Do I really NEED a breast pump?

[icy02]

This is my 2nd baby, but my 1st was adopted so this is really new to me. I don't have a lot of $$$ and am wondering if its really necessary to have a breast pump. I will be a SAHM and not really planning on leaving my LO with anyone. BUT..... it would be nice to have DH get one feeding during the night. OR be able to get out for a few hours when DH is home. I just dont know if a few hours of sleep is enough to justify spending hundreds on a pump I will "occasionally" use. Buying one of craigslist really grosses me out and all my friends are preggo too (so no borrowing)...

Also, is it a huge deal if my LO never gets a bottle?!? I heard that you need to introduce bottles in the beginning otherwise they will never take one. If this is the case how do they transition to sippy cups?

TIA!

[tndixiemom]

I only have a Medela Harmony. If I am planning an outing, I start pumping a few days in advance so I have more than I need and the rest of the time, he is at the breast. We introduced the bottle around 6 weeks and then whenever we needed to get out. There have never been any problems for us with this arrangement. I think the Medela is around 40.00

[Angelorum]

For occasional pumping like you describe, a small manual pump should be sufficient. I just got an Avent Isis, they run about $40 I think. FWIW I didn't own a pump at all until ds was 5 months. Once I got used to nursing laying down, the night feedings didn't really bother me, I just hook him up and go back to sleep. And I never left him for long enough for him to need to eat until a couple of weeks ago. I wondered about how he would take to getting expressed milk since he never had before, but SIL who babysat said he ate just fine from her softfeeder And MIL fed him from a little cup just fine.

[ErinYay]

I thank God for my Medela hand-pump ($40ish). I'm cursed with overproduction/ wicked forceful letdown, and being able to efficiently pump a little to relieve engorgement/ soften things up enough for LO to latch is such a blessing.

I didn't get it until she was a week old. The discomfort of being so engorged (milk came in at 36 hrs) while trying valiantly to hand-express while she fussed more and more got old, real fast.

She's just over a month old, and I rarely "need" to use it, though I do here and there. Her latch is great and my supply is settling down, so soon she'll be getting a bottle from her daddy on occasion. I also like having a small stash in the frige for future pinkeye, sickness, etc, and can't imagine doing that via hand-expressing (I could get maybe an ounce manually (which I do know is quite a bit) but can easily get 4-5 oz by pumping 5-6 times then popping the suction and just letting things drip/spray on their own.

In summation, yes, I would def have one on hand.

[EmilyG]

They aren't necessary, but nice. i liked having a little stored milk in the freezer just in case, and when DD had a cold it helped me keep my supply up to pump a little when she didn't want to nurse. i also (now that she's started some rice cereal) like to pump a little milk to use in mixing her cereal. All that can be done with a manual pump though, which aren't nearly as expensive as the electric ones. I've seen them on clearance at my Target the last couple weeks too, I'd look there!

[smpayne]

There is nothing wrong with baby never getting a bottle. Having at least a manual pump (stay away from cheap electric ones), is a good idea. It helps alot when you start getting engorged when your milk comes in. My ds couldn't latch until I pumped a little off.

Gather information on where you can rent a pump locally just in case it becomes necessary. Trying to find that information after there is a problem is very stressful. Also find the lactation consultant in you area and set up times to see her immediately after baby is born (it really helps) and attend a breasfeeding class before baby is born.

[phrogger]

The Avent Isis hand pump is great to have around, and really, I use it more with DS at 6 months then ever before so I can pump some milk to use when I am making his baby food. (I add it to sweet potatoes, avacados, carrots etc). It is easier then hand expressing. And I have been able to use it more since DS is sick this week. He got so weak that he was having trouble nursing. He was just worn out. I ended up pumping and giving him a bottle with a fast flow nipple and he got some milk quickly and started feeling a little better. At least enough so that he would latch on again.

[Heba]

No, absolutely you do not need one. The vast majority of breastfeeding mums the world over do not have pumps.

