Why Women Choose to Exclusively Pump Breast MilkExclusively pumping breast milk is best thought of as an alternative to formula feeding. While there are some women who decide to exclusively pump even before their babies are born, they are by far the minority. Instead, most women who exclusively pump fully intended to breastfeed and believe strongly in the benefit and value of breast milk. When confronted with difficulties or situations that make breastfeeding difficult or impossible, these women turn to the use of a breast pump to ensure their babies receive breast milk. The reasons women exclusively pump are extremely varied: the premature birth of a baby; the illness of the baby or the mother; problems with breastfeeding including such things as a poor latch, thrush, cleft palate, poor weight gain, a lack of milk (either real or perceived), and the early introduction of a bottle leading to nipple preference; and the separation of mother and baby including women who must return to work soon after the birth of their babies. It is difficult to briefly discuss the many reasons women exclusively pump, but there do tend to be some similarities in most women’s experiences. Self-preservation is an often mentioned factor in the decision to exclusively pump. New mothers are overwhelmed with emotions. Hearing your baby scream every time you try to nurse, enduring extreme pain when nursing, or having a baby who is unable to get enough milk to satisfy her can add to an already tumultuous period. Also, for women who are breastfeeding, bottle feeding to top up the baby’s intake, and then pumping to maintain or increase supply while the baby learns to breastfeed or the mother is able to resolve difficulties she is experiencing, the cycle becomes overwhelming and, even with a strong support network, can make it extremely difficult to continue for very long. Often a mother is not able to truly focus on mothering and enjoying her new baby, and instead, is solely focused on providing nourishment. Life becomes consumed with feeding the baby, which can, in and of itself, add additional stress to the situation making breastfeeding all that more challenging. The decision to exclusively pump can, for some women, bring back a balance in their lives and in their household and enable them to refocus on their babies while continuing to feed their babies breast milk. The decision to exclusively pump is not made lightly. The vast majority of women who decide to exclusively pump do work with lactation consultants before making their decision. And although pumping and bottle feeding becomes the primary method of feeding, many women also continue to work on breastfeeding and solving problems that were making it difficult to breastfeed. Yet, even though the hope of exclusive breastfeeding may still remain when a woman starts to pump, many women do get to a point where they no longer attempt to breastfeed. Many struggle with the emotions they feel as a result of not breastfeeding and not having the breastfeeding relationship they thought they would have with their baby. For many, the strong emotions felt when they do not see success breastfeeding are too difficult to continue reliving over and over again. The disappointment and frustration often prove to be difficult to cope with on a continuing basis and as a result the decision to exclusively pump is made. Working with a lactation consultant during these first few weeks of pumping is extremely important if a transition to exclusive breastfeeding is desired and an important time for lactation consultants to maintain close contact with women in order to assist them to breastfeed successfully. Perhaps the strongest motivating factor for exclusively pumping is the strong belief that breast milk is the best way of nourishing a baby. Most women who exclusively pump do not feel that formula is an option; it is something they would prefer not to feed their babies. Therefore, when they are confronted with difficulties breastfeeding (or the inability to breastfeed), and are unable to resolve the situation, they turn to what is often in their minds, the only option available to them. If the women who exlusively pump did not have this as an option, their babies would most likely be switched to formula. Exclusively pumping is a viable alternative to formula feeding. Knowledge is key, however. A breast pump will not initiate or maintain a milk supply in the same manner as a baby. Women who have been able to exclusively pump long-term tend to follow a similar set of guidelines. Support and accurate information are extremely important indicators of success for women who are exclusively pumping. While breastfeeding is undoubtedly the best method of feeding a baby, the fact remains that certain circumstances make breastfeeding difficult, and, sometimes, women decide to bottle feed. The reasons for this decision and the emotions that surround the decision are varied, but in all cases, exclusively pumping can ensure that it is breast milk in the bottle instead of formula and provide more babies with the best start possible in life. Copyright Stephanie Casemore, 2004 2 Responses to “Why Women Choose to Exclusively Pump Breast Milk” Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
 
 
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December 15th, 2007 at 8:50 am
i just wanted to say thank you so much for this article! My son was born 10 weeks early and spent 8 weeks in the NICU. I exclusively pumped and nursed about 2 times a day in the hospital when he was about 5 weeks old. I fully intended to exclusively breastfeed him when I was home, however, my expectations were quickly shattered! He would SCREAM when I took him to my breast. My mom and husband would try to help but nothing would work. When the lactation people would come around, he did FINE!! It was very frustrating because it was like they didn’t believe me when I said he wouldn’t nurse! I would still try nursing him and have success a handful of times, but still, nothing consistent and he would be hungry a lot sooner than if i pumped and bottlefed him. So, he is 5 1/2 months old now and I am pumping as I type!
I actually tried nursing him yesterday and did ok on one side and when he stopped sucking and swallowing I pulled him off to burp him and he SCREAMED again! Another very emotional time, reliving all the memories as to why I pump!
However, there are very few people who actually understand why someone would pump and I have gotten a lot of slack from other moms who just cant understand why I won’t nurse. There are 2 ladies at my church who both pumped for 6 months for their babies who were in the hospital! I finally found women who could sympathize.
I have been discouraged lately because my supply seems to be decreasing. My son is eating all the time!! (And we praise God for it and know that He is healthy and growing! And that is the goal of pumping!!) But I am having a hard time keeping up.
Anyway, I just found this article extremely encouraging and hopeful and it was very good for me to read it! So, thank you SO much! Your insight is more valuable than you know!
July 11th, 2008 at 6:20 am
Why has it taken me five months to find this site?!!!! I’ve been trying google searches, sure that there must be some websites on exclusively expressing - and never has this site come up! It would be great if you can try and get it to come up on more web searches. Also, I talked to a breastfeeding councillor a few times, and she obviously hadn’t seen it, or I presume she’d have told me about it!
My daughter is now 5 months old and I have been exclusively expressing since she was 10 days - she just wouldn’t feed from me and I was getting more and more stressed and upset and in pain…. I tried repeatedly for the next 3 months to reintroduce the breast, but she just screamed every time she saw it! Luckily I’ve had an excellent supply and so, despite having some formula in the house for emergencies, I’ve never had to use it! I even have about a weeks worth of feeds in the freezer…
All what you say is so true and I have found it really depressing that my daughter want drink directly from me. But my bond with her is fantastic, I think truly believe that if I had continued trying to force her onto the breast, we’d have just ended up hating each other.
Feeding solely by expressing really is an effort - but it is an option, and it would be great if it were advertised as such - so many people switch quickly to formula, without even considering expressing. I was really reluctant to move to formula, so I set myself targets.. First, I planned to express for a month. Then it was two. Then it was four. Now I know I’ll express until 6 months, and I expect that, as long as my supply continues, I’ll carry on expressing a little bit until she’s a year… Certainly if I can continue until she’s only on 2 or 3 bottles a day (7 or 8 months, I guess), then I’ll just carry on until a year….
One of the main problems with expressing is you are rather chained to the house… It’s gradually become more acceptable to breastfeed in public, but express!!! I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to whip out my breastpump in public….
Ahh, having found you I could talk forever… I don’t know any other mothers who exclusively pump, and would love to find some that I could talk to and share ideas about pumps etc with…
Thanks for this site!