Pumping exclusively is a lot to sign up for and unfortunately a decision I had to make with my daughter. From day one my little bundle of joy refused to nurse. After 4 days of trying to nurse with no success, her doctor recommend either 100% formula or expressed milk. The decision was an easy one for me because I wanted her to have my milk. Plus, I was totally oblivious to the work I was going to have to put into pumping exclusively. :)
As soon as we got home from that doctor's appointment I got online to figure out where to start. I quickly found that there are VERY little resources for Moms that choose this route. I was so frustrated until I came across www.kellymom.com. This website is an AMAZING and very DETAILED resource for not only nursing Mothers but also pumpers.
Pumping 100% of the time sounds simple right? Well..after doing some research I realized that's not necessarily the case. There are a lot of things to consider when making this decision:
#1. Nursing or formula feeding a newborn baby typically takes about 20 minutes. When a Mom pumps, that time doubles- 20 minutes to pump and then 20 minutes to feed baby the expressed milk. Multiply that by the 8 - 10 times a day that a newborn feeds...that's 5 - 7 hours a DAY that a pumping Mom has to work on feeding. This is actually the first time I am doing the math and I now understand why some nursing Moms thought I was absolutely crazy!
#2. Pumping 100% of the time requires a pretty large investment when it comes to the actual pump. I used a Medela Pump in Style but wish I would have had a hands fee pump so I could take care of baby while pumping! I can't tell you how many precious ounces of milk I split while leaning over to replace a "binkie" or try to swaddle baby while pumping (which I mastered towards the end because I am Super Mom).
#3. There is no such thing as "feeding on demand" when you pump exclusively. Each and every bottle you milk from yourself produce has to be done ahead of time to avoid listening to your hungry baby scream for 20 minutes while you pump.
A big question I had when trying to figure things out was: How do I get started? This turned out to be fairly simple, but very time consuming. When your child is a newborn and you first make the decision to pump...you need to do it as often as possible and as long as possible. I started out pumping 10 times a day for 20 minutes for the first 2 weeks. When I hit the 2 week mark, I felt pretty comfortable with the amount of milk I was producing and cut back to 9 times a day and then 8 times a day by the end of the first month. I was still pumping for 20 minutes each time.
As your baby gets older and your body gets used to producing milk, your supply will not only grow but pumping will get faster. By the time I went back to work (my daughter was 11 weeks), I was pumping 5 - 6 times a day but it was only taking me about 10 minutes. When she hit 6 months, I was pumping 4 times a day and taking around 7 minutes. So if you are frustrated at the time demands at first, it gets easier/better!
One thing that I actually really liked about pumping was that I knew exactly how much milk I was producing vs. how much my baby needed. KellyMom has a great section on this...they even have a handy calculator!
I found out in the first few weeks of pumping that although I was pumping 10 times a day for 20 minutes, I still wasn't producing enough to feed baby (see our post on why your supply may be lacking here) for a full day without supplementing with formula. Our pediatrician suggested Fenugreek, an herbal pill that would help with milk production. I thought it was total voodoo but I went from producing 20 oz a day to 60 in just a week!!! Yes folks, I was a dairy cow. I was actually able to store so much milk that I stopped pumping when my daughter hit 9 months and STILL had enough milk to last her until her first birthday. And I also lost all my baby weight and then some because all of the calories I was burning from producing that much milk. Fenugreek was the best decision EVER! Random warning- you will smell like maple syrup for a week or so...I promise that goes away. Also, it doesn't work for everyone, but it is worth a try if your doc recommends it!
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| http://www.esquire.com/features/food-drink/maple-syrup-0309 |
Another benefit of pumping is that you waste VERY little milk. Have I mentioned a little site called KellyMom.com (I am obsessed, I know)? They have great guidelines on how to store and handle expressed milk but here's the skinny:
- Fresh pumped milk can be stored at room temp for about 6 hours.
- Fresh milk (that hasn't been frozen) can be stored in the fridge for 3 days. Frozen milk that has been dethawed is good in the fridge for 24 hours.
- Fresh milk or milk that has been in the fridge for 3 days can then be frozen for up to 4 months. Using freezer bags
is the best way to label and store your milk in the freezer. Also, remember that milk should always be allowed to thaw in the fridge before using.
is the best way to label and store your milk in the freezer. Also, remember that milk should always be allowed to thaw in the fridge before using.  |
| http://www.geekosystem.com/guy-survive-wifes-breast-milk/ |
Seems kind of complicated right? It really becomes second nature after awhile but something that helped me was this magnet
from Medela with all the storage info. Just make sure to label all your storage containers with dates/times and refer to the magnet as you go!
from Medela with all the storage info. Just make sure to label all your storage containers with dates/times and refer to the magnet as you go!
So you still want to give it a try? Good for you! Although pumping is tough to figure out at first, I promise it gets easier. After about 4 weeks of exclusively pumping, I felt like a pro and started building a great supply for my little one.
If you have any questions about exclusively pumping that you can't find the answers to on KellyMom, please feel free to contact me at naptimetales@gmail.com. I know exactly how little information there is out there for us "pumpers" and would be happy to help encourage and support any Momma who chooses this route!
Happy Pumping!
UPDATE: We have received SO many emails, comments and questions over the last few months from this post. We decided to do a couple of follow up posts:
- Why is my supply decreasing?
- Tips for increasing your milk supply
- Pump it up - revisited (will baby #2 nurse?!)
If you have any questions about exclusively pumping that you can't find the answers to on KellyMom, please feel free to contact me at naptimetales@gmail.com. I know exactly how little information there is out there for us "pumpers" and would be happy to help encourage and support any Momma who chooses this route!
Happy Pumping!
UPDATE: We have received SO many emails, comments and questions over the last few months from this post. We decided to do a couple of follow up posts:
- Why is my supply decreasing?
- Tips for increasing your milk supply
- Pump it up - revisited (will baby #2 nurse?!)
I pumped for my triplets for 12 months. I also got about 66oz per day, which was 2/3 of their needs, but I decided I was comfortable with 1/3 formula because it was already taking so long every day to pump and then feed them all. It definitely took me longer than you, though. I used a double pump and a hands-free pumping bra so I sometimes fed the babies while I pumped, especially when they went to spoon feeding. That was life changing! Before that I pumped when they slept and often had to run to their room to soothe with the bottles hanging off of me.
ReplyDeleteOh man Cat you win the "Mother of the Year" award in my book. Pumping for triplets...that makes me feel like what I had to do was a cake walk! Haha. ;o) I also used a double pump (wish I would have purchased the hands free looking back) but never had success with the hands-free bras. Do you mind sharing what brand you used?
DeleteI never bought a hands-free bra, but took one of my old super tight sports bras and cut slits in them just big enough for the pump cups to go through and that worked for me :)
DeleteHi Heidi, that seems to be a common solution to a hands free bra! I'm totally going to try this next time around. Thanks for reading and sharing!
DeleteI had a lot of success with the pumpease hands free bra
DeleteWhen I was pumping for my daughter I used the Medea hands free bra and freestyle double hands free pump. It was awesome!
DeleteStill have my old tight sports bra that I cut holes in the first time and I'm using it again this time! Just a plain old shelf/racer Danskin back sports bra!
DeleteJumping in...:) I pumped too - any time I was in my car I was pumping. And I pumped new milk (both sides at the same time) while I was feeding my son the last pumped session in his infant seat. I used the pump in style medela as well. And I used a regular cotton bra, front clasp, cut holes in the cups to slip in the "horns" to make my own hands free. It worked great! Nursed him at night - I think he had to work harder so it helped cut down his nighttime feedings quickly - yay me! And I stopped at 11 months and he had BM until he was 13 months! If you can get it down it's a great option.
Deletegreat tips! thank you
ReplyDeletehttp://joanna-dan.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI'm wondering if this is how I would start building a supply even though my daughter is 5 months? She's my third baby but my first baby that I've ever used a pump with. I mainly used it in the beginning but didnt really need a supply because I EBF. However, now that she's starting cereal, I would like to build a supply to be able to use to make the cereal. Would I be able to build my supply this same way?
ReplyDeleteHi Laurissa, I would think it is worth a try! Just maybe increase your pumping sessions by a few minutes so your body recognizes that you need more. I'm a huge believe in the Fenugreek but if you are just looking to increase a bit, that might not be the best option.
DeleteThank you!!
DeleteGreat info! You can be hands free with the Medela style pumps - you just need one of these:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4449556&CAWELAID=600943275&cagpspn=plab
Did that work well for you? I had a hands free bra and I could never get it to work...I always ended up getting milk all over the place. Haha! It was a different brand and I know that can make a big difference...
DeleteHated that bra!! While you're pumping you are constantly changing sizes and there were days that bra was so loose or so tight. I ended up using my own sports bras and cutting slits in them. You can get a 3 pack of sports bras for $10 versus paying $40 for the "nursing bra."
DeleteKatherine, I never had a bra (b/c they didn't exist when I pumped with baby #1) so I also used a sports bra. However...I think I would still try the nursing bra if I had another baby! Good tip! Thank you for sharing.
DeleteI just wanted to mention the benefits of lecithin. I had so many problems with recurring clogged ducts and mastitis in the beginning and would constantly get painful lumps in my breast. I didnt think I could continue pumping until I found lecithin!!! Recommended by my lactation consultant, I found it at Sprouts in the vitamin section for $7.00. It's used in cooking but when taken in pill form helps lubricate your milk ducts to help your milk flow naturally. I've been pumping exclusively for over 6 months pain free. I can't recommend it enough!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank for posting about pumping! I hope more info spreads for moms who want/have to pump exclusively.
Interesting Trina, thanks for sharing! I was fortunate to only have a few problems with clogged ducts...I can't imagine having mastitis! I've never heard of using lecithin outside of cooking. I'm glad you shared this and hope it helps other Mommas out that might be having similar issues.
DeleteOh man, I wish I would've known this 4 months ago! I am exclusively pumping & got mastitis 3 times :( (I was producing about 70+ oz a day and if I went more than 3 hrs without pumping I'd get a clogged duct). I ended up in the hospital for 4 days with mastitis & ended up getting an abscess that needed draining. Worst.pain.everrrrrrr. But thank God I'm still pumping for my 4 month old. I will spread the word on lecithin and keep it in mind if and when I have a 3rd child. (long medical story on how I can't breastfeed..only pump)
DeleteYes! Lecithin is a miracle worker! I had an oversupply and kept getting plugged ducts and mastitis. I have not had either since taking lecithin. Spread the word.
