Pumping isn't the same as breastfeeding. Really?

 I don't own a citrus orchard.  If I need an orange, I cannot just go out to the back yard and pick one off of the tree.  So what is a girl to do when that craving hits?  When my body needs sweet, juicy, fiber rich, vitamin C, what can I possibly do?  You are probably thinking, "Go to the grocery store and buy some oranges, idiot!"  And you would be right.  But how appalled would you be if the produce manager at the store told me I didn't need oranges and instead sold me orange flavored gelatin and a vitamin C supplement?  You had better be pretty darn mad!

      Now you may be thinking, "Why on Earth is the Lactation Liaison talking about oranges on the breast feeding blog?"  Simply because I wanted to make a clear comparison to help folks better understand my views on formula vs breast milk.  (You see, you are the citrus orchard, the baby is the consumer, and the breast pump is the store). Breast milk is designed specifically to meet the nutritional and developmental needs of your baby.  The milk you produce varies from hour to hour, month to month, and even child to child.  It is not the same all of the time but it is exactly right.  There are over 200 things found in breast milk that cannot be duplicated.  So when your produce manager, (ahem, Doctor,nurse, friend, etc.) tells you formula is just as good as breast milk, you may want to do a little research. 

     So, what if I can't breast feed? I do understand that putting baby to the breast is not always an option. Babies are sometimes born with cleft palette. Milk supply can be affected by thyroid disorders, diabetes, smoking, etc.  Sometimes getting the latch-on just right, just doesn't happen.  Well girls, if you can't walk to the orchard, let's find another way to get the wholesomeness of oranges to you.  

Pumping is a great way to get breast milk to your baby.  I have heard the comment, "pumping isn't really breast feeding".  Really?  Well, I don't know what their goal in breast feeding was, but mine was to give my babies the best nutrition, vitamins, minerals that I could.  Pumping allows Mom to feed her baby a substance designed to meet the developmental needs of baby, even if it comes from a bottle.  If milk supply isn't enough to fill baby's tummy, you can always add breast milk to formula.  This will allow baby to get antibodies and the calories he needs.  Pumping can even help increase milk supply to a satisfying level for baby.  Remember, exclusively breast feeding baby is defined as baby receiving no other foods but breast milk.  Pumping is a great way to exclusively breast feed and is much less stressful than dealing with all the side effects of formula feeding.