Basically, how will pumping before I actually have the baby effect the labor process?
Answer Dear Brianne, First, congratulations for wanting to give your baby the best start in life by giving him/her your breast milk. Any breast milk is better than no breast milk. However, I have to tell you that it is harder to feed your baby if you only pump your milk than if you nurse at the breast. The best pump is not as efficient as a vigorously suckling baby. I would encourage you to give breastfeeding a try — think of it as a 30-day guarantee. If you don’t like it after 30 days you can always stop, but if you don’t start and then change your mind later, it’s not so easy. Read the first chapter of my book (see below), which gives the benefits of breastfeeding; and chapter 2 answers common questions. You should be able to get this or another book about breastfeeding from your library. You should not pump your milk before your baby is born — it can affect your labor since breastfeeding itself causes the uterus to contract, and vigorous pumping may do the same. You could wait for