DeleteFantastic advice about the lecithin! Thank you! I'm at week 7 of exclusive pumping and have had clogged ducts a couple of times. The pain just makes me avoid pumping, which just makes the problem worse! I'm going to buy some lecithin today. :0)
DeleteI had the medela hands free bra and really found it to not work well, felt like i never had good suction. I wish i had found Kellymom sooner, my little one was in the nicu for the first two weeks and i just don't think i pumped often enough (every three hours ) to build a great supply...aah first time motherhood :) Great post, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if that's the same brand I used but I had terrible issues with my hands free bra too. I just became a pro at the one hand/arm pump to have at least one hand to help baby or get something done haha. ;o)
DeleteI was a full time pumper and with one baby, at my height, got about 96oz a day....my mom refered to me as the California happy cow and bragged about me to the nurses she worked with. That aside, some of the things that helped me. I would only set up milk to freeze once a day so I had a large stock of bottles. Also, knowing I would be using this milk later in my babies life I would freeze 6-8 oz per bag even though at the time she may have only been eating 4 oz per feeding. I had a small freezer so I used my parents deep freeze. When I brought milk over, not only would I label the little bags, but I would put them into a gallon sized zip loc bag and label that with the days inside it. THen I would put the new stuff towards the bottom and move the older stuff to the top. To keep myself from dripping everywhere when I used my hands free bra I would tuck a dish towel or a burp cloth under my boobs/the bra (classy I know) but as I was unhooking everything Nothing dripped all over me which was especially nice when I was pumping at work. I am so glad to see your post. I really felt like I had very little support in my decision to pump only. EVery one said I was nuts and that it was too time consuming, and what's the point? That is until I had saved so much milk that when I stopped pumping when she was 5 months old and continued to give my daughter breast milk exclusively for another 4 months people realized how much money i had just saved myself.
ReplyDeleteYour story sounds so similar Valerie! I had to laugh a few times, I had a lot of the same methods for freezing and organizing. After reading your comment I realized I didn't go into much detail about that...I may just have to do another blog about how to easily store your milk (including use your parent's freezer haha).
DeleteI'm pregnant with my 3rd. I've pumped and fed my 2 sons, however this time I feel discourage of having to go through the whole pumping process again. I don't produce milk until 7 days after the had my kids. Which means, I was breastfeeding and pumping on the hour. Do you have any suggestions on how I can produce milk right away?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, I don't have any suggestions on how to get milk to come in right away. I do know that it is common for milk not to come in until a few days and even a week after baby. If you find something that works, please let us know!
DeleteMy lactation consult's daughter started pumping a couple weeks before her due date. She was past 36 weeks so she felt safe doing it. But not only did she have a good supply of colostrum & milk, but her milk production was in when the baby was born.
DeleteInteresting, thanks for sharing Holly! This is something that is on our list to do research on in the next few months. :)
DeleteBe careful with that. Pumping will stimulate the production of oxytocin in the body. Oxytocin is the same thing as Pitocin used for induction or augmentation of labor. Nipple stimulation is even used sometimes in birthing centers and hospitals to stimulate contractions.
DeleteStumbled across this via Pinterest. I was an exclusive pumper for both my kids. My DD got nothing but pumped milk until her first birthday. I pumped for the first full year with my DS because he was a winter baby and I was paranoid I was going to get him sick if I didn't give him pumped milk during flu season. I had enough in storage that I'm just now using the last bags - and he's almost 20 months old! I found this messgae board to be a HUGE help the second time around. Wish I had found it 5 years ago for my first! I had to figure out so much on my own that time. Hope it can help someone else!
ReplyDeletehttp://community.babycenter.com/groups/a4592405/the_exclusive_pumpers?pg=1
K, That is AWESOME that you pumped for a full year for both of your kids!! Such an amazing gift. Thank you for sharing your story! I am glad you found us=)
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have seen this 16 months ago, when my son was born. After I had him the hospital nurses and Dr told me I could not only pump and it'd be pointless to try. I was very disappointed! I'm glad I saw this for the next go around!!
ReplyDeleteWas there a reason they told you that you couldn't pump? I'm shocked that anyone would tell you this was pointless unless there was a medical reason why you couldn't produce. Wow! I say go for it next time!
DeleteThanks for the info :) I am an exclusive pumper!Question for you, when did you know when to stop pumping? My lil one is 7 months and my supply is decreasing dramatically :( did your milk dry up or was it a personal decision? I'm having problems with this... Thanks xoxo
ReplyDeletehttp://lilmsadventures.blogspot.com
Hi Jaclyn, thanks for stopping by! For me weaning was more of a forced decision. My supply was fine, but I just didn't have the time to continue to pump at work. I had so much stored that my daughter got my milk several months after I quit. There are so many things that can decrease your supply...birth control, starting your periods again, certain medications, not getting enough calories...the list goes on and on! Hopefully you can figure it out and keep pumping. But 7 months is great!
DeleteCame across this through pinterest, and your comment caught my eye. When my son was 5 months old, my supply dropped to a total of 2 ounces a day (pumping to try to get it back up). Fenugreek didn't help me much if any. But my doctor prescribed me Reglan, which has a side effect of increasing milk supply. Within 24 hours my supply increased dramatically and I was able to go back to nursing my son without any supplements. I know nursing and pumping are different in some ways, but I thought you might like to know about Reglan as an option to help get your supply back up. Good luck!
DeleteThanks for stopping by and commenting Monica! I have heard great things about Reglan too. It is on my list of "supply boosters" to ask about should I need some help this time around. ;o) That's a pretty amazing increase you saw!
DeleteI took 2 rounds of Reglan with my son (now 13mo), and while it DOES increase supply, it also has some nasty side effects. It gave me horrible migraines and made me extremely drowsy! The Mother's Milk tea works well with no side effects!
DeleteI am nursing my second baby and getting ready to return to work. I used Fenugreek when I returned to work with my first son, but it didn't help. I later figured out I wasn't taking enough....how much did you take a day? My second son is much bigger than my first and eats like crazy! I barely made it with my first without having to supplement with formula and really want to make it with this little guy too!
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion for the hands-free nursing bra- I bought a tight-fitting sports bra and just cut a small circle where my horns would go. I just lift up my shirt, unhook my nursing bra, and pull the sports bra on. Then I put the horns on (you have to put them on from inside the bra so that just the connector is pointing out and then hook up. (hope that makes sense!) I used these when I went back to work the first time so that I could still grade papers, write lesson plans, etc. while pumping and they worked perfectly! :-)
Thanks for stopping by Amanda! I took 2 pills 3 times a day at first. That is what my daughter's pediatrician recommended, you may check with your doctor to make sure it's ok to take with any other meds you may be on.
DeleteThat's a great (and probably cheaper) solution to a hands free bra! Thanks for the suggestion!
Definitely cheaper.... I bought a 3-pack for $5! :-) I had made another one out of a regular bra, but it didn't work as well as this one!
DeleteThat's what I did too with a tight fitting sports bra Amanda and it works AMAZING!!
DeleteAshley and Ashley you made a comment that you took 2 pills 3 times per day. Can I ask how many MG per capsule?? There are so many options/opinions out there and I am just looking for an idea to compare. Main reason why is because another website I read a lady commented she took 7 capsules 3 times per day not did not comment on the MG per capsule, so a little confusing to know how much is enough and productive. Thanks!!
Hi Krissy! It seems like it has been forever since I took Fenugreek (2 years and 3 months to be exact haha) so I don't remember the MG/capsule or even the brand. I'd run to the store that I bought it from to look it up, but I'm 6 hours away from it now. I'm sorry! My best suggestion for anyone looking to do Fenugreek is to contact your doctor or a lactation consultant in your area and see what advice they can give.
DeletePS- 7 capsules 3 times a day is insane! Haha. But again, who knows how much she was actually taking. But taking 21 pills a day just to nurse...that's dedication! ;o)
I've been exclusively pumping for almost 4 months now, I wish I would have done more research in the beginning. When I first started out I was making huge amounts of milk but didn't know how often I was supposed to pump, they told me I should nurse at least every 4 hrs so I assumed that's how often I should pump. So I did 10 min every 4 hrs which was fine when the little guy didn't eat as much, now he's huge and I make just enough to feed him pumping every 2 hours....how I wish someone had told me start out pumping all the time not just the bare minimum. I've tried a few things but can't quite get my supply back to where it was and after going through a month long period that I had to take a hormone pill to get rid of my freezer stash is pretty much gone but I did manage to save my supply when everyone told me that pill would end breastfeeding for me!
ReplyDeleteSuch a bummer Jessica. I really wish there were more resources out that for pumping Moms. It IS different than nursing, you have to pump more often and longer (I started with 20 minutes 10 times a day!).
DeleteAfter reading through lots of comments and emails on this topic I think we will be posting a lot more about pumping, increasing supply...etc in the future. I'm so glad that this post has helped many out but for a lot of women it came a little too late.
Thanks for stopping by!
Fenugreek totally saved my baby and I. After 3 months of breastfeeding trial and my baby being about 80% formula and 20% breast milk I was thinking about quitting. My midwife suggested funegreek as one last try and BAM! The milk came flowing like I couldn't believe. Now my sweet girl is 7 months and since then we have been 100% BF! I would highly suggest fenugreek to any moms with supply issues (although keep in mind- every body is different!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! Can I ask how many MGs of it did you take? I've had lots of people ask and I can't remember how many I took (I was taking 2 pills 3x a day). It is like a miracle drug isn't it?!
DeleteIt typically comes in 610 mg, and you can get it at most pharmacies I believe.
DeleteSo great that you posted about pumping! There definitely is not enough info out there. My little guy started out in the NICU because he was 5 wks early and had lung issues. As a mom who had to start out pumping right away and couldn't even hold her child until day 5 it was difficult to keep pumping because I was struggling with a pump that was leaving me in excruciating pain. I used the Medela hospital grade pump for 2 wks before I couldn't handle it anymore. Luckily I was going to the NICU everyday so there were lactation consultants right at my fingertips and I was able to get a soft gel cup pump. Knowing that everyone is different and that pumps work differently for every person was a big deal for me! Now my LO is home and we are working on breast feeding because I'm still a little traumatized by the pumps! Good for you for spreading the pumping word!
