so, heres the dilemma, i love all the benefits of breastfeeding. but at the same time, im not sure how comfortable i am with the idea of actually breast feeding.can a person exculsively pump, and then use a bottle?

I did with all my kids. You usually have to go for the pricier pumps though. But it is VERY doable.

you can do it, for sure. though you might be more uncomfortable/inconvenienced pumping as opposed to putting baby to breast

You can definitely exclusively pump and use a bottle, you just have to make sure that you invest in a good pump. However, I agree with the previous poster that you might find it is a LOT more work then just breast feeding directly. I would say just try it out and go with what you are comfortable with!!

yes you can exclusively pump. i would try to actually feed from my breast at first just to see if you are uncomfy once you actually start

so how do you know how much to pump? and how often?

well if you're exclusively pumping, you'll have to pump before/after the baby actually eats and THEN feed the baby... so every 3 hours or so you'll have to pump.