Advice for exclusively pumping/expressing

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I can find loads of help and information on breastfeeding or bottle feeding formula, but I have found very little out there about exclusively pumping. The medala website and kellymum have been a helpful start, but I'm reaching out in hope of finding mums who have exclusively expressed/pumped, and could therefore share their advice and suggestions with me?

(I know views on feeding can be very controversial, but if responses could just be aimed at supporting, and not to ask why or cast judgement please.)

I did not exclusively pump however I did pump frequently. I found first thing in the morning pumping gave the best output. I also went against advice about not pumping before six weeks and ended up with an over supply... I'll be repeating that this time as it actually came in useful for freezer stock (and I'm returning to work at 3 months)

Exclusive pumper here 😄

I fell into it after my lo couldn’t get a latch, born in the middle of lockdown in a poorly staffed post natal ward we just needed to get her feeding so we could get out so I could start to recover.

We borrowed the hospital madela pump for 6 weeks, pumping every 3 hours day and night. Never had an issue with supply, pumping approx 10oz every 3 hours just now 12 weeks in.

After the 6 weeks with the hospital pump I decided to hire the same one from madela- £47/month. I also have a tommy tippee pump that I use when out and about (thoigh due to lockdown hasn’t been used very much).

It’s not for everyone, but it’s working for us 12 weeks in and I’m planning on pumping for as long as possible- if I can get to 6 months
And weaning il be happy.

The pros- breast milk can be stored at room temp for upto 6 hours so you don’t have the faff of making bottles up, it’s obviously got all the benefits of breastmilk.

Cons- you need a supportive othehalf and pumping and night feeds would be horrific. My oh does night feeds and I pump, he wins when lo is sleeping better now, I’m still up every 3 hours . You have the joys of the steriliser, and you will begin to live your life round the 3 hour pump. Now we’re out and about I Streach pump times where needed which helps.

Totally do-able , you’ve got this!

Thank you @NeedSomeHope this is exactly what I needed to read, just to know how someone has structured it and made it work. Thank you for taking the time to explain your story, really appreciate it.

Yes, it's doable, just quite limiting for you, because it's less convenient to pump, out and about, than it is to breastfeed (depending on what machine you use how you feel about using it in public), so you can find yourself quite tied to the house - even if the baby isn't, as they can go out with takeaway bottles!

I found night feeds ok, as bottle feeding is so much quicker than breastfeeding. I could feed, settle baby back to sleep, then pump, within an hour.

I think I took one longer sleep, of 5 or 6 hours, a shorter one, then pumped every 3 hours at first, then 3-4 through the day. It only took 15-20 mins each time. You do need to keep up the frequency to maintain the volume.

I did this but only lasted a few weeks, because every feed is double- feed the baby, and pump the next feed. Felt very restrictive to come back to the house to pump every few hours. Hands bleeding from all the washing up. Glad I did it, glad I stopped! Successfully breastfed all my subsequent children for months though, having learnt a lot about how not to do it the first time around!

One of the slightly challenging things was keeping the baby entertained while I expressed, as my hands were occupied. I remember rocking the bouncy chair with my foot a lot!

I did it for almost 3 months but found it too much to continue after that. The baby needed more entertaining at that age and the lack of sleep was killing me as I was having to pump through the night and feed a newborn.
The constant washing up was so much work too.

Pluses; breast milk is better for a baby than formula (although my son thrives on formula from 3 months).
Breast milk can be left out of the fridge for hours before use. This means you can take it out in your nappy bag safely.
You don't need to sterilise breastfeeding equipment, hot soapy water is fine.

Tips; get a really good double electric pump, the best you can afford.
Get a hands free bra.

I pumped exclusively too. My son was in special care for a week and the only way was pumping. I tried to get him to breastfeed but after the cannula, tube, bottle he was having none of it.

I also rented a Medela. It was the best pump by far and the only capable to withstand the use and frequency. I found a NICU discount code so hired it for £47pm.

There were pros and cons and I will be completely honest.
Pros. I felt really good about doing this. I felt I was doing something for my baby and I was really proud and pleased. I fell into a routine of pumping every three hours and always kept up with his feeding. Built up a good stock in the fridge and freezer.

Cons. It was exhausting. It was a matter of feeding the baby, then once he slept pump. I felt like I never got a break. It was hard to get out and about because missing pumping sessions was painful and actually limited supply if I did it too often.

I kept going for 6 months and then moved him onto formula. On reflection I wouldn't do it again. I was exhausted and stressed when I should have been enjoying my baby. Of course, you need to do what is right for you. With my first I breastfed with no problems. I am now expecting again and if for whatever reason bf doesn't work I will be opting for formula.

Thank you all for your replies. Sorry if this is a silly question but did you start pumping straight away? I know it take a few days before your milk comes in so just wondering what you do in the first few days?

I pumped for a month from about day two until dd had her tongue tie cut.

My husband was incredibly supportive. Dd had one formula feed so we were ahead of ourselves by a feed then I pumped while holding/next to dd while Dh fed her the previously pumped feed. Meant we didn’t have a long pump then feed session. He got less sleep than I did as he also did all the sterilisation. He was brilliant and without his support it would have been exhausting.

I had intended to breastfeed so first few days put dd to breast but if you’re not intending to do that then I’m sorry I don’t have much advice on the first days. You’ll need syringes to collect the colostrum as there isn’t enough for bottles and you’ll probably benefit from learning how to hand express and get some colostrum banked in advance if you can. I wish I had as I was clueless on hand expressing colostrum and a lovely midwife had to help!

I did this, also because my baby was in scbu for a few weeks.

As per the pp I rented a Medela, I highly recommend for when you're establishing expressing, it's much better than any other pump I've used.

I was told to try to manually squeeze out colostrum until my milk came in, this was a total failure for me, I never got any out! Baby had to have some formula in the meantime. I started pumping on day 3 I think but I was told sooner the better.

Don't be put off if you get practically nothing at first. I was very disheartened when I pumped almost nothing, just a few dribbles, for the first few days (even though my milk had come in). It was only because the hospital breastfeeding consultant encouraged me that I continued at all. Ended up with an oversupply!

I used to time pumping so that I only had to wake up once in the middle of the night to do it - I think I did 11pm, 3am and 7am. More than that would have been a killer. I found listening to a podcast during the 3am pump was the way to go sanity-wise.

I also hand expressed for the first few days. There are some helpful videos on you tube on harvesting colostrum. Then I pumped from day 3. In the beginning you get very little but in fairness the baby will have very small feeds too. I also miss typed. NICU gave me a code and I paid £37 a month. So it's worth seeing if your hospital can help.