My Exclusive Pumping Story

 

(My tips are listed at the bottom of  page if you aren't wanting to read this lengthy post.  In the post, I  have included my pump times highlighted in bold).  

I was an exclusive pumper for almost an entire year...stopped a few days before her first birthday.

What a crazy ride this has been!  At 27 weeks, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes which led me to check my blood sugar levels 4 x a day.  Nothing like pricking yourself every single day and stressing on your numbers.  At 36 weeks I started insulin shots at night to help with my fasting numbers.  Not that they were terrible, nothing higher than 100, but my Dr wanted my numbers to be in the low 90s.  I gave my first insulin shot in a bathroom at a restaurant downtown.  We left that evening for our 'babymoon.' I'm glad it worked out that way!  Otherwise, it would have taken me forever if I were at home doing that for the first time.  I was super nervous about pricking my finger for the first time let alone give myself a shot with a huge needle.  That stage of my pregnancy came and past.

I knew I wanted to breastfeed from the beginning. I wanted that special bond with my daughter since it took us 6 years to have her and I wanted her to have all the wonderful antidotes.  After she was born, the nurse had to check her blood sugar every 3 hours to make sure her levels were acceptable before being discharged.  When they first checked her blood sugar, they were lower than they wanted.  The nurse game her formula.  I wasn't opposed since I wanted her healthy.  She drank it right up!  All day long we worked on nursing and Vivian was having trouble with latching properly.  My nurse gave me a nipple shield to help with her latch.  She suckled some, but my milk wasn't coming out fast like the formula she received.  Vivian was frustrated...as was I.  The next morning the nurse brought in a pump to help with my milk production.  I did pump out some colostrum. I squirted some into the nipple shield in hopes she would suck a little stronger, but again, she was mad.  I gave in and continued supplementing with formula and gave her colostrum with a syringe.  Once we left the hospital I brought home more formula and started pumping at to help with my milk supply.  We continued with trying to nurse, but we both were aggravated.  When I took Vivian to her first Drs appointment she had a mild case of jaundice.  I felt terrible.  I didn't want my daughter to starve!  A week from the day she was born, we continued to nurse, pump and supplemented with formula.  Pumping seemed to work for us.  My milk started coming in strong and I was able to provide Vivian with my milk and do away with the formula.  

Pumping is hard work.  It really does take dedication and motivation.  The aggravating pain hooking yourself up like a cow day-in and day-out.  Exhausting!!  When I started out, I tried researching as much information I could. You know what, there's not a whole lot of info.  Everything was nursing + pumping.  Not what I needed.  I came across a God sent on Baby Center, Exclusive Pumpers! The support group is fantastic and you feel you aren't alone on the crazy road.  If you are starting on the pumping journey, please go to that board ASAP.

I started pumping 9 times a day.  9 times!  That's every 2-3 hours (that's including the middle of the night, guys), plus taking care of your newborn, diaper changes, feeding, prepping bottles, cleaning bottles and pump parts.  Exhausting is an understatement.  Honestly, I have no idea how I functioned on no sleep.  I was a walking zombie.  I stayed pumping 9 times a day for a month.  My milk was in full force making entirely way too much.  At 4 weeks postpartum  I was producing 60 ounces of breast milk.  Insane! After pumping at 9 pumps, I dropped to 8.  I combined my 8pm and 10 pm together and pumped at 9 pm then woke back up around 1 am to pump.  My pump schedule at 8 pumps looked like this: 1am, 4am, 6:30am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm. Looking at it now, I honestly cannot believe I did that.  

After a month of pumping at 8 pumps, I dropped to 7.  Pumping at
1 am, 6, 9, 12 pm, 3, 6, 9pm making 50+ ounces.  I was running out of freezer room.  I didn't want to throw all that milk away so I posted on Human Milk 4 Human Babies Facebook page for the state I live in.  I stated how much I wanted to donate, what medications I was taking (only prenatal), if I ate dairy, drank caffeine/alcohol.  I was contacted immediately.  I met a wonderful lady who's little boy was 2 days older than Vivian that was a breast cancer survivor and was unable to provide milk for her little boy.  I exclusively donated to her from August-April.  I was so happy to help!  

In August, I dropped to 6 pumps pumping at 1 am, 6, 8:30 (if I go to work that am) 9 (if I'm home), 12:30 (if at work )1 pm ( if I'm home), 4:30 (work) 5 (home), 8:30 or 9p.  During this time I was working 2 days a week before becoming a SAHM in December.

I stayed at 6 pumps until October. By then, I dropped to 5 pumps still keeping my middle of the night.  I pumped at 1:30am, b/t 6-7:30am (when Vivy woke), 12pm, 5pm and 8:30pm.  When I dropped to 5, I felt like a brand new person.  It's amazing how you feel after going longer stretches between pumps.  

