Can you pump instead of breastfeeding

After about one month , you will need approximately three to four ounces every three to four hours, or about 24 to 32 ounces a day. By the time your baby is six months old , they will need about six to eight ounces every four to six hours, so approximately 36 to 48 ounces a day.

It's easier to overfeed your baby when you're bottle-feeding in place of breastfeeding. So be sure you're giving your child what they need every day and in each bottle. There's a simple formula you can use to calculate how much breast milk to put in a bottle: The child's weight in ounces, divided by 6, divided by the number of feedings per day. It can be tough to maintain a healthy milk supply when you're exclusively pumping.

It requires a good deal of dedication because you have to pump regularly and, if possible, during the night. To maintain and increase your supply. Since you will be spending so much time using your pump, consider buying or renting a high-quality breast pump designed for long-term, daily use. Whichever pump you choose, be sure it's comfortable and the pump shields fit you well to prevent pain and damage to your breast tissue. Frequent pumping stimulates the production of breast milk.

While your child is a newborn, try to pump every two to three hours. As your child grows, you can usually pump less often. However, if you're struggling with a low supply, pumping more often can help to increase it. There are many breastfeeding superfoods , herbs , and teas that you can add to your daily diet to support and promote lactation. You may find the transition back to work fairly easy, since you don't need to introduce a bottle to your baby or teach your body to accept a pumping schedule.

However, if you find that your production drops a bit from work stress, there are many ways to increase your breast milk supply. When it comes to the prevention of pregnancy, exclusive pumping is not the same as exclusive breastfeeding. The lactational amenorrhea method LAM of birth control may work during the first six months of exclusive breastfeeding, but it is not considered effective with pumping. Therefore, if you do not wish to become pregnant again right away, you and your partner should use another form of contraception.

Be sure to let your doctor know that you are exclusively pumping, though. Some types of birth control contain estrogen, which can cause a decrease in milk supply. Pumping your breast milk for your child can be rewarding, but it can also be time-consuming and demanding. Fatigue and stress can make you rethink your decision to pump, and both can decrease the supply of breast milk.

So it's important to take care of yourself. Try to eat well , drink plenty of fluids , get rest when you can, and relax with your feet up while you're pumping. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help from your partner , family, and friends.

A little support can make all the difference when it comes to how long you continue to pump for your child. Get it free when you sign up for our newsletter. Pump early, pump often: A continuous quality improvement project. J Perinat Educ. American Academy of Pediatrics.

Bottle feeding basics. Updated May 21, Which breast pump for which mother: An evidence-based approach to individualizing breast pump technology.

J Perinatol. Lactational amenorrhea method LAM. Updated May 19, Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. The use of galactogogues in the breastfeeding mother. Ann Pharmacother. Elsevier Health Sciences, Riordan J, Wambach K. This helps by double bagging and keeping them grouped. Also, whenever I want to get a bag, I can just dig through gallon size bags instead of tons of little bags floating around! It is perfectly safe to put the lansinoh on before pumping and still use the milk.

Putting it on before and after pumping really helps to keep you from getting too sore. Purelan is also good and cheaper. You can also rub Olive Oil on the horns and inside the nipple chamber to reduce friction. Olive Oil is antibacterial so it is helpful. This is also safe to use and pump milk with. There are times when I seem to get sorer than other times with no real explanation.

But, it then goes away as quickly as it came! Who knows! Once I went hands free and had to do those early morning feedings by myself, I would sit on the floor and prop my baby up in her boppy pillow on the floor. I would get hooked up to the pump and start it and pump while I fed her. About the time she was done eating, I was done pumping and I would put her back in bed and go to sleep myself.

This will cut down on your time tremendously! The bouncy seat is my best friend! I would put her in the bouncy seat and bounce it with my foot while surfing the net and pumping. It made time fly by and she was content. You may find other solutions if you have older children, or extra help. You may not need a lot of tricks for this one depending on the age of the child, or children. Some tricks other moms had mentioned to keep their other child entertained and kind of reward them would be to go shopping and let your child pick out a special toy or video that she really wants.

