Only breastfeeding mamas:

I only pump because now I’m back to work. If I wasn’t working I wouldn’t pump because I hate it! It uncomfortable and it’s annoying

i pump also because i over supply & also building a stash

I have never pumped to be honest as I was too lazy to do that early on and then I just never bothered to do it!

I never pumped, if he wanted more he would just cluster feed to bring my supply up :)

I exclusively breastfed and only pumped when I first went back to work to avoid engorgement and pain. Only for a couple of weeks though. Best thing for low supply is latching baby more often and skin to skin anyway.

I exclusively breastfeed but when my newborn has a long stretch of sleep at night and I get engorged, I pump to prevent mastitis

I pumped because he’d lost too much weight and was gaining too slow, I needed to top him up w ebm every feed like 20-30mls so he’d gained weight. Got to a point where I had a stash full of freezer milk because he was getting more efficient at pulling out what he needed, but I was still pumping. I didn’t want to be a “just enougher” I purposely tricked my body into thinking my baby was feeding more than he actually was. So hence I was able to take my breaks every weekend 3-4hrs in the morning so I slept in and woke naturally at noon while hubby fed and tended to baby. And I was able to out see gfs etc and not worry about milk. As an EBF baby he wasn’t clingy/didn’t need me, and settled w his Dad fine which is what I wanted.

I pumped every morning just to have a spare milk in the fridge if I ever leave baby with my partner and go out or to build up my frozen supply for later on.

I don’t need to pump to be quite honest. I choose to pump so that my partner can feed the baby. And I only pump first thing in the morning as baby now sleeps through the night so I have excess. I pump one side whilst she feeds from the other

I breastfed my oldest then my twins and only ever pumped if I needed to give them an expressed milk bottle, and that was for awaiting tongue tie release and if I wanted my SIL/mum to babysitting for me. Otherwise avoided that pumo any chance I could. Feed the baby not the freezer is my moto.

I exclusively breastfed with my boy. If I have a second, I will push for pumping/ combo feeding. I found it hard to be the only source of food. 😊 it means that I'm the only one who can put my baby to sleep, etc. I also temporarily pumped when my boy was in the nicu for 2 days to get my supply going. I agree. Pumping sucks 🤣 but a wireless pump made it suck less.

It started bc I had a low supply but now I have an oversupply so I just build up. Also when my daughter was only a few months old she was sleeping throughout the night so I need to pump bc of being engorged. also I started doing it so she could get used to a bottle so if she needed to go to the sitter they wouldn’t have a hard time feeding her!

I wanna avoid pumping at all cost with my next baby because it would take up my whole day and the cleaning 😭 I was just plugged to my spectra cause wearables didn’t work for me at all. For everyone who EBF, how did you bf per session as in did baby drank from both sides or how did you deal with only one side? My other breast always felt heavy and if I fed on both sides the baby would mostly only get the first milk and not the fatty milk at the end

I pumped as well as she only fed off the left breast, she refused the right so I had an oversupply from the right and it was really painful if I didn’t. I had bags and bags of milk stored in the freezer at one point

I pumped a little bit, but stopped due my girl refusing a bottle.

I fed my daughter from both boobs on all feeds. Wore a collector in the early days to catch let down. She barely dropped below birth weight at first appointment (7lbs 15.5oz to 7lbs 11), was back above birth weight by 10 day appointment and always gained weight well.

I only ever pumped when she was a newborn because I had too much milk , I never pumped after that stage. Just fed straight from the breast . My daughter would never drink from a. Bottle anyway 🤪 x

I have total PTSD from exclusively pumping with my first because he wouldn’t latch so, like you, wanted to avoid it at all costs with baby #2! It took a bit to get established including her basically being on the boob for the first 3 months day & night 🙈 but we got there and I haven’t had to pump at all! I’ve done it a handful of times so that I could get a bit of time to myself and dad give a bottle while I go get a pedicure for example, but she hasn’t taken to a bottle. Positive I don’t have to pump, negative she’s a frequent feeder so I never get time to myself.

I had planned to exclusively breastfeed. But my anatomy before baby meant I couldn't (my nipples are now stretchy so I can). I started pumping due to this and it also helped my anxiety. I now 98% pump as she only latched in the morning and when asleep in bed.

I pumped in the beginning because my baby was in the NICU and I couldn't feed her. I maintained this at home but only because she needed top up bottles of high calorie milk and I wanted to keep production high enough for her. The day she decided to refuse her bottles because she was ill turned my life around tbh, I didn't realise until I stopped how much space pumping was taking up in my life, physically and mentally. I don't think I could do it again, I'm one and done so won't have to face that choice 😂 but I'd happily use formula than go through pumping again if breastfeeding didn't work out. Try a haaka to reduce engorgement on the breast you aren't feeding from, I believe it's better to keep them on one per feed when they're small because then they're getting the 'hind milk' which is higher in calories than the 'fore milk' which is the initial milk they get from each breast. When mine got bigger one was definitely not enough for her lol

Once my supply regulated after a few months and I wasn’t overproducing, most of her feeds were just from one breast and I didn’t need to pump the other. It’s only the morning where I have been getting my body used to producing enough to feed then pump. But sometimes she does go on both breasts if she was getting fussy at one and before bed she will go on both, sometimes there is a small break in between.

