Switching from nursing to exclusive pumping

[MandaLynn]

It's been 1 week and DD's latch is causing excruciating pain. I can't keep going like this, so thinking to switch to pumping. But I don't know how to logistically switch.

Any advice on how to make the switch? Ideally I'd want somewhat of a stash, as well. But maybe need to work up to that

I exclusively expressed for a year when breastfeeding wasn’t possible. It is extremely hard work. I had to pump every 2 hours for the first 6 weeks and every 3-4 hours (including overnight) until she was about 8 months. I slipped down to 4-5 hourly until she was 12 months.

I took it day by day, week by week. Had good supply so built up a stash quite quickly. DD was pretty skinny: when you express the make up of the milk remains the same throughout rather than adapting to what baby needs.

Have you tried getting help for the latch first?

Honestly, exclusively pumping is a lot of work and I found it utterly miserable! I did it last time around and this time decided that if nursing didn’t work I’d use formula. Definitely see if you can get some help with your latch - I found it excruciatingly painful for the first 2 weeks maybe and then as I got used to it and latch improved it didn’t hurt at all.

Definitely get some help first to check the latch etc. The first few weeks can be really uncomfortable to be honest.
I had no latching issues but it hurt a lot for the first few weeks - and then it did get easier. There's lots you can do to make it more comfortable, different ways to hold the baby and such like. Try these before you stop - once bf is comfortable and established it's so much easier.

My daughter's latch was terrible, I cried feeding her. She had a tongue tie, had it cut and never looked back. Has your baby been checked?

My DS's latch was excruciating for the first week or two but it got better really quickly. By the end of the 2nd week it was pretty much pain free. He's almost 6 weeks now and I'm so glad I persevered. That's not necessarily what you'll want to do but I wanted you to know it does get better soon. Or did for me anyway.

This isn't true re makeup of milk. Coming from someone who exclusively pumped for 18 months! Skin to skin contact, proximity of baby to mum when they're ill - it all counts towards tailoring your breastmilk. My (now skinny) boy was actually chubby on breastmilk and you could definitely see a difference in the colour of it when we were ill. More research needs doing but breastmilk is never a one-size-fits-all!

Oh, cool! Dim and distant memory for me now but I was definitely warned that it wouldn’t increase in fat when she needed it etc.

I EBF my first with no issues - but with DD she latches so fast she doesn't open her mouth wide enough. So she's immediately basically biting my nipple as she starts. Once she settles on it's a bit better, but I'm literally in tears for the first minute

Please please please seek support
It shouldn't hurt
You are doing such an amazing thing for your baby.
Call the infant feeding team
Call the breastfeeding line
Sending love to you

I wouldn't look on it as switching as that sounds permanent but on just giving your nipples a break!

I exclusively pumped for 3mo with DD1 until she could latch and it was bloody hard. This time round I pumped a bit to let my nipples recover but kept DD2 latching as much as I was able and by about four weeks her latch had improved enough that I was able to ditch pumping.

So do what you need to do now, but I'd keep trying the latch once a day or so to practice and keep you both used to it.

If you can get an IBCLC out to help, that might be good. I've used the same lady for both - even though I did breastfeed DD1 for a year, I needed her support with DD2 again.

Have you tried holding your breast like a sandwich with the nipple really high up to her nose and then just flipping it inside at the last minute? That's the only way I could get a decent latch for a while.

Pumping is really hard work and pretty miserable tbh. As PP said I'd certainly at least try and get help on the latch first before you go down that road.

Have you been signed off by the midwives yet? Ask for a proper tongue tie check. My first had a tongue tie cut at 1 week old and the pain disappeared instantly. Are there any BF support groups nearby?

Also loads of nipple cream after every feed 💐

See a breastfeeding consultant- the ones I saw at around 4 weeks were amazing! Also, day by day. The first few months are pretty awful in terms of pain, exhaustion etc. if I could say anything to myself 8 months ago, it would be to persevere- you can't see the end but it will improve. He won't always want to nurse 24/7

Yeah poor you! It does / can bloody hurt!
I used nipple shields for a week to allow the wounds to heal and I turned her around(under my arm like a rugby ball so she bit in a different place..
Can you put your baby finger in her mouth while you push her on to the nipple to give you some extra space before she clamps down?
Also feeding while she still drowsy can help (and while she's not ravenous)
The more you feed her now the more milk you will produce so if you plan to pump try and put her on more often to get into a more generous flow?
Me and my friend remember calling each other and talking about how we cried with each feed.. she persevered for ages - but my pain went after a week or so.. she used to bite on a stick.
Good luck. It is shit when it hurts

Try nipple shields too

I've tried nipple shields this morning and it vaguely helped, but not much. And she didn't like them, so took ages on and off.

There's a feeding clinic on this morning, so on my way there now to see if they can help with the latch.

My boobs (normally quite small) are now huge and hard, so definitely have milk supply but she's constantly ravenous and just wants boob.

It's really normal for little babies to nurse frequently and often for long periods of time - thus leading to nipples getting sore. It's really good in terms of establishing supply. Less good for your comfort! But it does pass. Make sure you use a good cream after every feed and look after your skin. It's a few years ago for me, but I think it was lansinoh cream that worked for me.

Google the “flipple technique”. It really helped me with DS who had a tiny little (painful) latch.

Definitely sounds like a tongue tie. Get it done asap! It prevents them feeding basically- and they are so hungry! Good luck!