That said, you've already been given some good reasons why you might like to have one. Or alternatively, particularly if money is tight, you might consider learning to hand express. If you're lucky enough to give birth in a UNICEF Baby Friendly hospital, you will be taught hand expression. Some mums find that they actually prefer it to pumping.

Wrt bottles, I have read statistics that show that actually age has very little to do with whether a baby accepts a bottle or not so there's no real reason to worry about missing a window of opportunity. After the first few months, baby can drink from a cup (actually, baby can be cup-fed at any age, but this takes a bit of practice with young babies).

Congratulations on your upcoming arrival! Enjoy the preparations .

[KristyDi]

I have one, but have pumped a grand total of maybe 10oz. I could easily have avoided having a pump.

My DD has been offered a bottle once when I when out w/ my mom and sister for about 8 hours. By that time she was 10mos old and had no interest. So she's never taken a bottle.

If you're able to stay with your LO then it's very possible you won't need a pump.

[jackiev0626]

I never needed one. I received one for my baby shower, and it's still never been used! (My LO is 18 mo.) I'm a SAHM as well, and he's never spent the night away from me. I didn't start letting the grandparents babysit till he was a bit older, and didn't need to nurse as often. If you already are thinking you won't need it, then you most likely won't, and I wouldn't waste the money on it. And as far as the nipple confusion, I am a strong believer of that as well, and my lactation consultant actually said it is true and to avoid bottles and pacifers for the first few weeks until they get well established in breastfeeding. I had a really rough start breastfeeding (took me a good month for him to actually latch on by himself without using the nipple shield). I really believe it was due in part to the fact that he was given bottles of formula and pacis in the hospital without my permission, and secondly because I had a c-section. So, I would def. avoid bottles and pacis in the beginning.

[craft_media_hero]

Originally Posted by icy02

This is my 2nd baby, but my 1st was adopted so this is really new to me. I don't have a lot of $$$ and am wondering if its really necessary to have a breast pump. I will be a SAHM and not really planning on leaving my LO with anyone. BUT..... it would be nice to have DH get one feeding during the night. OR be able to get out for a few hours when DH is home. I just dont know if a few hours of sleep is enough to justify spending hundreds on a pump I will "occasionally" use. Buying one of craigslist really grosses me out and all my friends are preggo too (so no borrowing)...

Also, is it a huge deal if my LO never gets a bottle?!? I heard that you need to introduce bottles in the beginning otherwise they will never take one. If this is the case how do they transition to sippy cups?

TIA!

It's not necessary, especially since you are planning on SAHMing.

If you want an "insurance bottle" in case you're gone and the baby's hungry, even a cheap hand pump will get you one four oz. bottle. You can also give your babe a big feed, then run out to the store, and your mommy clock has a knack to tell you to get home just in time to feed that babe again.

I wouldn't invest hundreds in it, no way. Not unless you were planning on using it daily.

About the never having a bottle in infancy thing---it's fine. My dd never took a bottle, and she went to a sippy and regular cup with no difficulties.

I am kind of a nipple snob and only want my babe to have the real deal---avoid nipple confusion and lazy nursing (a bottle is easier to suck than the boob, so babies sometimes will begin to prefer the bottle because of this).

If you want to give pumping a try, I'd say get a hand pump, and that first week when you're super engorged, just pump after nursing and try to stock up a few bottles so that dh can give it a try. If it seems really convenient at that point, then maybe you will decide to invest in an expensive one.

Also---if you bought one on craigslist, it seems like it would be pretty easy to sanitize it? Just handwash, a very light bleach rinse, then run it through the dishwasher and rinse more on hot? That doesn't seem like such a big deal; it'd be pretty much like new when all's said and done.

[curious&eager]

I think it's a good idea to have. I have the $40 Medela Harmony.

1. To prevent engorgement/maintain supply when LO doesn't want to eat.

Today for example, my ds chose not to eat. His nose is stuffy and he's been grumpy. So of course, I was very full. After 8 hours, I gave up and pumped 4oz off of each side and froze it. One time I was out of town without my pump and the same thing happened, he got a bit ill and did not eat much for 2 days. He was 4.5 months old then and I had to drive 14 hours home during that day with rock hard painful breasts. I was so wishing for my pump.