I did continued my middle of the night pump until Vivian was almost 6 months old...even though she had been sleeping through the night since 8 weeks old.  For me, I never produced anymore during the MOTN, but didn't want to drop that pump until she was 6 months old and done working part-time.  I was afraid I would lose ounces. At 5 pumps, I was averaging 50 ounces per day.  Crazy that I kept that pump since I was making way more than she was drinking.  She was only drinking 25 ounces a day.  Just call me the milk maid, ha!

Once I dropped my night pump, I stayed at 4 pumps until May.  Very manageable. I pumped at 5:30am (45 minutes), 10am, 4pm, 9pm for 35 minutes.  I did slowly lose ounces when I went to 4 pumps.  I finally leveled out at 20 ounces towards the end at 4 pumps. 

My weaning process was pretty easy.  Once I dropped to 3 pumps for a few weeks, I was producing around 18 ounces.  I pumped at 5:30am, 12:30pm and 9pm.  Again, very doable.  I knew I wanted to wean as safely as possible.  I have gone through this entire pumping journey without mastitis...well at 8 weeks I had a red spot on my left side with heat and tenderness.  I assumed it was mastitis, but wasn't running any fever.  I had it looked at and she just glanced at it and said it was mastitis.  She Rx'd an antibiotic called Clindamycin and was told to pump and dump since it wasn't safe for my little one.  I'm not sure why she didn't Rx an antibiotic that was safe for 'nursing.'  I took one dose and decided not to take anymore.  I massaged like crazy...hurt like hell...and worked it out.  I think it was a clogged duct about to lead up to mastitis.  After that one incident, I had no other issues.  

I was nervous about dropping to 2 pumps.  In order to go comfortably for 12 hours, I moved my 12:30 pump to 3pm then to 4pm then to 7:30pm.  That worked out great!  I did start taking Lecithin to help prevent having clogged ducts...I took 2400 mg a day. 

2 pumps were amazing!  7:30 am and 7:30 pm.  I felt as if I had my life back.  With 2 pumps I was producing 10 ounces per day.  My body was definitely starting to get the message.  I stuck at 2 pumps for almost 2 weeks and finally got the guts to drop to 1 pump.  I decided to drop the 7:30 am and keep the 7:30pm.  I did phase my 7:30 am out.  Day 1 of the phase I pumped at 10 am, day 2 11 am, day 3 I pumped at 7:30pm.  I was very engorged, but wasn't terrible. It felt so good to pump after not pumping for 24 hours.  At that pump I pumped 7.50 ounces (40 minutes).  The next day I pumped 6.75 ounces (30 minutes), day 3 I pumped 4.50 ounces (30 minutes) and day 4, my last day, I pumped 2.50 ounces (20 minutes).  I didn't pump until I was empty when I pumped once a day.  I wanted my body to get the message to stop producing. 

My very last pump.

  I bawled like a baby after I went to bed.  Seriously.  Cried like I lost a loved one.  I couldn't believe I was so emotional.  I was just thinking she was no longer going to receive any fresh milk.  I still have just under 500 ounces of frozen milk that she will get until its gone.  

It was a long, stressful, exhausting journey, but it was totally worth it.  Just because you are unable to nurse, you don't have to resort to formula if you don't want to go in that direction.  We are a small community.  Just know if you've pumped 3 months, 1 month or even 1 day -- YOU ARE A SUCCESS!!  Just remember, don't feel ashamed for doing your best and don't feel guilty for giving your LO nourishment with formula. Your little one is extremely lucky to have you as their Mom!

Now it's time to clean my pump, sterilize my parts and close that chapter of my life.  

Tips:

(Peeked at 60 ounces per day and stayed at 50 ounces until I dropped to 4 pumps per day)

You need a good pump.  I used Medela Pump in Style Advanced.

Loved it.  You can even check your insurance to see if they cover a pump for you if you don't want to purchase a pump right away. 

PUMP, PUMP, PUMP for at least 15-20 minutes in the beginning. Think about it.  If you were nursing, you would be breastfeeding 8-12 times a day.  Just because your little one isn't attached to you doesn't mean to only pump a few times a day.  You want to pump until empty each time.  That means pump until a few drops are coming out.  Also pump 5 minutes after you have emptied to signal your body to produce more milk.  In the beginning was pumping 20-25 minutes.  After going longer stretches between pumps I would pump longer.  My first pump took 45 minutes and the rest of my pumps took 35 minutes.

Pump at least 8 times a day for 12 weeks.  That means even at night.  The frequent pumping helps build your supply.

Get yourself a hands free bra.  In the beginning I used Medela hands free bra and it was okay, but found out that the one you want was the Simple Wishes Handsfree Bra.  Worth every single penny!

Wear a nursing bra even though you aren't technically "nursing."  My two favorites where: this one and this one.  Not only were they super comfortable, it wasn't so bulky when I unclipped the straps to wear my Simple Wishes bra over the nursing bra.  I also had this one, but didn't wear it nearly as much as the other two noted. 

