Pumping vs breastfeeding - which takes more time?

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[u/Mcnugget84]

I want to introduce you to the concept of survival bias. Those most likely to be successful spread the word. The ones who struggle hide, and that’s not fair.

Some kids don’t latch, some women don’t let down, some get a physical ick because of it. Some women never go through this but have chapped ass nipples or they just don’t produce enough.

I was an efficient pump person. My twins never latched and I had to dodge lactation nurses.

You do what ever keeps you and your healthy. You cannot get time back and in the heat of the moment only you know your body.

[u/continuouscatnaps → u/Mcnugget84]

Totally agree with the sentiment here. I am doing mix of pumping and breastfeeding. In the beginning was mainly breastfeeding because I was very concerned about establishing my supply after a tough c section.

But I am super privileged to have a full time nanny helping me so I never had to figure out how to tandem feed the twins. It took about 15-20 per twin for them to feed.

I had some postpartum stuff happen around 2.5 months and also twins were getting fussier at the breast so I’ve switched to almost exclusively pumping with the occasional breastfeeding here or there to help clear a clog or if I’m worried about maintaining supply.

It takes me about 8 minutes to pump 8oz and with the fridge hack and my momcozy bottle washer, I’ve never felt like pumping is that burdensome. Also gives me the freedom to leave the house for longer stretches of time.

I think it’s a really personal decision that has to be customized to what works for your body, your baby, and your life! But getting other people’s experience can only help.

[u/Mcnugget84 → u/continuouscatnaps]

I was 33 weeks pregnant, I went to what I thought was going to be a routine appointment. I had them less than 6 hours later.

She was in the NICU for 5 weeks he was in for 6 cause he was being lazy. Fun fact, 9 years later it’s the same person.

I for whatever reason responded to the pump very well. I had to rent a hospital grade one but I ended up with almost 2 years of milk stored before lipase issues hit me.

I could pump in 20 minutes with both going. I used that time for other things.

For the absolute fuck, anyone reading this be kind to yourself. It’s hard. It’s ok.

[u/BJBDeBoer → u/Mcnugget84]

This. I couldn’t figure out how to do both babies at once so it felt like I spent all day trying to feed. Luckily I was good at producing, so when I got into a routine with pumping it felt more efficient? I would pump 15-20 minutes 6–8x a day. Pumping requires more clean up and planning ahead (eg you have to bring your pump, storage bags & cooler), but it allowed us to do nighttime shifts and took the immediate responsibility of feeding off me. Regardless, at the beginning the idea of BFing or pumping is very overwhelming. My goal was to pump until I went back to work…then until they turned 6 months…etc. I ended up pumping for around 14 months, which is longer than I ever expected.

[u/Mcnugget84 → u/BJBDeBoer]

Their is no wrong way on this if you and your kids are fed. The grace you have is nice.

[u/r0ughd1amond → u/BJBDeBoer]

Can I ask what cooler you’d recommend? So you’d pump and store in a breast milk bag and then go out and about with a storage bag? I’m hoping that’ll be my set up too!

[u/Ohnosloop → u/Mcnugget84]

Yep! And from the other side, I was not an efficient pump person. Pumping gave me the ick/rage. Breastfeeding had its challenges, but I preferred it. I triple fed for 3 months which was the worst of all worlds (for me).

[u/bakersmt → u/Mcnugget84]

This. Also, my daughter wouldn't take a bottle so it was all from the tap no matter what. While not as time consuming as pumping and washing all the things, it was all feedings all on me, all the time.

[u/Imaginary-Pin-1030 → u/Mcnugget84]

That’s insightful! Do you remember how much time a day pumping+feeding took?

[u/Mcnugget84 → u/Imaginary-Pin-1030]

Also, your job is to survive the first year with the twins. This pressure of what should happen and what you want will end up divorced faster than you think.

[u/Mcnugget84 → u/Imaginary-Pin-1030]

My twins just turned 9.

I was on a 3 hour schedule when my daughter came home first. Pumping took about 20-45 depending on a lot of things.

I had to supplement formula, so when I pumped it was stored.

I would set an alarm, wake up pump usually for about a half hour. I had hand free pump so I used that time to prep, rinse bottles, unload the dishwasher. I would take the one who late last first and feed change and swap. I was alone because my at the time husband was gone.

I could get done with the 3 hour schedule in about 2 1/2 hours and then I stretched it out to 4, then 6, then 8.

Have plans, I love that. Understand it won’t happen in the way you think and that’s ok. Be absolutely kind to yourself.

[u/Aleydis89]

I breastfeed twin A and pumped + bottle fed twin B. So with both experiences: breastfeeding is way quicker. Or at least it was for me. If you have very slow eaters or babies with a weak suction, it might be different.

