--

[11C11]

--

Edited by 11C11 - 8/29/11 at 9:16am

[11C11]

--

Edited by 11C11 - 8/29/11 at 9:15am

[Baby_Cakes]

AFAIK, pumping is NOT necessary if everything is going fine.  Of course there is always the possibility something will come up (separated from the baby, latch issues, etc) but if things are normal and babe is latching good, you're both healthy -- no, there is no NEED to pump.

However!

It can be very helpful to have a pump on hand for engorgement.  Pumping when you're engorged and baby is sleeping or can't latch on your rock hard bewb is helpful.  You can always learn to hand express to avoid having to pump, though, so even that isn't one of those things that you can't avoid.  I know quite a few mamas who just truck thru engorgement and never pump and never use any artificial nipples (bottles OR pacis)  and they do just fine!

[Marissamom]

Originally Posted by Maverick061106 

If I am intending to breastfeed, under what circumstances is pumping necessary?

when mother and child are going to be separated long enough that baby will want to eat during the separation. pumping beforehand so there's milk for the baby, during separation to keep the missed feeding from affecting the mother's supply and to prevent engorgement, plugged ducts, and mastitis. 

Is there anything I can do to prevent HAVING to pump?

you can never be away from your baby long enough that you'll miss a feeding, or you can hand express rather than pumping

Are there benefits of pumping that I'm not aware of?

some newborns have difficulty latching when mom is engorged, and some moms have a lot of pain because of engorgement. Pumping can also be helpful if you're having supply problems, either under or oversupply. 

Are there benefits of storing breastmilk that I'm not paying enough regard to (I know there are other uses for breastmilk, but can't I just use milk straight from my breast if I desire)?

peace of mind that if you were out without the baby and unable to get home in time the baby would have milk, or if you needed to be hospitalized or have surgery the baby could have your milk (DD actually had to have a couple of bottles of formula because I suddenly needed to get my wisdom teeth out ASAP and didn't have any milk stored.

Should I just submit to the fact that there is a possibility of having to pump so that I'm not disappointed later?

I think you should be open to the idea, but know there are plenty of moms that never pump or only pump a few times, having or using a pump does not commit you to pumping daily, or even weekly, if it's not for you. 

Any POSITIVE and HELPFUL suggestions are greatly appreciated!  As I said, I don't know a whole lot about breastfeeding - I am trying to educate myself as much as possible now that the birth is only a few months away.

side note on solids: some babies are perfectly happy not having solids before a year, some really want solids by 6 months, be open to listening to your baby's cues. 

[NYCVeg]

I bf dd for 19 months and never pumped. We had a million bfing problems, but none of them would have been helped by pumping. It meant that for the first year or so (she was barely interested in solids until then), she pretty much stuck with me--she could 2-3 hours with another caregiver, but then would need to eat. I also used a mother's helper, and I would just stop whatever I was doing and nurse the dd if she needed it, and then hand her back. My partner was hugely involved in childcare; he couldn't feed dd, but he could do everything else. 

A circumstance may arise in which you need to pump, but it's certainly not a necessity to normal breastfeeding (if it were, how would human beings have gotten along without pumps for so long?). I would have someone show you how to hand express, just in case. 

[11C11]

--

Edited by 11C11 - 8/29/11 at 9:14am

[katelove]

I am still breastfeeding my 15 month old and have yet to need to use a pump.

I hand expressed once when she was about a week old because I was using a nipple shield and we had some problems with milk transfer. I expressed using an electric pump once to make sure my new pump was working but I haven't gone back to work yet so I haven't needed to express regularly.

It does mean that I have had to arrange my life so that she is near or with me all the time but that suits our parenting philosophy anyway so it hasn't been a problem for us.

[guatemama1]

I'm 6 weeks in - first time mama, first time breast feeding - and have no intention of using a pump, well shucks I don't even have a pump, but sometimes I think about what women I know do and I wonder: Shouldn't I have a pump? Kinda like, Shouldn't I have a crib? Don't all babies use pacifiers? ...Basically stuff I thought was the norm until I started learning about birth and parenting for myself. I'm fortunate I get to work/study from home for the foreseeable future so no pumpin' here! :)

[sosurreal09]

Firstly don't plan it may not work! (it may set you up for failure)

Secondly, I have pumped maybe 10x in 2 years I have been nursing (so far) I had no need to pump as a SAHM. I do not leave my DD frequently and by the age I did feel comfortable leaving her with dad a few hours she didn't need expressed milk. So it is totally possible!

Of course I got the whole emergency freezer stash scare, and I tried to have a stash, but my breasts never took to the pump. I got a few oz sure, but it hurt and I later found out I had lipase issues and DD wouldn't take the milk anyway. If something had happened I told DH to call LLL and see if he could get donor milk, or if he really had to get formula (best organic one he could find). Heck I even told him if I am in a coma to just latch her on as long as I didn't have any bad meds LOL

[Honey693]

Originally Posted by Marissamom 

side note on solids: some babies are perfectly happy not having solids before a year, some really want solids by 6 months, be open to listening to your baby's cues. 

This.  My kid was grabbing food off my plate and screaming bloody murder when she saw me eating at 5 months.  I wanted to wait until 6, but she was ready and pissed about the lack of food before then so I listened to her.

And you don't have to pump if you never want to leave for more than an hour or so.  If your DH really wants you to pump so he can feed the baby and bond I'd suggest giving him something that's  his since bf-ing will be yours.  I have a friend who did nightly baths with his kid and that became the daddy thing in their house and another who does storytime before the bedtime nursing session.  I think most guys who want to feed their kids just want to make sure they'll be involved and have something they can help with.

[Daffodil]

With my first baby, I needed to pump for a short period when she was a newborn and having trouble latching on, and then it was really helpful to be able to pump some milk so DP could feed her sometimes while I caught up on sleep (or maybe went out for a walk or something.)  It would have been really hard to survive the early months if we hadn't had that option, because she nursed so frequently that otherwise I couldn't have been away from her (either out of the house or trying to sleep) for more than about 45 minutes.  Those nights when I was able to go to bed and sleep for a couple of extra hours while DP stayed up with her were livesavers for me.  I got more sleep when my second was a newborn, and he didn't need to nurse so often, so I never really needed to pump for him.  (Good thing, too, because we never could get him interested in taking a bottle.)

[indignantgirl]

I've never pumped in 10 years (so far) of breastfeeding my 4 babies, so it can absolutely be done!  My DH is very involved with every aspect of parenthood EXCEPT the milky part, so he never feels left out.   

I think a pump can save a breastfeeding relationship if there's a problem that can be addressed by pumping, but I've also known MANY people IRL who end up weaning completely because of problems caused by pumping.  I don't know that I would recommend it to somebody who doesn't need to (or even really WANT to), in case it ended up compromising the supply/demand relationship somehow.

[Honey693]

And don;t forget even if you don't want to pump to feed your kid or you end up with extra milk you can always pump and donate!