Breastfeeding. . .

Well, I have been struggling with whether or not I should breastfeed. I wanted to just exclusively pump and bottle feed the expressed milk, but I can't find much information about it and it appears most women only do that when they physically cannot breastfeed. I, however, am just REALLY uncomfortable with it. I know it shouldn't but it seems like a very sexual thing and I just don't know if I can get that out of my mind. I really want the benefits of breastmilk, but I may have to formula feed just to be comfortable. . .

Anyhow, advice?

I pumped and gave my son the expressed milk because it was too difficult for me to breastfeed straight from the breast. I too thought that it was a very sexual thing but once my son was born it took me a little bit to try it out it wasnt until he was a week old that I actually tried it and at first it was really weird but eventually I got better about it. So don't stress about it even if you pump you are still giving your baby the nutrients he/she needs without the discomfort you are experiencing. So just wait until you have the baby and go with the flow. I wish you the best of luck and I hope all goes well with whatever you choose

The reason you don't find much info is its harder to pump. A pump is not nearly as efficient at removing the milk from the breast as baby is. As well milk supply is a supply and demand thing the more often baby is put to breast then you have adequate milk supply. Its harder to maintain milk supply when your exclusively pumping. There are growth cycles breastfed babies have that are harder to adjust for when you are pumping. Baby usually hits a growth spurt around 6 weeks many moms experience what they precieve as not enough milk for baby, truth is there is enough milk for baby and that the more baby nurses the more milk you will produce. If you are pumping you could miss babies cues telling you that it needs to be at the breast a bit more for you to produce that extra milk it needs as that growth spurt happens. Breastmilk is best for you too it has many benefits for you both in the short term and for your over all long term good health. You can google benefits of breastfeeding you will find lots of hits and tons of good information. As for being concerned about the sexual aspects of breastfeeding. When you breastfeed you will find that your sex drive is not as strong as your body is producing hormones to counter that sex drive. I would suggest that you look into the La Leche League they offer forums and meetings for expecting and new moms to learn how to breastfeed, what to expect when breastfeeding. how to get used to breastfeed in public.Many skills that do need some guidance to be successful at breastfeeding,. If that doesn't suit you talk to your care provider about resources. I would encourage you to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first 6 weeks. Offer no pacifiers, and bottles these can cause nipple confusion and interfere with having a successful breastfeeding relationship.

Tleonard wrote: The reason you don't find much info is its harder to pump. A pump is not nearly as efficient at removing the milk from the breast as baby is. As well milk supply is a supply and demand thing the more often baby is put to breast then you have adequate milk supply. Its harder to maintain milk supply when your exclusively pumping. There are growth cycles breastfed babies have that are harder to adjust for when you are pumping. Baby usually hits a growth spurt around 6 weeks many moms experience what they precieve as not enough milk for baby, truth is there is enough milk for baby and that the more baby nurses the more milk you will produce. If you are pumping you could miss babies cues telling you that it needs to be at the breast a bit more for you to produce that extra milk it needs as that growth spurt happens. Breastmilk is best for you too it has many benefits for you both in the short term and for your over all long term good health. You can google benefits of breastfeeding you will find lots of hits and tons of good information. As for being concerned about the sexual aspects of breastfeeding. When you breastfeed you will find that your sex drive is not as strong as your body is producing hormones to counter that sex drive. I would suggest that you look into the La Leche League they offer forums and meetings for expecting and new moms to learn how to breastfeed, what to expect when breastfeeding. how to get used to breastfeed in public.Many skills that do need some guidance to be successful at breastfeeding,. If that doesn't suit you talk to your care provider about resources. I would encourage you to breastfeed exclusively for at least the first 6 weeks. Offer no pacifiers, and bottles these can cause nipple confusion and interfere with having a successful breastfeeding relationship.

yeah, i know the benefits of breastmilk, that's why i was wanting to pump. It just really seems like a sexual thing between me and the baby, not my sex drive itself. That's the big problem.  

yeah, i know the benefits of breastmilk, that's why i was wanting to pump. It just really seems like a sexual thing between me and the baby, not my sex drive itself. That's the big problem.



Have you ever been around a nursing pair? I think going to some meetings (LA LECHE) or other local breastfeeding classes may help you. Is your family, and spouse (SO) supportive? Talk to them about this. I tell you my husband & father in law were my biggest supporters of breastfeeding my son some 17 years ago. It was not trendy to breastfeed.
I was thinking about this topic last night and wanted to remind you that to breastfeed you need to know how to latch baby on. There isn't much beyond that that you need. To often I see moms hauling luggage to care take baby. Thye have bottles, formula, water, etc. When you breastfeed your load is lightened considerably, a spare sleeper and a few diapers and your good to go!
Please look into finding a breastfeeding support group. I learned so much when I attended. Wishing you luck.  

I want to just pump and bottle feed too   I don't want to be the only one able to feed my child and if I decide to go back to work I want her ready so that she doesn't have a hard time taking a bottle.. I want every one (her daddy and grandparents) to be able to bond with her also.. Do what you feel comfortable with   Good luck on the little one!!!

Ive heard the same thing (that pumping exlusively can be hard) for one, nursing causes the milk to let down more, which also makes it easier to pump (Ive heard the easiest way to pump is feed baby with one breast and pump the other, because the milk will be ready to flow). If you start with the bottle right away, your baby will be less likely to latch on, so it may cause you to be unable to nurse if you change your mind. Also, I read recently that babies who are breast fed have to suck harder (hence why bottle babies won't switch to the breast, its more work!) but having to suck harder improves teh strength of thier mouth, which suposedly causes teeth to come in more aligned (meaning, less likely to need braces! I thought that was awesome!)

Any way, if you start with the breast and can not get comfortable with it, you can easily switch to the bottle, but the other way doesnt work; and if you can't pump enough you could end up with a diminished milk supply and have to switch to formula.