ReplyDeleteKrystal unintentionalsahm.com
Thanks for posting your story Krystal! Glad your little one was OK...sounds like he was off to a scary start! Did any of the nurses or lactation consultants recommend getting larger flanges (aka- funnels LOL)? I had some pain at first too...dealt with it for a few weeks before my daughter's pediatrician actually recommended I go up 2 or 3 sizes from whatever size came with the pump. It worked wonders for me. I've never heard of a soft gel cup...does that work with any pump or did you have a special brand for that? I'd love to know!
DeleteHow long did you take the Fenugreek? Permanently? Or just until your supply had increased?
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy! I took the Fenugreek for the remainder of my time nursing. I took the max dosage for the first 6-8 weeks and slowly decreased my dosage as I felt my supply was maintaining itself. I felt like the More Mommy's Milk Plus (which you can get at Whole Foods) was the most beneficial for me. I took both supplements. Let me know if you have any other questions and good luck! ~Ashley W.
ReplyDeleteI pumped 100% of the time and I loved it- i also milked like a cow and froze A LOT of milk- so we started using the frozen milk when our son was about 4 months old- just to find it had spoiled in the freezer!!! after som research we found out that my body produced too much of an enzyme called Lipase- it breaks down the milk for the baby and continues to do so even in the freezer. I had to throw out about 800 oz of expressed frozen milk. it was a very sad day!!! though the research we found out that you can still freeze this milk, but you have to scauld it first. so, a time consuming day of pumping and feedings now gets even more time conuming by scaulding, coolig then freezing the milk. i also quit pumping at 9 months then after i re-stocked the freezer with expressed milk. We have made it to 11 months and just used the last bag of frozen milk the other day. We chose to switch to 2% a month early- all in all, pumping is a labor of love!
ReplyDeleteJessica!! WOW!! You are right, such a sad day to throw out 800oz of milk. I would have made someone else do it!! I am interested to learn more about producing too much Lipase. (I will definitely do some research on that!) Thank you for sharing!! And way to go for pumping for so long!!!...especially giving your special circumstances.
ReplyDeleteIm happy I came across this on Pintrest. I have been nursing every 2-3 hours and usually try to pump after or an hour after nursing to help bulk up my freezer supply for when I return to work. My doc recommend using Reglan or Fenugreek to help my supply. I started Reglan first and it helped a bit but i didnt like how it made me feel so i have quit taking it. Wanting to use Fenugreek but i put the bottle back on the shelf after i read the warning not for nursing/pregnant women. I guess the MG dosage would help. Sounds like i should try it cause i dont want my supply to diminish yet my son is only 2 months.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you find those bottles to freeze I have only seen the bags...ps thats an awesome supply!
I would totally try the Fenugreek...weird that it says not for nursing/pregnant women. Make sure it is 100% and not mixed with anything else...why in the world would anyone want to take that if not to increase supply? haha. ;o)
DeleteThat picture was not actually mine so I don't know where the bottles came from. I would suggest just sticking with bags though. They keep air out, seal very well and don't take up as much room as a bottle.
Good luck building up that supply and keep at it! You can do it!!
Wow I can totally relate to the beginning of your post!!! I went though the exact same situation and at 4 days I made the decision to exclusively pump my daughter 2 years ago. I am really hoping our new bundle on the way takes to nursing but if not I plan to do the same pump away and save, save, save!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a new one on the way as well and it will kill me if he doesn't nurse. Obviously I've pumped before and I'm actually more comfortable about this than nursing (I feel like I'm starting completely over) but how in the world will I do it with a toddler running around?! Haha. I'll make it work if I have to but I'm just keeping everything crossed that baby boy will nurse like there is no tomorrow. :) Good luck!
DeleteI just wanted to thank you for you post (I found you through Pinterest). I am an exclusively pumping mother a second time around. The first time I only made it to almost 4 months. With this one, he will be 8 months in a week and still going strong. I did more research this time as I feel more obligated to give him breast milk (he has a dairy/soy allergy and that formula is out of this world expensive!). Like has been mentioned, there is not much information out there. Kudos to you and good luck with nursing the next one!
ReplyDeleteWow Cindy, I'm impressed that you made it longer with #2! Good for you! I really hope #2 nurses for me...I'm scared I won't have enough time to pump and do what I need to do with my daughter. I might need some tips from you!! :) Thanks so much for stopping by
DeleteAs a NICU nurse practitioner and a first time mom thank you for your post. My little guy was five weeks early (he wanted to see mommys work) and has such severe reflux he has refused to nurse. SO I have been pumping since, returning to work has been hard because of the atmosphere I work in. All in all I wish I had found this sooner. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteThanks Courtney! Glad your little one was OK, I'm sure that was scary for you. Pumping at work is no fun, especially when you are so busy. I hope you get to do it for as long as YOU want to. Good luck!
DeleteAll herbal, vitamin and other holistic type things will have warnings on them about pregnancy and breastfeeding because they are not regulated through the FDA.
ReplyDeleteYou exclusively pumping moms are amazing! I only pumped occasionally with my 2 daughters and with our 3rd baby coming in Oct, I probably won't even pump at all.
I'll be passing this info along to my exclusively pumping friends, thanks for a great post!
Ahhh, that totally makes sense Elaine. Didn't think about that.
DeleteWe are either amazing or completely nuts. ;o) A little bit of both perhaps? I hope you don't have to pump at all with your 3rd...I'm really hoping not to pump this time around with #2.
Thanks for stopping by and for sharing!
Ashley and Ashley:
ReplyDeleteI am not a mom but we are actively trying...I have no desire at all to nurse but have always thought i would pump exclusively. Forgive me if this is a ridiculous question but is it possible to start taking the Fenugreek shortly BEFORE you deliver? Like if you're getting close to your delivery date to go ahead and start taking it to kind of "jumpstart" milk production??
Thanks for stopping by! This is a topic that is on our list of things to research and post about...if it is possible to get a jumpstart on your production before delivering baby. I would encourage you to have a chat with your doctor or a lactation consultant to see if this is something that can be done.
DeletePS- I NEVER thought in a million years that I would be interesting in nursing until I was pregnant and after I had baby. You might give it a go just to see if you change your mind. ;o) Just for the simple fact that it is so much easier than pumping 100% of the time.
Good luck, hopefully you get good news soon! ;o)
This is a great site! I will add a few things that I feel there is just not enough info or support on. Getting your milk to let down. I had my 6th baby 10 weeks early and he spent 8 weeks in the NICU. I had already breastfed my 5 other children so I knew that this time would be no different. I had always struggled to get my milk to let down so that I could pump. In the past when I had needed to pump for a short time I would latch my baby onto one breast to feed and pump the other one. I had great results with this. However in the NICU I didn't have this ability and I has such a hard time. I used the Medela one that the hospital lets you use the whole 8 weeks. I tried bigger flages and it helped some but I ended up having to pump for an hour on almost max suction to get 4-6 ounces. I ended up with cracks and tears in my nipples and would cry every time I had to pump. Not to mention that when my sweet boy would nurse in the NICU, the pain was torture! Lanolin helped some with that. Towards the end when my baby could nurse I would nurse him as long as they would allow and then go pump right after. The feedings where I was able to do this, only 2-3 times a day I would get done in only 25-30 vs the hour it took with out this. A warm washcloth compress also helped. All in all it was terrible and I literally have scars on my nipples from the tears. The only thing that kept me from quitting was knowing that this very sick little preemie needed MY milk and I wasn't going to stop!! The lactation consultants were great but we tried everything only with minimal success. Once he came home he breastfed like a champ and the pumping stopped!! He breast fed until a week shy of his 1st birthday when he decided that real food is WAY better then this nursing stuff ;o) My adorable little guy is now 12 1/2 months old and even though he started out at 3 pounds he is bigger then all of his full term brothers and sisters were at this age :oD I am glad I stuck with it but I really wish there was more help for those of us who struggle not just to produce the milk but to be able to get it to let down so that we can pump it out. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteWow Desiree, thanks for sharing your story! I didn't have any let down issues but I will put this on my list of things to research. I did live by Lanolin and used it ALL the time because I would get sore and dry. We are working on a follow up post to this since we've had LOTS of great comments, suggestions and questions. So glad your little one is doing great and thriving now!
DeleteGreat post! However, I just wanted to mention that your storage guidelines are not accurate. According to La Leche League, the general rule is 6 hours room temperature, 6 days in the fridge (although 8 is acceptable), and 6 months in the freezer, although 12 is acceptable.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.llli.org/faq/milkstorage.html
I only wanted to mention that because of how many hits your post has/will have due to pinterest.
Thanks for stopping by! Interesting that two resources on BF have different guidelines. Something we will do some more research on!
DeleteAlso don't forget some of the differences is because people forget there are different types of freezers out there and others don't keep their fridges at safe temperatures. There is a difference in the timeline for all foods stored in a deep freezer (at 0 degrees Fahrenheit) versus a regular freezer (like the one with your fridge/freezer unit-typically around 28 degrees Fahrenheit). Also fridges should be kept around 34 degrees, just above freezing; but many stick closer to 40. 40 degrees is where bacteria activity picks up again, especially in dairy and poultry and is not an acceptable temperature. Maybe that will help specify the storage ranges.
DeleteI am guessing the 4-6 months in the fridge's freezer and a year (or more?) in the deep freeze; and that is pretty typical for any meat or dairy item. I think around 5 days would be ok in the fridge, but the temperature needs to be checked to be sure.
Hope this helps.