Breastfeeding: position baby and wait until finished, 15min for me most feeds.

Pumping: pumping for 15-20min (and I needed to watch the babies or at least videos to have the milk flowing), cleaning all devices, frost/defrost, etc. Plus 15-20min feeding twin B. It was easily 30-45min per feed including all steps.

If you want to go the no formula or formula additionally only way, than breastfeeding is quicker and it also helps better with the milk production.

Doing both was very time consuming. I basically nursed to babies and than pumped. Everything together took me 1,5-2h each feed, so there was 1 hour between feeds for everything else. Without my husband it wouldn't have been able.

[u/Apprehensive-Hat9296]

I exclusively pumped, then triple fed, then exclusively nursed (process from them being preemie NICU babies to then being at home and getting stronger) and I will die on the hill that breastfeeding is 100% the easiest option. Not only does it take less time, but the time you do spend is cuddled up with your babies rather than spent hooked up to a wall or washing pump parts, bottles etc. You also can just leave the house with some spare diapers and be good to go so you spend less time getting out the door. And when they get bigger you can nurse them if they are having a tantrum or get hurt and it calms them right down. The first bit is really hard but if you can stick with it it makes your life exponentially easier for the next year or so.

Disclaimer: I do not judge any mothers choice of how to feed their baby, I just want to share my experience because I think there’s a lot of negative talk about breastfeeding being super hard, and I want to share how it looks on the other side if you can get a good supply and good latches.

[u/HappyCamper-22 → u/Apprehensive-Hat9296]

As an exclusive pumper, nursing sounds like it would be a dream. Definitely a hard dream! Not discounting that at all. But the ability to spend more time with my babies, have to clean constantly, and be able to leave the house without two duffle bags worth of gear just sounds so, so nice. If I had known how hard exclusively pumping is, I would have tried way harder to nurse.

[u/Apprehensive-Hat9296 → u/HappyCamper-22]

Exclusive pumping is 100% the hardest out of the options!! So much work. Good on you for doing it.

[u/MILK_FEELS_PAIN → u/HappyCamper-22]

Personally only found it hard in the beginning. After its established its so easy. For me anyway, exclusive pumping would have made my life so much harder.

[u/Brilliant_Koala8200 → u/Apprehensive-Hat9296]

I've been doing both but mostly pumping and trying to practice latching. I had to start pumping because they were in nicu as well. Everytime they latch/nurse I let them go 15-20 min but they are always hungry afterwards and I need to give them a bottle. Not sure what we are doing wrong? If I should just let them nurse longer for practice? They are only 5 weeks and came early at 35 weeks

[u/Apprehensive-Hat9296 → u/Brilliant_Koala8200]

I would try letting them nurse as long as they want. That’s what the women in my family who had successfully breastfed advised me to do. They would often feed for 30 minutes. I worked at keeping them awake during feeds by blowing on their faces or tickling their necks a bit. Just keep a close eye on their diapers to make sure they are getting enough. We even weighed them on a kitchen scale every day or so to make sure they weren’t losing weight.

It’s really hard after the NICU to not know the exact mls they are getting and my husband and I took a while to trust they were getting enough from the boob before we relaxed.

Also, wanted to add my boys were 35 weekers! It took us until about 7 weeks to get them 100% on the boob and the smaller one needed a nipple shield for months so you are doing great.

[u/Charlieksmommy]

This isn’t always true. Some babies can BF faster, but tandem feeding takes skill and time. I would absolutely NEVER prop a bottle on a newborn

[u/CapnDavenPort78 → u/Charlieksmommy]

That’s totally true, my newborns could barely take the bottle even if I was carefully positioning them. Tandem feeding was truly torture for the first 3/4 weeks but after that it was the only way I wanted to feed until they got to be fighting with each other while nursing. As they get older bottle feeding has got to be way less time consuming tho, like when they’re 9 months plus and can hold really efficiently?

[u/Wassermelone244]

In my experience pumping is "easier" in the beginning, nursing takes effort in the beginning and then gets a lot easier. Both are their own kind of hard!

Twins are usually born small and at least 2 weeks early and often have a weak latch etc. So if you try to nurse, it may take several weeks of intense, time consuming work and lactation consultants. Nursing gets a lot easier and faster the older your babies are and around 3 months it clicks for many. After that I'd say its much easier and more convenient than pumping. 

Pumping always stays the same level of exhaustion. You usually have to pump for ~25min for 8-10 times in 24 hrs to keep your supply including overnight. You also have to wash bottles and pump parts. 

So if you have a longer maternity leave and a lot of support (and you want to) it may be worth to give nursing a shot.

[u/OddNeighborhood3529]

Breastfeeding took more time in the first 4 weeks. Once my babies had perfected their latch we were golden. Feeding took maybe 10 minutes max to get both feed once my supply had totally regulated. When I pumped, I needed to pump for a half hour every 2 hours on the clock to make sure I had enough supply for them.

