Pumping?

[CompletelyInsane]

My husband wants me to stop pumping & bfing. Our daughter is 7mons now and is breastfeeding at night. I pump once in morning & at lunch. The problem is we work together and he hates the time it takes up (1hr day?/REALLY!) Anyway, if I quit pumping will my milk completely dry up? Or will I still be able to bf at night. My daughter will not have it any other way, I have tried a bottle at night but she will go nuts until she gets what she wants. In away I think my husband is alittle jealous, is that weird?

[whitnessforhim]

I think your husband just isn't aware of all the benefits breastfeeding has for you and your baby. Would he be open to reading some material and educating himself on the subject? Or is there a way you could help him understand these benefits? If he really had an understanding as to why you are nursing in the first place he might be more open to the idea that you continue nursing your baby. Sometimes it is hard for guys to understand things from a moms perspective. I know with my husband he really didn't know there was any difference between breastfeeding and formula. It really took me just sharing with him what I had discovered to get him to truly understand why I was making the sacrifice I was making. Here is one website I like to quote which has some good reading material on the subject: www.kellymom.com I am sure someone else could recommend other sites.

I know that many moms here have been able to quit pumping and just nurse their babies when they are home. However, every women is different and I can't answer whether you will still have milk or not if you stop pumping. I know for myself I could not stop pumping at work and still produce enough milk to satisfy my DD when I am home, even at 17mo. I've experimented with this and found that my body just can't do it. This is something you'll have to figure out for yourself, maybe by eliminating one pumping session and see how you do over a week or two time. Personally though, IMHO, I wouldn't even think about decreasing your DD's breastmilk intake until she is at least a year old since breastmilk or formula should be a babies main source of nutrition for the first year of life.

I hope some of this information helps and your husband becomes more open to the idea that you continue to nurse your baby because that really is the best thing for her and formula will never compare to what breastmilk and breastfeeding does for your child.

[BrookeH]

I think these are really common feelings of jealousy. My dad did the same thing to my mom almost 30 years ago, and "guilted" her into weaning me. To this day my mother tells me one her one of her biggest regrets is that she weaned me before we were ready to stop nursing.

I would remind my DH of all of the $$ he is saving with BF vs bottle (lots of men seem to respond well to the money benefit) and the health benefits. Know that you have lots of people supporting you here. You are doing the best thing for your LO.

[Sylko]

I'd keep it up at work, if I could. That said, if you go to only nursing at night, your milk will only come in at night. After a year of full time nursing my first baby, we went to only nursing at bed time for the next year, so for me, at least, it was fine.

[JRebecca]

First of all, I would keep it up at work as well and maybe your husband needs some information about the advantages bfing can have.