My baby is 6 months old and I exclusively pump. He is drinking 32oz a day, but I am only producing about 27oz a day and my freezer stash is completely gone. Any tips to increase my milk or is it too late at this point? How much fenugreek did you take? I tried 2 caps 3x a day, but didn't notice much difference. I also use the PISA and the Simple Wishes Hands Free bra and it works great. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHI! Thank you for stopping by! I had major milk supply issues when my daughter was 3 months old. It was because of a birth control I started. I also took 2 caps of fenugreek 3x a day. On top of that I took the max dosage of More Mommy's Milk Plus. You can find this at Whole Foods. It is a liquid form. I swear by it. Make sure you get the "plus". It is pricey...about $22 that will last you a few weeks, but cheaper than formula. Make sure you are drinking a TON of water. Aim for over 64oz a day. This will be a huge help! You milk supply will naturally start decrease around 6 months since baby will likely be starting some baby food. 27oz/day is actually a great amount to be producing so don't be discouraged! Try the other supplement I suggested and bump up your water and I bet you will see an increase. Let us know how it goes! G'Luck!!
ReplyDeleteAshley - Came across your blog via Pinterest too. It's great that you are sharing your story. Curious if anyone read the book Exclusively Pumping and if it was helpful? I have come across a few FB pages for exclusively pumping moms too in case moms are looking for additional support.
ReplyDeleteIf any moms are pumping and working, here is a post with some tips for pumping and working (it's more logistical not milk-increasing tips):
http://pinterest.com/pin/206321226649819337/
I am going to send you an email about maybe doing a giveaway b/c I created a kit for pumping moms that are going back to work -- it's called Milk It Kit: Back to Work Survival Kit for Breastfeeding Moms. www.milkitkit.com
Hi Courtney, thanks for stopping by! I haven't read Exclusively Pumping...I'd say 99% of the information I found helpful came from kellymom.com.
DeleteThanks for sharing your resources. I think your Milk It Kit is adorable, what a great idea! I'll check our email ;o)
Kellymom.com was my go-to source too! It's such a great site. I recall balancing baby, pump, and voraciously searching Kellymom for helpful tips in those early days! Thank goodness for Kelly!
DeleteGreat post. I exclusively pumped for 4 months to get through flu season for my daughter. She refused to nurse & started losing to much weight so I pumped & pumped & pumped. However, fenugreek nor more milk, plus or any other herbal thing worked for increasing my supply. I even tried to increase in the early days by pumping extra long to get my supply up & to no avail no extra milk. I so wish my story would have worked out better for us so that I could have continued but the medication by OB put me on she only wanted me on for 3 months so I dried up quickly when I ran out.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bummer Jana! I'm so sorry you had all those problems. Were you ever able to figure out why your body stopped producing and wasn't responding to your efforts to increase production? Did your doctor have any other tips that we haven't mentioned? We've gotten a ton of emails with people in your same situation...I can't imagine how frustrating that is!
DeleteHi there! I am due with my third any day now and nursed/pumped for both of my boys. I always had supply problems before...would you suggest waiting until I notice my supply dwindling to start the fenugreek or start it as soon as #3 is born? Thanks so much!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea! I believe my daughter was only 2 or 3 weeks old when I started fenugreek so I would think starting as soon as baby born would be fine. My supply wasn't dwindling, I just wasn't producing enough so it gave me a little (well, big actually) boost.
DeleteGood luck! Hope baby decides to come soon. :)
I came across this from Pinterest! Just the boost I needed to keep up the hard pumping work! I'm not an exclusive pumper but pump with boy my kids when I went back to work. It is certainly a commitment! My youngest is 10 months and my freezer stash is dwindling and my supply is too. I was trying to make it a year and needed a "pep talk" this was it! Thanks for the tips to help me up the supply and the support.
ReplyDeleteI also have to say it is refreshing how welcoming and supportive your posts and comments are to people in different situations and circumstances. Many mommy blogs seem very self righteous and judgmental of people who have to supplement or don't nurse/pump or stop - basically anything different from their own personal choice. This blog (and the comments) was a welcome change! Keep up the good work...and as we say in my house when the pump goes on Moooooooooooooooooooo!
Thanks so much for stopping by and for the nice comments. ;o) You are so right, it is very easy to think that your way is the right way. You have to think that what is best for you isn't always best (or possible) for everyone else. Hopefully you get your supply back on track and the pump can go MOOOOOOOO a little longer. Haha.
DeleteMy son also refused to nurse since day one. We got him to latch on a few times, but even the nurses couldn't help us figure it out. It is truly an awful feeling to feel like you can't even feed your own child. I struggled with this, and still do. I immediately decided to exclusively pump. I had to supplement with formula one or two bottles a day for the first 6 weeks. After that, it took me about another 6 weeks until I was able to start building a supply. My son is now 9 months old, and I have a freezer full to last him about 5 weeks, and I'm still pumping around 40oz a day. I do have a question. I use thawed milk and replace it when it is approaching 3 months in the freezer. Has anybody else experienced a smell from frozen milk? I have read that it is excess lipase in my milk, and my son takes it just fine, I just feel bad giving him stinky milk. It is not spoiled, just has an odd odor. I'm just wondering if anybody else has had this problem.
DeleteIt is so frustrating Cindy and a very awful feeling. :( Glad you were able to pump though, sounds like you've had a lot of luck with your supply too!
DeleteTake a look at Jessica B's comment- she posted above but I'll paste it below for you. I've never heard of this and honestly have no idea if it is necessary to pitch the milk or if there are different levels of this enzyme that are acceptable but it is worth looking into or chatting with your doc. Also- I did notice odd smells from some milk but it always depended on what I ate (or if I was on the Fenugreek). If it isn't consistent, maybe that's what it could be? Let us know!
Jessica BittelmanAugust 13, 2012 6:48 PM
I pumped 100% of the time and I loved it- i also milked like a cow and froze A LOT of milk- so we started using the frozen milk when our son was about 4 months old- just to find it had spoiled in the freezer!!! after som research we found out that my body produced too much of an enzyme called Lipase- it breaks down the milk for the baby and continues to do so even in the freezer. I had to throw out about 800 oz of expressed frozen milk. it was a very sad day!!! though the research we found out that you can still freeze this milk, but you have to scauld it first. so, a time consuming day of pumping and feedings now gets even more time conuming by scaulding, coolig then freezing the milk. i also quit pumping at 9 months then after i re-stocked the freezer with expressed milk. We have made it to 11 months and just used the last bag of frozen milk the other day. We chose to switch to 2% a month early- all in all, pumping is a labor of love!
I became an exclusive pumper after my wee one started to refuse the breast on the 4th day. I pumped for 8 weeks through all of the doubters, my husband was the best support ever, we had an incredible system worked out in the early days, it involved me pumping everytime the wee one needed a bottle.
ReplyDeleteOn Christmas day, she started butting her head against my breast. She latched and we're been at the boob ever since. I never done skin to skin after the first week or two and didn't try her at the breast after the 2nd week, she just decided herself!
We're at 9.5 months now and I've returned to pumping as I've just went back to work.
I just wanted to share my story of my "relatching" baby, it can happen!
Keep up the good work all you pumpers, it's awful there's so little support for us out there!!!!!! xxxx
Wow! Thanks for sharing your story. Seems like your daughter was giving you a great Christmas gift haha. I can't imagine how excited you were!
DeleteMy little guy is 3 1/2 months old. He is mostly breastfeeding. I did have to supplement when he had jaundice early on. My concern is am I producing enough milk? When I pump I'll get 2 1/2 to 3 oz. I think he should be getting more? He seems satisfied after he has eaten, is it possible that he draws more milk out than the pump does? If I take this "magic" pill and it helps should I pump after he eats? Will I have that much left over? Thanks so much for the info!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! Every baby is different so it is hard to say exactly but a 3 month old should be eating around 35 oz of milk a day (check that with your pediatrician though because resources vary over this). It is possible that he gets more from nursing direct than you pumping, this is a common complaint among fellow pumpers because it is harder to keep your supply up. How often do you pump/nurse? The more important number is how many oz you get in a day. If you feel that you need to increase your supply, I would pump after he eats anyway to make sure you are getting completely empty (this should signal to your body that you need more). I would also try the "magic" pill. Hopefully you can get your supply up and store some milk! :)
DeleteI was so happy to find this post so THANK YOU for writing it and doing so much research! I am expecting twins in about 10 ish weeks, and while I successfully nursed and pumped for my daughter for 13 months, I am worried about nursing twins and keeping my supply up. This post gave me a lot of encouragement and I feel like I have a better handle on what it will be like to pump full time if that's what I need to do! Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Shari! I've heard of people successfully producing enough for twins, but it is hard work. Good luck, I hope things go smoothly for you!
DeleteI felt the need to share my experience as an exclusive pumper. Just as breast feeding isn't easy for everyone, neither is EP. I have been an EP for 5 months and am in the process of weaning. I have had an awful time with milk production. I've taken every herb (Goat's Rue worked best for me, worked endlessly with lacation consultants both on milk production and continuing to get my girl to latch, and even ordered Domperidon from Canada when my doctor refused to prescribe it (less issues with causing severe depression than Raglan)Etc, Etc. And my other issue was that only one of my breasts produced milk at all. So pumping session for me lasted 30- 45 minutes and I was doing that 8 times a day for the first 10 weeks. My production did come up but never enough to make up for the fact that only one breast produced milk. I was producing enough to cut back to 6 pumping sessions a day. Production decreased around 4 months and nothing I have done could bring it back up. I have struggled to continue to produce milk and have finally made peace with the decision to move on. I am eating up approx. 4 hours a day to produce approx. 12- 18 oz. of milk. I wanted to share here because it is heart breaking not to be able to breast feed and even more heart breaking to not be able to provide breast milk for your baby if that is important to you...But what I am learning is that doing you rbest as a parent and not letting things interfere with your time and connection to your baby is by far the most important. EP moms often feel like they aren't doing enough. Anything you do is enough. For as long as you can. Being there for your baby is always enough.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletehi i found this online and thought i would say hi. haha well i just had twins getting close to 3 months ago. i started pumping about 24 hours after they were born. they had to be in the NICU and then one had to be taken to the big NICU in Savannah. so i wanted her to get the good stuff right away to help her body stay strong. luckily my other sweet girl got to stay with mama. (what a long week that was though) anyway. i was exclusively pumping until just about 2 weeks ago. i have never been able to nurse all 4 of my kids because i have incredibly sensitive skin and my nipples just fall apart. well just recently the pump was completely damaging my nipples. i tried 2 different brands of pumps. did manual and electric. even tried hand expressing. but it just wouldn't work. my girls only had breast milk for 2 months! i was so proud. and then when this happened i was completely devastated. unfortunately i had to quit pumping and heal. so now my milk has dried up. so many times i keep thinking "im sure there's still milk in there that i could just kick this back into gear" but then i remember my skin which i still slowly getting back to normal. this happened with my second baby as well at around 2 months my skin tore from the flanges. all that to say did you have any trouble like that with your skin while pumping? or anyone else on here? my heart hurts so much and i just hate that i had to stop. i wanted so badly to do this for a year even just 6 months. specially with them being premie... many tears have been shed wish so badly i could have kept pumping my milk supply was really good and i wanted to increase it. :/ anyway. thank you for your blog !! :)
This is awesome! Thank you for this information. I considered pumping exclusively with my second child but by the time I got really serious about it, I was pretty much out of milk didn't really want to do the work to get my supply back up (it's so hard with 2 kids). Thanks again for the info.
