Comments on The Lactivist Breastfeeding Blog: Exclusively Pumping - Why Does it Get Such a Bad W...

I am new to breastfeeding, I only formula ged my s...

2009-02-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

I am new to breastfeeding, I only formula ged my son, but my nest baby is due in 8 weeks and I am really wanting to try BF. I am trying to educated myself as much as possible, but I still can't get myself completely used to the idea of nursing..it kinda grosses me out. I also liked having my husband help and knowing I have to go back to work after 6 weeks (but for only 2 days a week) know that

I pumped exclusively for the first three weeks bec...

2008-10-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

I pumped exclusively for the first three weeks because my baby was five weeks premature and had a hard time sucking from the breat. He was losing calories by trying to breast feed. During our five day stay at the hospital (we had our baby in the room with us the entire time). I received SO much conflicting advice from nurses, lactionists and nursing assistants that my head was spinning. We

I wish I could have found sites like this site mon...

2008-10-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

I wish I could have found sites like this site months ago! My son is 8 months old and hasn't had formula since the week he came home from the hospital. If it could go wrong with breastfeeding, it did. I tried for about 2 months to get him to BF while pumping to maintain supply then supplementing with mamma milk in a bottle. One 3am feeding he wacked the nipple shield across the room and it

I have exclusivly pumped for 2 babies and had no p...

2008-10-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

I have exclusivly pumped for 2 babies and had no problem! Yes it's a time commitment but that is what you do when you have children, do what is best for them no matter what it takes! I got guff from docotrs and nurses everywhere I went about the time I spend and why not just give formula? I pumped over 50oz a day, there was no way i was going to throw it way! Nursing never worked for me because

Thank you for your blog!!! This is my 2nd child a...

2008-10-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

Thank you for your blog!!! This is my 2nd child and my 2nd time of exclusive pumping. I also felt that breastfeeding was so frustrating that I wasn't bonding...only resenting everything! With the first baby, I pumped for 6 months; I'm 5 weeks into the 2nd baby; my goal is to make it 12 weeks, but I'm not going to put any pressure on myself. Some tips: get "easy expressions" hands-free

I just ended my exclusive pumping after 11months a...

2008-10-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

I just ended my exclusive pumping after 11months and am using up my frozen milk.. and i feel emotional about having stopped...but i knwo its time as i started working and schedule is hard now. But...i have done it-lsted this long and am so proud...i couldnt find info like this a while ago when i looked on internet must have used wrong words in search. gald this exists for all you.
I know how

I really liked your article. I am an EPer too afte...

2008-08-02T05:33:00.000-07:00

I really liked your article. I am an EPer too after unsuccesfull breastfeeding. My milk came in after a week, and by then had to supplement. I had a horrible LC who shoved my baby into my breast so many times untill he had a breast aversion. After having an unplanned c-section, I had to also grieve the loss of not breastfeeding. To me, it is a huge inconvienience. I am always having to pump, and

Anonymous,In an ideal world, exclusive pumpers wou...

2008-08-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Anonymous,

In an ideal world, exclusive pumpers would use a hospital grade pump (Medela Symphony, preferably) for the first 2-3 months of pumping.

It can be tough to build a supply with a store-bought pump, as they simply don't work the same way. Generally, you can establish a supply with a hospital grade adn then switch to something like the PISA or an Ameda Purely Yours and

My daughter was born with a cleft palate. I got n...

2008-07-31T22:50:00.000-07:00

My daughter was born with a cleft palate. I got no help from LC or hospital. I did attempt nursing for 5 days but Jenna was just not getting enough to gain weight. We went to the specialist and they even discouraged pumping. They suggested high calorie formula. I refused. They relented after we agreed to weekly weight checks. I had nursed my son and I felt my daughter deserved the same.

I think it's divine intervention I found this blog...

2008-05-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

I think it's divine intervention I found this blog...I was thinking about giving up pumping. It seemed like an impossible task. It's so encouraging to see someone who did it for a whole year. I had planned to nurse...spent money on nursing tanks, bras, covers etc but it all went out the window when he wouldn't latch on properly in the hospital because of my flat nipples. They forced me to give

Hi fellow pumpers. I have a six week old baby gir...

2008-05-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hi fellow pumpers. I have a six week old baby girl - my second child. with my first child I exclusively pumped for 4 weeks. He was very colicky, which I believe was due to a later-diagnosed cow milk protein allergy which we didn't know of until he was 1 year old. I pumped with him because the lactation consultants were HORRIBLE at the hospital. With this baby girl, she latched on like a

Thanks for such a great article! My daughter was ...

2008-03-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks for such a great article! My daughter was born at 36 weeks, 3 days and had a great latch, but would fall asleep right away. I asked one of the nurses in the hospital if I could pump and she acted as though that was the worst thing ever. She even said "that would defeat the purpose of breastfeeding." HUH???? How so? Thank goodness the lactation consultant on duty approved of the

Thanks so much for such a great site. I have never...

