So – is it okay to just pump and not nurse? Yes. Exclusive pumping is a perfectly valid option for feeding your baby.
Exclusive breastfeeding is not for everyone.
The most common reason for exclusive pumping is when your baby is not latching as they should. Latching is how the baby fastens onto the breast while nursing. Your lactation expert may advise you to pump every few hours or as your schedule allows.
There is good news for moms who pump exclusively, moms who pump can make as much breast milk as those who exclusively breastfeed. The idea that breastfeeding is the only way to keep up a good supply is incorrect.
For starters, pumping means you can build a stash that allows your partner or a loved one to help with middle-of-the-night feeds. Exclusive pumping also means you're able to know exactly how much milk your baby is drinking — if you have a Type A personality like me, this feels super helpful.
This question comes up often as more breastfeeding moms are pumping and often times, exclusively pumping to produce breast milk. Another common related question that moms ask is does pumping burn as many calories as nursing? The answer to this helps answer the first question, which is a resounding Yes!
Everyone has a different goal. Some moms want to pump for three months, some for six months, some for a year or more. Personally, I exclusively pumped for 14 months. A comprehensive study of exclusive pumpers found that the approximate mean duration of pumping is 8.3 months.
Healthy infants who breastfeed effectively are often thought to be more efficient than the expression of milk either by hand or with an electric breast pump. Breastfed infants have been shown to remove 50% of the total volume of milk removed at a breastfeed in the first 2 min and 80% in 4 min [31].
Ultimately, if your baby has reached its birth weight and you're pumping enough milk during the day, it's okay to sleep eight hours without pumping at night. Keep in mind there is an adjustment period for your body as it begins to acclimate to the decrease in overnight milk removal.
Disadvantages include: Fewer immune system benefits. Using a breast pump is preferable to formula but may not be tailored to the baby's needs at the moment. It doesn't offer the same benefits to the baby's immune system as breastfeeding does.
For mothers, failure to breastfeed is associated with an increased incidence of premenopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer, retained gestational weight gain, type 2 diabetes, myocardial infarction, and the metabolic syndrome.
Breastfeeding, even just once a day, is worth it.
Your body is regulating your hormones and your endocrine system with stimulation.
Exclusive pumping can take twice as much time as nursing, because there are two steps – removing the milk from your breasts, and then feeding it to your baby. Nursing just has one step.
If you are past 12 weeks postpartum, your milk supply has most likely regulated and you can pump every 4 hours and still maintain your milk supply.
It can also come back if your baby starts sleeping through the night or if you start giving your child solid foods. Pumping or expressing breast milk by hand does not have the same effect on your body as breastfeeding does. If you choose to pump and bottle feed your baby, it will not hold off your period.
Yes, you can lose weight by pumping breast milk. Pumping milk burns calories in the same manner as nursing burns calories. There are calories in the milk itself, as well as calories burned by your body during the process of producing milk.
A breast pump can't be as effective as a baby.” And in this case, this is likely true! Many women don't seem to respond as well to a breast pump as they do to their baby nursing, so they have a higher nursing vs pumping output.
Lactation teas/herbal teas
Lactation teas generally contain herbs known to be galactagogues. Some of these teas have ginger, moringa, coconut milk/water, and Goat's rue and can be put into teas or drink mixes to aid in lactation.
Massage your breasts before you pump.
This causes a faster let-down and milk with more fat. Massaging your breasts near the end of the pumping session will ensure that you fully drain your breast of milk. It may also help you to make more milk, if you need to.
Sage, parsley, peppermint, and menthol have all been noted to decrease milk supply in breastfeeding people who consume large quantities of each. For this reason, these herbs are often used for weaning. (Note that peppermint contains high levels of menthol, which is a chemical found in various types of mint.)
The World Health Organization recommends that all babies be exclusively breastfed for 6 months, then gradually introduced to appropriate foods after 6 months while continuing to breastfeed for 2 years or beyond. Stopping breastfeeding is called weaning. It is up to you and your baby to decide when the time is right.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding (i.e. no other fluids or solids) for six months and then continued breastfeeding combined with solid foods for 2 years or as long as mother and baby desire. Read here about what breastfeeding provides at the different ages and stages of your baby's life.