Exclusive Pumping Mommas (when to stop/slow down)

I exclusively pumped from the start. My LO had a tongue tie and wouldn't latch properly at the hospital and I immediately threw in the towel. My pumping journey was a very similar situation to you where she started sleeping through the night early, but I was still getting up every 3-4 hours. I would suggest instead of just going cold turkey and dropping the motn pump try and space out the time between pumps last pump of the day being 11PM first pump of the day being 5AM, and making sure you're giving yourself time to be fully emptied during those pumps. I can not speak to whether or not it will effect your supply because everyone's body is different, but it should make it less uncomfortable if you get engorged.

I was an over supplier thankfully and have a nice stash, my goal was to pump until 6 months, but once I went back to work I really hated wasting my free time I could be spending with my baby pumping instead, especially when she started daycare so I chose to "wean" and let my milk supply dry up. Thankfully that timing lined up with us all getting sick so I was more then OK with the idea of taking cold medicine and Sudafed to make myself feel better so I could show up for and comfort my kiddo.

yeah I feel guilty about that too. As soon as we get home from work/daycare I have to pump and I hate it so much. I just want to be able to spend time with her before she goes to bed. Sigh. Thank you so much.

I have been exclusively pumping from the start and only pump overnight if the baby wakes up. Some nights he sleeps all night, but otherwise he gets up once. I've gone as long as 9 hours without pumping, especially if he sleeps all night. I pump about 40 oz a day, total, and that hasn't changed with dropping overnight pumping. I time my pumping with his eating schedule. So, I pump more often during the daytime when he eats frequently, and then go the long stretch at night when he's sleeping well.

My supply has fluctuated some in general, but related to other things. I've noticed that if I make changes slowly, it's really easy to readjust if it doesn't work. Maybe you can cut back on overnight pumping, or just pump once. Give it a week or so to see how things change, and ultimately you can decide from there how to move forward.

absolutely! The time is short and goes fast. For me it was more important to have the memories with my LO then memories of being strapped to a pump wondering what if. Plus having a mom who prioritizes her own mental health is way healthier for her then getting a few extra days of breast milk in the long run. It's a hard decision to make, and the hormone dip I experienced really made the mom guilt feel exponentially worse before it got better, but in the end it was so worth it. I'm not on the app often, but if you have any nagging questions or want to commiserate feel free to message me.

I’ve been exclusively pumping since first week, my daughter had jaundice and they thought I wasn’t producing enough milk so I started pumping to be able to see how much I’m feeding my baby. I used to pump every 3 hours during the day and letting her latch on me during night feedings, kinda 2-3 times at night. Since two months ago that she’s been sleeping through the night I stopped night feedings and continued my pumping only through the day, honestly it didn’t effect my supply, actually I produce more milk in the morning after good night sleep. I started reducing my pumping a month ago to 4 times a day and sometimes 3 times a day because I was preparing myself to go back to work, so far after a month I’m still producing 40oz and above. The biggest issue with me not pumping at night is that I wake up in pain and can’t even hold my baby before pumping.
If you decide to stop night pumping, make sure to empty your breasts completely ( 25-30 minutes of pumping) during each session.

Thank you all so much! I guess I’m more worried because my supply has never been that great but I can certainly try increasing the time between sessions or eliminating 1 session and evaluate it. We’ve been blessed with some donor milk so I should be able to at least keep her on breast milk thru her 6 month b-day and after that we’ll just take it week by week. Thank you all so much! Lots of love to you & your little ones! 💞

Literally same with me. I wanted to do a year- no way in hell now lol I’m still up in the middle of the night and I have a not great supply so I didn’t want to make it worse- we’ve had to supplement formula since beginning. My LO also slept through the night at 2 months and everyone is like oh you must be so happy you’re sleeping NO IM PUMPING LOL. I’m stopping at 6 months and just trying not to feel guilty about it. Whether we all pump BF or formula feed our baby we just have to keep telling ourselves, fed is best that’s it’s. At least that’s what I’m saying to try and stop the mom guilt here :) :)

I don't pump overnight, and my morning pump is usually 8-9oz, which is 2 feedings for us. My little one is 5.5 months, I have a little over a month's supply in the freezer, and at this point am just casually pumping. I only pump at work and once after he goes to bed. I initially wanted to make it to a year, but will be happy making it past 6 months now.

https://www.legendairymilk.com/blogs/news/what-is-your-magic-number?page=5&tw_source=google&tw_adid=601235053632&tw_campaign=8401036448&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwP6sBhDAARIsAPfK_wa3MQHXDEAqXGoU_5h4Qn4e73avZWbLj7I9n9UXR-ZvEhtLjdmtqYUaAmWsEALw_wcB

This article about magic numbers should help. Remember, fed is best. If pumping is costing you your mental health, pumping less is okay.