Exclusively expressing

My baby girl is currently in the NICU as she was born at 34 weeks and was only 3lbs due to preeclampsia. She is now 36 weeks and we will probably be discharged in the next 2 weeks. It looks like I will need to continue to exclusively breast pump as she is struggling to breastfeed, but the thought of having to exclusively pump is really stressing me out!! How long did people exclusively express for with a NICU baby? I feel guilty cause I know breast milk is best for her whilst she’s small to help her grow and put on weight but the thought of exclusively pumping for 6 months is making me so stressed. I find it so exhausting having to pump every 2-3 hours and don’t even know how I will leave the house and keep up my pumping schedule once she’s home. I get anxiety thinking about how I’m supposed to pump, clean the pump, change her nappy and feed her in the middle of the night 😩😩

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Hey, I’ve been exclusively pumping and found it to have some benefits. One thing that makes it a little easier - put the pump parts in a plastic container in the fridge after use. Then, you only need to wash every 24 hours not every time you use it

@Kate I’ve heard about this hack but have been scared to do it with her being a NICU baby. I do really want to try it though, I think u just need to get past my anxiety about it!

My little girl was also born at 34 weeks, 3lbs! I ended up exclusively pumping for 14 months (it was rough, but it gets easier). A couple things to consider would be ways to wash parts easier (my least favorite part). You can refrigerate them, have multiple sets, etc. Definitely don't recommend having to wash them during the night. Pumping on the go wasn't too bad, honestly. Travel pumps are pretty great. The other thing to think about is transferring back to breast. It didn't work for us but I know many NICU moms have successfully gone from pumping and bottling to breastfeeding again by 1 month or so after discharge. Definitely something to try!

I pumped for 5.5 months… it’s exhausting and it’s ok if you don’t want to continue and you change to formula- you do whatever makes you happiest and your life the easiest

My baby was also born early due to pre eclampsia and was 3 lb 2 I exclusively pumped for 6-8 weeks and transitioned to formula (prescription formula from the gp for premature babies). We never had any problems with weight gain etc. I would’ve like to have pumped for longer but when you’re little one gets home it’s a lot to pump the amount you do when they are in the nicu. Our nurses were very supportive of us in formula when we were in the nicu. If you have any questions or wanna chat about it feel free to drop me a message x

I exclusively pumped for my nicu baby for 16 months and had enough milk stored to last till he was 2. Things that made it easier for me were - 1. having a wall pump for at home(I rented one) and a wearable for when out and about 2. Having multiple parts so I didn't have to wash them straight away 3. Setting my pump and parts up on my bedside table ready for when I needed them in the night. 4. Pumping while feeding baby 5. Having a little mini fridge and bottle warmer in the bedroom to make night feedings quicker and easier for you to go straight back to sleep and you can just put your pumped milk into the mini fridge and then take it to your normal fridge in the morning.

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