I'd hold off on pumping if I were you. Pumping can actually be really exhausting and it takes a while for your body to make the adjustment to getting the milk out with a pump, instead of a baby. So, for the first couple weeks, you'd be pumping every couple hours, while also bf'ing your baby as needed. Also, pumps can confuse your body and actually create LESS milk for when your baby wants to nurse.

I understand the need to pump for some mothers and for medical reasons. But I'm worried that for you, it might just be added stress. Even being relatively healthy, when I tried to start pumping for my son, I was so exhausted, so stressed, just miserable, for about three weeks before I finally decided to give up on pumping.

Perhaps you could find other ways to relax and make breastfeeding a more enjoyable experience. You could start using breastfeeding as an excuse to take little cat naps, here and there. That's what I used to do. I'd lay down in bed, get the pillows just the way I wanted, and then lay my son beside me and let him nurse for as long as he wanted while I closed my eyes and caught some Zs. BF'ing on demand is also a great way to get out of pesky responsibilities, especially chores around the house. Like if your husband wants you to cook dinner or something, you can throw up the "I'm nursing the baby. You can cook dinner, tonight," card. Whereas, if the baby were bottle-fed, your husband might just offer to feed the baby while you cook dinner. That's just one little example, but you get the idea. Ever since I switched to bottles for my son (it was medically necessary), a lot more has been expected of me and I am so much more exhausted than I ever was as a new, breastfeeding mom of a newborn.

Thank you for your reply jenviere. I was able to sucessfully pump and breadfeed and have currently continued to do both with the help and support of my husband and getting support and answers to my questions from my local la leche league local chapter. I wanted to continue breastfeeding but at the same time needed to make adjustments to allow my body the opportunity to recover from a life threatening medical condition.

I think my circumstance is/was a little different as I love breastfeeding. Went over a year with my first and plan to with baby #2 as well.
I was able to pump quite well. At the time of this post i was getting 4-5oz in a 5-10 minute pump session from one breast while feeding off the other or during a simple pumping session, so i have a nice little stash going in my freezer. No added stress at all for me - rather quite the opposit giving me a sense of relief. my husband enjoys and welcomes that I am occasionally pumping as he is able to help take care of our baby while I rest or spend time our our oldest.

Pumping actually saved us a few times (and me emotional stress) as I ended back up in the hospital due to my embolism and my husband was able to give our daughter breast milk instead of formula while I was under going emergency treatments and tests.

Breastfeeding has always been an enjoyable experience for me with both of my children, so I never saw it as a stressfull time. I always on demand fed. It is just exhausting when I needed the actual rest for my heart and lungs to recover from a blood clot post partum and not waking every 2-3 hrs to feed around the clock as I was at that time.
I guess what helped me is my husband expects nothing more from me other then to make sure our children are well and taken care of and that I am on the road to recovering. Thats our number one focus - house hold chours we dont worry about. If he or I can not get to them right away, we work together later to get it all done or he will take care of things when he gets home from work. And dinners...well we like to cook together so he's perfectly comfortable in the kitchen if I am not able to cook for us. Afterall, our house hold wont run as smoothly if I'm in the hospital or having difficulties with my health rather then at home with the kids holding downt he fort so to speak while he works.

Thank you for your reply though. :) Greatly apperciate you took the time to write