ReplyDeleteMy lo is 3 Mo and like the PP were 80%formula 20% bm. I tried fenugreek 4 pills 3x a day I got nothing im gonna try reglan. It sucks BC my son only grew one ounce since last month. I refuse to give up. He only latches for maybe g
ReplyDeleteFive minutes if i'm lucky.
It is important to remember that some women are luckier than others and can produce. Others struggle and struggle and their bodies just won't cooperate. I think that whatever a mom decides to do (formula, nurse, bottle feed...) needs to be supported always! Sometimes those decisions aren't easy but you just have to works best for baby AND mommy! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for you story...so wonderful to read all these comments too, inspiring! I had to exclusively pump with my first made it 6 months (and didn't find much support or website that talked about this as an option) and now with my second I am pumping again (4 months+)... You have inspired me to write about my story in hopes to help other on this journey...Thank you! I guess I will make a blog while I am pumping, a good use of the time ;)
ReplyDeleteMami, We are so glad you found this helpful! That is the wonderful thing about blogging...we can help each other even! We would love to read your story...please share your link when you write it!
DeleteI exclusively pumped for my two boys (my third will be here any day now and I'm hoping for a nurser this time). With my first, born in 2003, I really had no resources. With my second, born in 2010, I found the ivillage site for exclusively pumping and it saved me so much grief. I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important tips I got off there was to pump every 2-3 hours for the first three months, even if you are making more than you need, because your milk sets its production at about 3 months. So, you want to get it as high as you can. Once you reach 3 months, you slowly combine pumping times and drop pumps until you are only pumping during the day and 4-5 times at that (or less if your body doesn't mind). Your production should stay about the same as when you were pumping constantly as long as you drop them slowly. Definitely, check out the tips there.
http://forums.ivillage.com/t5/Exclusively-Pumping/ct-p/iv-ppexcluspump
Ror, Thank you for the link! We love new resources!! And great tips on the pumping time line for the first 3 months!! Good luck with your third!!
ReplyDeleteI am a nursing/pumping mom and pharmacist of a 10 1/2 month old. I wanted to let you know that I have had some ups and downs on my milk supply and have used fenugreek intermittently throughout the last few months. My lactation consultant suggested I start pumping at about 2 weeks post baby after my morning feeding, and I actually had done that for 10 months. It enabled me to build quite a freezer stash and also when my supply was low, the extra milk in the mornings helped make up for what I was not producing during the day. The pharmacy I work at sells fenugreek in 610 mg and typically I recommend 3 capsules three times a day for my patients. I am starting to cut back a bit on my pumping, in hopes to wean in the next month and a half, but I feel that I will still have a few bags to get us through even when I completely stop pumping!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Trisha and for sharing the Fenugreek info! So did you exclusively nurse but pump to increase production just in the mornings? I'm personally curious because I PLAN on nursing #2 in November (hopefully he will cooperate better than my daughter) and wondered if I should pump after nursing sessions just to get a good start on production. Thanks!
DeleteThank you so much for raising awareness about pumping exclusively! I had a friend who had to pump exclusively and I have so much respect for all of you! I tried to pump for my daughter as long as I was able to before my doctors made me stop (they found tumors in my breast and I had to stop BF for them to schedule my operation). My friend would pump a gallon of excess milk per day and had 2 deep freezers full of milk. Yes, they had to buy an extra freezer. She pumped for at least 20 min every 2-3 hours for the first 3 months or so! Crazy! but she stopped pumping at 7 months and ended up throwing out a freezer worth of milk when her daughter was almost a year (she didn't store it properly and it spoiled in the freezer, it pays to use proper containers!). But for anyone looking into it, it really is worth it and bless you no matter how long you do it for, because every last little bit is that much less formula that you have to buy and that much more liquid gold for your baby! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! Sometimes I think us exclusive pumpers are just plain crazy. ;o) But it is worth it. Bummer about your friends supply...I would have had to cry my eyes out over that.
DeleteWhat a wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteI did a series on my blog about EP, that was inspired by the lack of information out there. Feel free to stop by:
http://busybizblogs.blogspot.com/2012/07/exclusive-pumping-part-1.html
http://busybizblogs.blogspot.com/2012/07/exclusive-pumping-part-2.html
http://busybizblogs.blogspot.com/2012/07/exclusive-pumping-weaning-part-1.html
http://busybizblogs.blogspot.com/2012/07/exclusive-pumping-conclusion.html
Like you I was able to stop pumping around 9 months and still have a wonderful freezer supply to cover my girl until her 1st birthday which is just a few weeks away!
Thanks for sharing! It is amazing how many Moms EP but don't have any resources or support. I'm glad to know this is another resource they can use to feel not so alone in their adventures. :)
DeleteYou moms are amazing! I just finished reading all of your posts and am so jealous of your freezers full of milk! I have a 3 week old newborn that I've been breastfeeding but she's sooo demanding feeding every 2 hours or more sometimes (growth spurt?) that I can't find the extra time to pump extra milk for her for when I go back to work. I also have a 2 year old that requires my attention too! So I was just looking for some tips on how I could pump to save up for when I go back to work or maybe to increase my milk supply. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHi Ryanne! Great question...something I'm curious about as well now that it is getting closer and closer to my due date with #2. I'll tell you what my plan is- HOPEFULLY baby boy will nurse this time. I plan to take Fenugreek from the start (since it worked well for me last time) and pump a few extra minutes after he's done with each feeding. When he starts to drop feedings as he gets old, I want to continue to produce and pump those feedings to get a bit of storage going. I'm hoping these things work not only so we can have a great supply, but selfishly I want to loose all this baby weight! I was able to get way under my prepregnancy weight with my daughter and really hope that can be the case this time around too! ;o) I'm anxious to see if anyone else has any suggestions...good luck! - AshB
DeleteWow, I just read through all the comments because I found this so interesting. I've always taken it for granted that I could breastfeed. I believe that's the best for babies, but I have SO much respect for all you moms and your hard work. at least your babies got the nutritional benefits of your milk. I hate pumping, I have a ton of respect for you girls and your commitment when things didn't work out the way you wanted. I am curious if anyone has tried nursing periodically to see if the baby would latch again at two weeks or two months. there was only one commenter that mentioned trying that. anyways, I applaud you hard working and loving mammals.
ReplyDeleteHi Holly, thanks for reading and for commenting. ;o) I really hated pumping too...I have no idea how I survived that long! I did occasionally try to get my daughter to latch, I think around the 1 month mark but it felt so unnatural to both of us at that point. She was so used to a bottle and just looked at me like "you want me to do WHAT?". LOL. Apparently some things don't come naturally to all babies and Moms!
DeleteMy baby nursed from birth to six months than she refused cold turkey after that. Screaming, crying, it was horrible. I hadn't even given her a bottle much at that point and I tried everything to get her to nurse again! She was starving though. So I started pumping full time. I tried every day to get her to nurse in the morning and in the evening. A quiet, dimmed room with no distractions. She never would again until about 10 months. She started nursing again for her morning and evening meals. During the day she refused, despite having just nursed a few hours ago! Sometimes babies just have a mind of there own! Lol
DeleteThis is great information, too bad I found it 10 months too late! I had my daughter 6 weeks early so I had to begin pumping while she was in the NICU (TRUST me waking up to a pump a few times during the night is not as fun as waking up to a baby). The doctors told me to continue to pump after every feeding to make sure my milk supply was sufficient. I did this for about 3 months. I would nurse for 20 mins and pump for 20 mins. I finally decided to cut down the pumping so over the next month I cut it down to 2-3 a day and donated my extra milk. My daughter is now 10 months old and I still pump so I can donate the milk to my nephew. I have been called a dairy cow by MANY people. I don't mind because I love to eat, so this gives me an excuse! I am not looking forward to my body regulating when I stop this process at 12 months.... does kellymom have info on boobs exploding? :)
ReplyDeleteHaha Aubrey. Thanks for sharing your story! I am expecting #2 and joke that I'm going to just forever pump instead of working out, I was able to loose SO much weight and eat whatever I wanted. ;o)
DeleteBest advice when you stop- don't do it cold turkey! Just start dropping sessions or cutting time off of your sessions. I found it to be MUCH easier and never had any pain or problems (even though I was also a dairy cow). Good luck!
Hello I need some tips on what to do if all you can produce is 5-12oz a day...I tried the mothers milk and it didn't work. My little girl 6 months now I've had to stop pumping b/c I wasn't producing enough and my husbands family was really talking down on me for not being able to produce enough milk for Isabella. Bella never would latch and it really put a toll on me...not being able to give her what she really needed. PLEASE HELP MY NEST BABY!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you are having problems Ciara! Some people just don't understand that a women's ability to produce sometimes isn't up to them. :(
DeleteHave you tried Fenugreek? Have you also tried increasing your nursing sessions and pumping for a few minutes after you nurse? This can signal to your body that you need more. There are also a lot of medications (birth control) that can cause a decrease in your production. It might be worth a call to your doc or a lactation consultant to see if they have individual tips for you as well.
Good luck!
