Exclusive pumping advice

[Naomip88]

hello! I'm looking for some advice about feeding with exclusive pumping. My dd is 18 days old and we have had various feeding issues. When we were in the hospital she wouldn't latch and we had to start using nipple shields which I'm currently trying to wean her off but this is proving tricky as she will latch without them but keeps coming off , I've had lots of help and support from the mw but we still have good days and bad days with feeding . she also has slight tongue tie which is being fixed hopefully next week . She also had problems gaining weight ( she is putting on weight now) so I had to start pumping to top up her feeds. but Im starting to think that pumping might be a better fit for us , she can feed for over an hour on the breast and still seems hungry ( especially at night) whilst when we feed her expressed milk she seems a lot more content. I have a good supply and am able to pump between 3 and 5 ounces in one session after a feed . I would love to breastfeed 'normally' But her being content and full seems more important.
I just wanted to hear about people's experiences and advice with exclusive expressing or mainly expressing .( I would quite like to keep 2 or 3 breastfeeds a day if I did mainly express for the closeness and to up my supply) . I really don't want to switch to formula at this early stage so I'm trying to think of any solution to ebf.

I did this for 3 months, in very similar circumstances. I managed to pump four times a day, before switching over to formula one feed at a time. I pumped on getting up and two during the day when I was by myself and on before bed. I also did extra ones at night but only when my baby woke anyway. It was easier at the beginning when the baby slept more, but harder as he got older and I needed to be out an about more for my sanity. I hired a hospital grade double pump for efficiency which was great. If you can get additional pieces for the pump so you don't have to be washing all the time that also helped. Good luck!

Hi, well done carrying on with the expressing and trying her at the breast. I did this for almost four weeks before mine finally took to the breast reliably. She is now 5 months and now she refuses a bottle the little monkey! I'm just wondering if you might be a little early in deciding BFing is not going to work. Of course, everyone has to make the decisions that are right for them but your baby is still quite young and there is hope things can get much much easier. My baby would feed for 45 mins or so to start with but now takes her feeds in 5-10 mins and is very efficient. Honestly, it all felt like such hard work to start with but then we just got to a point where she would latch no problem, take her feeds much faster and it all just started to feel really easy. I also worried that she was not getting enough from me in the early weeks but I think they get much more than you realise. Babies are very efficient at getting milk out of the breast and will get more than you can pump.

I know someone who did exclusive expressed feeds but I understand that your supply can dry up if you are expressing only rather than feeding at the breast.

I'm not trying to say you should just carry on at the breast if it's really not working for you. It has to be your choice weighing up what works for you and your baby but I just wanted to share my experience so you can see that it will most likely get much easier and faster.

Very similar circumstances to me as well. Tongue tie snipped at 10 days, expressed fed for roughly 3 weeks then shields.

I did manage to wean off shields at 8 wks but until then I was pumping after shield feeds & getting same amounts as you expressed.

Same concerns re weight so expressed top ups etc. Such hard work & looking back those early weeks I was just a feeding machine, every waken minute spent worrying & planning next Feed.

Huge congratulations to you for getting so far, I know how hard it us.

It's still early days, I think as DS got bigger, stronger it came more naturally to him. Still EBF at 6 months.

Shields make feeds last ages, usually an hr & half for me - very Tiring for wee babies.

If you are going to EXclusively express def get a double hospital grade pump. But don't give up, it's still early days - although it might not seem like it!!

Thanks for the advice!definitely going to persevere for a few more weeks , I just wanted advice if it doesn't work out. Fingers crossed having her tongue snipped will help.

Good for you. I really hope it works out for you. And don't be afraid to ask for support if needed. I found going to a breastfeeding support group really helped me, just talking things through and also having a lactation consultant to have a look and offer advice. This really kept me going when I felt things were tough and now BFing is the easiest, most enjoyable thing for me and my baby. I saw it as an investment in the early weeks when it was tough, one that is now definitely paying off. Good luck !