How long can you just pump?

by Jane
(USA)

My SIL has a one month old. She had a C-section with some complications so milk didn't come in for a good week or so. Then she started pumping and I think does it several times a day but has never put baby to the breast. He's mostly formula fed but gets probably 3-4 oz breast milk a day. I was just wondering, how long can that last?

Answer:
That is a complicated situation. Starting with the c-section and post partum complications, many women feel like failures after having a rough birth experience. It doesn't matter if they logically understand it was not their fault and that it doesn't determine their worth as a mother, they are still heart-broken and often have to go through a natural grieving process. If breastfeeding is difficult on top of that, your SIL probably needs a lot of emotional support and praise.

To your actual question--exclusively pumping and never putting the baby to the breast is a recent trend. I have known moms who exclusively pump for 12+ months. Those that make it that long are rare. If your SIL wants to pump long term, she should rent a hospital grade electric pump. The ones you can buy for home (even the expensive ones) don't usually work for long-term exclusive pumping, and a hospital grade pump is better in the short term when you are trying to increase milk supply.

She needs to decide for herself how important breastfeeding is to her. For a lot of moms, if they can push through the rough first 6 weeks and become successful at breastfeeding, they feel much better about themselves and are better able to emotionally deal with the difficult birth experience.

If she is serious about wanting to breastfeed (or even exclusively pump) she should find a good lactation consultant, a hospital grade electric pump, spend lots of time skin-to-skin with her baby, and maybe even ask her doc for an Rx for Reglan. While it will increase milk supply, it puts moms at greater risk of post partum depression, so she would need to be monitored carefully. Here is some info about this medication for increasing milk supply: http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/prescript_galactagogue.html
There is an herbal supplement called Fenugreek that many people swear by. I don't usually recommend it because a) it's an herb and therefore unregulated and b) I have had several moms tell me they smell odd while on it. I think new moms have enough body image issues without adding weird BO to it. But again, it does work for a lot of women, so I don't discourage those who want to use it.

Regarding the skin-to-skin time, it will increase the hormones that stimulate milk production, will keep her baby calm and happy, and may even facilitate a renewed chance at direct breastfeeding. If done during pumping, it will also increase milk let-down and increase how much milk she gets out at a pumping session. This site talks about skin-to-skin: http://www.kangaroomothercare.com/
It is the website of one of the original researchers on skin-to-skin, or "kangaroo care." It is usually discussed in reference to premies, but is excellent for babies of all ages. Plus it is just a beautiful thing to snuggle your baby like that.

If she does eventually want to get the baby off the bottle and onto the breast, she would benefit from the help of an experienced lactation consultant.

I would also recommend that she find a local breastfeeding support group to attend. Not just for the breastfeeding support (which she would benefit from) but also so she can share her birth experience with other moms who have had similar experiences. Just because c-sections are common doesn't decrease how traumatic they can be.

Your SIL is in a difficult situation. She will need good support to be successful long-term.