Some other ideas are that you may be dehydrated. Drink more room temperature water... All day long. Far more than you would ever comfortably consume. Also, reduce exercise if you're exercising a lot (like jogging or gym workouts). Exercise would immediately decrease my supply. Another idea is to regulate you're meals. no snacking, just three square meals a day. That way you're body can stop digesting food for portions of the day and produce milk instead. More sleep could help too. If you're baby is sleeping through the night go to bed when she does, the earlier the better. If she isn't than work at taking one or two naps a day if you can. Also, continue on a prenatal vitamin for sure! Hopefully this might help!
DeleteI nursed my baby from day one. However. At six months she stopped nursing. I could explain the whole story but it would take forever. :P I tried EVERYTHING to get her to nurse. I eneded up having to express and then feed her, cause I wanted her to have my milk until a year at least. It consumed SOOO much time!!!! But I'm glad I did it. At 10 months she starred nursing directly from me again in the morning and at night, just not during the day. I was thrilled. But then I was struggling to keep up with her needs. I was consuming so many calories (healthy calories) and taking supplements to help my supply but my metabolism was just so high that it was becoming near impossible to keep up with her, some days I would be down to the ounce. It was so incredibley stressful. So I decided at 11 months to begin to supplement raw goats milk into her diet for one of her feedings. Eventually two feedings. I did this for one week. Then one day I woke up and I was completely dry. Nothing was left.
ReplyDeleteSo... I made it to 11.5 months. I'm happy with that. But I know for next time straight from the beginning ill be taking supplements and pumping as much as possible even if baby nurses just fine. I like the idea of being able to stop pumping before baby is 1 year and having enough milk stored up!!
I pumped and fed all three of my kids and my sister has done so for all four of hers. Are kids are spaced so we have shared a pump but each have our own tubes and such for it. It is nice to know that there are a lot more women out there doing this then you think and the information needs to be out there for women to know it is an option.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I liked was seeing the 16oz I could pump first thing in the morning. I felt like super mom. The other thing is that while I was pumping before bed my husband was feeding our baby. It was good bonding time for them and my kids grew to love bed time routines with their Dad.
Haha Kelly, I was lucky to get 16-20 oz every morning too! I remember just filling those bottles and cheering myself on. LOL. And I totally agree- pumping can be a pain but it is SO nice to see Daddy able to bond and feed baby too (and help with the night time feedings!).
DeleteSO GREAT to see this post!!! There is not enough support for pumping moms! My little guy was 12 weeks early and spent 64 days in the NICU so he could not nurse. I pumped for 3 months and it was the hardest thing I have ever done. With him being so early my supply did not come in very strong. At the most I was only getting about 20oz a day! I ended up taking Reglan and it helped alot, although I hated how it made me feel so I stopped taking it. Shortly after my little man came home I had to quit pumping. It was just too much to pump for 20 min every 3 hours and then feed a preemie baby with special feeding needs.
ReplyDeleteI also used an old sports bra as a hands free bra! Saves alot of money and works great! I had a Medela pump and I LOVED it. It had a battery pack and I could pump in the car on the way to see the baby (1 1/2 hours away) and I could pump in a public bathroom if I needed to!
If I have another I will do anything I can to breastfeed again, this will be a great resource!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)
Wow Kayla, thanks for sharing your story! I too was a car pumper haha...you know your an expert pumper when you can pump on bumpy country roads. You are a trooper for pumping and going through all that, your little guy is lucky to have you for a Momma!
DeleteThis was really helpful to me. I'm a first time mom. I had my daughter 8 weeks ago. I nurse and pump but for the first couple weeks i was just pumping because i couldn't get her to latch right. I don't know how or why but i could pump close to 9 oz from each breast every time i pumped. Its been getting to the point now though that i don't seem to be producing near as much. I produce enough for her to eat every 3 hours everyday but not enough to feed her and pump. So i rarely ever have extra milk on hand. My lactation specialist tools me its a "supply and demand" thing. Your body only produces enough milk as it needs. So she tools me to pump and nurse, which used to help but not so much anymore. Thank you for posting this though. I might start using fenugreek for awhile to see if that helps at all =)
ReplyDeleteGREAT job! I know the original post is kind of old, but wanted to say that I pumped exclusively for a year as well. My 9lb 8oz baby boy would not nurse and I had already purchased the Medela Pump N Style for when I went back to work. He is now 8 and I am SO glad to see that other mother's know that it is possible and VERY worth it!
ReplyDeletePat yourself on the back -- YOU are a great mom!
How much fenugreek do you take and how often?
ReplyDeleteHi Katie! I took 2 pills 3 times a day but I don't remember the exact amount in mgs. Hope that helps!
DeleteThank you SO much for writing about this! It's very hard to find information on just pumping alone! I had my baby boy a month ago today, he was 9 weeks early so we have been in the NICU and will be for awhile longer. My story is no different from other womens with a preemie, I wanted to breatfeed but that is not a possiablity at first with a preemie baby so I pumped with the hospital pump. I have some questions I was wondering if you (or anyone) could help me with. The lacation consultant is amazing but there are 50 plus babies here and right now 47 moms are breastfeeding or pupming so it is so hard to have the time to get all your questions anwsered!
ReplyDeleteHow do you not keep from going crazy! We are renting a hospital pump the Medela Symphony that has a special setting for preemie babies. The pump schedule I was on for 2 weeks was every two hours for 20 minutes. Towards the end of the two weeks I was a constant mess. I never had time for anything, between the pumping and cleaning I would have about an hour to run around like a mad women since the hospital pump is less than portable. Right off the bat I have been blessed enough to literally be pumping 4oz of milk on each breast each time. I felt that I had stocked up enough so against the lactation consultants advise I have spaced my pumping out to every 3-4 hours.
At what point did you feel comfortable with your milk supply and how apart do you space the pumping out?
I was told to not combined the milk from my breast together, do you know why? I understand to date the bottles but what is the reasoning behind the time? Every where I read including the Medela packet that was given to me states that "frozen milk is good up to 6-12 months", that is a 6 month gap! How long do you believe it is good for closer to 6 or 12 months?
Is it normal to have one breast produce more milk than the other? When I first started they were about even, now I have one that often times I get 6oz and the other only 3-4.
The last and final question, I read on the Le Leche League wed site that if you consume alcohol it can take up to 13 hours for it to get out of your system. I by no means am I drinker however there are special occasions are coming up where I'm sure there will be alcohol like champagne or wine. Do I just throw away the milk for those 13 hours?
Thank you so much for reading this short novel and answering whatever questions you can! I really appreciate the help and support!
Looking forward,
Kayla.
Hi Kayla!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I am so proud of you for pumping like a rock star! And bless you premie!! I hope you are all doing well and are healthy!
Before answering your questions, I will start by saying, we are by no means "professionals". We have done LOTS of research and have both been rockstar pumpers/breastfeeders, so we speak from experiences and knowledge we have acquired along the way.
Pumping every 2 hours sounds very much, "by the book". If you are pumping 4 oz per breast, I think you would be okay to stretch it to 3 hours. I, personally, would not go much past 3 hours until baby is eating every 3-4 hours. (I KNOW, that is a LOT of work!)
I have never heard not to combine milk from each breast. I always have. Maybe it is different for preemies?? I always dated my bottles with the date. I did not date with the time.
I kept my milk in my freezer for up to 6 months. I did not give milk much past 6 months because I felt like it did not taste quite as good. There are variations with timelines between different websites. Some say 6 months, some say up to 12 months.
It is TOTALLY normal to produce more milk in one breast over the other. I would get up to 2-3 oz more in one breast over another.
As far as drinking is concerned, I am well aware what the "books" say, but I did it. I drank a glass or two of wine occasionally and did not 'pump and dump'. If I drank a lot more than that or felt "tipsy", then I would pump and dump at least once. Sometimes twice. You can always buy the test strips if you are uncertain.
I think I answered all of your questions. Hopefully I helped a little bit.
Best wishes!!!
~Ashley W.
Thank you to both of you this answered a lot of questions for me :) I am the mom of boy twins that were 7 weeks premature. Sounds like we had very similar questions and circumstances!
DeleteGlad to have found this site so much great info thanks :)
ReplyDeletecant wait to show this to my husband, he doesnt understand how time consuming it is to pump and thinks its more of an inconvenience (because there are too many bottles/bags in the fridge and freezer and we are running out of bottles to actually use) and would like me to stop. my son is 3 weeks old and i find the most difficult part of 100% pumping is that i have a 15 month old and am trying to figure out how to pump while taking care of my 15 month old. i currently only have a medela swing, seriously wish i invested in a double pump because this pump is cheap and takes forever! any tips for juggling pumping and a 15 month old? also what pump would you recommend? i want to upgrade to a good double pump!
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy! Congratulations on your new baby!! A 3 week old and 15 month old is tough, period. My son was 26 months when my daughter was born and I struggled so I am sure you are hanging on some days by a thin thread. Here is my advice: keep it up. It is worth it if it is important to you and you can make it work for your family, don't give up. If it was easy, everyone would do it. But, pumping and nursing is difficult. I have the Medela Symphony. I believe it cost around $300 (but that was 4 years ago). I did not have the hands free pumping accessories, but I would absolutely invest in it if I were to do it again. I feel like this investment would help your situation a TON. You would be able to entertain your 15 month old more while pumping. Some things I did with my son is TV (I know...), read him a story, and food (again, I know....) But, when you are in survival mode you will do ANYTHING! Good luck and please keep us updated!!!
ReplyDeleteAshley W
I am amazed and more than slightly jealous that you were able to do this. My baby had an excellent latch and nursed great! Only problem? I had NO milk. I nursed and pumped round the clock. I took all the supplements and met with a lactation consultant. Even she was clueless. I gave it everything I had for 2 months, giving her formula because I had no choice. I never was able to produce more than 1 ounce combined at a time...ever. I'm glad that you had such a great experience. My baby is now 3 years old and I'm still sad about my experience.
ReplyDeleteI remember pumping, thinking how much I hated it but then telling myself "at least I have milk!!". I'm so sorry you had all that trouble! I'm glad you posted because I know there are lots of Mommas out there in the same boat, no matter how hard they try they just can't get milk. You did what you could and tried, that's what really counts! And it goes to show that formula feeding is OK too. I'm sure you have a very happy, healthy 3 year old on your hands. ;o) Hugs to you!