2. To have extra milk on hand just in case.

I have just 20oz in the freezer right now and that gives me a few bottles to make me feel good and safe if something were to happen, like running out for an errand and getting held up. I would like to have more to cover for a big emergency, like a trip to the hospital, but that's too much work. I do want to pump a bit more then I never get around to it.

As you mentioned, it's nice to be able to get out. For me, being a new mom is rough. I have a once a week outing just to have a break. So, I use my manual pump to leave DS with DH. It works out well for both of us. I get my recharge break (dance class) and DH gets quality-time with DS and gets to make all the decisions for DS without feeling like I'm watching him. It's done wonders for him as a dad. He's a pro now.

[averlee]

I never needed a breast pump. In the first 6 months or so, I hand expressed a few times to relieve engorgement. When we introduced solids I sometimes hand expressed to make her food, like breastmilk guacamole, her favorite. When she was about 15 months I won a small manual pump in a drawing at WIC, and used it once when I had a plugged duct, but couldn't get the hang of it, since I was good at hand expressing.

[Materfamilias]

I was given two, but never used them. I got lucky, I suppose, in that I never had to leave DD long enough to need to pump.

[honey-lilac]

No, never used one.

[Kelly1101]

Originally Posted by icy02

This is my 2nd baby, but my 1st was adopted so this is really new to me. I don't have a lot of $$$ and am wondering if its really necessary to have a breast pump. I will be a SAHM and not really planning on leaving my LO with anyone. BUT..... it would be nice to have DH get one feeding during the night. OR be able to get out for a few hours when DH is home. I just dont know if a few hours of sleep is enough to justify spending hundreds on a pump I will "occasionally" use. Buying one of craigslist really grosses me out and all my friends are preggo too (so no borrowing)...

Also, is it a huge deal if my LO never gets a bottle?!? I heard that you need to introduce bottles in the beginning otherwise they will never take one. If this is the case how do they transition to sippy cups?

TIA!

I got this one: http://www.amazon.com/Avent-Isis-Man.../dp/B000066CMV on sale for 25 bucks.

I'm SAHM, too, but after 4 months, my husband and I wanted to be able to go out every once in a while (really, only twice so far in 9 months) on a date, and let my mom babysit. So I have a little stash, maybe five bags, in the freezer at all times. Also, you never know when you may have an emergency.

But no, don't introduce the bottle in the beginning. That can cause nipple confusion. Wait at least a month.

[paxye]

Never used one and none of my kids have never had a bottle, I haven't even owned one...

Nursing at night is nothing for me... just give the breast and snooze while baby is nursing.. it would be more work for someone to get up, make/warm a bottle and then all the jostling/lights/wait will probably wake baby up more...

[herenow2]

I have two that I never used. I've nursed for 4 + years altogether and never missed not pumping at all.

[2xy]

I worked full-time with both of my babies, and so I expressed a TON of milk. That being said, I ditched pumps entirely with baby #2. Someone introduced me to hand-expressing, which was far more convenient for me with less clean-up. All I needed was a container and two clean hands. It was also more comfortable than any pump I ever used.

[karika]

you shouldnt need a pump IMO. breastmilk is best served from the source... others have talked of hand expression and that works well if you feel you need some to have in freezer or for mixing with foods later. I did try to return to work with dd1 when she was 6 mo. it was not right for us. but when she was 10 mo i wen tback 'on call' so i got a pump to relieve my engorgement quickly, as my shifts were 10 hrs long and i only had 20 min breaks at a time... while i was gone, her father fed her my milk from a glass jar, never used a sippy cup... he just had a cloth under her mouth to catch any dribbles.... dd2 has never been away from me for more than the time it takes me to grocery shop once a week, about an hour.... she has always been fine. she did want water a lot ever since 2mo or so (even though she also ate from me nearly constantly) so i also gave her water from a glass jar... no need to worry about plastic chemical leakages and off gassing and such that way...