
im definitely trying the breastfeeding but i will have the pump for back up. i just don't want to give my baby formula...

when it comes to pumping what's better the one on a machine or the manual one. i know the machine one is very expensive...

[Willow10]

Hey! I thought I was going to exclusively pump for my son but once he came & latched on the very first try I just decided to nurse instead bc it was like he was made for it..plus much less bottle and parts washing..and so much easier in the middle of the night. He is now 6 months old & still  breastfeed almost exclusively (he has formula here and there but not very often). I went back to school about a month ago & knew that I was going to have to go back to school when I was pregnant so I bought an electric pump (the medela pump in style shoulder bag) It was expensive but very well worth my money. I started pumping when he was 5 weeks old at about 3 am (its when your supply is the best) and froze it. That way we always had milk on hand in case I wanted to go out with out my son. & I had a good supple frozen for my return to school. You need to figure out how often you are going to pump..if you are returning to work and school I would recomend an electric pump. It takes me about 15 minutes to pump (its a double pump). The hospital gave me a manual which I tried once & hated! Some people do have success with it though. I think buying an electric is well worth the money if you plan to pump a decent amount or might not have a lot of time to pump (in between class or at work). Plus it will hopefully last for more then one child if you plan to have more later! Also I pumped when I had sore nipples in the beginning and also recently when I needed to boost my supply.

[Clysta]

I have an electric double pump, and also a tiny manual that came with it. It takes me forever with the manual, and 10 minutes or less with the electric. If you're only planning on using it occasionally, the manual would work fine since it won't get tons of use, but if you want to pump more, I would go with the electric just to save time. I rarely use my pump unless my daughter is going to my moms and I need to pump her food and pump while she's gone, or I'm engorged and she's not hungry.

[roxy562]

i think im better off with an electric pump then. does pumping hurt???

[jmks]

I have a 19 month old and I chose to breastfeed. I had a hard time with my milk supply and ended up quitting when she was about 8 months old. I know that everyone I know that has breastfed agrees that it definitely hurts for the first few days, way worse than any breastfeeding counselor led me to believe. But I stuck with it and I pumped when I had to go back to work but you definitely want to get an electric pump, unless you want some Arnold Schwarzenegger arms. If you can't afford it you can try to sign up at your local WIC (women infant & children) office and they will give you one for free, as well as food benefits if you need them. That is what I had to do.

[roxy562]

oh wow! i didn't know wic is able to give u one. that's awesome! i checked them out at target and yes they are pretty pricey. im going to look into it. thanks!

[Brittny27]

WIC will only give you one if you return to work full time. That's what they told me.

My baby wouldn't breastfeed but I was determined that she wouldn't get any formula. The hospital gave me a pump to use while there and I went to Target on my way home from hospital and got a Medela Pump in Style. I would definately recomend that one if your going to do a lot of pumping.

I pumped every 3-4 hours for 15 minutes and built a great milk supply. I tried several times to get her to nurse and finally at 5 weeks old I was able to get her to nurse and now I only pump 2 times a day. Before bed and when I get up.

Yes it hurts to pump just like starting breastfeeding. It's not as painful and only for a few days. Buy some lanolin cream. It's great.

Whichever route you choose know that your doing the best thing possible for your baby by giving her or him breastmilk.

I justified the high price of the pump by how much money we are not spending on formula.

[KarenDiane]

All great advice. I am using a manual pump and it's working great, but I know they aren't for everyone. I wasn't sure if breastfeeding would work out so I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I didn't know WIC offered electric breast pumps. I'll have to call them because I will be returning to work full-time soon.

Breastfeeding does hurt for the first 2 weeks or so. My son latched beautifully from day 1 and it still hurt until my nipples toughened up. Pumping was the same. At 2 months, I barely feel it when he nurses. Good Luck!

[jenstam]

If you are getting any type of medical assistance you may want to check with them as well. They can help pay or 100% pay for a pump. Just any FYI. And, yes, it does hurt at first. More so than most consultants will be willing to tell you. But, it only lasts for about 2 weeks. Some less, some more. I had a very hard time with my last baby and was ready to give up every day, but he is now 3 weeks away from his first birthday and still exclusively nursing. He has never had formula (: Be prepared to have some difficulties in the beginning while you and your baby get to know each other and what works best but also know that if it hurts too much, after the first minute or so, the latch probably needs to be broken and you need to try again. Good luck and congrats. Please keep this forum in mind when you have your baby and have any questions. You can get very valuable advice in a short period of time from real people who have been through it all!

[cocacolapanda]

I just wanted to put my 2 cents in.  If it hurts really depends on the baby and how well they learn how to latch.  Some women have no issues and others have a lot.  With my first my son did great (Although he ate 24/7 and ate a LOT, didn't hurt feeding him via the boob until after he had several bottles and rejected the boob).  With this baby my little girl bites the nipples....a lot and hard...as in when I pump I bleed and it hurts.  I work full time so in a few weeks I'll be back at work and my only wish is that she would at least not bite in the middle of the night.

I got my pump from the hospital, they sold Medela pumps for for less than you can get them in stores so you might want to also check there.  Reguardless, if you think you might pump for any ammount of time (going to work, or even pumping once or twice a day to build up a freezer stash for going out), you will want a double electric.  You might also want to look at getting a hand pump too.  I got some free ones from the hospitals both births.  I got the first one at a breastfeeding support group, and the second from a "pump pack" that had a few spare parts and what they give to patents who are pumping in the hospital.

Either way, at the very least your boobs and nipples do get sore but in most cases they heal quickly.  I suggest trying to see the lactation specialist at the hospital as soon as you can.  When we had our little girl (our second child) the day we had her and the day after we didn't see the lady as she was busy the first day and not in the office the second.  By the third day that night I was in tears it hurt so bad, if I had worked with her a little bit it might have helped, or I might have decided to pump sooner.  

Just remember every baby is different.  Good luck!!

[mature_enough]

From personal experience, I would definitely recommend starting with breastfeeding. I agree w/ 30something13, you will need to wait until your milk is established and your nipples have become less tender. I tried using a manual pump before I even got home from the hospital… ouch! You need to talk to a lactation consultant and see if the hospital where you deliver can show you how to get a proper latch on. If the baby is latched on properly it “shouldn’t hurt” but if it does, it will only be a matter of time before your body will adjust, and it is so worth the wait. It is good to hear that you do not want to feed your baby chemically processed formula. That is a good start, and remember, if you can handle child birth, you can handle breastfeeding. ;) You will do great. Keep the confidence in yourself up. That is the key.