Then when ever it comes time for you to pump, she can play with it. But, she ONLY gets to play with it when you pump. This helps to make pumping time special for her as well and can help prevent any resentment she might begin to feel.

Excessive caffeine may cause problems like keeping the baby wired! More on caffeine here. Medications that have Sudafed pseudoephedrine HCl in them can affect milk supply!

Be careful! Regular birth control pills will impact milk supply, and some women even have a problem with the mini pill. However, you may find you get hot flashes and things like that. This suppresses ovulation and allows you to make milk. I thought I was going crazy until I learned this! Sometimes if you get your period back while pumping, it can decrease your supply.

Around 3 months your supply will probably be established. This is when you can begin to drop the number of times per day that you pump and not see too much of a decrease in total output this is again, where the spreadsheet comes in handy. Of course, this is all dependent on how each woman produces milk. So, you may have such a great supply and so much frozen that you can drop pumps earlier. I began dropping pumps at 10 weeks and by 3 months I was down to 4 pumps per day! I lost a little with each drop but am currently at 50 ounces per day.

You will have to decide for yourself. This is also dependent on the woman. I pump about minutes per pump now on 4 times because I get another let down at about 36 minutes into it! If you try to view this as positively as possible, I think you will have a better outcome. You should do whatever makes you comfortable. I am after all! Mostly though, I do all I can to educate. On my online group, there are women who have been pumping for a year or longer! You have to do whatever is right for your entire family.

Pumping is hard and can take its toll on you. There is no right or wrong when it comes to how you feed your baby! Exclusively feeding at the breast, however, does not impose any financial costs.

Breastfeeding can save a significant amount of money, depending on the local price of formula. Breastfeeding is also more convenient, as it requires no preparation. A baby or child can feed on the breast anywhere without the need for an adult to pack bottles, find clean water, or heat formula. A study found that breastfeeding a baby or infant up to 12 months old may help relieve the pain of it receiving vaccinations. Again, feeding at the breast offers a chance to soothe the baby without the need to spend money or pack supplies.

Breastfeeding puts a woman and the baby in close skin-to-skin contact. Numerous studies have shown that newborn babies have a strong physiological need to be in close contact with a caregiver.

Physiological contact may even offer lifesaving benefits for newborns. A review of accepted practice shows that skin-to-skin contact following birth can reduce the risk of hypothermia , reduce stress , and may help babies sleep. Breastfeeding a baby encourages this close contact. Babies who feed exclusively on pumped milk do not get the benefit of a feedback loop between their body and the breast milk. However, they do still gain access to a well-designed food that is rich in healthful fats and antibodies.

By pumping milk, caregivers can control the timing of feedings. They can decide on a schedule that works for them and pump when necessary based on that schedule. Controlling the timing of feedings can facilitate a return to work and potentially free up more time. It may be easier for people to split caregiving duties if they choose pumping over breastfeeding. When only one person breastfeeds, that individual must handle the many feeds a baby demands, often including several nighttime wakings.

Sharing the feeding may promote a positive balance of childcare duties. The ability to share feeding may also offer some convenience and help the person who is breastfeeding feel more rested. This ability to share feedings can be especially beneficial in the immediate postpartum period, when caregivers may be exhausted and recovering from childbirth.

If possible, parents and caregivers should not introduce a bottle until breastfeeding is well established. Pumping breast milk is one way to address breast milk supply issues. Some people choose to pump after each breastfeeding session to increase their supply.

Pumping can also help build a freezer stash of milk if a person is concerned about low supply. Pumping allows the caregivers to have a break while they are coping with months, or even years, of sleep deprivation. Recovering from childbirth can be also be challenging, as can managing the time demands of caring for a baby or infant. Pumping and storing breast milk can allow caregivers to go out for a few hours, go on a date night, or even go on vacation while still leaving behind enough food for their baby.

If a person is working then pumping their breast milk allows those who are caring for the baby to offer them the same healthful breast milk. Biological parents are not the only people who can supply breast milk. Some babies receive breast milk from donors.