Time article on exclusive pumping - Page 3

[Mirrormonkey]

Seems like a lot of work... Too much for me, I take the lazy route and actually breast feed my kids.

[Mulvah]

Originally Posted by bri276

...I would never choose to EP for no reason if I were able to nurse. That said, I know several people who have, and I'm utterly convinced it enabled their babies to get breastmilk MUCH longer than they would have if it hadn't been an option. I think it's more likely that mothers who would have formula fed are choosing to EP, rather than mothers who would have nursed from the tap choosing to EP. But either way? It's really up to the woman to decide if that's what works best for her- EP'ed babies can still be "exclusively breastfed" and enjoy the majority of the benefits of typically breastfed babies, so I don't think it's anti-lactivist overall....

Thank you for eloquently saying what I've been wanting to say for a while.

[preemiemamarach]

Originally Posted by Mulvah

Thank you for eloquently saying what I've been wanting to say for a while.

Exactly. I EP'ed for my son out of medical necessity for 13 months (he then became intolerant to my milk- very rare, but it happened). I breastfeed my daughter directly, as she doesn't have oral hypotonia like my son had.

I consider that BOTH of my children were/are exclusively breastfed.

[boobs4milk]

Originally Posted by preemiemamarach

Exactly. I EP'ed for my son out of medical necessity for 13 months (he then became intolerant to my milk- very rare, but it happened). I breastfeed my daughter directly, as she doesn't have oral hypotonia like my son had.

I consider that BOTH of my children were/are exclusively breastfed.

awww, congratulations! you did a wonderful thing!

i know for me, the frustration with the article is not that they are talking about ep'ing, but that they make ep'ing out to be 'the same' as bf directly at breast. i ep'ed for my son for 6 months and it is NOT the same. i am one of the weird ones who take to the pump better than the baby, and my current baby i started out ep'ing (preemie in nicu 17 days, came home 100% bottles) and got her to all bfeedings at around 6 weeks old. ep'ing for me meant better output, but the work involved is nuts. i can honestly see some mothers reading this article and being convinced that they can ep and finding out all the work involved and either switching to ff because they are exhausted, or never establishing a supply because they don't pump enough or can not respond adequately to the pump.

i KNOW ep gets bmilk to babies who otherwise would be ff. my son had sensorioromotor issues and could not breastfeed. he could not latch deeply or he would retch. i finally quit due to sheer exhaustion and i am sad because i was still pumping 60+ oz/day when i quit.

[Mrs_Lurker]

Yeah, this article made me none too happy.

I have struggled to nurse this baby, and while he was able to do it for a time, things got progressively worse, he wasn't gaining weight normally, and finally, he was diagnosed with hypotonia. At almost 12 weeks now, he can't hold his head up, and his upper body tone is quite weak.

So, I've been EPing for him for the past 26 days. He was able to nurse before that, but barely. We're starting PT soon, so I keep hoping that somehow, there will be a way to start nursing again, but I don't know if that's realistic.

It irritates me that anyone would actually believe that EPing is easier. I think it's twice the work that nursing was. Trying to deal with a three year old, feeding the baby, washing bottles, and praying my pump doesn't die (I'm on my second one), is very stressful. I'm always worried about my supply, and being home in time to pump. At least while I was nursing, I could nurse wherever I was easily, not so with pumping.

I can't imagine that anyone chooses to do this because it's easier. There is nothing easier about it.