Should I buy a pump if I plan to EBF?

[Kynid]

I am having a hard time deciding if I should buy a breast pump for when I have my new baby in April.

Back story- My son, who will be 5 when this baby is born, was breast fed, but stopped at only 5 months because my supply dried up almost instantly when there was a multiple extremely stressful situations within a week. I tried really hard to stick it out, but then he started losing weight, I gave him one bottle, and that was the beginning of the end. He just completely refused me after that, and in all honesty, I started resenting him for no longer wanting to nurse- something that was sooo important to me. Literally NO ONE I knew at the time had breast fed or really supported me, even my son's ped. It was horrible.  In a desperate last attempt I bought a used pump in style on ebay and used that to try to at least give him EBM. I would sit there, pumping every hour, and just cry as I got maybe an oz if I was lucky. I stopped after about a month because it was making me more resentful towards my son that he wouldn't try and that I was getting so little. He happily drank formula and thrived on it. I want to mention though that in the beginning I had a HUGE supply and would get 12+oz extra after each feeding with a hand pump that had been given to me at the hospital. I know I was making my oversupply worse, but I started donating so I kept at it. One thing I always regretted was not saving that milk.

My fear is that somehow this will happen again this time, and so I need to stock up from the beginning. But then part of me wonders if I am setting myself up for failure by getting a pump before I know I need one. I will be a SAHM during the summer, but then will be back in college in the fall. So do you ladies think I should spend the $200+ dollars (a lot for us) on the pump, just use a $30 pump to start a stock pile from the beginning, or not use a pump at all and hope for the best?

Thank you in advance for your replies. 

[lauren]

I wanted to mention that you should first check with your insurance company, as many of them now cover breast pumps as long as you signed up for their prenatal program while  you were still pregnant (sometimes called Better Beginnings or something along those lines depending on the insurance co.). The insurances now know that breastmilk is the optimal food for babies and that it saves them health care costs down the road, so even if they don't advertise it, I would call the company and ask if they will reimburse you.

It sounds like a pretty extraordinary situation with your first child and I would guess that it is unlikely to repeat itself in that way. That said, if you plan to be away from your baby for school or work, you will likely want to pump if it is for more than 2-3 hours. I always found that pumping went best when I was away from my baby, since there would be accumulation that wasn't getting used!
 

I wouldn't keep thinking about the milk you didn't save. Five year old breastmilk wouldn't be able to be used now anyway.

Try to relax and enjoy the present moment, and trust that things will unfold in the right way for this baby.

[skycheattraffic]

I agree with pp. If you will be away from baby for hours at a time then getting a good pump will be important. With bottles, it's easy to accidentally have baby develop a preference. Kellymom has great info on how to bottle feed the BF baby to preserve the BFing relationship:
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/
Also there is info on pumping:
http://kellymom.com/category/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/

It's important to know that breastfed babies need smaller, more frequent bottles and on average need about an ounce an hour of EBM while away from mom. Many DCPs give large bottles that baby seems to gulp down (bottle is much easier to get milk out of than breast) and they don't recognize baby's need for comfort sucking. This results in mom not being able to pump enough milk to meet what baby's demand is perceived to be and baby preferring the fast, easy flow of the bottle. I had to pump for 10 weeks for DD since she wouldn't latch at birth and it was tough! She drank 32 to 38 oz a day and I just couldn't keep up. Once I started using paced feeding and introduced the paci to meet her sucking needs, she was down to 24 to 28 oz without any crying and growing beautifully. Now she's 18 months, still nursing lots and hasn't had a bottle in almost a year. I would share the kellymom info with the DCP to make sure baby is fed in a way consistent with continued nursing. When I read you could pump about an ounce an hour with your older child, that's an average supply! He probably got used to fast flow from oversupply and then the bottle and when your production slowed to average, he wasn't interested. I'm sorry things didn't work out with nursing your oldest, but with some careful planning, it can be completely different with your new arrival. Good luck! HTH

[skycheattraffic]

Forgot to mention:
The pumps my LC recommended were:
Ameda purely yours
and
Medela pump in style.
Many moms also have good results with Medela freestyle.
My LC steered me away from other brands since they are not as well made and have been know to cause nipple trauma.

FWIW I have an Ameda PY and have not had any problems with it despite 2.5 months of pumping 24-7 and another month of pumping several times a day.

[cheryllynn]

Hi - I am EBF and this is my second baby.  I liked having a pump so that I can pump and store extra breast milk.  I use the extra breast milk in bottles during specific occasions, like church, funerals, etc...  Also, for some reason now that by baby is three months old, he is consuming a lot less than before, so I am able to pump extra especially in the morning.  I think that he is working up to sleeping through the night.  He nurses only once or twice during the night and only one side.  My breasts are so full in the morning, I am glad I have a pump.  I also returned to work, so pumping is necessary.  With my first, my milk started decreasing at month 7 and gone by month 9.  I was really glad to have a deep freeze full of extra breast milk.  That lasted another two months and with donor milk, my daughter had breast milk until she was 13 months old.  If I were you, maybe check into cheaper pumps, or hand held pump instead of the $250 models. 

[Kynid]

Thank you all for your replies. I wanted to clarify that I meant that I was sad that I had donated my milk when my son was a NB because then I didn't have it when he was 5 months and I lost my supply. 

I called my WIC office and they will give me a Pump in Style for free with proof that I will be returning to school! I had no idea that they would do that! I had received that free hand pump when I was in the hospital, but didn't know you could get a double electric. That will be such an amazing help to us. Thank you all SO much, I would have never known about this without posting here. 

[lauren]

Originally Posted by Kynid 

Thank you all for your replies. I wanted to clarify that I meant that I was sad that I had donated my milk when my son was a NB because then I didn't have it when he was 5 months and I lost my supply. 

I called my WIC office and they will give me a Pump in Style for free with proof that I will be returning to school! I had no idea that they would do that! I had received that free hand pump when I was in the hospital, but didn't know you could get a double electric. That will be such an amazing help to us. Thank you all SO much, I would have never known about this without posting here. 

THat is so great!!!  I used a Pump in Style after baby #3 and it was absolutely a terrific pump. Very efficient and I usually could pump about 7 oz. in a sitting, sometimes even getting work done at the same time (hands free).

[foreverinbluejeans]

I think you are right in questioning the wisdom in getting a pump. I discourage SAHM from getting a pump. It sounds to me like there is a big psychological component going on with your supply and your breastfeeding relationship. I would encourage you to just breastfeed and not pump at all until you have to be away from your baby. Fresh milk tastes best, is best for the baby, and is the easiest to handle. If you are only away 4 or fewer hours you may not have to leave milk at all - the best situation. If you do have to leave milk the most a breastfed baby should be given at a time by bottle is 4 oz. You may be able to get that by hand expression or with a simple hand pump. Congrats on your new baby!