Since Harper was born I've gotten asked "Are you breastfeeding?" approximately 7,000 times. At first I didn't know how to answer because yes, she was getting breastmilk. But no, not always directly from me. Harper was born just shy of 36 weeks with a host of preemie latch issues. She was also born with the worlds biggest tongue. Those along with some issues I was having made it nearly impossible to breastfeed. Before we left the hospital we had 2 meetings with the lactation consultant and it seemed like she was finally getting it with a shield. After 3 days home (and still no milk) it felt like things were going south. I began reading everything I could and eventually came to an article telling me shields decreased milk production. At this point we were trying to feed both sides for 10 minutes each, pumping and feeding her that with a syringe, 15 minutes of trying to get her to burp, washing all of the pump parts, changing her diaper, and getting her to nap. By the time the cycle finished it was time to start again. That was still not enough milk for Harper and not enough sleep for momma. No Bueno.
Harper's 1 week well baby visit actually ended up happening when she was 2 weeks old due to her jaundice hospital stay. Just like the "breast is best and pumping is the devil" boob thumpers, the doctor was less than impressed that we had already switched to only pumping. As she concluded the appointment by telling me I had a healthy baby, she also said she was going to schedule a 1 hour lactation consult before her next appointment to "get her back where she should be". Right after I knocked her out cold left the room I quickly scheduled her next appointment with a different physician, no consult. My baby was perfectly healthy, so we headed home and read up on just how to exclusively pump. Now, after 3 months I feel like we've gotten the hang of it & may have some helpful tips.
Here's what's up
1. Call your insurance company. Before you go and buy that $400 gem you read all about online, call your insurance carrier. Ours sent us a Ameda Purely Yours double electric pump with 2 sets of flanges, 4-6 valves, 4 storage bottles, and a carrying tote for all free. They also supply us with 3, 50 count refills of storage bags every 90 days sent right to our door. Call ahead while you're pregnant and before you register for gifts.
2. Free parts. Most hospitals have either a Medela or Ameda pump for you to use during your postpartum stay. If they have the same brand pump as you, take the parts! Ours had an ameda pump and we were able to leave with extra tubing, a set of flanges, 4 valves, and 12 storage tubes. Some may have the storage bottles, but take advantage of either! I still store small amounts of freshly pumped milk in the tubes and keep extras in my pump bag in case I make more than a storage bottle can hold.
3. Extra parts. Getting a few complete sets of pump parts will help you immensely. The parts that came with the pump plus the parts from the hospital still weren't enough. Our sweet friends recently gifted us 2 extra sets of storage bottles and it has made all the difference! It means no more washing in the middle of the night. Always have 1-2 extra sets of storage bottles than you have flanges and keep a few extra valves on hand. One night I was in a total panic that my pump had stopped working. After some research it turns out the tiniest of tears in the rubber can make the whole thing useless.
4. Nutrition. I cannot stress it enough, drink drink drink! I was a terrible water drinker before so this one was hard. I went from maybe 1-2 bottles a day to 1.5-2gallons. I recently added up and on average I produce from 1.5-2 liters of milk per day. The more you drink, the more milk you'll make. Eating is another thing. It's already hard enough to eat with a new baby, I keep a banana, protein bar, and giant mason jar full of water on the end table so even during the middle of the night I'm getting enough food and water to keep making good milk.
5. Storage. Most moms I know store their freshly pumped milk in either bags or storage bottles. If you're exclusively pumping and not just supplementing, this becomes a lot of work. To save time I pump and pour straight into the feeding bottles. We typically have 5-6 full bottles ready to be warmed, front left is the oldest that needs eaten, back right is the newest that can last. It cuts time and saves you from yet another round of dishes. We use the Latch by Munchkin bottles, they're rated as one of the best to go between breast and bottle as well as prevent gas with their anti-colic valve. Harper loves them and even did well in her preemie crappy eating days. However I have had some issues with them leaking around the valves. I purposefully chose them because they had less parts than the Dr Brown bottles, but I think next time we'll go with a simple design like the Phillips Avent bottles. I may have chosen the blue because I want a boy next time. Ahem, Justin ;)
6. Schedule. Just as a baby would want to nurse every 2-3 hours, that's when you should be pumping. Initially I pumped on that schedule, then as she started to stretch longer through the night and I went back to work my 2-3 hours turned to 4, then sometimes as long as 6. Not only did I end up with a nasty case of mastitis, but my supply decreased drastically. After a week of dragging myself out of bed on the 3 hour mark and sticking to the 2-3 hour rule my supply went back to normal and put out an extra 16-20 oz a day!
7. Accessories. My new favorite thing, a pumping bra. At first I thought I could wing it. Much to Justin's terror, I walked into the bedroom in an old sports bra with holes cut out of the middle. At first my redneck pumping bra worked, but as soon as the bottles began to fill they fell off. Our awesome friends who gifted us the storage bottles also sent over the pumping bra. It is a life. Saver. It also gives me the ability to pop Harper in the boppy and feed her while I pump. Hello multitasking. Second, get a good drying rack. We use the Boon Lawn with the Twig and Stem accessories. I can fit 4 complete sets of parts on here at once! Lastly, get a car adapter for your pump. Too many times I've been running errands and hopped in the back of my SUV to feed Harper wishing I could pump my ticking time bombs. Now, I can! Note: I have tinted windows and hand a blanket over the front and back headrests. No peep shows here :)
As long as my "factory" as justin calls it keeps going, I would love to keep feeding her breast milk until the 6-9 month mark. I would be lying if I said it wouldn't be nice to go between nursing and pumping, but this is what our situation calls for. You can read every article and have everything planned out, but once your baby comes you ultimately have to do what is best for them and yourself. These tips for pumping exclusively won't work for everyone, but this is what works for us. Plus....Bonus! Justin gets the experience of feeding her that he wouldn't get otherwise.
We may have put her in a cat bed instead of the boppy at our friends house this weekend.
Until next time,
That girl in the ugly green boots.
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