2008-03-24T02:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for such a great site. I have never known that there is such a term of exlcusive breastfeeding until I did extensive research. I underwent truly emotional time, between my desire to breastfeed my baby and my inability to feed her. Plus, I did not get support from anyone around me. Most of my friends and the LC nurse at the hospital scrown on my decision to bottle feed my baby using

So glad to hear that other mothers are exclusively...

2008-03-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

So glad to hear that other mothers are exclusively pumping! The nurses at the hospitals throw breastfeeding on you and make you feel guilty if you don't. I too wanted to give my daughter breast milk but she would not latch on so I've been pumping for almost 2 weeks and plan on doing so for as long as I can. Thanks again for the post!!!

All of this information is really helpful, and enc...

2008-02-21T16:12:00.000-08:00

All of this information is really helpful, and encouraging. How does your milk supply increase as the baby grows and will demand more ounces? I noticed when I pump every 3 hrs I can only make up to 3oz between both sides but if I wait 6 hrs I can make 2 bottles of 3 oz each; will this start to diminish if I keep with the every 5-6 hrs pump session? Also no one tells how they mark their stored

Hey anonymous! Glad to hear you're going to try to...

2008-02-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

Hey anonymous! Glad to hear you're going to try to get breast milk into your new baby! Every drop counts. :)

You'll find all my posts on the subject of exclusively pumping here: http://thelactivist.blogspot.com/search/label/Pumping%20Milk

You likely will face some pressure from LCs, but I'd suggest being very upfront and making it clear you are educated and you're looking for

Hi. I am expecting my third child in June and hav...

2008-02-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

Hi. I am expecting my third child in June and have decided to exclusively pump for this child (rather that bottle feed with formula) for the first time. Both of my children have been exclusively formula-fed successfully. No allergies, no excessive weight-gain, etc. In fact, most people are so surprised when they find out that I have never breast fed, because my kids are really very healthy and

D,I've pumped on airplanes many times over. (And i...

2007-10-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

D,

I've pumped on airplanes many times over. (And in taxis, on buses, on rifle ranges, at amusement parks...you get my drift. ;)

You can totally pump on the plane or in the airport. At the airport, there are usually plugs all around the waiting areas. If you don't want to pump in a public spot (which I totally understand) you can look for a "family lounge" or "family bathroom."

I am so glad, I found this forum. My baby girl is ...

2007-10-29T00:58:00.000-07:00

I am so glad, I found this forum. My baby girl is 1 month old now. For the first 1.5 weeks I went through lots of depression as the baby would not latch on and most of the times made me too sore. With the help of an LC she started latching on but she would sleep through the entire feeding. I would hold her for hours without any success. Consequence - she would be extremely cranky and hungry

I have been EPing for 6 months. I started when my ...

2007-09-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

I have been EPing for 6 months. I started when my son was three weeks old. He had undiagnosed acid reflux and was eating every 45 minutes which created a huge oversupply issue. I loved Exclusive pumping because I can go run errands and not have to worry about the nursing schedule, and I can get a night off and my husband can take care of him! Something that matters a lot to me! Thanks so much for

Sara,How much you pump really depends on you. You'...

2007-09-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Sara,

How much you pump really depends on you. You'll find over time where the balance is in how much you can cut down your pumping without seeing a drop in supply.

I found I could cut out night pumping at around 2 weeks. At the time, I was pumping every two hours during the day. By four weeks, I cut down to every three hours, but six weeks it was every four hours.

I just saw your site, as I've been looking for hel...

2007-09-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

I just saw your site, as I've been looking for help about pumping. I really wanted to nurse, and my son did well with it for like 3 days, and then I couldn't get him to latch on anymore. After crying for a whole day, thinking I was a failure as a mother, and after several frustrating syringe feedings with him sucking on my finger, I gave him a bottle. He's been doing great with that, and I have

My son is now 7 months old and he has had pumped b...

2007-08-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

My son is now 7 months old and he has had pumped breastmilk for 6 of those months. He latched on in the hospital like a dream. The problems started when my husband went back to work his night shift. I became resentful and depressed -along with plugged milk ducts and mastitis - my son would no longer latch on. My son and I became frustrated with each other and as he screamed I would cry and no

I am so excited to see this about exclusively pump...

2007-08-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to see this about exclusively pumping. I made a choice when I found out I was pregnant to pump exclusively. Everyone asked me why and My Doctor's told me "You will never produce enough milk, etc..." When I told the Lactation people in the hospital that I wanted to rent then buy a hospital grade pump, they didn't understand why I would want to pump exclusively and not "nurse".

THANK YOU for your blog!! I have been pumping for...

2007-07-31T06:27:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU for your blog!! I have been pumping for 7 (yes I said 7) months now. Braelyn did not latch, we had zero LC help (it was Christmas weekend afterall) and very little support in our three visits to the LC office of the hospital. I was against formula and so wanted to nurse, but we ended up 'doing what works for us'. I was told by the pediatric nurse that pumping would never work, and