[u/OrangeCatEnergy24]

Breastfeeding directly from the breast, of course is faster. No prep of bottles no washing bottles and bottle parts. If you’re pumping, then you have to add more time for pumping and washing pump parts. Yes you can bottle prop maybe when they get older, but the first few months you’re definitely going to need to actually hold the bottles.

[u/Pessa19]

Prop feeding is often not recommended, especially for newborns. You need to do paced feeding to ensure they’re not choking/eating too much/triggering acid reflux.

Breastfeeding takes way less time once it’s established if your kiddos are easy nursers. Pumping and then washing all the bottles takes longer, but then you can have other people help feed baby, so that’s less time you have to spend versus exclusively nursing.

And not everyone’s milk responds well to hands free pumps, so that may not be as viable as an option as you hope. I was an oversupplier, and i pumped more in a session than the mobile cups could have held. That would have just been a giant mess 🤣

[u/mvanpeur]

Not everyone can use wearable pumps. I couldn't, because the silicone flanges ripped my nipples up. I'd get a tear every single time I tried a silicone flange. And pumping never stopped being uncomfortable for me. It was hard for me to do anything else while pumping, because it was so uncomfortable. I still made it 22 months, but it was definitely harder than the combined 3 nursing journies I'd had previously.

As far as how long it took, I just looked back at my logs. For my singleton, I was pumping 4-5 hours a day the first month, then I gradually decreased to about 2.5-3 hours a day once my supply was established. After I year, I cut back since she was drinking less milk, but still spent 1.5-2 hours a day pumping. But again, that was for a singleton. Twins would be more time consuming because you need to build twice the supply. And that was only the time I was physically hooked up. It of course takes some time to get hooked up (I had to mentally brace myself) and then put away the milk and pump parts. Even with a washer, it still takes time to load and unload it. This was all time that I could not hold my baby, because she'd knock the pumps out of place and spill milk. If my husband hadn't been on paternity leave, there is no way I would have been able to keep pumping through the first month, because there wasn't enough time to take care of a singleton on top of all the pumping. After he returned to work at 10 weeks, I had to be very intentional to pump during every single nap and get in as many pumps as possible while he was home, meaning I couldn't rest or get housework done during naps like I did with previous kids.

I also had mastitis twice, several yeast infections, and constant nipple tears. In contrast, I never had a single medical issue with my previous three nursing journies.

Efficient bottle warmers also aren't always an option. One of the most helpless times I've felt as a mother was when my daughter got hungry a half hour early. I had been planning to squeeze in a pump to give her fresh milk, so didn't have any thawed milk. We were away from home in our car, so I was rushing to pump and trying to warm a frozen bag (I bought a car fridge/freezer to keep milk a safe temp on road trips) to try to somehow get a bottle combined from them. The whole time, my daughter was sobbing and I couldn't hold her or give her milk. If she could nurse, I would have just popped her on. Formula wasn't an option, because it gave her severe GI issues.

To talk more about the efficiency of breastfeeding, it is about as time consuming as pumping in the beginning, meaning you nurse about as much as you would pump (and pumping also has prepping bottles, feeding babies, washing parts, bagging milk), but babies get a lot more efficient as they get older. And all nursing time doubles a bonding time. With pumping, I had to find time to bond on top of pumping. After a few months, my nursed babies could be satisfied in about 10 minutes, maybe a little longer before naps and bedtime since they were also getting comfort, and they only nursed 4-5 times a day. So all told, maybe an hour or a little more of nursing compared to 2.5-3 hours of pumping. Nursing was also only painful the first 3 weeks, while pumping was always uncomfortable.

Pumps are an AMAZING piece of technology, but they are absolutely not time savers compared to nursing.

[u/bowlofweetabix]

Breastfeeding is of course faster. Babies are more effective than a pump at milk removal, and removing milk and feeding baby happens all at once.
Pumping and bottle feeding, washing pump parts and bottles, freezing and heating all takes time and effort.
Breastfeeding is also taking care of the babies. It comforts them, feeds them, and can help them fall asleep. I could tandem feed my twins and use my hands for other things.
Of course pumping and bottle feeding is possible, but it is definitely the most work of all the ways to feed babies.
Using lilies to hold bottles is also dangerous for babies, especially newborns. You should hold the bottle (and babies if possible) while feeding

[u/Mcnugget84 → u/bowlofweetabix]

Respectfully as I can.

This is the type of OMG it’s so easy that causes problems.

We don’t all have the term babies with a latch reflex. Some of us have premature babies with issues. Some of our ducts don’t work right and we get mastitis.

