The hate part is more than I can almost bear at the moment. As we speak, as I write these words on this screen I am pumping. This will be the fourth time that I have pumped today. Why might you ask am I pumping that much, well Gabby is currently drinking/eating in her oatmeal about 16oz of breastmilk per day at daycare. This isn't counting times I am away from her (Like last Friday).Today however I only pumped 12oz in my normal 3 pumping sessions and so I don't have to take any of my precious freezer stash out I am trying to get another 4 or so oz to send to daycare with her tomorrow. Plus the more I pump now the less I will have to in a few weeks from now. I should have been doing this months ago, but really I just didn't feel like it.
So here is my pumping experience - this may be long, so I apologize in advance.
I picked up the pump at the hospital it was actually cheaper than Babies R Us or online which was shocking, but I digress. The LC (Lactation Consultant) briefly showed me how to use it. She mentioned to use it a few times after I started nursing in a few weeks to build up my supply. but that was it. a few key things she neglected to tell me.
1. If it hurts you have too small of a horn (flange) and you can go get other ones.
2. What the correct fit is for pumping (Which I still to this day don't really understand and think I still have the wrong size).
3. That pumping really takes a long time and you should do hand compressions while pumping because the milk output will be a lot greater.
I think had I know these three things I would have gotten a lot more milk a lot quicker and might be in a better situation than I am at the moment.
I had an over supply starting out - my milk was flowing - if you have read some of my past posts, you know that I would spray Cuddle bug in the face, I would have to pump before feeding her or put it into a towel. it was a nightmare. But while it was tough for breastfeeding it made building up a supply easy. While on Maternity leave I was getting probably 10 oz a day frozen up. I was pumping almost 20 a day after going back to work and she wasn't eating nearly that. Eventually though (I would say the past three months or so) I have regulated out a lot more and I am barely keeping up.
I have taken Mothers Love pills - which are nasty, tried to drink up to if not more than 60oz a day of water, increased my pumpings, pumped on the weekends and eaten oatmeal all to increase my supply. What worked the best though was having Gabby around for a week nursing almost every 2 hours.
So now that we are reaching a year I am getting really really really sick of pumping. It takes me about 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day (that I work through) to pump all the milk I need for her for the next day at daycare. Slowly my supply has dwindled down but the past few days I am building it back up. We are now back to about 100oz in the freezer. but again if I can't keep up this will dwindle it down again.
The other thing that really gets me about pumping that I don't think people understand (especially after reading an opinion piece about mothers breastfeeding in public should be discrete) is how much it can hurt. The nipples can get raw and stretched and I mean think about it, its really like you would milk a cow or a goat. This is where I think I still don't have the right sized flanges. Because I don't think it should hurt but it does. Not only do I pump for 20 minutes to a 1/2 hour 3 or 4 times a day, but when I can I have been doing hand compressions during and after pumping to get even more milk out. This was passed on from the mom's group at work and had I known this months ago I think I would be much better off than I am.
I hope that I can lessen my pumps down to 2 or 3 during the day slowly starting in about a two or three weeks and then by the time her birthday rolls around and we talk with the doc we can start weaning her off of Breastmilk during the day and onto cows milk or rice milk or whatever during the day and I can nurse at night.
I know that I definitely won't miss pumping...but I will miss nursing when the time comes for her to wean herself. I plan on going as long as I can, until she is ready or I get pregnant which ever comes first. I changed my mind about having an end date, because if I don't make it to that point then I might be sad and stressed about it and that's not something I want to put onto myself.
Here is to all the pumping mothers out there! You can do it!! and I applaud all those that have. I have a new found respect for all of you!!
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4 comments:
Oh, pumping is my _least_ favorite part of breastfeeding! Kudos to you for having persisted as long as you have, especially if you're doing it that much at a time.
A couple of tips from various lactation consultants and things I read while pumping: doing it longer than 15-20 minutes at a stretch isn't worth it for the little bit of extra milk you get at that stretch; it's too hard on your nipples. Would it be possible to squeeze in one extra session (probably not) and cut the ones you're doing shorter?
Second, if the primary reason you're doing it right now is to build up supply for mixing with cereals, you may want to call your ped and ask if you can start cow's milk for with cereals a few weeks early. The one year mark is fairly arbitrary, and it may save your body and your sanity.
In theory, pumping shouldn't hurt, but with as much as you're doing, discomfort isn't surprising. But you really don't want to damage your breast tissue. Maybe try one more size of the flanges? I've also heard people swear by Motherlove or Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple cream--much better than Lansinoh for soothing.
Good luck, and you're amazing!
As a working mama...I can related. However, I didn't make it near as long as you have.
Unfornately, my lil girl would never nurse. (super high palete, and recessed chin, and over all lazy attitude about food...Still at 7 months). So I pumped exclusively for 3.5 months. She got breastmilk for a total of 5 months. But when I went back to work, I just couldn't keep up with her and the pumping at work. It was just too much, and I didn't get the added bonus of actually nursing her.
I think you are rocking this pumping thing and nursing! Way to go mama! It's hard hard work.
Keep up the great work, Jess! And definitely go try another size of flanges! BRU only carries M & L, I think, so you might have to go to a specialty shop if you need bigger/larger than that. I agree with you that it shouldn't be painful. I have the same game plan as far as how long to nurse my little one. I'm just gonna keep going till she weans or I'm PG again or both, haha. Hang in there, you're almost at the finish line (with pumping)!
Oops, I meant bigger/smaller in regards to the flanges...
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