Does a SAHM need to pump? Trying to graduate to exclusive nursing.

[Zirconia]

I have a 5-month old DD.  We had a heckuva time establishing breastfeeding, and I pumped and bottle-fed after every feeding for the first three months.  It was hands down the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life!  Childbirth was nothing compared to that routine.  However, it finally paid off, and now we are enjoying the fruits of our labor - a very happy nursing relationship.  I am down to pumping twice a day - in the morning after nursing (because I have extra milk in the mornings), and in the evenings while DH gives her a bedtime bottle (I have less milk then, and it's their special time).  This helps me build a freezer stash, too.

However, pumping and its related chores probably still take up 1.5 hours of my day, and I'm completely exhausted, burned out, totally over it.  It's been five months!  I've been considering giving it up,  So far, I've only used my freezer stash once, when I had to travel for a couple of days (a one-time thing).  But after our initial challenges, I'm very nervous about giving up that bit of control, and the ability to SEE - and prove to myself every day - that I do have milk, and she's getting enough to eat.  It's hard to trust nature after months of measuring and logging every milliliter!

You other SAHMs out there - do you pump?  Do you have - or feel like you need - a stash of milk in your freezer?  Does it matter if supply is uneven over the course of the day?  Will it be OK if I just stop monitoring and nurse on demand?

Thanks!

[LilMomma83]

I'm a working mom right now, but, soon to be home....I did once get sick and have to be hospitalized and was too sick to pump so I was happy I had a stash. I have no stash anymore, and I plan to pump once a day in the morning to start building it back up...once I have about a week supply I will probably stop again.

[fruitfulmomma]

No, did not even own one until last kid was about 2. I might pump enough to have an emergency stash for this one but not regularly unless I decide to donate, still thinking about that one.

[eclipse]

If it's taking up that much time, I would drop it.

[Youngfrankenstein]

Congrats on getting where you are!  I would drop the pumping.  You've done your time.  You can always pump as needed if you decide you need bottle to leave for the sitter or something.

[jewel1288]

I also was forced to pump because my LO took weeks before a latch was perfected. I am so proud of you for sticking with breastfeeding. You're right, it's more work than labor! I pumped to keep my supply of while my LO was no consistently latching. Once we had established a great relationship, I stopped pumping. Not once have I needed a stash and my LO is now 17 months old. Of course, it's nice to know there is a stash, but if I had a stash, the milk would have gone to waste because I haven't needed it and I simply prefer to breastfeed rather than bottle feed. Your milk supply will change depending on how often and how much your little one nurses, which is the beauty of breastfeeding; it's supply and demand. So if your child nurses for a shorter period of time and consumes less milk during a specific time of day, then your body will adjust to that and will adjust in the same manner to make more milk when your child nurses for longer intervals. :) 

I completely relate to your fear of trusting that your child will be getting enough. Just keep an eye of the amounts of wets and dirty diapers and as long as there isn't a change in the frequency or the color of your LOs stool (i.e. mucus or blood) then you have nothing to worry about. :)

[jewel1288]

Oh and fenugreek is a great safe way to boost your supply, if necessary. Instead of pumping. :)

[Zirconia]

Thanks for the support!  I guess I was really just fishing for permission to stop pumping.  :)  I've been taking fenugreek, blessed thistle, and domperidone.  I'm in the middle of a 9-week wean off the domperidone with no noticeable effects.  If that goes well I may at least reduce the herbs (25 huge capsules a day isn't great fun either).  I really do think and hope our nursing problems are a thing of the past!  Once she finally learned how to transfer milk, I seem to have no problem with milk supply.

Maybe I'm also looking for justification, but it seems like the pumping is interfering with baby's needs.  Both morning nap and bedtime are often way too late because I'm pumping.  And I thought the nighttime bottle was responsible for her 6-hour stretch of sleep, but she recently gave that up in favor of 3-hour feeds.  So much for the tank-up theory!  But once pumping seemed to be inconvenient not just for me but for her, I started doubting its usefulness.

As for a milk stash, I'm VERY stingy with it, so I'm not sure why I'm working to build one.  While grandparents adore this baby and want so much to be helpful, their single favorite thing to do is to grab a bottle when I'm not looking!  They mean well, but it feels very unsupportive, especially considering our early struggles.  I feel like I'm herding cats sometimes where my family's concerned.  So after working so hard to breastfeed, I pretty much maintain strict drill-sergeant-level control over the milk stash!  :)

[gemasita]

I pumped the first 8 weeks of DS's life due to latch issues and low milk supply.  I pretty much quit pumping cold turkey at about 9-10 weeks (I did drop pumpings gradually during that time) and now have only pumped a handful of times since then and DS is 16 months old.  Pumping sucks so if you don't need to do it any more, then stop!  You can pump occasionally for a freezer stash but many SAHM's don't even do that and you don't NEED to have a freezer stash.  I was so glad to give up pumping.  Even now, when I do pump very occasionally, I either hand express or use a manual pump.

[MichelleZB]

My son did a little sleep regression around that age, too. It sucks.

But yes, I don't have a pump. If he needs to eat, I latch him on. It's a good system.

[Zirconia]

Update:  Well, we made an attempt at stopping the pumping and the bedtime bottle. I just started cluster feeding in late afternoon / early evening to build supply and tank her up.  And the experiment perfectly coincided with the mother of all sleep regressions!  I say "sleep regression" rather than "hunger" because she wasn't waking up to nurse, she was just waking UP.  And UP.  And UP.  Staring at the ceiling, babbling, giggling, whining, anything but nursing, and definitely anything but sleeping!  We couldn't take it!  Especially wondering if a full tummy might have curbed it a little.  (And, DH admitted that he really liked the bottle feed, it's their special snuggle time).  So...  back to the pump, back to the bedtime bottle.  She went back to her usual 2-3 night feeds with easy back-to-sleep.  I don't know if it's related or just a coincidence, but I can't handle two adjustments at once!  We'll try again later.  Thanks for all the support!

[gemasita]

Yeah, try again in a little while.  My son had a sleep regression at 4-5 months but we also stopped giving him bottles in the middle of the night.  So we went back to the bottles and that really seemed to help.  Once things evened out, we went back to just nursing at night.

Also, I think bottle feeding really helped my husband feel responsible for my son (I was NEVER someone who thought people should bottle feed so the husband can feel involved.  But we had to bottle feed in the beginning so it was a nice "consequence.").  Anyway, I feel like we have to actively look for ways for my husband to be responsible for our son now.  With me nursing him all night alone in our bed (DH sleeps on the couch) and doing all the feedings and being home alone with DS during the day, I think we both got complacent about DH caring for DS.  So now we are working on him doing bath time, etc.  The point is, yes, bottle feeding *can* be a nice way for dads to be involved when it's part of your life.