Can someone explain pumping vs breastfeeding to me?

I exclusively BF my first and tried pumping for a good amount of time as well. BF was harder in the beginning getting established but in the long run pumping is harder because you still are committing all the time plus some when it comes to cleaning bottles etc. also consider that your body will respond better to your baby’s mouth versus a pump so you risk low supply or other issues that happen when you pump mainly. I see nothing wrong with doing all 3. formula is going to fill up your babies belly more than BM so you’ll want to pace feed (look it up). if you are committed to providing BM to your baby i would focus on BF because you can always jump to pump or formula at any time.

Breastfeeding is only painful like the first week. Then it's really not unless you get a clog or something but that can happen with pumping too. In my opinion, exclusively pumping is the hardest method of feeding your child of all the options.

I've heard that one downside of exclusively pumping is that you have to bring the pump with you whenever you go out which means that you have to find somewhere to pump and then figure out what to do with everything once you're done whereas if you BF, you just need yourself. FWIW I'm also debating between BF and exclusively pumping and think I'll land somewhere in the middle so that my husband can at least do some feeds with a bottle, especially early on when we're getting no sleep. The other thing a friend told me is that you want to pace feed even if you are giving the baby BM because it's easier for the baby to get milk out of the bottle than it is to get it straight from you so you want to make it harder to get it from the bottle so that they don't reject getting it from you directly.

Try breastfeeding bc it might work for you. I exclusively pumped for 10 months bc I couldn’t figure out breastfeeding quick enough, plus I wanted ppl in my support system to feed the baby breastmilk too. And I wanted my baby to form loving bonds with my family members.
Cons to pumping : multitasking is hard. For ex: it’s a challenge to hold or move around with an infant since you’re tied to the machine. And when I went back to work (remotely) I couldn’t type many emails bc my hands were busy facilitating pumping. I recall it being a time consuming process.
Breastmilk is great bc it gives your immune system antibodies to your baby. But there’s nothing wrong with supplementing with formula sometimes.
Also it was the pandemic for my first kid so there was nowhere to go outside of my house, and honestly I’ll be interested to see what method I choose for feeding the next baby since I have to care for my toddler too.

Actually pumping is breastfeeding.
Nursing and pumping are both breastfeeding! 🫶🏽

Came here to say pumping is still breastfeeding 😊
But honestly it will really depend on what works best for you and your situation.
I wanted to try nursing but it just didn’t work out for me and my first. I over produced and my let down was too fast, among some other issues. I’m very type A and had now idea how much he was getting per feeding with nursing. Additionally I still had to pump after nursing cause I over produced. So I figured if I’m pumping anyway why not exclusively pump. This way I could store milk in the fridge and my husband could do feedings while I got some sleep. It worked for me.
But yea if you go somewhere for an extended period of time and your exclusively pumping you will need to bring your pump with you. It honestly didn’t bother me. And multi-tasking was difficult at first but I ended up getting a wearable pump that went into my bra so I could do things while pumping. I didn’t use it all the time as my main pump, but it was handy to have.

I exclusively breastfed for 15 months and can say that pumping was a chore when I did it. I never produced nearly as much because pumping doesn’t stimulate oxytocin the same way breastfeeding does, plus the pain of washing bottles and equipment constantly. Breastfeeding doesn’t really hurt after the first week or two unless your child has a latch issue, you get a clog, or you don’t have the right kind of nipples. Thankfully none of that happened to me and I had a great supply. Plus there are inherent benefits to BF, such as your baby’s saliva sends signals to your breast to change the makeup of milk when your baby has a specific need, such as more fat content if they’re getting a cold or losing weight. BUT don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work for you. Fed is best in the end.

I know it's different for everyone, but I actually felt like pumping was painful, and breastfeeding felt SOOOO GOOD. like the release of the milk, the bonding with my baby, cuddles, and constant skin to skin was so special. I didn't want to stop breastfeeding yet but ended up weaning around 20 months because I was pregnant and dried up. I will say, it was slightly uncomfortable at first, my nipples did Crack and were sore for about 2 weeks. I used lanolin and made sure to properly dry my nipples before putting my bra back on, and within 2 weeks, they had adjusted to the the feeds!! So, I felt like that first half a month was worth the next 20 of being literally everything my baby needed at any given time. I never bottle fed (she never wanted to take a bottle) and I felt it was nice not having to deal with washing and sanitizing bottles constantly or worry about packing milk before I went anywhere. It was nice just being able to pull my shirt down and provide that comfort and nourishment.

Wishing you well!

I exclusively breastfed all of mine, and the only time it was painful was because my daughter had tongue tie and didn’t have a good latch. After it was corrected, the pain was gone! I also couldn’t get much from pumping and I personally found it to be a more inconvenient to have to pump. My friend exclusively pumped and gave formula because she didn’t produce enough milk. Whatever you choose for yourself will be the right decision!