Exclusively pumping my journey and some tips
If you haven’t already, you may want to head over here to read ‘our breast feeding journey’ a previous post that will help you get a back story and put this post into perspective on why and how I ended up exclusively pumping.
I have been exclusively pumping for about 4 months now. I started when Hephzibah was three months old, mainly because I had to put her on bottles because of slow weight gain and because she was rejecting feeding directly from me.
I remember sat on the floor of our bedroom crying, confused how I would ever make pumping work whilst also dealing with this deep grief I felt at the reality that it was seeming less and less likely that she would begin to breastfeed from me again however much I was believing she would.
Pumping, or the thought of exclusively pumping felt a short term thing in my head, it just didn’t seem realistic or maintainable. Maybe because it was time consuming, or perhaps because I felt isolated in the decision because everyone around me seemed to be breastfeeding. It also felt unrealistic because I didn’t have the wisdom or advice from those who had been there too, and it seemed like an extra thing to add to the list when I already felt like I was not coping well. I felt somewhat foolish for even saying that I wanted to pump for her. Yet, pumping felt like the only viable option for me if I wasn’t breastfeeding. While it would be easier practically, emotionally I couldn’t detach. I longed to give her my milk and every-time I thought about stopping I couldn’t despite how overwhelmed I felt by everything.( Just to note that I wasn’t, and am definitely not against formula. I was very blessed to have a good supply of milk, and so I wanted to feed her from that as long as I could. I know many mum’s struggle to even establish a good supply of milk, which is so tough, and I just wanted to acknowledge that.) Alos, a few weeks in to pumping I found an incredible website article on kelly mom that encouraged me that it was possible to do this, and that I wasn’t the only one out there as well as a forum of other mums who were exclusively pumping.
Because Hephzibah had fed from me for the first three months (even if it wasn’t a ton of milk) I had established a good supply of milk. Some absolute heroes, pump from the very beginning and are pumping around 8 times a day to establish a supply. I think at 3 months I started off pumping 6 times a day and that felt overwhelming enough.
When I started out I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or when I should be pumping! I had no idea what was a normal amount of milk to get in a pumping session, or if there even was a normal. I didn’t know how long I should pump for, what the symbols meant on the pump (i’m not an instruction reader) or which parts I should sterilise. If I’m honest I still don’t really know. But Kelly Mom does!
I started out hand pumping with a haakaa silicone breast pump that a friend had leant me. The pump works through suction, and it is just one piece with no other parts making it very easy to clean. I initially used this to catch the let down on the side that Hephzibah was not feeding from in the first three months because otherwise milk would go everywhere. Because of my high supply of milk, I found using the haakaa fairly easy but just felt it was catching my let down rather than drawing out the milk and I didn’t seem to get good enough suction with it! I would finish up hand expressing into it to make sure all the milk was drawn out, and milk would go everywhere spritzing in different directions and my hands covered in a sticky milky film.
After a week or so with the haakaa and knowing I needed an upgrade for my sanity, I did lots of research on the best pumps out there and ended up with a second hand Medela swing. This was so much easier! I found it drew the milk out quickly, and though loud and obnoxious it did the job.
After about four weeks of single side pumping (eg. 15 minutes or so on one side and 15 minutes on the other) I met a sweet lady who Joseph works with who had exclusively pumped for her son for 10 months. That was such a blessed bump in. I felt so understood as I had yet to meet anyone who had been in the same position, and a few days later she packaged me up a little bag of pumping treats and her pump for me to borrow which would mean I could double pump.
I mentioned this below, but… if you are exclusively pumping invest in a double pump! They are pricey but so worth it! She leant me her Philiips avent. I found this no where near as effective as the swing, but it cut my pumping time in half and I noticeably had so much more time! I would always would start with the Phillips pump on my left breast and the medela on my right and then I would switch the Medela to the left boob right at the end of the pumping session as it seemed it would always continue to draw out more milk than the phillips had been able to! I also still would hand pump and still do now for the very last part of the session. I find that I can still get more milk out this way, and I’ve heard that hand expressing stimulates the breasts better.
I remember the early days of pumping plus the poor feeding and sleepless nights felt SO overwhelming. I felt like I was chained to the pump and rarely went out. Not only was I trying to determine her nap times, and when she would be hungry, but how long milk had been out how long I should pump, how much milk I was getting and whether things had been sterilised etc. If you’re at that stage too, know that it will get better and it will get easier.
