EPing as a choice after returning to work

[@llli*sassypants]

I was just trying to relate to the OP's "maybe I am just not the nursing type" comment. Neither was I, but that is okay.

[@llli*mommy2lilah]

I was just trying to relate to the OP's "maybe I am just not the nursing type" comment. Neither was I, but that is okay.

I hope I didn't offend. I just wanted to say that the first month or so is hard and that it gets easier.

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

I am so confused. Why give up the relationship with your baby? It is a fabulous way to reconnect after work. EPing is way more work with two kids! BTDT. IEPed with four, and it was, quite frankly, a disaster. It ran our lives. You might not love BFing, but as a mom of more than one kid, it simplifies the workload a LOT. I added up how many hours I lost to the pump and washing up, that I didn't get to spend with my kids, and it was saddening. I cried. Over 1000 hours, gone. Breastfeeding kills two birds with one stone.

I would suggest feeding baby, then leaving for work. Pump there, pick up and feed again. Nurse during the night. You should be able to pump the next days milk at work.

You will need a new pump. Your old one won't do the trick. EPing kills pumps.

[@llli*Samiha]

It sounds like you are equating good sleep to bottle feeding and I just don't think that's true. I EPed for one (not by choice, never latched) and nursed the second. I think some kids are good sleepers and some don't sleep so great, but it's just personality. The child I EPed for was impossible to get to sleep at night and was the worst sleep fighter. He took teething really bad and woke up a lot in the middle of the night and would be impossible to get him to settle back down and go to sleep. My second has been easy to get to sleep, and although he woke more frequently at night he would settle more easily. I'm sure if the situations were reversed and I nursed the first and EPed for the second they would have had the same sleep habits, it's just who they are.

[@llli*lidarose]

I work and pump and I've had two babies who are good sleepers. Since they don't wake to eat as often in the night, I do wake them up to feed them before going to work. I only have to pump three times (9 hour day) while at work with no pumping on my commute. I either end up feeding my baby right when I get home, or after dinner, depending upon when he had his last bottle at daycare. Typically that's only a variance of 30 mins to an hour. I never have to worry about the pump when I am at home, and just send the milk I pump the previous day with him. I freeze it on Fridays, and thaw out frozen milk (to rotate the stash) for Mondays.

If you can get to that point, it works pretty well. Your first period gets a little hairy, but having weekends of exclusively nursing really helps to regulate you better than I think EPing would.

[@llli*joe.s.mom]

I don't always feel lovey dovey about nursing - sometimes, it's just a way to feed the kid, and that's fine! But I NEVER feel lovey dovey or get warm fuzzies about the pump, whereas nursing is sometimes that. Personally, I pump in order to nurse. Plain and simple. So I would never consider EP'ing for convenience. First of all, it's not more convenient - it's more work overall. Second, I would miss out on those really nice bonding sessions, which might not be every session, but (especially after the first few challenging months) happen more and more as baby gets older. I worked full time (more than full time) and nursing was the a great way to say hello and reconnect after a long day away from my baby.

At the very least, I would play it by ear, and see how nursing goes this time, before making any decisions.

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

Beth is right. My EPed for baby is a HORRIBLE sleeper. Bottles do not mean your baby is going to sleep great.

There are also some really excellent reasons the WHO considers pumped milk second best. It's one thing when you have a baby who cannot nurse. But why feed by choice second best food?

[@llli*vtmtbkr]

Well I'll just have to see how it goes with breastfeeding the first 3 months and make a decision when the time comes. Whether it be directly at the breast or pumped I am committing to my child the best I can provide for the first 12 months of her life, and I'm proud of the fact that I'm in that RARE 25% of mothers who commit to doing this and working full time.

[@llli*mommal]

You should be proud! When mamas here advise against EPing, it's not because EP mamas have something to be ashamed of. It's just that nursing straight from the tap is almost always much, much easier than EPing and often more enjoyable.

[@llli*Samiha]

You should be proud! When mamas here advise against EPing, it's not because EP mamas have something to be ashamed of. It's just that nursing straight from the tap is almost always much, much easier than EPing and often more enjoyable.

Exactly this. All of us just want to make sure you have the right information and that you aren't deciding to do it based on a false assumption, like that your bottle fed baby slept better because she was bottle fed.