DeleteI'm right there with Leah in regards to lack of production:( We found out my little one had problems latching after two weeks of her continuous weight loss so when we finally went to a LC, she suggested EP right away along with starting an herbal regiment.
ReplyDeleteI saw that many moms suggested (and had luck with) Fenugreek, but my LC also suggested Goat's Rue and Blessed Thistle in combination with Fenugreek. These seemed to help my production a little, but I was still only producing about 6 ounces/day. For any moms considering these, I would definitely ask your doctor or LC first---especially when it comes to dosage.
My OB prescribed Reglan (in addition to the herbs), and although it kick-started my production, I experienced the worst side effects and stopped after only 3 days. Keep in mind this is all going on while still pumping 10x/day to try and up production!
Next stop---Domperidone (aka, Motilium). It's not available in the US but can be ordered online from the UK. You can imagine how desperate I was at this point to even CONSIDER ordering drugs from outside the US in order to give my child breastmilk! I did a lot of research and consulted with nurses and doctors about the drug and I didn't find anything negative about it aside from the fact that the FDA pulled it off the market. Eeek! HUGE DEAL! Here's why: it was originally given to chemo patients (in IV form---1,000+ mg/day) to help with nausea. Because it was given in such a high dosage, it caused heart palpitations in some patients, leading to it being pulled. However----when it's used to increase milk production in nursing moms, you're only taking 10-30mg/day. I trusted my LC, so I ordered it. And. It. Worked!
For a little while. Maybe a month or 6 weeks. But for that month, I was able to give my baby half of what she needed in breastmilk. The day I reached a full 16 ounces was like winning the lottery!
My production eventually started to dwindle even while on the Domperidone but at that point, I was tired of taking so many pills and was beyond frustrated at spending so much time at the pump, only to produce a 1/2 ounce a day. Yes, a HALF OUNCE. Between constantly pumping, measuring breastmilk, logging my pathetic amounts into my iPhone app, pill-popping and making formula bottles, it was clear that it was time to let go.
I made it four months and those were some of the longest, hardest four months of my life! Next time, my husband and I have decided to make an appointment with the LC as our first stop when we leave the hospital. I always wondered if there was something I should/could have done in those first few days to have kept this from happening. My goal is to one day have a freezer like yours, but until then---we'll keep clipping the Enfamil coupons!
I just wanted to suggest other herbal (and not so herbal) options to moms with production issues and remind them that even if BF ends up not working out, your babe will be more than fine with formula and you're still a wonderful mama... in the longest way possible, of course! Best of luck to all.
Awesome comment and information!!! Thank you! And you are a rock star for having in there. Breastfeeding is definitely emotional!!
DeleteGOOD. FOR. YOU!!!!! And thank you for sharing this info with mommies who want/need to EP!!!
ReplyDeleteHi (: my son is now 4 months old. For the first 2 months he was exclusively breast fed. He goes to is dads a few times a week and at first I was pumping enough to send with him. My pump broke so I started to just give him formula. Now my pump is fix but I think my supply has gone down. I would love to not have to give him formula. What would you recommend I do to get my supply back up?
ReplyDeleteHi Lydia! Thanks for stopping by. We just posted a few newer blogs on why your supply might decrease (in your case I think you know the reason) and how you might increase your supply. Here are the links:
Deletehttp://www.naptimetales.com/2012/10/why-is-my-supply-decreasing.html
http://www.naptimetales.com/2012/10/increasing-your-milk-supply.html
Good luck!
THANK YOU THANK YOU!! We are currently expecting our 2nd (our first is 2 yo). I Bfed & pumped (with a crappy pump) the first time and only made it to 8 weeks, but I am proud I made it that far. Even though I was warned about the dedication, I wasn't ready. Also, my baby was a few weeks early & a bit teeny; he had issues latching, nipple shields & drip cloths....ugh, it was an act of Congress to feed! Anyway, I am so excited to find this site! I'm going to invest in a Medela Pump in Style & attempt to EP. Now that I know the dedication that is involved, I believe I will go much further this time! Now...we just have to find room in the freezers!haha (We kill & eat our own deer so that takes up a lot of room...Plus the 2 dead Bass wrapped in paper that are waiting to be stuffed.Haha) Good Luck, ladies!! P.S.-FYI: If you're baby can't take your milk...you can donate it!
ReplyDeleteLOL Two dead deer and a bass to stuff. I'm cracking up. ;o) A good pump makes ALL the difference, it is amazing! And it is hard in the beginning but I promise it gets easier after your supply is established. Good luck with #2! I'm in the same boat and hoping to nurse this time around.
DeleteI've been pumping exclusively since my son was 7 weeks old - he just turned one two weeks ago. When I started pumping exclusively, I had NO IDEA the commitment and dedication this would require. It felt like I was a slave to the pump - everything was planned around my pump times. Now that i'm slowly transitioning off the pumping and down to just 3 pumps a day, I can honestly say it was totally worth it. It wasn't easy but I'm proud of myself for doing it and sticking with it, even when my usually supportive husband would make a snide remark about the amount of time I spent pumping. Thanks for encouraging other women that it's ok to exclusive pump and for being honest about it - that it's not easy but it gets easier over time. Hopefully more of us can help spread the word about exclusive pumping and encourage each other to stick with it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this! I feel the same way. Usually my husband is supportive but he makes comments about me using the pump all the time. I don't feel appreciated. Your post made me feel better :)
DeleteA friend forwarded me a link to this post after seeing it on Pinterest because she knew I was struggling with pumping. I'm not an exclusive pumper; I was exclusively breastfeeding while pumping 1 - 2X per day to build up a freezer supply, but now I'm back to work and pumping while away from my son 3X at work, plus in the morning and before bed. It's been a pretty stressful few weeks because I'm not pumping enough to fill the three bottles my son has while I'm gone - and my freezer supply is already half way gone because of it. I've spent so much time on the internet researching ways to increase my supply and lately it has been on the uptick (though still not enough as he seems to be eating a lot lately - 6 - 8 ounces a bottle! and he's only 15 weeks) Your tips are great, and I just wanted to add in a couple others things I've been doing that may have made a difference, whether it's one, some, all or a combo.
ReplyDelete-Pumping for longer than 20 minutes. I was only pumping for 20 minutes as my pump instructions stated to only pump for that long, but one day I was so frustrated when barely any came out and I just kept on pumping (as I read that you should pump for 5 minutes after milk stops to tell your body you need more). I ended up having a letdown at 30 minutes, and now I always pump until I have that third letdown.
-Hand expressing after pumping. I read that some pumps just don't get all your milk out, and hand expressing can help get it all out, which in turns tells your body that you need more milk. I watched a video on how to do it (http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html) and found that I can get another half ounce out of each breast after pumping sometimes.
-Eating oatmeal. I read it may help, so I eat it for breakfast several times a week (not the instant oatmeal in a packet).
-Bought bigger flanges for my pump. Not sure if this helped me pump more, but it is a little more comfortable.
I also pump five times for the three feedings I miss while at work.
So far it's been slow (up to 12-16 oz/day from 9-12), but hopefully it's "slowly but surely".
Thanks for the comment and tips! I also had to invest in larger flanges...the difference it made in terms of comfortableness was amazing! We recently posted a couple more blogs on this subject that you might find helpful as well:
Deletehttp://www.naptimetales.com/2012/10/why-is-my-supply-decreasing.html
http://www.naptimetales.com/2012/10/increasing-your-milk-supply.html#
Hopefully you'll get your supply back up soon!
Wow, your story is almost identical to mine. When I was just pumping I thought I was the only one... I searched online for information on how to try and get my baby to nurse, and then for information for "pumping Moms" and couldn't find anything. Wish I'd found you then! But I see your post is actually dated about 2 months after I stopped breastfeeding my little one (I still called it breastfeeding I just didn't call it nursing). I plan to try again with the next, and maybe be more persistent, but at least I know I'm not the only one if I have to switch to exclusively pump & feed again.
ReplyDeleteUgh!! I wish I would have seen this a year ago! I wanted to breastfeed but my daughter wouldn't latch on. I tried to pump but got so depressed, burned out on it from not producing enough, my husband not understanding the time it took to pump and it being so time consuming that I just gave up! Spent $300 on a Medula breast pump just to store! I'm hoping my next one will either latch on or I will be more persistent to pump exclusively. Thanks for the great info!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the post i found u through pinterest i am due with my second in 8 weeks and my first is two i had to stop BF with him at 4 months due to my supply and too much lactose produced you have given me some options for BF my second thank you thank you thank you. I just want the best for my little one.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I stumbled upon this post! I struggled and struggled to nurse my daughter for 2 months before I finally decided to give up my insistence that she nurse and I went to exclusive pumping. There was so little information out there (although I did find KellyMom), I felt like I was figuring everything out on my own. Thanks for your post! I'll be revisiting when we have #2!
ReplyDeleteI had to do some clinical rotations when my first baby was 6 months old and pumping every 2 hours actually helped increase my supply. My cousin adopted a baby who was born at 26 weeks and I was able to give her a TON of frozen pumped milk for him. It was such a blessing for both of us. Now my little guy is 9 weeks old and I'll hopefully be starting a full time job soon so I'll be pumping full time for him too. Thanks for the tips!!!
ReplyDeleteI actually laughed when you mentioned how you leaked some milk while bending over to fix something because that actually happened to me many times XD
ReplyDeleteI used Medela
hands free with the Medela manual style (forgot what it's called) so yes, I could pump while I was cooking or do other things ;) It is very very handy, but it was very tiring.
Love your tips! I am going to have a new born next year and I will keep your site on my radar and the KellyMom's as well. Thanks for sharing!
Oh yeah after you get used to it, I can pump 20 oz in less than 5 mins O_o just wow.
