Why do you need breast pumps?

Question

Why if you breast feed do you need to pump breast milk?? This is my first pregnancy and I don't have any girlfriends that have had baby's. So I haven't talked to any other women about this. I plan to breast feed and would like to know a little about it from experienced mums!!!! Thanks! :)

Answer 1

There may be times that you will not be able to feed the baby and if you do not pump your breasts will be swollen with milk and painful. It will be more for you then the baby. Also if you pump you can store the milk for times that you may want to go out and have someone feed the milk to the baby.
My wife has breastfed both of our babies and pumped with both of them. That is how I know a little bit about this.
I hope the helps.

Answer 2

First of all Thumbs up to you. Breastfeeding is the best gift you can give to your child. If you are going to be a stay at home mother you will not really need to pump much. If you are going back to work after the baby is born you will need to pump so the baby will be able to feed while away from you. I used my pump 2 time is the 16 months that I breast fed. You do not need a pump to pump off milk if you become engorged. Your breast pruduces milk on a supply and demand type basis. The more you pump the more milk you will produce and the more engorged you will become. Nature designed us this way because as the child grows the more milk will be needed so basically your child controlls your milk production. A pump interfears with your childs control. Good Luck

Answer 3

Some people pump when they are going out and leaving the little one in the care of others.
Sometimes the little one doesn't latch on at first and you have to pump milk and feed them in other means.
When you first start lactating, some women produce more milk then needed, so you can store it in the freezer to use at a later date.
I bought a breast pump but never ended up using it because
1) I was only producing enough milk to feed my baby and not much after
2) I was afraid that my baby would have nipple confusion and become attached to the bottle instead of breast feeding (the opposite happened though and my daughter refuses the bottle)

I wished I had used the pump more in the beginning, but what's important is my daughter is healthy and happy!

Answer 4

If you want your baby to be fed breast milk but you can't nurse due to different circumstances - you work, it's easier to bottle feed, etc. A lot of women pump and then freeze the milk so there's always a ready supply of milk for the baby. Some babies refuse to nurse but the mom still want the baby to get the benefit of breast milk, so they pump and bottle feed. When babies are born premature, the mom still wants the baby to nurse when they get out of the hospital so they have to pump to keep their milk supply (or they can pump and provide the milk to the hospital to feed to the baby in a bottle - if this is allowed and the baby isn't on a special diet). There are a number of different reasons for using a breast pump.

Answer 5

Every person is different. If you plan to return to work you will need to pump your breastmilk if you wish to continue breast feeding after you return to work. Sometimes you may be posed with a situation where you will not be able to breastfeed when your baby needs to eat and if that happens frequently, your breast milk supply may drop. There are several factors that play into why or even why not to use a breast pump. Take a look at what you plan to do after the baby is born and use those factors to decide if breast pumping is going to work for you. I had to pump all my breast milk and mix a high calorie preemie formula in it instead of mixing her formula with water. That way she was getting twice as many calories at each feeding.

PS... Some insurance companies will even pay for a breast pump or a rental breast pump from your local hospital if you need to use one. Mine did!

Good luck in your adventures with your baby and breastfeeding.

Answer 6

I decided to breast feed my daughter while i was pregnant. I bought a breast pump in case i had a hard time breat feeding her. I didnt have a problem breasting her but i wanted to know how many ounces she was drinking at each feeding. That is when i started pumping. I pumped and fed it to her in a bottle for 3 months. Also that way she was still getting my milk but other people could feed her.And if i was out in public i didnt have to worry about nursing.

Answer 7

I haven't any children myself but my friends found them very handy when you had to go out and wanted to keep feeding baby the same diet that you would be providing. You can express your milk, store it in the fridge and voila, daddy or anyone else can give the baby a bottle of what's best.
Too if you take a drink you can cycle out milk that may have been affected by the alcohol. You can also express milk if you are an abundant producer too and prevent engorgement.
You should ask a nurse or a midwife for more information.
Congratulations

Answer 8

You need breast pumps if you are a working mom and you can't breast feed your baby all the time.

Answer 9

Its good to have a breast pump handy bc even tho ur infant is sleeping ur still producing milk and you dont want ur breasts to become engorged with milk... bc that is VERY painful... and plus say you want an hour or so to urself and ur breast feeding if you pump and leave some with a babysitter he always has food and you have very little to worry about... make sure to keep your self pumping and keep your nipples clean... you dont want to come down with mastitis... that is the most PAINFUL thing i ever went thru....

Answer 10

my sis in law had to start pumping her milk before my nephew was born because she was producing so much milk. pumping your breast helps out alot with feeding time and everything. i've moms' who have gone thru alot of pumps in just one pregnancy.