Breastfeeding and pumps

Hi so FTM to be so here is perhaps a daft question. I hope to breastfeed, all being well. Do I need a pump too, or is this an unnecessary expense? Or is this something that's helpful to have something in advance? Usually I've seen friends breastfeeding but never seen a pump in action. So before I spend on a pump I'd like to understand if it's needed or helpful. Anyone have a better understanding? Thank you x

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I think it's up to you. I Wouldn't buy one until you know you want and need one. I'm gonna BF and pump (if I can) because I want my partner to be able to do feeds too. So he can bond and I can have a break. But I think it's recommended to exclusively breast feed for some weeks first so you and baby get used to it lm a FTM too, so a bit clueless

@Frances thanks! Yes I'd love for my husband to be able to do feeds too. Sounds like it's something to think about when she arrives rather than right now. Thanks!

From what I’ve heard from friends, go with an electric pump. Manual is hard work.

I breastfed both my babies for 5-6 weeks only. Will likely do the same with this one, too. I do have a breast pump, but this was mostly only used if we were going out anywhere, and I didn't feel comfortable feeding in front of people.

I just bought a cheap manual pump so I have something if necessary and they can also help with mastitis if I do breastfeed ok. I wouldn't buy an expensive electric one til you know how it's going.

If you’re hoping to breastfeed, I wouldn’t buy a pump. You can usually rent pumps from the hospital if you find breastfeeding isn’t working out for you, and also you can order things to arrive from the internet super quick if needed. It’s not worth getting one “in case”. Breastfeeding can work really well, but can also be a lot more difficult than you think it will. There are organisations around to help, but sometimes with the best will in the world, it just doesn’t work. I tried so hard but ultimately had to give up for my own mental well-being. I tried pumping but I honestly hated it. So I definitely wouldn’t buy one just in case!

@Liz thank you! Good to know if you can rent them from the hospital. Yes I'm trying to take the approach that it would be great to breastfeed but if it's not working out I'm not beating myself up about it.

I’m a FTM but also would like my husband and family to be able to feed baby a bottle. So I’m going to breastfeed (hopefully) for a few weeks and then buy a pump if it’s working for me so I can express also. Such conflicting advice on when to introduce a bottle so baby doesn’t reject it so I think I’m going to do 3 weeks and then introduce xx

If you do find that you go down the pumping route, just a few things that might help.. the “hands free” pumps aren’t nearly as “freeing” as they make out they are. You definitely can’t clean, tidy, make lunch, hold baby etc whilst pumping. They are designed to fit inside your bra, but are bulky and easy to knock out of place. They are also not as effective as other pumps so you wouldn’t want to us one as your main pump. The premium brands are premium for a reason, they do tend to be much better than the cheaper ones - however I did find the BellaBaby was a reasonably priced alternative and worked really well. You can get different flange sizes, which really make a lot of difference in terms of how much you manage to pump! Lastly, your mental well-being is more important than how you feed your baby. There’s a lot of pressure on mums to breastfeed etc but honestly a happy mum makes for a happy baby ❤️

@Jenna (Jen) now I’ve said that about renting from the hospital I’m now questioning it haha, I’m pretty sure you can.. you can definitely rent them! Whether it’s from hospital or elsewhere though is what I’m now questioning 😂

I am a second time mum. Breastfed my first exclusively for the first year. I did pump, I had a manual, a double electric mam and an elvie when I went back to work. However, this time around I will not be pumping unless I need too. It caused me to have a big over supply and baby never even took the damn bottle! I just had a crazy stash in my freezer that never got used 🤣 if you need to pump for supply reasons you can hire medical grade pumps from the hospital. If you did want to buy one to have on standby I would advise against getting anything in bra/hands free for rhe early days as they were nowhere near as effective. My elvie was great for when I went back to work but wouldn't have been any good for early days pumping. I loved my manual pump tbh. It was quick and easy to use for infrequent use! Prefect to have in your bag if you needed to pump on the go and usually let my milk down faster. My mam double electric was the best for quantity of expressed milk. Sorry for the essay aha xx

Also be careful with the milk collectors like huakka's. The suction can encourage a fast let down which can cause issues for baby. I also had this and won't be using one next time! I didn't realise at the time but lactation consultants don't advise them. Xx