I want to say that this is an age-old debate, but it's really not. Pumps weren't in existence long ago, so product and process went hand-in-hand. You breastfed because that was the sole form of nutrition available to your baby; you breastfed because it was the sole form of bonding with your baby. It was as simple as that.
With the advent of breastpumps, flexibility and choice became an actual option! "You mean, I can provide breast milk for my baby, but not put the baby to the breast?" "I can go back to work and continue to breastfeed?" Awesome!
Time Magazine recently ran an article about moms who are choosing to pump and bottle feed rather than put their babies to the breast. The topic is a hot one--It comes up in my support group all the time; I have women calling me for private prenatal breastfeeding classes who only want to cover pumping and bottle feeding, no discussion of latching necessary. I'm happy to support whatever mom wants to do. The question is a fun one to discuss, though...What do you care more about? The product or the process? Or a combination of both? Tell me everything!
No contest, the act of breastfeeding is always better for a baby than drinking from a bottle, no matter what is in the bottle. The process IS important — it’s the process of nursing that allows the baby to control its own intake (which is the reason breastfeeding is associated with lower obesity rates), that encourages good oral development (which is why breastfeeding is associated with better dental outcomes and fewer speech defects), that adjusts according to the season, temperature and age of the baby (none of which is possible if you’re pumping).
Pumping is a useful tool when or if you have to go back to work. But if you pump exclusively and never nurse, you’re really just giving your baby a very superior formula — you and your baby are missing out on at least half of the tangible benefits of breastfeeding.
Pumping is a necessary option for moms who want to continue to breastfeed despite having to return to work or being apart from her baby for any long period of time. Research shows the benefits of feeding at the breast in the way that the baby and mother’s bodies interact, signal, and release milk. Less is known about the reduction of benefits when breastmilk is fed from a bottle and there is a lack of the physiological interchanges and exchanges between mother and baby.
Remember, it is about more than nutrition. It is the process in which mother and baby’s bodies interact with each other to make and provide the milk. For instance, when a baby is exposed to a germ and then nurses from the breast, its germs enter the mother and trigger the mother’s body to make antibodies to fight these germs and build immunities for her and the baby. The mother is also passing, through her breastmilk, immunities to illnesses that she is immune to and to which she has been exposed to in the past. Breastfeeding is well-researched though there is a lack of research about how the benefits of breastfeeding and the feeding of breastmilk compare and contrast. It is still breastmilk and it is far superior to an artificial baby milk product. It is still full of nutrients, antibodies from the mother’s immune defense system and the vitamins and nutrients. And, pumping is the surest way that a mother who wants to continue to breastfeed despite periods of separation, will be able to continue to keep up her supply by signaling to her body to replenish what has been expressed by the pump.
Whichever method to breastfeeding a mother may choose is personal and she and her baby will certainly benefit for a lifetime in the decision to breastfeed.
Well, I exclusively pump – I was definitely NOT planning on EPing when I was pregnant. We had some serious latching issues and I had to make a decision, EP and ensure that my daughter still gets my milk or go to formula. I decided to EP and almost 9 months later, I am SO proud of myself for sticking with it! It hasn’t always been easy. At one point, I was pumping 7 times a day. Add that to the time it took to feed my daughter and I was virtually house bound for the first 3 months!
For me it is all about the product. Get milk for my daughter! I will joyfully break away from the pump in a couple months!
Kate, please don’t call my milk “superior formula.” Just because she gets it in a different way from your little one, she is still reaping the benefits of breastmilk!
For me, breastfeeding is a bit of both – definitely about the product but also about the unique time I get each day to bond with my son. I believe I am so in tune with him and his needs partly because of the process of breastfeeding: overcoming the inital latching challenges in the very beginning and understanding how and when he needs and wants to eat.
I think the most important thing in this topic is touch. If you can bottle feed your baby and give them the same skin to skin contact then the difference is very minimal, I feel. My preference is to use the breast. Those pumps are cold and not very cute to look at and when Im feeding my baby I get the best view ever when I look down.
For me it is both- product & process that are important. It is very commendable that mothers who are unable to breastfeed take the time to pump & ensure their child gets the Best Milk!
I have for breastfeeding my daughter for 1yr 5months now & the bond we share is unbelievable!