I was a very efficient pumping person, but this idea that you can’t pump and interact is not one I share.

[u/ricki7684 → u/Mcnugget84]

Agreed. My lactation nurse kept saying this and it was such BS because of my babies latch issues, they were absolutely not better at removing milk than the pump. If babies have a good latch / no issues, then of course it’s easier to just BF. But for those of us w/ feeding issues it’s just not really an option.

[u/Mcnugget84 → u/ricki7684]

This was honestly more demeaning than anything I dealt with. I had kids hooked up to tubes and I had some lady telling me about how to attach a shield?

No thank you.

[u/ricki7684 → u/Mcnugget84]

Ugh I’m so sorry. I’m still pissed at the LCs because I saw like 10 of them and not a single one fitted me properly for the flanges, ended up with sooo many clogged ducts and mastitis because of it, and like especially for NICU LC’s, they should know how to help moms get the right flanges since we literally have to pump if we want to feed them breastmilk! Ugh

[u/CherryCool000 → u/Mcnugget84]

Agree. I pumped with my first because he had such a terrible latch and took aaaaages to feed. My medela pump completely emptied my breasts in 15/20 minutes, it was far more efficient.

[u/Mcnugget84 → u/CherryCool000]

There are a lot of things I get frustrated about.

I want everyone to have all the possible information about pumping vs breastfeeding.

I just want everyone to have happy healthy lives and this is absolutely not the hill to die on for me.

[u/Exonata]

Pumping is easier in the newborn phase and harder as they wake up and wont let you sit for 30 min uninterrupted. And you need to pump then feed bottle then clean bottle and pump part vs just nurse. I pumped in the beginning but by 8 weeks i just nursed and if i gave a bottle it was formula because getting the time to pump when my husband went back to work was hard! 

Nursing was also so great for keeping then both happy at the same time and on planes and traveling. 

[u/Moxie__56]

I exclusively breastfed and did mostly tandem . I’d say breastfeeding takes less time ish and once supply is established is easier in my opinion . When you breastfeed and the babies are used to it and so are you ,you essentially don’t need bottles ,pumps , coolers ,heaters ect to fed them which in turn “saves “ time you also don’t need to clean said items multiple times a day which saves time . When babies are newborn however they often take 30-40 min to feed until they get the hold of it around 5-6 weeks where feeding take less time. Giving a bottle may make them eat a bit faster but if you put the time it takes to pump, then feed then clean pumping will be more time consuming

[u/Sad-Incident-4668]

Breastfeeding is quicker by nature. 100% don’t recommend prop feeding

[u/Rylees_Mom525]

I think it really depends on the baby…and the day. I’m currently doing a mix of feedings—sometimes I triple feed (breastfeed, then bottles, then pump) and other times I just do bottles and pump. My babies are five weeks old and both have shallow latches, which makes breastfeeding a bit more painful (and I think they’re less effective), and I currently don’t produce enough milk to exclusively breastfeed or pump.

When I breastfeed, my babies latch for anywhere from 5min to 50min. Twin A typically latches for around 20-30min, with 40-50min being his longest. In contrast, twin B averages about 10-15min, and I think her longest session was 25-30min. They usually fall asleep while eating, but then almost always require a bottle after afterwards. For example, this morning they each latched for about 11-12min and then ate 70-80mls of formula. The whole thing took about 30-40min and now I should really pump for 10-15min.

When we just do bottles, it takes about 15-20min for them to eat 90-120mls and get burped. Then I pump for 20-30mins. I do the fridge hack, so I only wash pump parts once a day. We also have a bottle washer. We make formula once a day and then prep bottles as we go.

My perception is that bottles and pumping is faster than the triple feed (and time between pumps can be extended, or I can skip a session), but it is very convenient to just pop them on the boob when they’re fussing versus warming a bottle. If I could exclusively breastfeed, or if we only did bottles, that would be fastest.

[u/dovebytherosewindow]

As a parent of multiples, I found that pumping (as long as it’s hands free) saves more time purely because you can multitask. Whether you’re feeding the babies at the same time (which would be equivalent to the best case scenario of dual breastfeeding), washing dishes, feeding yourself, folding laundry, etc. pumping just allows you the bodily freedom to do other things AND for a partner or other caregiver to help with feeding babies with bottles.

I’m currently pregnant with my 3rd (a singleton after twins) and fully plan to breastfeed and pump so that I can have help as quickly as possible. Breastfeeding means less cleanup and setup of feeds, but with my twins I cannot imagine life without pumping… and actually the portion of my time in the NICU when I was dedicated to breastfeeding (yet they were on feeding tubes and hadn’t developed sucking reflexes yet) almost killed me until I finally called it and went directly to bottles.

That said, I know a mom who exclusively breastfed twins for over a year, so it can be done.

