My LO was born 1 month early and could not latch. We had to feed formula at the hospital and I began pumping. NOTHING came out for the first 5 days so I continued with the formula.
Long story short...I hated pumping and never made enough milk to feed him only breastmilk. I always had to mix it with formula. I pumped for about 3 weeks and was gradually getting less and less milk. I decided if I am not going to make enough milk to feed him I'll just pump 2x a day until I dry out. It only took about a week and I was down to .5 oz each session and I just stopped pumping.
I feel great that I gave it a shot, but It wasn't for me. My son had breastmilk for the first month of his life. He received the antibodies from me that he needed and I am a much happier mommy now that I am not attached to a machine. I believe you have to do what is best for you and your baby. Your needs count too.