Pump-Tober: Pumping is Breastfeeding!

Welcome to October! As an AZ native, really this just means a slightly less-hot month than the previous 3 months before it. We are still fighting 100 degree days, but at least I can get a pumpkin spiced latte as I am wearing shorts with a “I love fall!” tshirt on…

Okay, so now onto pumping. For many moms, “time to go pump” is a dreaded statement. It often is identified as a chore to many of us. Although, some may argue that nursing is just as much if not more of a chore than pumping. However, an argument a mother who exclusively nurses her baby does not have is whether she is breastfeeding or not. A baby literally feeding off of a mom’s breast is easily defined as being a “breastfeeding baby”. So then that begs the questions, that can a baby who is fed breastmilk through a bottle still be deemed as a breastfed baby? My answer is a resounding HELL YES!

Of course, breastfeeding originated from the idea of nursing a baby, but we are in a day of working mothers, phenomenal and efficient pumps, and so we arrive at a wider definition of breastfeeding. So with that said, breastfeeding is defined more as an umbrella term of feeding baby breast milk. A mother has many ways that she can choose to feed her baby, which include nursing baby, offering mother’s breastmilk or a donor’s breastmilk through a bottle, syringe, SNS, etc., and even combo feeding in a mixture of different ways. At the end of the day, if your baby is receiving breastmilk they are breastfed. Now, you, your doctor/pediatrician, and your lactation consultant might have discussions on what your particular breastfeeding situation might look like, but you are in fact breastfeeding.

Which brings me to the story that originated this particular blog. A few weeks ago I was consulting a mother, who had defined herself as an exclusive pumper. She was giving me her history and in the middle of sharing her breastfeeding journey, she suggests that her baby just would not “breastfeed” and therefore she chose to pump. I felt that in my stomach when she said that. I knew exactly how she felt when she said that, because I too was convinced that my son was not breastfed for some time.
I stopped her, probably rudely interrupted her, and I said, “Can I correct something real quick?”
Puzzledly, she responds, “Sure…”
I responded as sincerely as I knew how and said, “You are breastfeeding your baby! You might have to rely on formula sometimes and yes, she does not nurse. But mama, you are breastfeeding your baby!”
I might be wrong, but I swear her eyes welled up and her shoulders dropped as she replied, “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
And unfortunately, we all need to hear it sometimes. Whether you are an exclusive pumper, pump for one bottle/day, or pump while you are at work, you are still breastfeeding your bundle of joy!

So now that we are confident that pumping is breastfeeding, I challenge you to a few things. I challenge you to change the narrative. I have a few suggestions on how we can change the pumping narrative.

• The doctor’s office: I feel like this is one of the first times that we can start to lose confidence in the way we are choosing to feed out baby. Usually, they will ask how long baby breastfeeds on each breast and then we start to spiral. So the next time you go to the pediatrician, consider this conversation instead:
  Pediatrician: “Are you breastfeeding or formula feeding?”
  Mother: “I am breastfeeding.”
  Pediatrician: “How many times a day?”
  Mother: “Usually 8-10 times/day”
  Pediatrician: “How long does he nurse for?”
  Mother: “He usually takes about 2-3 oz, usually 24-27oz/day.”
  
  You do not need to say more!
  
  Here is the deal, pediatricians really just want to know if baby is receiving breastmilk or formula and how much baby is consuming in a given 24 hour period. You do not need to make excuses, do not let yourself feel less then, all they want to know is how much your baby is eating - so give them the information they need.

• The mom’s group: Why is it that moms are the most judgmental when we all are just trying to survive? Well, regardless, here is another way to consider the conversation:
  Other mother: “I see your bottle feeding, that must be a lot. I just found nursing so much easier…she just loves the boob so much!”
  You: “I am glad that you two chose a feeding method that works best for you and your baby! For us, we have found that pumping and bottle feeding is our best method of breastfeeding.”
  
  Unless you want to share, you do not owe other people the reasoning behind why you did not nurse or why you chose to pump. Keep it simple, keep it kind.

• The Lactation Consultant: Ah, this is a fun one. Here is the deal if you find yourself working with a lactation consultant who is not respecting your choice to pump, then that’s a RED FLAG. You have to remember though, lactation consultants are trained to help you breastfeed, period. You do need to make it clear that pumping is how you have chosen to pursue your breastfeeding journey. This might look like this:
  Lactation Consultant: “How are you today? What brings you in?”
  Mother: “Oh, I am well thank you! I am just struggling to maintain my supply and I am concerned about my flange sizing.”
  Lactation Consultant: “Okay, well how often are you nursing your baby?”
  Mother: “Oh, I am pumping, not nursing.”
  Lactation Consultant: “Okay, I just want to confirm your goals are to exclusively pump?”
  Mother: “Yes, I do not plan to nurse.”
  Lactation Consultant: “Wonderful! Let’s get you sized for flanges.”
  
  Understand that lactation consultants are going to want to confirm your goals. Many women go to LCs and are pumping, because they are having difficulty nursing, but still very much want to nurse. So as an exclusive pumper, just make sure to make your goals clear. If after making your goals clear, a good lactation consultant should no longer push you - if she does, then finding one who respects your goals is appropriate.

• In-Public: Now this one is a little less conversation based, but something that I think was the most empowering step for me as an exclusive pumper. I began asking myself, “Would I be comfortable nursing here?” If my answer was yes, then I would pump there. I full agree that pumping seems to be much more explicit than nursing. It can feel like something that should only be done in private, but then I ask why? If pumping is breastfeeding and nursing is breastfeeding and many women nurse in public, then can’t we pump in public too? The answer is yes and mama, it feels so good to empower yourself that ability.
  So my challenge to you, is pump where you want to breastfeed. Pump in a restaurant, in the movie theater (with a quiet pump of course ;)), grocery shopping, and my personal favorite, pumping gas. Just like nursing mothers, our comfort levels might be different, maybe you will wear a wearable cup, maybe a cover over flanges or maybe you will walk proud with your flanges. Whatever the case, the less you limit yourself on where you will/will not pump, the easier pumping will become.

So, here is the deal. Pumping is breastfeeding, that is a very true statement. However, we as mothers who pump, also have to live up to that statement. If as an exclusive pumper, you do not want to be considered “less than”, then we also need to act like pumping is not less then.

This October, I want you to be pumping proudly, mamas!

Having a difficult time figuring out how to pump or pump with the confidence to pump proudly? Schedule an Exclusive Pumper consultation with me today!

With love,

Antoinette Cornelius, CLC