Breastfeeding vs. Pumping

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding can become overwhelming very fast. Especially when you're a first time mother being bombarded with nurses trying to teach you the right way. To be honest, there is no right way (shocking right!) but its true. You learn as you go and your experiences vary depending on your little one. At the beginning of my breastfeeding journey I was afraid to hold Maddox too tight or too close to my boob that I would suffocate him. I remember speaking to my Lactation Consultant and she would grab Maddox and place him near my boob and push down on his bottom lip so he would get a better latch. She would tell me let him suck until he is fully satisfied. I was looking at her with such a puzzled face (how in the world am I suppose to know when he's fully satisfied! I barely know what to do) I was so concerned on the perfect position and trying to be gentle that I forgot that babies are natural feeders when they come out of the womb. Once we settled into our home breastfeeding was not cutting it! I felt like Maddox was not feeding enough and instead of waiting the 3 hours he was feeding every hour. He was very anxious and became a lazy eater. He would feed for 30 minutes and completely fall asleep. By the time he was a week old I decided to start pumping.

Pumping

I was able to pump and produce a lot of milk. I started pumping 4 ounces from each boob and shortly after I was filling up Medela storage bags and freezing my milk. I would pump and set aside Maddox's next feeding the rest I would put in my freezer to store. Thanks to my Medela pump (which I received through my insurance) I was able to build a freezer stash in no time. I was making enough milk for 3 bottles and the freezer. But pumping also comes with its pros and cons. Yes, I was getting a great supply but I also needed to wash and sterilize all the pump accessories every time I used them. You also need to take into consideration that not everywhere you go you can pump. I wanted to pump so I realized I was in need of a pumping bra that would hold my bottles in place while I was busy doing other things ( a mom needs her hands free at all times!) I found myself buying all the Medela pump accessories I bought the bra, storage bags, storage bottles, and extra bottles in case I over filled the little ones the pump came with. Pumping became second nature to me and I found myself in a relationship with my pump. The only down fall was that every 3 hours I needed to pump because if not I would end up with mastitis. For those of you that don't know mastitis happens when your milk ducts are too clogged that they build up milk causing your boobs to feel hard/ heavy and can be very painful. On the other hand, breastfeeding only required a hungry baby with a good latch and a boob. But for me pumping was easier and I knew that if I ever wanted to go out again I needed to get Maddox use to a bottle nipple (which helped so much when we started leaving him with my mom/ in law) Maddox is now use to both nipples and it gives us the freedom to either breastfeed or pump. There are times that I don't feel like pumping so I breastfeed and vice versa.

Conclusion

So which one is better? Either/or. Whatever works for you and your little one. I've learned to like both and I'm comfortable knowing that he's properly being fed on either one. Which one do I love? Obviously pumping (even though it comes with extra steps) I feel like I always have fresh pumped milk and since we're on the go a lot it works out for us.