https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 03 May 2026 11:15:51 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-what-was-weaning-from-the-pump-like#post-2918092 Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:47:00 +0000 foodiebee 2918092@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: I didn't have this trouble, but I read that if your baby rejects your frozen milk, you should gently scald the milk before freezing to help. I believe it has to do with the lipids in the milk? </p> <p>As for if my supply dropped in a predicable way, I would say that once I began, my body was ready and it went faster than I had guessed that it would. It was predictable in that I knew which times of day my body produced more and would therefore take more time to decrease. But keep in mind that my supply was much lower than yours by the time I went to wean. I was only pumping around 12 oz. a day total by then, and I always had a low supply and was taking supplements to help with it, so my body was ready to stop. You know your body, and if you scale back the lowest pumping sessions first, you will be able to see how your body does and go from there. I'm going to guess with your supply that you'd be able to decrease and hold out until her birthday just fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-what-was-weaning-from-the-pump-like#post-2918087 Mon, 10 Aug 2020 07:20:27 +0000 karenbme 2918087@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@annem1990: Thanks for sharing your experience! I hadn't even thought of going cold turkey. I'm making a bit more than you were so I might want to taper a little before stopping, but at least it would give me control over when I drop to zero.</p> <p>@JennyPenny: @Chuckles: @foodiebee: Thanks for sharing ladies! Did it seem like as you were dropping your supply went down in a predictable way? My ideal would be to drop until I'm making 20-30 oz per day (I've been pumping 45-50+ oz per day most of her life) and then hold there until around her first birthday, but I just don't know if I'll be able to maintain at a lower level. Maybe the answer is to cut pumping volume rather than dropping pumps?</p> <p>@IRunForFun: Thank you! I know I don't need to be worried about volume, but I am... DH convinced me to try giving her some frozen milk this afternoon to prove that she'll drink it and it'll be fine (I read somewhere that some babies reject frozen milk). I am looking forward to not needing to pump all the time, but I want to know that she has enough. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-what-was-weaning-from-the-pump-like#post-2918079 Sun, 09 Aug 2020 19:29:32 +0000 IRunForFun 2918079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just went through this (my daughter is 11 months now.) When she hit 10 months I dropped from 4 pumps per day to 3. In order to do that I started gradually moving my 3rd pump of the day (it was late afternoon) later in 30 min increments and decreasing the amount of time I pumped by 5 mins. When it got so that the 3rd pump was only about 90 mins away from the 4th pump and only 10 mins long, I dropped it. That first week I’d sometimes have a letdown/leak around the time I’d normally pump, but I wasn’t too terribly uncomfortable. Shortly after I dropped that pump I got my period back and my supply dipped, and I decided it would be a good time to cut back to 2 pumps per day. Since my supply had gone down I wasn’t as committed to following a schedule for weaning that pump; I ended up just cutting it shorter by 5 mins at a time for a few days and then dropped it. I thought I’d stay at 2 pumps per day until she was more than a year old but my supply really tanked after about a week - I was only getting 1-2 ozs per 30 minute pump. It wasn’t worth it to me since I have enough frozen to give her exclusively breastmilk to 1 year and then give her some for a couple more months. I dropped to pumping just once midday and hand expressing in the shower, and I just kept gradually shortening the pump. After about a week of that, I moved to just hand expressing in the shower for a few days. Now it’s been 5 days since I’ve even hand expressed. I’ve had minor discomfort but managed to avoid any engorgement or clogs. </p> <p>I think if you just do it gradually and don’t put pressure on yourself to be done quickly or by a certain date, and you’re not worried about making enough (which it sounds like you don’t need to be!), you should be okay! </p> <p>Oh, I also wore sports bras for that week where I was trying to stop completely, just for the compression, and I took Benadryl a few times since decongestants can dry you up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-what-was-weaning-from-the-pump-like#post-2918078 Sun, 09 Aug 2020 15:55:34 +0000 foodiebee 2918078@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EP'd. When I went to stop, I also had gotten my period and my supply was naturally going down on its own, so I took advantage of that. What I read instructed to pick a session and decrease the amount of milk you pump by 1-2 oz. per week. I dropped one pumping session a week doing this, so that the impact was gradual and I wouldn't be in discomfort. (I was only pumping a few ounces each session already because of my supply dropping.) The last pump was the hardest one to drop, but I just kept taking less and less milk until I went a day without pumping at all. I ended up needing to pump a couple ounces to relieve pressure about two days after that, and then I was fine to drop pumping completely. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-what-was-weaning-from-the-pump-like#post-2918073 Sat, 08 Aug 2020 23:20:59 +0000 Chuckles 2918073@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My supply wasn't great to start with, but when I started weaning from EP'ing, I started spacing out my pumps more, so instead of pumping every 3 hours, I went to 4, then 5. It was a good gradual way to get my supply to decrease. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-what-was-weaning-from-the-pump-like#post-2918070 Sat, 08 Aug 2020 16:37:37 +0000 JennyPenny 2918070@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn’t EP, but I mostly pumped except for the first and last feeding of the day. With DS2 I also had a significant oversupply and ended up dropping pumping sessions so I could just use frozen milk and not have to pump anymore. I started dropping sessions around 9 months. I just dropped one at a time, and waited a few weeks in between to watch what happened to my supply. It worked great and I was able to quit pumping and still give breastmilk until he was ready for cows milk. Each time I dropped a session I would get a bit more during the others for a bit, but then it would go back down and then I’d start dropping the next one. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-what-was-weaning-from-the-pump-like#post-2918066 Sat, 08 Aug 2020 11:20:12 +0000 annem1990 2918066@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had to stop abruptly at 9 months due to a medical condition. I went from pumping 24ish oz/day to nothing the next. I was slightly uncomfortable for about 24 hours and then I remember waking up the next day and it was all gone. Super easy and basically painless. </p> <p>When I had my second I decided to go straight to formula so I was not going to do any pumping/breastfeeding from the get go. My Doctor told me to just push through and resist the urge to pump to relieve pressure. It was about 5 days of pure agony and so much pain. Worse pain than the recovery from getting my gallbladder surgically removed a couple of months later. I couldn’t hold my newborn or sleep. After a few days I started taking Sudafed (the one you have to ask for behind the pharmacy counter) which has been shown to help reduce milk production in some studies. Not sure if that helped or if it just went away on its own. </p> <p>I know your milk production immediately after birth is much different than 9 months in so hopefully you won’t have the pain. Even after the second time, I’d still just do it cold turkey so you can be done faster and just get it out of the way. I wasn’t prone to mastitis, but maybe if you are you’d be more concerned about doing it cold turkey. Good luck!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-what-was-weaning-from-the-pump-like#post-2918065 Sat, 08 Aug 2020 09:58:00 +0000 karenbme 2918065@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi, I’ve been EPing for my daughter, who is 9mos but was 5 weeks early. I have a significant oversupply and have ~3500 oz of frozen milk and am still making extra milk every day with four 30 minute pumps per day. I’ve donated milk and was thinking about starting to taper this month, but then I got my period back last week and my supply crashed. It’s mostly back, but it spooked me in the sense that I feel like I’m going to have less control over my supply as I taper. If you EPed how did you decide it was time to stop and what was your experience dropping pumps like? Did you feel like your supply dropped in a predictable way? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906304 Wed, 18 Dec 2019 12:42:20 +0000 MrsSCB 2906304@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Whoops, just posted in the wrong thread! I blame the holiday craziness... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906290 Wed, 18 Dec 2019 11:18:39 +0000 karenbme 2906290@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@LCTBQE: Yeah, 4 months is my minimum, 4 adjusted is better, but really I feel like I could go with this for a while. My freezer stash is almost a month of extra milk already, so that will definitely help to extend once I feel like I’m over it.</p> <p>@Mrs Green Grass: Thanks for chiming in. 😃 I can’t imagine how tough it was with such a tiny preemie. Glad to hear you were able to pump for 11 months, though, gives me hope I can make this work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906255 Wed, 18 Dec 2019 01:02:33 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2906255@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just wanted to chime in since I had such a similar story. My preemie was born at 25 weeks and feeding was always an issue. I wanted to bf so bad but in the end it wasn’t the right thing for him. I still did pump for 11 months, but mixing milk with formula (fortified for extra calories) worked best for him. It’s hard not having things be your ideal but whatever gets calories to baby is best! Also I produced waaaaay more milk than my LO took. But I still had to mix it with formula for it to be best for him. The positive is that I was able to drop my number of pumps per day rather quickly and still easily meet his need. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906254 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 23:58:58 +0000 LCTBQE 2906254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@karenbme: yeah, def easier said than done. In your situation I’d probably also try to get through 4 months or even 4 months adjusted, and since you don’t mind pumping (I didn’t either) and your supply is great I’m sure it’ll be fine. I just know pumping can wear on and on and wouldn’t feel bad if you need/want to stop or slow down at any point after she’s not so teeny tiny. DEF wouldn’t feel bad if you need to supplement a little or a lot, as well. Just wanted to encourage you to feel proud of whatever you can do and not guilty over whatever you can’t. Speaking from experience as a 4-5x/day pumper here who went through some needless guilt bullshit when I quit/weaned my daughter at 9 months :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906239 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 21:46:01 +0000 karenbme 2906239@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks, ladies. Giving up on breastfeeding makes me sad and feels a little selfish, but at the end of the day I think we’ll all (including DH who gets really stressed when we’re both crying during/after a feed) be happier for it. I like @lilyofthewest: and @kemma’’s idea to just practice a little every day with no expectations. </p> <p>@JJ2626: I have nothing against formula, it’s more that I have a really good supply and milk is essentially free. I’m sure eventually we’ll wind up supplementing with formula, but for now I get an excess of about 15oz. per day.