I'm so glad I found this post on Pinterest. My daughter is 15 months old and I pumped for her exclusively until she was just shy of 14 months. I nursed her for 3 weeks but the pain was so horrible, I couldn't do it anymore and that's when I began pumping. The good thing for me is that I produced plenty of milk, at least in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteBut some things to consider when pumping/breastfeeding that affected my supply: I got a cold when my daughter was 3 months old and I knew not to take medications like Robitussin and such, as they can decrease your supply. But I didn't realize taking Theraflu would do it as well, at least for me. I went from producing 60+ ounces a day and having a fully stocked freezer, to 20ish ounces and slowly depleting my freezer stockpile. I was able to get up to 30-35 ounces a day with the help of Fenugreek and extra pumping sessions, only to get my period when my daughter was 7 months old, which dropped me down again. Luckily, I am able to be a stay at home mom and saw it as my job to keep pumping as long as I had milk. We made it to 14 months without any supplementation, and I'm so proud, but it was rough. I spent 4-6 hours a day pumping and people really do not understand your decision to exclusively pump. It can be really lonely if you don't have support. I actually received a comment about how I was always "sitting around pumping," like I was being incredibly lazy or something.
I'm so glad this post is available to those moms who are exclusively breastfeeding. It is really encouraging to know there are other moms out there who have made the same choice. Just knowing you aren't crazy and that it can be done is so encouraging. I wish I would have seen this when I was in the midst of pumping!
I'm glad you found us as well! It was so hard for me to find information about pumping, I'm glad people find this blog encouraging. ;o)
DeleteI feel the same way. People don't understand the work it takes and the dedication you make when you exclusively pump.
DeleteHow do I nurse and pump? with my last child I only nursed and pumped if needed for outings and such. but I produced so much I thought I'd try both this time any tips?
ReplyDeleteHi Cagney! I'm trying to figure this out myself. #2 was just born a week and a half ago and is actually nursing (thank GOD!!) but I'd love to have some storage and want to introduce a bottle so he's not 100% dependent on me. Anyone else have any suggestions?
DeleteI had to pump exclusively with my daughter she wouldn't latch and if you are pumping do yourself a favor and get a good pump I had a great one at first that ended up breaking after 3 months and the one I ran out and got because I was afraid I was going to explode was terrible and I ended up drying up
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this! I pumped exclusively for 8.5 months and NO ONE seemed to realize how difficult it was except for me. It was definitely a sacrifice to my own personal time, by I believe it was totally worth it. Let's just pray that baby #2 will latch! Props to all the moms out there who have pumped exclusively! You are giving your children one of the greatest gifts known to mankind!
ReplyDeleteHow on earth do you have time to build a supply when you're exclusively pumping? I find that my son (6 weeks) eats every 2-3 hrs, 5 oz. Can't figure out when I can establish a supply!
ReplyDeleteTips to maintain a supply? Seems like there's no time!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you all are getting so many ounces a day, it doesn't even seem real to me.. I'm lucky if I get 7 ounces a day! However I only pump twice at work right now in an 8 hour period,. Nurse in the morning and nurse at night, but even before I cut out a pump session at work I would still be lucky to bring home 8 ounces. I'm going to try the fenugreek route because even though I'm slowly (very slowly) starting to wean, I'd still like to get more milk when I'm feeding him or pumping! Thanks for the post and re-inspiring me to not give up breastfeeding or pumping!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely try fenugreek and don't give up! Do what you feel is best for you and your baby. Good luck!
DeleteI got fenugreek.. 600Ml, the guy at gnc says to take 5 or 6 a day, but the bottle says take 2a day.. Just curious how much you took per day
ReplyDeleteI'm currently taking 2 pills 3 times a day (same brand and MGs) but according to Kellymom.com you can take up to to 3, even maybe 4 pills 3 times a day! I've heard if you don't smell like maplesyrup then it isn't working. LOL. I saw a slight increase this time with 2x3 so I might even bump it up to 3x3 in a few days and see if that helps. ;o)
DeleteAsh B
It took my son 3 weeks of trying before he would nurse! It can take a while, just keep trying!
ReplyDeletethanks for this post! I had to exclusively pump for my son for just over 11 months... hoping to be able to nurse as well this time around, but prepared to go at it again just in case! A really helpful tip someone gave me was to check with your insurance regarding getting a breast pump. I did check with mine, and got it 80% covered as long as I bought it from the hospital (I used the Medela Pump in Style, and paid just over $50 for it). Apparently there are some hospital/pharmaceutical supply places that will bill insurance for ANY pump you choose, including the hands free kind. Based on my experience last time, and now having a toddler at home, I am going to look into that- worth a new pump to have 2 free hands! plus I believe they are lighter and smaller for when I go back to work.
ReplyDeleteI had a nicu baby that was a couple of months early and I started pumping 15 minutes after birth. I had no choice since we couldn't afford formula and made too much to get it. I exclusively pumped for 5 months and one day when it was thaw milk or pump when my daughter was screaming I told her just latch on and she did so if you pump out of neccesity of getting milk in your child try to nurse at least once a week for a day before you give a bottle you might be lucky enough to get then to latch on.
ReplyDeleteI had a nicu baby that was a couple of months early and I started pumping 15 minutes after birth. I had no choice since we couldn't afford formula and made too much to get it. I exclusively pumped for 5 months and one day when it was thaw milk or pump when my daughter was screaming I told her just latch on and she did so if you pump out of neccesity of getting milk in your child try to nurse at least once a week for a day before you give a bottle you might be lucky enough to get then to latch on.
ReplyDeleteawesome!!!!!! How exciting! Did she continue to nurse or prefer a bottle? Thank you for sharing=)
DeleteI found your website through Pinterest and your story sounds very similar to mine. I started pumping because my DD wouldn't latch on properly or maybe I didnt know what I was doing. I was a sleep deprived ftm. I saw a lactaction consultant who was amazing. She told me to focus on feeding the baby and building my supply, and work on getting her back to the breast. That didnt completely happen so I continued to pump. At my peak I was producing 75 oz a day. Now my DD is 5 mos old I am at around 60 oz but that is fine with me because I am only pumping 4-5 times a day. I was only able to get this far because of the help and support I found through the Exclusive Pumpers board on Babycenter. Those women are amazing! Thanks for bringing this topic to the light there are a lot of women suffering in silence or feel like they are alone because the exclusively pump.
ReplyDeleteI have heard drinking a beer/day helps the milk flow in is this true? If so should you throw out the milk you pumped afterwards? I thought the lactation consultant said that one is okay to not have to throw out your milk and that a beer can actually help. I am just nervous as I am pumping for twins and I don't want to run out. They were born seven weeks premature and are now almost 7 weeks old. I am nervous as the demand goes up my supply won't.
ReplyDeleteI have also heard this but don't know if you need to dump after. Anyone else do this? I've heard of taking brewers yeast to boost supply. Take a look at our "Increasing you milk supply" blog (http://www.naptimetales.com/2012/10/increasing-your-milk-supply.html) for more info on other ways to get a boost. Good luck Momma! Nursing twins has to be tough!
DeleteI was told by my NICU nurse when my daughter was born to look up lactation cookies. They were chocolate chip cookies that use fenugreek and brewers yeast to help with production. I loved them! The combination of the two really seemed to help out. I went from one of those tiny tubes they give you to having about 4 of them per pumping. Also don't stress about the production. That could also decrease your supply.
DeleteYou are so blessed to be able to have pumped so much milk for your little one. I breastfeed and pump. During an 8 hour work day I may pump 13oz. It is hard work but thankfully I haven't had to supplement in my little one's 8 months! 66oz a day WOW!
ReplyDeleteFor me fenugreek wasnt doing it for me. Soi asked wat else I could do. The doc told me bout more milk plus.they had it in liquid form or pill form. I took the liquid form cuz it wked faster. Love the stuff! Ican make 3 four oz bottles in a 8hr wk period!
ReplyDeleteI exclusively pumped for 9 months with my son. His latch was horrible from day 1. I started out with a Medela swing (single) so pumping took 20-30 minutes per side 12 times a day. It sucked! I was eventually gifted a hospital grade pump, what a life saver. I can not recommend a hospital grade pump enough to any mom who will be exclusively pumping.
ReplyDeleteFound you via pinterest! Thank you so much for your post!
ReplyDeleteI was the first in my family to even attempt to nurse and felt so lost, especially when my daughter wouldn't latch. I EPed for 10 months (which everyone thought I was crazy for!) and used what little stash I had to get her to 11 months, so only one month with 1/2 bm and 1/2 formula. She's 2 1/2 now and has only had a few fevers, no real illness (knock on wood)! We're due with baby 2 in April and are hoping for a latcher :)
**I tried Fenugreek and it didn't work for me but oatmeal worked wonders (not the instant kind) ate a bowl with berries 2X a day!
I loved this post! I exclusively pumped for 3 months with my daughter, and it was taking over my life...
ReplyDeleteOne day I tried nursing her again...and actually had success! She is now 4 1/2 months old, and I am still breastfeeding, and don't see myself stopping anytime soon. It is just so much easier! I still pump a couple times a day to keep some stored milk in stock.
But I am so glad that I stuck with pumping in the beginning, and that I gave BF a try again. To other mothers out there, if you really are to determined to make BF work, then stick it out, things do eventually get easier!!
I found this post on pinterest and thought you had great info! Question for you on the Fenugreek, how long did you take it? Does it continue to increase supply as you continue to take it or does it level off at some point?
ReplyDeleteNot sure if my last comment got posted. I love this post. With the fenugreek, how long did you take it? Does it continue to increase supply as you continue to take it or does it level off at some point? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Kelli,
DeleteI took fenugreek from the time my daughter was 3 months old till she was 12 months old. I did not increase the supply as I continued to take it. However, if you feel like your milk supply is increasing and your body can maintain without the supplements, then you can start tapering yourself off. Good Luck!
My son nurses just fine, but when I try to pump so he can stay with family during doctor visits or other appointments I might have, I pump for 45 minutes and only end up with 2 ounces. He eats at least 6 ounces every 1 1/2-2 hours. I've been taking fenugreek from day 1. Even tried the tea. Any tips on how to get more out?
ReplyDeleteHi Heather! That can be SO frustrating! Check out our post about increasing your supply...maybe it will help? http://www.naptimetales.com/2012/10/increasing-your-milk-supply.html
DeleteHi! Do you mind sharing a sample of your pumping schedule? Do you wake up at night or early morning to pump?
ReplyDeleteHi Cai! I'm going to add this to a list of topics to post but will give you a quick answer. It really depends on what stage of pumping you are in. When my little ones first came home, I did pump at night...just like a newborn would feed. I did this until I established a good supply, then started cutting nighttime pumping...then started increasing the time between my pumping sessions.
Delete