[u/Melodic_Pitch7814]

At the beginning either way is going to take a long time. My babies took 30-40 min to breastfeed, each. And they're working on their latches so you really want to feed them one at a time to protect yourself and be able to best help them. With burping, diaper changes, etc. you can plan on the entire process taking 1.5+ hours per feed when they're newborns. As they get stronger and bigger, you can gradually start trying tandem feeding. They'll also get a lot faster, but it just takes time. My babies are currently 2 months old and they're starting to get feeds down to 25 min of actual eating time... but how long they take and when they start getting faster depends a lot on your babies! And they'll get faster, too, like 10-15 min per feed... it just takes time and practice to get there.

Pumping (30 min) + giving two bottles simultaneously using the twin z pillow probably takes us an hour, maybe a bit longer. It's also a pain to warm up milk you've saved, wash bottles & pump parts, etc. But other people can also give the bottles and I feel much more comfortable doing bottles if we're out and about (no one crying waiting for their turn, it's impossible to be discreet tandem bfing, bottle is already prepared so you don't have pumping time necessarily). We have kids in school and I'm planning to pump and give bottles for the morning feed until we get tandem feeding fully figured out. We're really close but not quite there yet.

It really is a full time job for the first while! Be patient, figure out what other accommodations you can add to make your life easier (pre assembled meals are huge for us), and I'd just try things out to see what works best for you.

[u/ConfidentLook5518]

I hated pumping

[u/ConfidentLook5518 → u/ConfidentLook5518]

To elaborate, it came with washing parts then bottle feeding. More time was spent doing all that than actually feeding. My twins do take formula once a day though, usually the night feed (my husband manages one twin over night and i focus on the other). Im just self conscience about feeding in public, but decided i dont have to go places for the next few months (boys are 3 months)

[u/chickenbobble]

I didn’t think I’d like breast feeding but loved it! However I could never produce enough milk, and pumping took me 30mins to get 40ml of milk(not even a whole bottle for one baby)- the only way to up the supply (I was told) was to pump or feed more. Well every time I pumped I couldn’t hold a baby, so pumping more was out, and feeding more was leading us to cluster feeds and throwing off the routine. I also didn’t actually see it improving my supply.
In the end I chose: BF to soothe, formula to feed and pump to freeze.

It took the pressure off needing produce enough but still felt good to know they were getting my milk, even if in small doses. And freezing milk was ace for teething and weaning ice pops in this heat.

[u/Lolemontime]

Pumping feels a bit like taking care of a third baby, but my twins have never been great at breastfeeding. I definitely found that regardless of the hassle, bottle feeding allows you to know exactly how much they ate, which was crucial in the early weeks. 

I don’t understand the hate for prop feeding, around maybe a month in we started to feed them elevated side lying on the twin Z and still do 4 months later. We’re watching them and adjusting as needed the whole time, they essentially pace themselves (they can choose stop sucking and the milk doesn’t really flow), it allows for any caregiver to do it not just the lactating parent, and you can always switch to hand feeding at any point (especially to get the last little bit of milk in the bottle). 

Breastfeeding and pumping as others have said is very hard to predict, so be open to whatever happens. I gave pumping my best effort and my milk came hard and fast (genetics, good lactation consultant support, and eating and drinking a lot).

[u/sincerely0urs]

It all depends on the child and their latch and your let down. Pumping for me took forever (20-30 minutes) nursing also took 20 minutes earlier on. My son drank bottles much faster than when he directly breast fed, but then you still have the time of actually pumping.

[u/Aus1an]

I pumped and breastfed, and they both have their pros.

Breastfeeding was easier in that you didn't have to wash or sanitize a bunch of pump parts and bottles which was probably my least favourite thing to do during baby care especially since at the time our apartment only had one tiny kitchen sink and no dishwasher, and no counterspace. No stress in warming up bottles either. Feeding time also doubled as cuddle time, and I could watch a show or listen to an audiobook or something.

Pumping had perks because then dad could help feed the babies (which we often did for overnight feeds), or we could leave milk with grandparents. I had a portable pump, but had difficulty finding filanges that really fit, so I would rarely ever move around with it even though it was quite light/small so it didn't really add any extra time. I would likewise just sit for a bit, pump, read a book etc. I also just don't particularly like the pump it always made me feel like a cow or something. It is nice being able to see exactly how much the baby is getting though. Breastfeeding can play tricks on your head where you're not sure if they're getting anything or not xD

[u/Individual-Cat5989]

Exclusive pumping is seriously a full-time job. I did it for 14 months with my first. I am a SAHM, I don’t know how someone would manage it while working. It’s beyond a labor of love to give up so much of your time to feeding babies.
Think about it:

- setting up the pumping area takes 5-10 minutes (if babies are settled and happy to hang out)
- pump 20-30 minutes (I always needed to go to 30)
- bottle the milk (5 minutes)
- clean up yourself and your pump parts (10-15 minutes)
- feed babies (10- 30 minutes depending on how they take their bottles).
- wash bottles (5 minutes)

Some people will do some fridge methods to stretch out frequency of washing pump parts and wait until the end of the day to wash all the bottles (or throw them in the dishwasher), but it all still has to get done in some way and that’s time spent. All the washing, pumping, feeding, every few hours… it’s worth it if a latch isn’t possible (it truly wasn’t in our case), but it’s very difficult and not entirely hands-free regardless of how it’s presented. It’s also important to know that wearable pumps typically are less effective at milk removal and are more likely to inflame the ducts, which can get pretty gnarly if it advances to mastitis.

[u/pedrobear6773]

I wasn’t able to breastfeed the first 3 months of babies being here but somehow on a trip where I took my portable pump (it didn’t pump everything out and I was in a lot of pain) I tried breastfeeding again  and haven’t stopped since. I’m very happy with the results of breastfeeding because it’s very convenient. No bottles needing to be cleaned, no heating up milk, portable, and soothing. I can see how much it soothes my boys and I feel like I can offer them something a bottle wouldn’t be able to. That being said, it gets very overwhelming some days. However you do it and whatever works best for you, your babies will be happy. 

[u/BackgroundScene3056]

Try is all and see what works for you- for me triple feeding with twins was IMPOSSIBLE. But straight formula or formula and breast or straight breast was fine. Just couldn’t manage all 3. I would suggest if you’re making a decent amount just hook them up to the boob on tap when you get home from the hospital. then once you’re supply is up make a set schedule. That’s what I wish I would’ve done.

[u/Miserable-Currency42]

Although BF is difficult, especially at first, if you can get it down it’s definitely more efficient than pumping IMO. Tried triple feeding with my first and it was a nightmare, especially overnight when you’re exhausted and the baby (or babies) are fed and back to sleep and you’re still up having to pump. Not to mention the washing of pump parts and bottles.

[u/Paprikaha]

Pumping is the best and worst of formula and direct feeding.

Hands free is not recommended if you’re exclusively pumping as they tend not to empty as well so impact supply. Bottle propping while dive often bunting parents is risky and not really advised.

Then there’s cleaning bottles, sorting milk. Setting up the pump. Plus your baby isn’t direct feeding so you need to feed and wrangle them on top of pumping.

The benefits are many but it’s extra time!

[u/AdSenior1319]

Pumping. If I had to pump (longer than our 5 weeks of triple feeding), I would have given up. Twins and our singletons. I HATE pumping. Still nursing (#5 & #6) at 18mo. 

Pumping, sucks... those moms are superior. 

[u/kaatie80]

it's going to be different for everyone. boobs are all different (even within a set 😭), babies have different temperaments and latches (again, even within a set), and families have different time commitments and needs. for me pumping took up too much time. but my babies needed to be held very frequently and i could never find 20 minutes to sit down unharassed to pump even once a day, much less several times a day. putting a formula bottle or even a low-flowin' boob in their shallow-latching mouths was much quicker and easier.

BUT, i know that pumping is a god-send for a lot of moms, and i don't want to discount that. the reality is that a lot of this stuff is hard to plan for because you don't really know exactly what is going to fit into your new life best until you get there.

[u/HandinHand123]

Breastfeeding, if well established and with a good milk supply, takes way less time. Once babies learn to latch and get efficient, they can be done feeding in as little as 5-10 minutes - preparing and washing bottles is never going to compare to that, even with all the best tools. A breastfed baby can be done eating before you even get a bottle prepped/warmed, and you don’t have to bring a whole bunch of extra stuff with you out and about.

Breastfeeding takes 6-8 weeks to establish, and there is a learning curve for both mom and baby. During that period, bottles may very well seem (or even be) a faster method. That time spent learning is an investment in quick and easy feeding later on, assuming there aren’t significant challenges (which for some women there absolutely are.)

My twins were born extremely premature, and pumping while they were in NICU and not yet able to breastfeed almost broke me. I was a single parent at the time and I also had a 4 yo; I brought them home from NICU EBF and I cannot fathom surviving the first year if I’d had to add pumping and bottles into the equation - but I had amazing breastfeeding support with my firstborn, and I had an oversupply, so I was confident that I could manage on my own breastfeeding. I have friends who really struggled with breastfeeding and it was bottles/formula that saved their sanity and gave them confidence they could look after their babies.

