Can I pump for baby without actually breast feeding ?

[lrb]

I would like to breast feed.. But have also bought bottles, bottle Warmer, pump, steraliser. I really want to share the feed. My oh is very very sure he wants to help feed and bond that way, I'm slightly worried we are just gonna have to bottle feed because it's going to be easier that way. I can imagine I'm going to be pumping all the time just to share feeds. Is there anything wrong with just pumping to put into bottles instead of feeding directly from the breast?

 

[LoopyLouize]

Im not sure on this, but I too would like to know the answer x

 

[Smithy1980]

Me too! I'm currently bf and would like to share with OH! The only downside I can see myself is the time it will take to sterilise, then pump and then sit and feed, as opposed to just popping them on the boobie...but I'd be interested to know what everyone else thinks? Xx


Sent from my nearly buggared iPhone!!

 

[vampybear]

i was considering this, my mum told me that if i mix bottle with breast, it is two different sucking motions for the baby which is not good. but yes the thought of sterilising all the time is not good! im going to seek advice at the time, because i wont even know if i can breastfeed until i give birth- my sister and mum couldnt produce enough milk so i might not be able to either

 

[vickib_1984]

You can do both stersalizing bottles take only 8 mins in most stertalizers and if left will stay sterile for 24 hours teats today are very similar to boob nipples but I would prob recomend and electric pump as the manual ones can be very messy and tiresome hope that helps xxxx

 

[vickib_1984]

But I wouldn't express umtil you milk comes in properly which takes about 3-4 days xxx

 

[l_maclean]

Im hoping to BF but want to be able to express so that DH can help out, and so i can go out for an evening.

I ordered some tommy tippee Breast-Bottle bottles - which are supposed to be designed to allow you to flick between both.

xxx

 

[jojo_2012]

What I've heard from people who've HAD to express due to baby being premature etc is that it's a MASSIVE hassle. You have to pump every time you would have fed, then feed them, takes twice as long.

It's not a case of pumping before you go to bed then sleeping though the night letting OH feed them, you have to wake up and pump or your milk dries up.

 

[JensBump]

Jojo is right and because the hormone that encourages more milk to be produced is excreted more at night that is your most profitable time to feed I have heard it recommended that you wait till baby is 6 weeks to swap between BF and bottle to help with nipple confusion.

 

[lrb]

Ok thank you

 

[Piglet's Mama]

I pumped the majority of my LO's feeds and gave myself terrible mastitis; I ended up in hospital on a drip for 2 days

When pumping all of your feeds, you end up totally emptying your breasts everytime you express, they then fill very quickly which can be very sore and uncomfortable. This is because when you breastfeed, your baby takes as much as they need per feed, then your boobs fill up again according to how full/empty they are after the feed.

In order to express all your feeds, you'll need to use the pump every 3-4 hours, which with a newborn is really disruptive as well as exhausting (just think when your LO goes off to sleep, you normally have to jump on the pump for an hour to express their next couple of feeds when really you should be getting your head down as well...!)

From experience I found that because I was expressing all the feeds (and getting 3-4oz a time per boob) I had to express at least 3 or 4 times a day or I would leak through my bras onto my top - my boobs were literally overflowing! And you can't not express as it is simply too uncomfortable.

I would say if you do want to express to share the feeds with your partner, get a decent electric pump; the Medela Swing is the best one, to wait until your LO is properly latched on so as not to confuse him/her with nipple vs teat, wait for your milk to come in (normally around 3-4 days) and that you express small amounts at a time, no more than 2oz. I loved the idea of expressing as it seems you can feed the baby from a bottle and know exactly how much they're having but I really overdid it and got really poorly. I would advise against it to be honest, but that's just from first hand experience.

 

[LoopyLouize]

Thanks Jen that's fab advice xx

 

[Amy_J]

i breastfed and expressed for the first 6 or 8 weeks! i had to express alot as i had LOADS of milk, and my lo was too tiny to feed and never emptied my boobs, as he got tired easily....he could be on my boobs for anything up to an hour! what i would say, although it was great expressing so my oh helped with feeds, it was ALOT of work, and it was VERY VERY painful. i literally cried everytime i had to express ( this was just my experience tho) in the end i stopped bf as i had a cist and mastitis which wasnt a pleasant experience! it was constantly on my mind that i needed to express and literally my days revolved around bf and expressing which got me down alot!!! once lo got the hand of bf it was so easy and i almost didnt notice he was feeding!!! good luck with whatever u decide! =)))

 

[Piglet's Mama]

i breastfed and expressed for the first 6 or 8 weeks! i had to express alot as i had LOADS of milk, and my lo was too tiny to feed and never emptied my boobs, as he got tired easily....he could be on my boobs for anything up to an hour! what i would say, although it was great expressing so my oh helped with feeds, it was ALOT of work, and it was VERY VERY painful. i literally cried everytime i had to express ( this was just my experience tho) in the end i stopped bf as i had a cist and mastitis which wasnt a pleasant experience! it was constantly on my mind that i needed to express and literally my days revolved around bf and expressing which got me down alot!!! once lo got the hand of bf it was so easy and i almost didnt notice he was feeding!!! good luck with whatever u decide! =)))

Amy, I felt exactly the same, expressing everything was so time consuming and alot of the time I was expressing I should have been sleeping; I think in the end the lack of sleep definitely contributed to my mastitis.

I didn't find expressing painful though but it may be because I paid a small fortune for the best electric pump - the pain kicked in when I didn't empty my boobs, ouch!

 

[Piglet's Mama]

Thanks Jen that's fab advice xx

You're welcome sweet x