Bfeeding vs. 'pumping'???

Question

My baby is 6 mo old and my nipples are getting sore..... I am just curious if mothers sometimes (or soley) pump and then feed the baby from bottle or sippy cup?? Or any other suggestions?

also, at what age did your baby start drinking from a sippy cup or hold bottle independently???

Answer 1

At six months you could start your baby with the sippy cup. However, if your milk is abundant at six months then its best to continue breastfeeding. Using the pump will just make your milk let down weak and you'll just soon dry up. The pump can never replicate the suction strength of the baby. That's why if you want to continue feeding your baby with breastmilk the best is not to stop breastfeeding. Plus breastfeeding gives you more bonding time with your baby which is beneficial for your baby's security needs.

Good day!

Answer 2

I wouldn't suggest sippy yet. Probably at 9 months, when you can start giving a little juice here and there.

Why are your nipples sore? A pump isn't really going to help that, much. I would suggest breast shields. You can get them at Target, Wal-Mart, etc. until your nipples heal a little. You should also look for thrush inside baby's mouth, bc you might be getting a little of that.

I know several people that have pumped from the beginning, giving baby a bottle. It is difficult as you have to keep up with baby's demand, and sometimes a pump cannot handle that. If you so choose to do that, I would recommend investing in a great double electric pump (like the Medela Pump in Style) or renting a hospital grade double electric. A manual pump or a cheap pump from a department store are not going to be strong enough to maintain your milk supply.

If you want breastfeeding support that is really good, you can get an account at http://community.pregnancyweekly.com .
Under "PW Community" there is a breastfeeding board. And pretty much any other board to satisfy your curiosity. These boards move fairly quickly and have some lactation consultants on hand a lot of the time.

Answer 3

I don't make enough milk to completely feed my baby, so we had to do supplemental bottles, and now she won't nurse - she's a barracuda, and GOD FORBID the milk doesn't immediately start flowing when a nipple is in her mouth. :-p So, I pump. She (3mo1wk) hasn't nursed at ALL in over a month, and she hasn't nursed anywhere near regularly in over two months.
I pump every 2-3 hours, but I've been in situations where I didn't really plan ahead well and had to go more than that w/o pumping. I have a Lansinoh electric pump. It can also run on batteries, and I really like it. It's very easy to clean, comes apart and goes together easily, and comes with replacements of the parts most likely to wear out (which they haven't yet). It was 150 dollars at Target. There are, I believe, about 6 speed and suction setting (two separate knobs for each), so you can sort of "customize" the pumping. It doesn't come with a carrying bag, but I just toss the "motor" part and cord into the diaper bag, and put the rest of the parts in a gallon zip lock to take with me when we (baby and I) go to work. I've also used it solely on batteries when my husband and I went to see his parents and I pumped in the car. I've liked it so far, but I don't really have anything to compare it to.
And, my baby is too young right now to drink from the sippy cup alone, but she sometimes "holds" her bottle when it gets down low (I don't really expect her to hold it independently for a few more weeks, esp. not if it's full).
PS...my supply hasn't dropped from what it was the first day; it's actually increased, but maybe that's because I pump so often, even though baby isn't eating that often now that she's older.

Answer 4

I only pumped when my son was needing a feed and I wasn't around. If your nipples are sore, the pump won't help with that, it might actually agitate it. My guess is if you've been bf for this long (congrats) it probably isn't a latching problem, I'm going through the same thing right now and he's 8 months. And he's got some thrush in his mouth, so I've been putting Canesten yeast infection/itch cream to control it on my end. It's not harmful for baby either. If you don't want to stop breastfeeding, consult a lactation consultant who can help you pin point the reason for the sore nipples. If it's not thrush, use some Lansinoh or Purelan cream to make them feel better. Baby might also be sucking a bit harder to increase the milk flow. I think you've got quite a few good reasons listed from everyone else as well.

Answer 5

My baby was Jaundice when he was born so he had to eat EVERY two hours to help get the excess bilirubin out of his system. I would nurse him and then give him the bottle, but after 5 days he would no longer nurse so I started pumping. I pumped until he was 7 weeks old. I did not have enough milk (my bra size never changed during pregnacy or after,when I qiut nursing I just stopped with no swelling or engorgement)
He started drinking out of a sippy cup when he was 5 months old. I found one that had a soft top that felt more like a nipple and had handles on the side for him to hold on to (Nuby, by Parents Choice from Walmart) By the time he was 6 months old he would hold it by himself, and then we graduated him to the sippy cup with the straw in it . It is still leak proof and also better for babys developing teeth.

Answer 6

6 monthes is a good age for the sippy cup. I have started s cup with my 4 month old because he will not take a bottle and somethimes I do have to leave the house wihtout him. He can not hold it yet however but around 7 or 8 months they will be able to. The only time I pumped was with my middle child and it was on a few occasions when I was having a night out with my hubby.

Answer 7

I did express milk with a pump and had my babies drink it from a sippy cup, but that was only when I had to be away for a feeding and as a means of getting them used to the cup in the beginning. The trouble with expressing is that you are never as efficient as the baby, and it will decrease your supply over time. You need to address the causes of your soreness, if you are going to continue to breastfeed, though. It could be that you are not getting the saliva cleaned off enough after baby feeds, or that the baby is not latching on properly. If the baby is getting teeth and it is making the gums sore, sometimes they don't latch on right and you will end up sore. The little nippers just in with those razor edges can make things rather uncomfortable as well. If you need to give yourself a break from a feed, the sippy cup idea is okay. But you really need to heal and eliminate the reason for being sore. I used to wash with a bit of cocoa butter based soap and water, then I used Vitamin E oil. If you are really sore or the skin is cracking, it really helps with the healing. So does a bit of air and sunlight, though that one can be a bit tricky to arrange. If you can, leave the "doors" of your nursing bra open under your shirt to get some air flow after you put on the Vit. E oil. You don't have to wipe off the oil before the next feed, either. Most of it will be absorbed before then, and what is left acts as a barrier to the saliva for a bit of skin protection. It won't hurt the baby either. This are all the recommendations I got with my first, from the Breastfeeding nurse at the hospital. I used them with all of mine, and it really did help. If you don't take care, you can end up with mastitis, which is an infection in one of the ducts, and that is really painful. It also usually puts an end to nursing at all. So take care of the soreness as soon as you can.
I also discovered that if the baby gets used to a sippy cup, you don't really have to use bottles at all. That eliminates the need to have to break them of the bottle later. They sell the non-drip sippy cups all over, and they work great! Ours usually held on to the cups at around 5 months, with help of course. By around 6 months or so they could hold one that wasn't all full. It takes until they are able to really sit up well before they seem to have enough strength in their arms and control of their hands to hold a full cup.

Answer 8

I have a 4 1/2 month old, and I nurse her and pump...I've been switching it up and doing both since she was a week old...I have never had any problems with nipple confusion or anything, but when she nurses directly on breast it helps me to make more milk....if u constantly pump it kind of lessens ur milk supply cause u need the stimulation from ur babies tounge to keep producing a lot of milk.

Answer 9

my baby never would latch on very good, so I always pumped. bottle or sippy cup would be good, where ever your baby is in her milestones!! My baby doesn't "get" the tipping of the cup yet. at 11 months

Answer 10

i breast feed for a year. then i gave the baby milk cows milk from a sippy he never had a bottle . you can try pumping now and giving the baby a nurser bottle. if he takes it fine then continue that way. every baby if different.