Do I need a pump in this situation?

[Blanca78]

I am a student and am fortunate to be able to stay home with my baby (due late April/early May) through about six months. At that point, I will be going back to school to teach two afternoons a week, and would like to put the baby in childcare for an additional day so I can get some work done.

My guess is that I will want a pump just so that a)DH can feed the baby sometimes, as I think that's important for him to be able to do, and b)for childcare situations. But it's not like I'll be away from the baby for hours a day, as far as I can tell.

Would you invest in a pump for this situation (I'm thinking of registering for one)? Moms who have stayed at home, did you find a pump still came in handy? I'm thinking maybe I'll want a pump but not one of the super expensive bells and whistles types that I might want were I going back to work full time.

I just have no idea what to expect in terms of breastfeeding, so any insight would be appreciated! As would any pump recommendations.

[Marissamom]

for occasional pumping, I would get just a manual pump. I've used the Avent Isis, and used that as my pump even when I started working full-time when DD was 9 months. 

[crystal_buffaloe]

In that situation, I would go ahead and register for a double electric, but I have not had a whole lot of success with a manual pump and have never been able to hand-express. I have an Avent Isis Duo Electric and it's worked out well for my needs, though probably the single electric version would have been okay (and it's quite a bit cheaper). If you don't get the pump you register for, you can look into other, less expensive options after your shower.

I was home with DD until she was 3 months old, and now I work 4 half days (about 4-5 hours a day) a week. I pumped every day in the morning until my freezer stash was well established in case of any emergency, and now I only pump once while at work (so 4x per week).

[JudiAU]

I think you are planning for the short term rather than the long term. If you are going to be away from your baby at 6 months for around 6 hours at a time, three days a week, you need to pump. I'd get the best double electric you can afford and it will help your piece of mind to have a freezer stash when you need it if you can only pump once during the time you are away from LO.

[Blanca78]

Thanks, all--sounds pretty unanimous that I will need a pump. I will check out the options and see what comes of it! Part of what is behind my question is my mom was just like, "Oh, you won't need a pump. Breastfeeding is easy and the kid is just going to be attached to you." Very irritating, as she bases every proclamation about my pregnancy based on her own very problem-free experiences. Since this is my first it's less stressful for me to plan for contingencies than just assume I won't have problems. Oh well.

I appreciate the advice!

[soso-lynn]

I do think that a pump MIGHT be necessary when you go back to school but you should wait before buying one. Since you will only be away for short periods of time, you might be able to get by on hand expression alone (many women prefer it actually).

I would advise you to re-think this notion that you want your DH to be able to feed the baby. Sure, if he is caring for her while you are at school he will need to feed her but if you are around, there is no reason for that to be necessary and going into breastfeeding with the notion that you have to get the baby used to a bottle or that it would somehow be beneficial for your DH to give her a bottle just does not hold up to logic. Your DH will bond and love your daughter without a bottle and you will most likely be happy nursing when she is hungry. Getting a pump in advance is setting yourself up for failure.

[Blanca78]

Thanks for the perspective--it is helpful, as I really have no idea what to expect or what is "normal" for breastfeeding. I just don't know  so many details--like what you bring up about babies adjusting to bottles. I guess it would be nice if DH could occasionally feed her/him in the morning or if I need to run out and run errands, so I would want bottles for that. But maybe it wouldn't be that necessary because I don't know exactly how often my baby will want to feed. Oy. It's hard to wrap my head around! So maybe my mom was right?

Originally Posted by soso-lynn 

I do think that a pump MIGHT be necessary when you go back to school but you should wait before buying one. Since you will only be away for short periods of time, you might be able to get by on hand expression alone (many women prefer it actually).

I would advise you to re-think this notion that you want your DH to be able to feed the baby. Sure, if he is caring for her while you are at school he will need to feed her but if you are around, there is no reason for that to be necessary and going into breastfeeding with the notion that you have to get the baby used to a bottle or that it would somehow be beneficial for your DH to give her a bottle just does not hold up to logic. Your DH will bond and love your daughter without a bottle and you will most likely be happy nursing when she is hungry. Getting a pump in advance is setting yourself up for failure.

[Mrs-Mama]

When I was pg with DS, I planned to get a double electric if I returned to work or manual pump if I ended up staying at home (DH was job hunting so we weren't sure).  I ended up being able to SAH, but since DS was born at 32 weeks, I got a double electric so that I could pump around the clock and establish my milk supply.  For me, I'm so glad that I ended up with the double electric.  I like that I can do something mindless (like play on MDC or FB ) while I'm pumping.  I also like that I can nurse on one side and pump on the other.  I'm not away from my babies a lot, but I do like the freedom of being able to go out to run errands, or let the grandparents babysit while I relax.  With DS (eventually) and from about 2-3 weeks old with DD, I pumped every morning.  I pumped on one side while nursing on the other.  We always had milk in the fridge.  I was also able to freeze quite a bit.  I ended up donating over 300 oz of milk with DD, so I definitely had more than I needed, but I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

ETA:  DH never fed the babies just for the sake of feeding them...no one did that.  If I was with the baby, I did the feeding...from the tap.  The pumped milk was strictly for babysitting and/or errands, but I liked not having to stress about pumping at the last minute, or rushing home if we were out of milk.  IMO, it is a little harder for the dad to bond at first, but "at first" lasts such a short time.  He can do diaper changes and baths, and soon they are smiling and laughing with him while they still look at me like a feeding machine .