Breast Pumping No Breast Feeding...?

Question

Hello. I am pregnant and looking for info on breast feeding and pumps. I dont not wish to breast feed I just want to pump my breast milk and feed the baby threw a bottle. I know they will make me breast feed at the hospital but can I pump right away after the hospital? I want my baby to have my breast milk but I dont want my baby sucking on my chest for personal reasons. Can anyone help me find info on how to do this? I went to www.mybirthcare.com/isis_instructions.asp and found the breast pump and how to use it but how soon can I use it when the hospital will make me breast feed? Id rather not hear stories on how it forms a bond to breast feed no offence I have my mind made up about that. Thank you so much for you help

Answer 1

Breastfeeding is a very personal choice, and I congratulate you for at least wanting to give the baby breast milk and not jump right into formula.
It generally takes about 3-5 days for your actual milk to come in, before this you will be producing colostrum, this is full of all the antibodies and nutrients that your baby will need to have a good start at life...once your milk comes in you will feel your breasts turning into hard and sometimes painfull basketballs! this is when you can probably start expressing without to much effort...if the breast is to full it may be easier to express a little by hand at first before using the pump, just to relieve a little of the pressure...make sure you alternate breasts when expressing and dont be to worried if at first you cannot express a huge amount...the more you express the more milk you will produce, the supply will meet the demand...it is helpfull to have you baby in sight when expressing as this helps your milk to drop, when it does drop you will probably feel a tingling sensation in your breasts...I think the most important thing when expressing is to relax, if you are not in a comphy position or if your not totally relaxed your milk simply wont drop...

But as to the question of when to express...once your milk come in at 3-5 days you should have no problems.
Hope this helps

Answer 2

You can use the pump from the moment you set foot back home again from the hospital. Mind you, the pump is not as efficient at the job as the baby will be- and can leave you much more sore. You will need to pump several times per day, and it's not as easy as just sticking the thing on. Let down reflex is tied in with baby, and if you don't let down, the pump hurts! You also will run into problems guessing how much baby will need to eat. If you don't pump enough, you won't make enough. If you pump too much then you will be that much fuller the next time. It's a supply and demand system, you produce according to what baby takes. Make sure you can keep everything nice and sterile as well, and a system for keeping the milk in waiting cold. You will need to have the bags for storage made especially for the bottle you use, or more bottles to fit the pump. If you feel that strongly about it, it might just work, but I'll tell you now, it would be easier to just give formula than try to juggle the pump. You still have to contend with the leakage problem if you get overfull and stuck without the pump, or if you auto let down when baby cries. And by the way, it doesn't have to be your baby crying to trigger it. So along with your pump, you will still need to wear a nursing bra and have pads to absorb the oops. Also, while you may not want the baby to nurse, the baby may reject a bottle if it learns to nurse in the hospital. Be prepared with a good selection of nipples to offer if that happens. Sometimes an orthopedic silicone nipple will be more acceptable than an old rubber one. In theory you should be able to pull it off, although I have to admit I've never met anyone who did it sucessfully. So you might have to just settle for formula if you are that adamant about avoiding nursing.

Answer 3

The main benefit of breastfeeding is that it reduces hemorrhages and makes your uterus return to its normal, pre-pregnancy size much more quickly.You are the mother of this child, and your personal preferences should always be respected and honored. May I gently suggest that you give breastfeeding a try, however? I would have given an arm and a leg to have had enough milk to breastfeed my child exclusively because of the health benefits that you surely know of already. And you may find that putting you baby to your breast after a sleep deprived night makes a whole lot more sense rather than stumbling out of bed to get the pump and scramble for another bottle or make a mess with the formula while you hungry child is crying the whole while!Has the shape of my breasts changed? Not substantially after 6 months of breastfeeding. You can do both natural breastfeeding and pumping and bottle, but here is a warning: babies get used to bottles very easily, because there is less effort involved. This is unfortunate, because the skill and coordination involved for breastfeeding is actually good for your baby. If in spite of this, you still decide you want to pump, no one will judge you. You will still have a chance to develop a warm, caring relationship with that precious human being. Good luck!

Answer 4

I used an Avent manual pump, it didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would and the bottles are better for switching between breast feeding and bottle. Anyway, if you don't want to breastfeed, I'd take a pump to the hospital with you and start right after you give birth. The hospital supplimented my first child while I was in the hospital. So I can't see them giving you a hard time with wanting to pump right away. They say even if you only give your child the colostrum you've given them your best. My children only breast feed for like three months. They would rather have had the formula.

Answer 5

My son was born 3 weeks prem and wouldn't suck me or a bottle so he was tube fed for the first few days, I was put on a pump within 24hours of giving birth. They fed him my milk, which for the first few days is called colostrum like has already been said in some answers. There's a lot of good advice here and I think you and you baby will be fine. Good luck.

Answer 6

Hey at least the babe will get something!

i am sorry you feel you cannot put the baby to your breast. Perhaps you will look into her helpless little face and change your mind?

I have freinds who's babies have refused to latch that have been pumping for months. Their babies don't get all the benefit of the reciprocal antibodies that direct contact creates and the milk doesn't change to meet the needs of the infant as readily, but it still is way better than formula.

The most important thigs are to pump at least every 2 hours for the first few months because demand creates supply. Also be sure to bottle nurse your baby, hold her close and in the same position that you would normally nurse in, make eye contact and have skin to skin contact at times.

There are yahoo groups for EPers (exclusive pumpers.) Good luck!

Answer 7

I just wanted to say there is no hospital in the world that will force you to breast feed. Trust me, you don't have to worry about that.

Answer 8

I went out to buy a breastpump the next day. i couldn't handle my little girl sucking on me. it hurt to much. so i used the breast pump.

Answer 9

i said feeding .
and give me 10.
good luck