Drink water like crazy.  If your not a big water drinker, try to drink at least 8 ounces after every pump.  For the first several months I was drinking from the huge jug that I got from the hospital.  I kept that sucker full.  You also need to eat.  You will be starving!  Your body burns 20 calories per ounce.  In the beginning I was burning 1,200 calories.  You have to replenish your body with all those calories burned.  

Massage, massage, massage while pumping.  That will help you empty faster.  I also liked using Earth Mama Angel Booby Tubes before I pumped. Apply the heat 5 minutes prior to pumping to help your letdown.  You can also take a hot shower prior to pumping to help with letdown.

Take Lecithin, at least 1200 mg, to help prevent clogged ducts.  Once you have a clogged duct, it won't help.  Its a prevention.  You can take more than 1200 mg a day, it will not hurt little one.  If you do end up with a clog, massage like crazy and use heat.  It will hurt!  Just grit your teeth as you massage.  You DO NOT want it to turn into mastitis!!!

Stay consistent with your pump times.  Whatever time I decided to pump, I pumped exactly at those times.  Very few times I was off schedule. 

Store your pump parts in the fridge in a gallon Ziploc bag and wash at the end of the day.  That is a lifesaver!  I didn't rinse the parts before storing them.  I had 3 sets of pump parts, one set was a travel set...that was the only time I used that set.  I alternated between 2 sets.  

To wash your pump parts and bottle, I used the Tupperware container the hospital gave me.  It stayed in my sink for the entire year.  I liked using the Seventh Generation Free & Clear dish detergent to wash with.  To really get your pump parts clean, splash a little white distilled vinegar.  It will make your pump parts and bottles look brand new.  Plus, it helps clean out the dried milk that gets inside the connectors.

The best bottle brush to use is the OXO Bottle Brush.  The bristles are easy to get inside the bottles.  To clean inside your pump connector and the yellow parts, I liked using the Dr Browns pipe cleaner brush.  I used the Dr Browns glass bottles and the brush came with the bottles.  

For heating my milk whether refrigerated or frozen, I used Dr Browns Bottle Warmer.  I never had any issues.  Only thing it does get nasty quickly.  Simply add a little white distilled vinegar to the water reservoir along with water and run the warmer until all the water is gone.  Usually takes around 20 minutes.  I've even used the Dr Browns pipe cleaner to scrub inside the reservoir, but you can't get it at the bottom since its an odd shape.  That's where the distilled water comes into play.

Once you start freezing, I liked using Lasinoh storage bags.  I never had issues with leaking.  When I was ready to freeze a bag (I froze at the end of the day with the milk I had left over after prepping bottles) I filled no more than 6 ounces and layed the bag down to freeze.  After milk was frozen, I stored in a freezer Ziploc bag.  When you get ready to use your frozen milk, place frozen bag in the the fridge the night before in a container just in case your bag leaks while defrosting.  Again, never had an issue. 

Eat oatmeal everyday and make a huge batch of lactation cookies.  I ate my weight in both!

 

 The lactation cookies always helped my supply.  Especially when I stopped eating 3-4 a day and had them when I noticed a dip.  It especially helped my right side since it was a low producer towards the end.

   

Just because your an EPer, you don't have to be stuck at home.  I've pumped in the car (driving and as a passenger) using Medela car adapter, 

on an airplane and airport restroom,

San Diego Zoo,

and the haunted room at Hotel Del Coronado.

 When you are carrying milk when you're out and about with LO, your milk is good for up to 6 hours without being in the refrigerator in climate 73 degrees or below.  If it's too warm, keep your milk in a cooler and if your little one doesn't like cold milk, you can ask someone at a restaurant for a cup of warm water or use this.

Personally, I liked using the thermos.

Try to relax.  The more stress you are, the less you will produce.  Also, don't stare at your bottles watching your milk come out.  Play with your little one, watch TV, play on the internet, read the Exclusive Pumpers on Baby Center.  When I had help with Vivian, I always produced more.  I also produced a lot when I pumped at work.

 Pump during nap time if you can.  If not, sit on the floor while little one practices tummy time, have them in a swing or exersaucer, etc. If they are small enough and are unhappy, cross your legs and have them in your lap.  I sometimes pumped and fed at the same time.  I propped her on the Boppy Pillow or had her in her napper and fed her.  

If little one is upset, unhook and console them.  It will not hurt your supply.  

You can take Fenugreek, drink Mother's Milk Tea to help increase your supply.  I never had to take anything.  

Don't exercise.  This can decrease your supply.  I stopped cardio and went on long walks.  

Just know that your body is going to produce what it wants to produce.  What works for one person may not work for you, and that's okay.  Your not poisoning your child if you have to give formula.  You are simply nourishing your little one.

Do what works for you.  Pumping is HARD!  If you feel it takes up too much of your time, simply drop a pump or stop.  Happy Mama = happy baby!!!

I hope this helps someone out there!!