I don't pump, I tried it with my first two and I wasn't great at it so I didn't even bother buying a pump this time. I usually give both sides and if she doesn't stay long on the second breast I start the next feed on the same side. It works perfectly for us!

I've been exclusively breastfeeding for 6 months and I've not needed to pump😊

I exclusively breastfed, no bottles, and carried on nursing until my daughter self weaned when she was nearly 4. I pumped a couple of times but never really got much and my daughter never drank any of it. You don’t have to pump at all, only if you aren’t together.

I only pump to get a little freezer stash so husband can give a bottle occasionally

I never pumped with either babies, and breastfed them each 2.5 yrs. Yes I'd do both sides in 1 sesh when they got bigger but when they were smaller I think I remember them 1 side at a time. If the other side felt to engorged I'd lean over the sink & squeeze some out

I pump a little bit so my partner can feed baby a bottle at night and to create a small stash if I need to leave her, and also to increase supply slightly

Never pumped with my first aside from the first few days in hospital due to latching issues. He always nursed and never had a bottle. My second is 10 weeks and not pumped at all with him so far. I dont even own a pump.

I pumped for a while with my second but she wouldn’t take bottles so I quite at about 3 months. It’s been so much easier not pumping especially having a toddler also

Whether you’re pumping or nursing it’s both exclusively breastfeeding by the way. I pumped with my both kids mostly the first few months. And then occasionally when I would get engorged or needed to leave extra milk for baby if I was going somewhere.

i pumped for like maybe 2 weeks in the beginning when i thought i’d be doing bottles as well but i decided to just stick to straight from the tap. then when he was around like 12mo i pumped a couple times cuz i wanted to make butter and now we’re just ebf at 27 months

I feed from one boob per session and alternate with each feed. I have no heaviness or issues with the other side. I have always fed one boob per session and learned early on that applying pressure to the unused nipple stops any let down. I don’t leak at all now (15 weeks PP). And baby never lost any weight from birth. She’s actually gone from being 54th percentile to 97th percentile

I pumped with both my kids but not all the way through and I wasn't consistent with it. With my second it was so I could have some time away all together I probably pumped like 100 oz

I had to pump to increase my supply as my first was tongue tied but I just couldn’t get anything out it just didn’t work! But I managed to breastfeed with give a formula bottle once a day until she was one then continued to demand feed :) I then tandem fed when second came and didn’t need to pump and still feeding now at 18 months! The more they feed the more your body makes you can definitely only breastfeed x

I tried to pump but never got anything and found it too stressful

I alternate the breast each time but say if she feeds from the left and unlatches, i will will burp her and then offer the right breast. Sometimes she will take it if she wants more, sometimes she won’t. Then the next feed, I will start with the right breast and so on x

With my first child, I did both. With my second, I exclusively breastfeed and she still does at 17 months. I’m home with her but maybe if I wasn’t, I’d probably have to pump. I dislike pumping, it was hard on me.

I only pumped a little bit, so I had a few bags in the freezer in case of emergency (I had a nightmare that I had to go to a and e and couldn't feed him so wanted a little stash). You totally don't have to pump if you don't want to.

Of course, I don't pump at all. The only time I ever pumped with my first was so his dad could give him a bottle. If I'm ever engorged now, I'll hand express as pumping is too much of a faff with two children 🙉

I pumped the week leading up to her being away from me if I was ever going out and if I randomly felt like I needed to but apart from that not really no

I did both until she was 14 months old. Because hubby and sitter had to feed her while I was at work. Only got 12 weeks maternity leave.

I have used the pump for the few weeks ( so partner can feed ) but for me was extra work to pump easier to just give the breast … so I stopped

I pumped to keep a supply for when going out since I don't breastfeed in public.

I EBF and never pumped. I passively collected milk with a haaka on my opposite breast while i nursed to have milk for a daily bottle for my husband to fed baby and to build a small freezer stash for the rare occasions i didn’t nurse baby. I work from home so 80% of her feeds were nursing and like 20% haaka collected milk in a bottle.

I only started pumping before I had to go back to work (I really didn’t like nursing but I LOATHED pumping)

I pumped once a day so my husband could feed him a bottle every evening 😊 but you can absolutely just breastfeed with no pumping at all if that's what you want to do!

I only pump on the one day a week he's away from me amd we only miss one feed, so I have absolutely forgotten and its been totally fine for us.

So overwhelmed with all the messages, thanks so much to everyone for sharing!! That definitely made me have a lot more optimistic outlook on ebf

Sorry to give you another message. I EBF without pumping ever In the beginning when she was little, I would always offer on both boobs and then I started to alternate boobs with each feed. As she has got older I don’t think about which boob at all unless ones particularly heavier etc Idea of pumping seems like such a lot of work. A lot of respect for pumping Mummys!!x