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Originally Posted by preciousjeni
There are too many problems with this. Pumping takes FOREVER and it is uncomfortable. A baby can express more milk than a pump, hands down. Plus, letting a baby use a bottle (filled with breastmilk or anything) makes for a lazy mouth and the baby will begin to struggle with breastfeeding.
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Exactly. Because my son lost too much weight the first week after he was born, I had to start supplementing with formula and I think that seriously affected his latch and desire to suck. Granted, I also had supply issues from the beginning, but a good chunk of my maternity leave was spent sitting in a chair, attached to a pump trying to get enough milk for just
one bottle per day. I really wonder, if I hadn't had to supplement so early, would my breastfeeding experience been better?
Many women who are seriously commited to breasfeeding wait at least 4 weeks before introducing a bottle, and some not even then. Some only pump when they know they're going to be out for a night and someone else is watching the baby. Some only start pumping a week or two before they go back to work to start getting used to the pump. For some women, they don't respond to the pump at all, (meaning the pump draws little to no milk) so it's not even an option. And for those women who have made the commitment, no formula is NOT an option. Yes, some women can make pumping and bottlefeeding work, but it is much easier and better for the baby if s/he can get it straight from the breast.