</p> <p>@SweetCaroline: Good to know that it can suddenly click. She has a good, or at least not painful latch, she’s just not getting milk. 😕</p> <p>@LCTBQE: Not putting pressure on myself is definitely good advice, but probably easier said than done. I’ve been pumping most of her milk for almost 2 months, I’d really like to get at least another 2 because as a preemie she’s at higher risk of SIDS, and most SIDS deaths occur by 4 months. I feel like it’s totally doable, and then we’ll go from there.</p> <p>@pachamama: I don’t think I feel pressure only to bond by breastfeeding, but as a FTM who’s never successfully done it I didn’t really know if BFing were some sort of transcendental experience (some people def think it is). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906238 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 21:45:15 +0000 nana87 2906238@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There’s another option— combo feeding. Lo1 wasn’t getting enough from bf’ing and I tried to pump after feeds to boost my supply but also topped her off w formula (like 1-3oz per feed). Pumping and nursing was insane but combo feeding worked so so well for us. I could enjoy the bfing relationship and nursing for comfort, but she was able to grow and thrive too. She ended up nursing for 21 months (she’s 5.5 now...) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906224 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 21:29:15 +0000 nwm 2906224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I voted EP. To be honest with you I think I have bonded with my babies way better after we stopped bfing because it was so wrapped up in pain and guilt over low supply, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906207 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 19:59:26 +0000 pachamama 2906207@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I hate that you feel pressure to bond only by breastfeeding😭😭. When you give a baby nourishment and look in her eyes, you bond! Doesn't matter if it's a skin nipple or a silicone nipple, she sees you and smells you and you are feeding her! And more importantly you and her are happy and she's not hungry A wonderful bonus is she gets mama milk, full of all those antibodies and other goodies. (I exclusively BFed for a year with DS1, had to stop at 9.5 months with DS2, and I would say we bonded better after I went to formula- we snuggled bc he was drinking so easily and he was soooo happy to not have to work so hard.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906201 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 19:51:47 +0000 Kemma 2906201@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Could you nurse for recreational purposes and pump for nutrition? I still feel like the non-nutritive benefits of bf’ing are worth persisting for but if you know that baby is getting her calories from bottles then hopefully that will take the pressure off and allow you to just enjoy nursing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906188 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:35:53 +0000 charm55 2906188@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EPed my two girls (and supplemented with formula) and don’t regret it for a second. It was a great experience. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906187 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 18:30:54 +0000 LCTBQE 2906187@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I like @lilyofthewest: ‘s advice, but with the caveat that if you read it and there’s any little part of you that’s like, “ehh that’s not what I wanted to hear, just want to hear it’s okay to ep”, then I’d ep and never look back and just enjoy the girl. Also if you do decide to EP, I’d take the pressure off by not making a goal or rule on how long you’ll pump for (x months)— I’d do it until you don’t want to anymore. Congratulations on the baby :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906182 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 17:40:42 +0000 lilyofthewest 2906182@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If it were me I'd try breastfeeding directly 1-2x/day just so baby didn't lose skills and had the opportunity to improve them so there was reasonable chance of being able to give up EPing. All the washing gets old...and it is so much harder to get up overnight for the pump than for a baby. But if pumping is feeling easier right now, I wouldn't try direct feeding for more than a couple times a day. There are so many other things to worry about! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906174 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 17:20:07 +0000 SweetCaroline 2906174@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EP'd until 13 weeks because of a similar situation. I'd try to latch every 2 weeks or so with no success. Finally, around 13 weeks it CLICKED and we began BF. EPing was the best decision I made at the time. After 13 weeks I only pumped at work and BF at home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906170 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 16:58:22 +0000 Mrs. Champagne 2906170@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I BFd all three of mine for a year. My advice is.. pump! You need to be happy. You can take breaks and definitely will still be bonded. I didn’t feel like BFing was a super bonding time for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906166 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 16:35:27 +0000 Becky 2906166@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Definitely pump!</p> <p>I had a really hard time nursing and pumping with DD2 and when I finally introduced formula and shifted to mostly bottle feeding my world became so much better, and our entire family dynamic improved. By pumping you will still be providing breast milk which is even better! I think you will feel a huge weight taken off your chest if you decide to do what seems to make you and baby happier and less stressed (pumping). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906160 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 16:07:58 +0000 JJ2626 2906160@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would exclusively pump, or, honestly do formula. I had a situation where my LO had reflux and cried while at the breast and I had low supply so had to supplement and pump in addition to BFing. The whole thing was so stressful and got in the way of bonding. Once I switched to formula, we were both soooo much happier. I wish I had never breastfed and truly believe I wasn’t able to properly bond with her until I stopped. She is the happiest, healthiest toddler now and I have no regrets. Fed is best! Please do what brings you the most peace and time with your baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906157 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:50:15 +0000 MrsSCB 2906157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If EPing would work for you, I'd do that! I'm a firm believer in the idea that feeding needs to work for both parties. All types are valid choices, so whatever works for mom and baby best--formula, EP, breastfeeding or a combo--is great! (I EBF my first, and am doing a combo of BFing and formula with my second). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/wwyd-breastfeeding-vs-exclusive-pumping#post-2906154 Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:40:51 +0000 karenbme 2906154@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Some of you probably remember my story from other threads—high risk pregnancy which lead to a 35 week preemie who is now 7 1/2 weeks old (2 1/2 weeks adjusted). She has been getting bottles since her first day of life in the NICU and generally gets about 2/3 of her calories from pumped milk and 1/3 directly from me. We’re on our third lactation consultant, who I really like and finally got her latching without a nipple shield about a week ago, and we had one good day where she got everything from me, but other than that she’s never gotten a full feed without a bottle more than once in a day. We keep hearing that we should keep trying and she’ll get there in a couple weeks for sure (heard this as 3, 5, and now 6 weeks) but she screams in hunger 15-30 minutes after coming off the breast nearly every time.</p> <p>Meanwhile we did a couple days of EPing when I needed a break for mental health reasons, and it worked really well for us. I was able to pump 37 and 42 ounces in the two 24 hour periods. I still had plenty of bonding tome with her, possibly more than when I try to breastfeed because I had a happy baby who wasn’t screaming in hunger. I don’t mind the pump, and have Freemies cups for my spectra, so I’m still able to hold her while I’m pumping and have pumped with them while friends were at the house. The washing is annoying, but is only ~15 minutes twice a day, so not too bad.</p> <p>I’m trying to make a decision now about whether or not it’s worth it to keep trying to breastfeed vs. just exclusively pumping. I don’t want to totally miss out on something so elemental, but I also don’t know that I can spend the last few weeks of my mat leave listening to her scream in hunger rather than enjoying my otherwise happy baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-until-empty#post-2294415 Fri, 18 Sep 2015 05:24:49 +0000 Alba4 2294415@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I pumped and supplemented with formula for my son due to his tongue-tie. Despite clipping his frenulum, he never fully latched. I would pump for @20 minutes. I remember I would get more milk if I massaged my breasts while pumping. You don't need an hour, and you will drive yourself crazy pumping for an hour just to get s few extra drops. iMO, those minutes are better spent cuddling your baby! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-until-empty#post-2294371 Fri, 18 Sep 2015 01:41:53 +0000 BSB 2294371@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abmamma: thanks for asking this question. I'm a new mom to twins and right now just pumping because the babies are in the nicu. I was a bit lax on pumping in the beginning but I'm still trying to increase my supply, so I do usually pump between 30-45 minutes (whenever my rented hospital pump turns off). The babies are coming home soon, so I'm thinking that my supply will increase when im feeding the babies on demand.<br /> I was thinking that emptying my breast will tell my body to make more. In my case, I would think that is what I want since I have twins. But the LC said 20 minutes is fine. I should ask the LC again.<br /> I have heard of power pumping and that is pumping short times repeatedly over a certain period. Maybe I'll ask the LC which is better. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-until-empty#post-2287888 Thu, 10 Sep 2015 16:00:05 +0000 MamaCate 2287888@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abmamma: Sorry for the belated reply about getting back to nursing. I EP'd for most of the first five weeks due to tongue tie and latch issues. I wanted to try nursing one more time before getting up and planning to pump the rest of the year. He had gotten back to birthweight and we were in a good routine. So I decided to commit to a week where most feedings were nursing followed by pumping and giving him a bottle of expressed milk. On about day four seems like it clicks for him and he has been able to nurse and transfer effectively. He is now two months old and we are nursing five times a day and pumping twice. I have been going to weekly breast-feeding support group which has been helpful for encouragement and to weigh him to reassure myself he is gaining. Whatever you decide to do I'm sure it will work out but I was worried I would never be able to nurse again and I'm so thankful we were able to figure it out. Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-until-empty#post-2286114 Tue, 08 Sep 2015 20:16:27 +0000 Charm54 2286114@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abmamma: Walled you :happy: </p>