I don't want to breastfeed but I would like to just pump. Can I do so w/o having to get up at night & pump?

Answer 1

You are going to reduce your supply if your baby is very young. If your baby is older it won't be a problem. Also, make sure that you have a good pump, sometimes women have to try different ones to find one that works the best. If you discontinue breastfeeding altogether and just want to give her breastmilk, you will need to pump just as often as the baby nurses or you will find your supply goes away very fast. It's so much easier just to breastfeed.

Answer 2

You might be able to, but it is likely that you will have to get up every 3 hours around the clock to pump for at least the first month. You will need to have your breasts stimulated 10 times per day until your supply is established. If you sleep through the night this is EVERY two hours during the day.

You want to very seriously consider this decision - it is better than formula but it is more difficult than it seems. Pumping has definately made me feel bery proud of providing for my babies and they have positively thrived even when the rest of the house was sick. However, I would not recommend exclusive pumping unless you have a really compelling reason for not breastfeeding directly. I have been exclusively pumping for 4 months now and it is very inconvenient. I can't just take my children to a mall or out for the day and feed on the go like I could if they took the milk directly from me. Instead I have to be home or closet myself in the hot car at least every three hours. It also may sound like a little thing, but cleaning all the pumps and bottles can be very tiring in the first couple weeks.

I gave up breastfeeding directly at two weeks, because it was too hard for me with my twins. I was always breastfeeding at the time, but now I wish I had stuck it out through the hard part. Know that it is possible to change your mind later as long as you keep your supply, one of my babies now breastfeeds and one refused.

I have included some links that can help you make your decisions:

Answer 3

Speaking as someone who has been forced to do the pumping for various reasons I can tell you IT SUCKS! Yes you have to pump at night. You will want to pump at night since you won't be able to sleep until you empty yourself out. The first time you run out of the house for just a half hour, leave the pump at home and get stuck out for over 4 hours you will curse everything in your life! Hand expressing milk over a sink is not fun, neither are the hormone surges that come with it when you are late pumping. I turn into a basket case of tears if I can't pump when I need to.

I have a manual and an electric pump. I feel like I am always washing/sterilizing the dang pumps. Plus while you can breastfeed a child anywhere you like, you can't pump in the middle of the mall or at a restaurant!

I really, really wish breastfeeding had worked for us. I'm still trying to get him to latch better but no luck even after 5 weeks. He uses my boobs as a pacifier to put himself to sleep, comfort himself. My milk supply is such that I am down to maybe every 3rd feeding might be some breastmilk. My schedule got thrown for a loop (try pumping while camping!) and where I used to get from 2-4 ounces at each session (every 3-4 hours) I know get maybe half an ounce to an ounce when I pump (both boobs combined). I'm hoping now that I am home and back on a schedule it will increase again.

So you need to make sure you have the time to pump (which means having someone to watch the baby while you pump because baby will fuss while you pump. They can smell the breastmilk and they want it! Plus they don't always sleep when you want them too!). However if I were you and there were no physical reasons (such as latching and poor production) I would breastfeed.

Oh, and you will need more baby bottles than you think plus the time to wash them (when you aren't pumping, taking care of baby, trying to sleep or get something done). Good luck, hope you do better with the pumping than I did!

Answer 4

I agree with the other posters. If you don't pump at night, you won't have enough milk and you'll have to supplement with formula. Eventually, you won't be able to pump much at all. :(

When you pump, you have to get up and get the bottle from the last pumping session. You can leave fresh milk sit out, so it's already the right temperature. You feed it to baby, then you may or may not have to get up and prepare some formula. You burp baby and put him back to sleep (or hand him off to someone else). Then, you set your pump up, pump for 15-20 minutes, prepare the next bottle, wash your pump parts and hop back into bed. Formula is just as much of a hassle. More if you consider that formula often causes pain.

When you breastfeed, you get up, bring baby into bed with you, plug her in and drift off. When she bugs you, switch sides. You either take baby back to the crib in a little while or you all go to sleep. Easy.

Whatever your concern with actual breastfeeding is, you can address it at a La Leche League meeting or another breastfeeding support meeting. Seeing a baby nurse will normalize it for you. I would love for you to see how easy and cool breastfeeding is. Yes, it's hard in the beginning, but after you get through those first few weeks, it's so easy! Seriously, I can't imagine why anyone would choose bottlefeeding--I'm too lazy for all that mess.

Answer 5

Take it from me who solely pumped with success for 10 months. I stopped only because I felt that it was time to stop. I hate to tell you that the not pumping through the night will only occur after you have your milk supply up so much that you have your freezer full of the extra milk. At the beginning when my son woke in the night my husband would feed him the bottle and I would pump. I only ever not pumped through the night about 7-8 hours...engorgement and mastitis develops if you dont empty out. Pumping is extremely difficult and time consuming however since my son refused to latch on and I really knew that I wanted him to have breast milk that's why I chose to pump for him from the beginning.

Answer 6

You need to pump as often as you breastfeed your baby. It really doesn't take that long, and you can pump both breasts at the same time. You can skip the night if you really want to, but I imagine your breasts will be very sore and very full if not leaking in the morning.

Answer 7

Probably not. Most mothers that exclusively pump have to get up and pump during the night or else they do not make enough milk.

My friend had to get up every 3 hours even though her son slept through the night starting at 8 weeks. Even then she had trouble making enough milk.

It is far, far easier to breastfeed directly. It is easier to make enough milk, and it takes less time to get your breast out than to heat a bottle.

Answer 8

I say to pump in the day and at night just feed the boob, It will be a lot better cause you won't be waisting the time in pumping and your boobs won't hurt as much in the morning from not pumping. I think if you pump at night, why waist the time and just feed the boob; save you time and sleep or your boobies are going to get really hard and hurt a lot.

Answer 9

i've heard it is definately harder to keep your supply up when you're only pumping. i breastfed my son - honestly i didnt want to because i thought it was weird and awkward, but somehow after the initial shock of someone on my boob other than my hubby, it went very smoothly for us. now at eight and a half months (eek!) i breast feed only at night and the couple times he might wake up until morning. i dont particularly get engorged during the day until evening rolls around. i dont know how that would work in the beginning though. we definately had an established supply before we developed a schedule! it's true though, that it's nice and easy to whip out a boob in the middle of the night. i dont let the our son wake up completely before i feed him and he goes riiiiiight back to sleep. if i wated the few minutes it would take to heat a bottle he would be wide awake im sure. even if you're planning on returning to work and pumping during the day you might just attempt to breastfeed when you can. congrats and good luck!!

Answer 10

Why not breastfeed at night and pump during the day? Its soooo much easier to whip out a boob than to get up, make a bottle, warm it up, etc. etc. It'll also help keep up your milk supply.