will my supply keep up if i dont pump?

[Reebekah]

i already have breastfed 2 babies for 13ish months each....no formula at all....but my circumstances were different then. with both of them, i was FRANTIC about my milk supply....from day 1, i nursed and pumped on a VERY regular basis so that i would always have plenty of milk. i fed them as they needed (every 2 hours, then every 3 hours, then every 4 hours after solids were introduced), plus i pumped any extra they didnt finish, i pumped during naps, i pumped during the night after they were sleeping thru the night, i pumped in the morning because i was usually very full and 1 side was sufficient for them. i also returned to work at 5-6 months, and pumped while i was away from them. because of all this, i never had any problems with supply....if anything, i had a oversupply (pumping as much as 14 oz per session when away from them)

now, with baby #3, i plan to be a SAHM. no need to have a supply in the freezer. no need to pump at work. and because i am so busy (and lazy), i have no desire to pump like that....or pump at all. i just want to breastfeed and have things be more simple. however, will my milk supply be sufficient if i never pump? if i dont completely empty my breasts or i go longer than usual without using the milk, what will happen? i know they say that your body adjusts to your baby's needs....but will my body really make more and more as my baby's needs increase more and more (he's only a week old now). and if i do cause my supply to be insufficient, will i be able to increase it again or will it be too late?

thanks!

[alegna]

Two babies. Never pumped. Plenty of milk. (dd still nurses fwiw- nursed through pregnancy...)

-Angela

[LilMomma83]

You'll be fine, I only BF DS1 once or less a day from 4-7mos, then quit my job and exclusively breastfed and he had plenty...it was like 2 days that he nursed non-stop, and within a month I had OVER supply. Chances are that if your babe just sleeps through a feeding you won't even notice a difference.

[twinsplusone1]

I have NEVER pumped ds is EBF. I love it... I am a SAHM no need to be away from him longer than his intervals and if I do need to go somewhere he goes too. DH is my only sitter so there you go...go for it just nurse and enjoy the freedom it allows you. Hes hungry he eats I too worried about supply but i just make sure he nurses at least every 3 hours but most days its still every 2 however my 9mo old sleeps from 6p-7a and takes 2 (2 hour) naps a day, so I'm pretty serious about nursing before and after naps, every 2 hours pretty much

[Heba]

Totally agree - there should be no need to pump. As long as you establish breastfeeding in the first few weeks, it's all supply and demand. If for any reason (e.g. separation for a day) your supply drops in later months, it should pick up quickly after a day or two back to full-time nursing. Also, baby's actual milk intake has been found to not increase after the first few weeks so there's no need to worry about increasing milk supply as your little one gets older.

Enjoy your breastfeeding non-pumping relationship!

[ZoraP]

I worked and pumped with my first (who was exclusively BF until around 8 months and EBF to age 4 1/2), but with my second I was at home. At first I was also paranoid about not pumping, but she did just as well and I enjoyed not having to mess with all that. My supply was never a problem and she self-weaned at 2 1/2.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Heba

Also, baby's actual milk intake has been found to not increase after the first few weeks so there's no need to worry about increasing milk supply as your little one gets older.

Do you have a link to this information? I've never heard that before and it doesn't match my experience.

-Angela

[Heba]

Originally Posted by alegna

Do you have a link to this information? I've never heard that before and it doesn't match my experience.

-Angela

That is interesting. Pretty sure it was on kellymom (I'm aware though that some of the information on there is out of date).

Yup - here it is: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

[Heba]

Here's one relevant research paper (link is to the abstract, but the full paper is accessible from there): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...?dopt=Abstract

Fascinating stuff - like you, I was really surprised when I first read it. I wonder if there's been anything more recent (this is from 1999).

[alegna]

Wow- interesting! Thanks for sharing. I wonder though- it sounds as though in both cases lots of solids at 6 months and weaning at a year is assumed... dd didn't eat any measurable amount of solids until after a year... I wonder how that figures in.

-Angela

[prothyraia]

No need to pump, just feed the baby.

If most breasts didn't work just fine without mechanical assistance, the human race wouldn't have survived long enough to invent breast pumps.