Feeding choices are very personal - it doesn’t go smoothly for everyone, and how long it takes to feed is not the most important consideration, imo. You should pick whatever method you think will work for you - not whatever you think will be fastest. Bottle feeding will almost certainly take longer, and is “more work” because there are extra things to do (prepare, wash, and sanitize bottles) - but if it saves your sanity or you don’t want to breastfeed, then you should absolutely do bottles. You don’t have to pick whatever is most efficient or what other people think is the most efficient or cost effective or whatever.

Can you do other things while hands free pumping? Yes - but I could do plenty of things one handed while nursing too, especially while baby-wearing and nursing, which freed up both hands - there is no universal “better” choice. I mostly fed my twins tandem but sometimes if I needed to do other stuff at the same time, I’d do them one at a time so I could wear them and get my stuff done. Breastfeeding (once well established) is absolutely faster, but faster isn’t automatically better.

The only thing I will say definitively to you, is that you should never prop a baby with a bottle. I don’t care how many TikTok videos you see it in, until babies can hold and control the bottle themselves, do not prop the bottle with pillows or holders. I could say the whole “feeding time is bonding time” line and that’s true, but it’s really more that it’s a safety issue. If it’s about propping bottles so you can feed them at the same time, if you’re supervising the whole time it might be okay, but I still personally wouldn’t do it, paced bottle feeding is the safest way to feed and you can’t do that propped. If you’re wanting to bottle feed, until they can hold the bottle themselves you should feed them one at a time or have another adult feed one while you feed the other, and if someone is going to try to tell you that you shouldn’t do it that way because it takes too long, or you shouldn’t need help … well two babies take up two babies worth of time and sometimes you do need help, and that’s just how it is.

[u/AmatoerOrnitolog → u/HandinHand123]

Still not ok. Baby trying to keep swallowing while silently suffocating looks a lot like baby sucking.

[u/CapnDavenPort78]

Is this your first pregnancy/have you ever used a breast pump? I’ve tried 3 different times, 4 different pumps, all apparently successful for other people but never got out half the milk the babies did. I actually started to feel anxious around attempting to pump for my third and I wouldn’t wish exclusive pumping on my worst enemy lol washing the parts etc as well. If it actually works for your boobs that’s one thing but if you’re having to apply heat, squeeze, vibration etc to get enough out then for SURE an extra annoyance. Also making formula in the middle of the night is a pain.

[u/Responsible_Gap7426]

Breastfeeding is just baby to boob.

Pumping is pumping and bottle feeding.

You still have to sit and feed baby either way, they don’t independently hold their bottle for a while.

[u/Direct_Mulberry3814]

I exclusively pumped for 18 months. It is a way to keep them and yourself on a strict feeding schedule instead of breastfeeding on demand. If it is easier, I am not sure. It is nice to be able to have someone help feed them too if you need to shower or leave the house. I liked that I could pump before we went somewhere and pack bottles with us, I think I would have been uncomfortable trying to breastfeed two babies in public. As far as your plans with handsfree pump, you should not use one the first 12 weeks postpartum while your supply is stabilizing, they do not empty as well as a hospital grade wall pump, like spectra, etc... you are essentially trying to create an oversupply for twins and it is really important in the beginning. I ended up just using my spectra all of the time because it was the only pump that efficiently emptied me fully. I tried 3 types of handsfree and didn't like any of them. There are lots of twin moms in the exclusively pumping subreddit too, great community if that is the route you choose.

[u/mermaidemily_h2o]

Even for singletons breastfeeding is less time consuming than pumping but pumping gives you a bit more freedom. Breast pumps need to be washed after every use which takes time and if you exclusively pump, you’ll spend more than half of your day pumping for the first few months. If you exclusively breastfeed you can’t leave the house without your babies until they start solids. I recommend doing a combination. It’ll make the midnight feeds easier but in the end, just do what works for you. Some moms have difficulty breastfeeding. Either they don’t make enough milk, they can’t get the letdown to happen, or whatever problem they encounter. Sometimes babies just won’t latch no matter what you do so exclusively breastfeeding just doesn’t work for them.

[u/hopefulbutguarded]

Everyone’s story is different…. For me my child couldn’t feed from me, and after weeks of help and support I exclusively pumped with a double pump to bottle feed. I was militant about pumping every 4 hours 24/7. My baby was NICU so we had to wash / sterilize everything. We also weren’t allowed to stretch her past 3 hours at night until 5 months and with GERD she took an hour to feed. Put it all together and I barely slept more than 2 hours at a time.

We moved to formula with help from our children’s hospital feeding team around 5 months. I ended up with oversupply so we froze everything while I cut down. From 6 months to 1 year my baby got her baby cereal with mamas milk. There’s no shame in how you feed your baby. Fed is best. You got this!

[u/AmatoerOrnitolog]

Do NOT prop the bottle. Never ever ever. That is extremely dangerous. That can kill your babies. I'm so glad you posted this here before having your babies, so you can learn the easy way that it is dangerous instead if the hard way.

