Has anyone exclusively pumped and fed for a long length of time? My little guy just won't latch on, I guess he's not a "from the tap" kinda baby. I still try to get him to latch on but no luck. :( I have decided to pump and feed for as long as possible, I figure if I can't feed directly at least he is getting the breast milk. I was just wondering if anyone has done this for 6 months or longer and if so how did it go for you? What were the biggest challenges for you? If not do you foresee it not being feasible to do this?

Thanks for any comments thoughts!

I pump once each day while i'm at school, and that's long term, I suppose. I have not pumped exclusively though.

As far as baby not latching on, Daniel took a long time to latch on too. He eventually latched to a nipple shield. It made a world of difference. He weaned himself from it about a month ago. He latches great onto me now, but it took a long time. Don't give up. You and baby are in my prayers.

Alison

I would say don't give up trying to get him to latch on. Have you tried the nipple shields that make your nipple poke out more? What do you think his issue is? Have you tried different positions?

I pumped once a day for several months. When my ds started sleeping through the night around 6 weeks I got up early and pumped and then let him breastfeed. I was so full from him 'skipping' his middle of the night feeding that it was easy to pump.

But, the thing that may be hard for you if you exclusively pump is that even a good pump can't get everything out of you like a baby can. I could pump and get several ounces (both sides combined) and then feed ds right away and he was full after both sides.

Have you tried to contact a La Leche League near you? If you attended one of their meetings, they could help you with the latch issue.

Hope you figure something out!

My oldest DS didn't latch until he was 7 1/2 weeks old. I tried to exclusively pump until then I did have to supplement with formula some. He had torticollis, basically a kink in his neck that kept him from comfortably nursing.

I would say make sure you are pumping on a very regular and frequent basis and continue to try having your son latch regularly but not at every feeding. My DS actually latched after taking a five day break from even trying.

Also seek professional help or support from a lactation consultant, your physician or La Leche League. There are also online support groups for eppers (exclusive pumpers)

Thanks ladies! To answer some questions, Payton has a "lazy suck" according to the lactation consultant. I have tried all the positions as instructed. I have tried the nipple shield and he would latch on a BIT better but wouldn't stay long. As far as pumping I am pretty sure I'm getting fairly emptied, or at least emptied enough. I am up to getting 8 oz every 2 hours and I think my supply is growing and my breasts aren't sore at all. I pump about every 2 hours during the day and once or twice at night, depending on sleep schedules (I'm still working that out as he is only 1 week old). I already have some stored in the fridge and frozen so I'm getting some stored up for convenience. :)

I think I will continue doing what I'm doing for now since it's working. I may look up some support groups online for some extra info. I appreciate everyones input!

My first wouldn't latch on for 6 weeks! She just refused to. I pumped for the first 6 weeks but I continued to try and get her to latch on. I tried nipple shields as well and they helped some but didn't solve the problem. I nearly gave up but in the end I won the battle. One day it just clicked for her and she latched on and breastfed for a year. I would say to keep trying to latch him on at every feed or every other if you get stressed out. The less and less that you offer the breast, the more you head in the opposite direction, if that makes sense. He's maybe just not wanting to work for his food and getting it from a bottle is less work. just keep popping him back on and hopefully he will latch on. Praying for you!

I had similar problems, but the nipple shield did work for me. Although I had a hard time getting both of the boys to nurse without it! Actually I wasn't able to, but I pumped a lot too and nursed as well with the nipple shield. My issue was due to me not the boys.
I pray that things will work out, keep up the good work!

I only pumped with my DS and I pumped until I basically ran dry just shy of 9 months. We tried for weeks to get him to latch and he just never could and the pain it was causing me was horrible. He would spit out blood (sorry tmi) my nipples were so cracked. I pumped every time he ate to try and keep the supply constant. I would love to have pumped longer but I got to the point where I was pumping for 30-40 minutes and getting less than an ounce. I was so glad he was still getting my milk in a way that was comfortable for both of us. It can be done!

Another thought would be to try a supplemental nursing system (SNS). Your local LLL could give you some info but basically you wear a necklace type device that holds a few ounces of expressed milk or form. and it has two tiny flexible tubes that you attach to your body. When baby nurses at the breast he basically drinks from those 'straws' so he's getting milk via gravity even if the suck itself isn't great. The stimulation at the breast helps you keep up your supply. I don't think it's an expensive gadget. It helped one of my kids greatly. My other thought was a nipple shield, but it sounds like you've tried that out already.

Another thought would be to try a supplemental nursing system (SNS). Your local LLL could give you some info but basically you wear a necklace type device that holds a few ounces of expressed milk or form. and it has two tiny flexible tubes that you attach to your body. When baby nurses at the breast he basically drinks from those 'straws' so he's getting milk via gravity even if the suck itself isn't great. The stimulation at the breast helps you keep up your supply. I don't think it's an expensive gadget. It helped one of my kids greatly. My other thought was a nipple shield, but it sounds like you've tried that out already.


Beth, I am glad you mentioned the SNS, I couldn't remember the name of it, so didn't say anything in my previous post but we used that with our oldest ds, actually my bf consultant at the hospital made me one and it worked really well!! It really encourages them to suck and also helps to encourage your milk supply too and of course the added benefits of baby being right there at your breast!