3 ms·

So why was pumping ruled out? You(the non-lactating spouse) can feed pumped milk with a bottle.

rayiner 9y ago
You need to pump at some regular frequency to maintain milk supply. Most doctors recommend pumping every 4-5 hours, which means getting up very early to pump. Also, milk production continues in your sleep and many women can't go a full 7-8 hours without pumping because of the pain.
silencio 9y ago
I am an exclusive pumper due to multiple difficulties, and it is an exquisite form of torture. At this point I am continuing due to some combination of sunk cost fallacy (but I spent $500 on pumps and supplies! formula would cost extra money now!) and for minor health benefits on my end - the ship has sailed on baby benefits in my mind. For the first six weeks, even if the baby was sleeping, I had to pump every 2-3 hours, which means 5 min setup/teardown+15 minutes pumping so only sleeping 1.5 hours sometimes. I was screwed if the baby woke up right after I go to sleep after pumping no matter what my partner was doing, unless I wanted to sleep multiple rooms away with earplugs. It wasn't until 3-4 months that I could go 8 hours in the night without affecting my supply (some lactating folks are not lucky on this front). I still wake up drenched in milk since it's a bit longer than recommended. Better than crying over spilling 3oz of milk all over myself because I fell asleep while pumping though...plus my poor nipples at that point. Right now several months out, I have to lug all my pumping gear around if I am out for more than 3-4 hours. I also have to plan out my schedule to make sure I can pump at all. So many days I've sat in Bay Bridge traffic in my car and people in cars next to me double taking. People think that pumping in bathrooms is logical even though it is disgusting af and there is nowhere to sit. Lots of people dish out judgment about pumping vs breast or think I'm feeding formula and just pile it on. Thankfully I am doing a combination of SAHP and WFH so I don't have to deal with judgmental bullshit about not being as productive while pumping (20 minutes x 5-6 times a day right now). I'm pumping right now ;) Pumping is not some easy replacement for the breast and doesn't make it any easier on the lactating parent. I really regret we couldn't get bfing at the breast to work and that I had a traumatic delivery so lactating in the first place wasn't a guarantee, this is what I have to deal with.

You need to pump at some regular frequency to maintain milk supply. Most doctors recommend pumping every 4-5 hours, which means getting up very early to pump. Also, milk production continues in your sleep and many women can't go a full 7-8 hours without pumping because of the pain.

silencio 9y ago

I am an exclusive pumper due to multiple difficulties, and it is an exquisite form of torture. At this point I am continuing due to some combination of sunk cost fallacy (but I spent $500 on pumps and supplies! formula would cost extra money now!) and for minor health benefits on my end - the ship has sailed on baby benefits in my mind. For the first six weeks, even if the baby was sleeping, I had to pump every 2-3 hours, which means 5 min setup/teardown+15 minutes pumping so only sleeping 1.5 hours sometimes. I was screwed if the baby woke up right after I go to sleep after pumping no matter what my partner was doing, unless I wanted to sleep multiple rooms away with earplugs. It wasn't until 3-4 months that I could go 8 hours in the night without affecting my supply (some lactating folks are not lucky on this front). I still wake up drenched in milk since it's a bit longer than recommended. Better than crying over spilling 3oz of milk all over myself because I fell asleep while pumping though...plus my poor nipples at that point. Right now several months out, I have to lug all my pumping gear around if I am out for more than 3-4 hours. I also have to plan out my schedule to make sure I can pump at all. So many days I've sat in Bay Bridge traffic in my car and people in cars next to me double taking. People think that pumping in bathrooms is logical even though it is disgusting af and there is nowhere to sit. Lots of people dish out judgment about pumping vs breast or think I'm feeding formula and just pile it on. Thankfully I am doing a combination of SAHP and WFH so I don't have to deal with judgmental bullshit about not being as productive while pumping (20 minutes x 5-6 times a day right now). I'm pumping right now ;) Pumping is not some easy replacement for the breast and doesn't make it any easier on the lactating parent. I really regret we couldn't get bfing at the breast to work and that I had a traumatic delivery so lactating in the first place wasn't a guarantee, this is what I have to deal with.