The Validity of Exclusively Pumping Breast Milk: Embracing Individual Choices

You're the guardian of motherly love, expressed drop by drop. Welcome to the blog post where I aim to shed some light on why it's okay to exclusively pump, and why it's a valid choice. I want to be able to empower mothers on the journey that I'm on. Breastfeeding is a beautiful way to bond, but not everyone can or wants to bond by breastfeeding. Here we talk about the reasons why you might want to do so. 

8 Reasons Why You May Want to Pump

1. Being able to share the responsibility of feeding your baby with others: If you're pumping your breastmilk, your baby can bond with you and any of the people taking care of it. 

2. Work or Lifestyle issues: If a breastfeeding human has a busy life with work or a busy lifestyle, exclusively pumping makes it easy for anyone who wants to breastfeed, but isn't able to. Even when you are away baby can eat milk another day.

3. Easier to manage your supply: Ever wonder how much milk your baby receives? When you're exclusively pumping, you're able to measure how much milk your baby gets and if you need to adjust feeding your baby's feeding schedule. 

4. Being able to breastfeed longer: If you have a breastfeeding goal, as most mothers do, pumping can help a mother reach their goal. If you save a stash of breast milk in your freezer and use an app or something like the Exclusive Breast Feeding Calculator, you'll be able to make it to your goal easier. 

5. Being able to share milk with others: Did you know that you can donate your milk to a mom who may need it? Sometimes things come up and a mother in the NICU can use some milk, moms of multiple babies or even a mom who's going through health issues.  Back when my son was born, I relied on donor milk the first week because my milk hadn't come in yet. Now that I'm able to produce my own milk, it's my hope that I will be able to help other mothers in the future. 

6. Medical issues: Piggybacking on the last reason, sometimes a person can't breastfeed but she can actually pump milk. Babies have latching issues, moms can have nipple pain, and there are other options where a baby or mom can't breastfeed from the tap. With the use of pumps, there are ways that a baby can still enjoy breast milk.

7. Increased milk supply: If your milk supply is low, regular and consistent pumping an actually

stimulate milk production. It's a bit like a grocery store, the more you pump, the more your body can create. 

8. For comfort, and confidence: Not all peoples are confident enough to breastfeed in public, being able to take out a bottle may be a little more comfortable, especially if they prefer to avoid social situations where they may feel uncomfortable about breastfeeding. 

Conclusion

There is no one-size-fits-all, and one-way works approach when it comes to feeding your baby. No matter your choice, whether it be exclusively pumping, breastfeeding, or even formula feeding, what matters most is that your baby is happy and healthy. I'd love to hear about your experiences when it comes to feeding your baby. If there are more reasons that should be added to this beautiful list feel free to list them and I'll add them to this post. Let's celebrate motherhood and support everyone's choices!