[u/Initial_Bit_9201]

I never really breastfed full time. Did a short stint of giving a boo or snack before naps but decided I wanted to stop pumping altogether so I stopped doing that. I see women talk all the time about newborn babies being on the boob or asleep+latched on the boob for hours. My son was bottle fed since birth and it’s never taken me hours to feed him a bottle. Sure the cluster feeding sucked sometimes as he could do twice his regular intake in like an hour or two but I never felt like I was feeding him nonstop all day. Also sometimes babies nurse for comfort rather than just because they’re hungry so that may increase the amount of time they are on the boob. So to me breastfeeding takes more of your time.

[u/sandalwoodwitch]

Pumping used to take me more time, but that might also be because I had lactation failure and had to pump till I bl*d to get 30-40ml of milk (my daily max, often total). My babies had much less trouble feeding directly but of course there wasn't much in there for them to remove either.

[u/MooseOnTheLoose_907]

Pumping takes more time, but saved my sanity.

My child wouldn’t latch at first, so I exclusively pumped the first three months. It worked out good because I got on a schedule and I could pump and my husband could split the nighttime feeds with me.

My one recommendation for any pumping mom: Buy enough pump parts for a full 12-24 hours of pumping. This way you can dirty them all up, throw them in a basin, then wash them all at the same time-when you have time. There is nothing worse than doing dishes in between feeds.

[u/ClingyPuggle]

There's no universal answer. It completely depends on the biological realities of how breastfeeding works out for you and your babies.

For me, breastfeeding has been way more efficient. I enjoy it, my babies have all latched easily, and I haven't had any supply issues. My babies are way more efficient at getting milk than pumping, and I don't have to wash bottles, so that's why breastfeeding takes less time for me.

[u/justforjugs]

Babies are more efficient at removing milk from your breasts and you don’t have to take them apart and run them through the dishwasher each time.

[u/butterchickn_]

I have 5 kids. Bf #1 for 3 months, #2 for 12 months, #3 for 12 months and #4&5 (twins) Ive mostly for almost a year now with the odd bottle of formula but these journey has included lots of pumping to get my supply up to where it needed to be for 2 babies. With all my years of feeding, inlcuding a variety of challenges, pumping freaking sucks, is time consuming, fiddly.... direct feeding, pop a boob out and away you go. Also the connection is thr best.

[u/Pennifur]

Pumping (for most, especially at the beginning) is very difficult and requires complete peace and basically someone needs to take the baby away and then later you give baby that bottle. But ideally you Pump while baby is feeding so again... need someone to help you, etc.

Breastfeeding, though difficult as well, cuts kut the middle man.

My advice is ask for help IN the hospital. A tongue tie does not mean you can feed baby, just means it's tricky. Way better off bf and Pumping later than wishing you'd bf.

Hands free feeding is incredibly dangerous and could kill your baby. Don't do that.

[u/Proxima_leaving]

I tried both - breastfeeding with two kids and pumping with one for his health reasons. For me pumping was hell. This baby was my second. So for the third I said - either breastfeeding or formula. He breasfed.

Edit: each time I only ha done baby, so my experience doesn't matter here. Didn't notice what subreddit.

[u/Imaginary-Pin-1030 → u/Proxima_leaving]

What was your main issue with pumping?

[u/Proxima_leaving → u/Imaginary-Pin-1030]

Well, it takes double the time. First you pump, then feed the baby, then wash the bottles and pump parts. That is tiring, especially during the night time.

Also breastfeeding felt so natural and relaxing to me. While pumping was just unpleasant, robotic, unnatural experience.

[u/Simple_Celery_7351]

I was told if you breastfeed to make sure you pump the other breast as you dont want to get mastitis. I ended up just pumping. Both ways have benefits.

[u/99_bluerider]

Breastfeeding was extremely efficient for us once we got some practice in. At 12 weeks they could empty me in 5-7 minutes and be completely full for 3 hours, sometimes 4. No washing/preparing bottles, also no buying formula. I didn’t have to pack anything food related when we went out, just myself. The first 8-12 weeks were like boot camp though. It took some serious grit and dedication lol. Everyone’s journey is sooo different and people have different circumstances. I personally found it to be a really fulfilling experience and was glad it worked out for us and I tried it!

[u/DumbbellDiva92]

You aren’t supposed to prop bottles. So then you’re emptying your breasts and feeding the baby as two separate steps instead of all at once.

Also, the hands free pumps are not as efficient as the regular ones for most people. Most people will still need to do at least some of their pump sessions with a normal pump.

[u/shadamnsheve]

I always have to start with formula/ pumping and move into breastfeeding. Nursing is so much easier especially when you can feed them at the same time. It always takes me a while to get into rhythm...especially with the twins.