My initial goal was to get to 6 months, and I think I would stop at this stage. Yet, when i got to six months so many other things had started to calm down. We were in a better rhythm with a routine, I was able to pump less, and so it became far more attainable.
In mid-october my friend sent me a link to Elvie’s new breast pump which claimed it was ‘silent, cordless and hassle free’. For someone who had been attached to a double socket, felt less than discreet with my boobs hanging out wired up to a whirring hum that haunted me, this news was revolutionary and had to happen despite the costly price tag.
I mainly purchased the Elvie pump because we are travelling for three weeks at the end of this year. With my current set up I didn’t think it would be possible to travel and pump. I didn’t know how on earth I’d tackle pumping on a long haul flight, or whether I’d be able to find privacy in Thailand and Beijing or sockets, and I didn’t want to travel with a tangle of wires. I’d half resigned to the thought I may have to stop pumping, but managed to nab an elvie pump before they all sold out so it could make pumping whilst away possible. If you’d like to read more about how I found the pump, you can find that review over here.
As it stands right now I’m currently pumping three times a day, even though I can tell my supply is dropping so I may need to go back to 4. Hephzibah has never been a particularly hungry baby. She can feed anywhere between 19-30oz in a day, and I am to express about 30oz a day. Any extra I freeze. My pumping routine is currently as follows:
My pumping routine- (7 month old)
9am-12-15oz
(Sometimes i do a 3pm pump if i’m low on milk)
7pm- 10-12oz
10pm-5-6oz
Note this will be different for every mum! I’ve had times when Ive had 30 oz in that morning yield, and there’s times where i’ve only been able to get 5 or so oz. This is just my usual as it is now. I have a small freezer supply incase for some reason I don’t have enough and formula incase i need that. I’ve never pumped during the night- I just couldn’t bare the thought. These are times that I didn’t really plan but have just ended up working for us.
I pump at 9am during Hephzibah’s first nap of the day, I pump at 7 whilst Joseph is bathing her, and at 10pm I pump before I go to bed and dream feed her! Find what works for you!
Hephzibah’s feeding routine roughly.
7am- 5oz
11.30am-4/5oz
2.30pm- 5oz
5.30/6pm-5oz
7.45pm-5oz
10.30pm- (dream feed) 3oz
We have a shelf in our fridge that we keep the milk in and work left to right. Freshest milk goes in on the right. Her morning feed is with the milk from the day before, her 11.30am feed with the morning milk, as well as the 2.30pm feed and the 5.30pm/6pm feed (or whatever the milk is from in the next place in the fridge). Her 7.45pm feed before bed is straight from what I have pumped at 7pm and then her dreamfeed is from whatever I have pumped at 10pm, i do this mainly because there are sleep hormones in milk at night apparently?! Don’t quote me on that!
TIPS FOR PUMPING.
Get a good pumping set up
I am embarrassed to think of my early days pumping set up. Tangled wires, sat on the floor, top hoisted up near the only double socket I could find in the house and so much spilt milk…gah…I can’t even tell you how much spilt milk. Pumping has never been something I’m excited to do, it’s always felt like a bit of a chore, probably because there is still so much disappointment and confusion surrounding it. So, having it become a positive experience for me was vital. I now have my pump set up next to my bed and it stays in that location unless we have to go out somewhere. It is so much easier if your pump can stay in one place. Make sure you’ve got lots of pillows and are comfy.
Get a good pump- get a double pump!
It is 100% worth investing in a great pump. I managed to get a second hand medela swing from ebay. It’s worth shopping around, trying out a friends and reading some reviews etc. It’s worth spending the money on something that will last too. I think if I knew I was going to be pumping for this long I would have invested in a new medela swing rather than a second hand one.
The game changed for me when my friend lent me her pump so I could double pump. If you are exclusively pumping, double pumping will save so much time.
I have seen the bras they sell where you can pump whilst moving around. this may work for you but hasn’t appealed to me. I couldn’t imagine milk swishing around as I was doing chores or errands, plus I have mastered the art of balancing my pump against my arms so I’m basically hands free anyway whilst sitting down. Which leads me on to…
Use the time wisely
When I first started pumping and still a temptation, I would sit there the whole time on my phone and feel so unfulfilled. I realised If I did something useful with the time I felt so much more fullfilled. Instead of it being dead time I’d make it a time to check emails, pray, listen to music or read a book.
Fenugreek
I started taking fenugreek at about 4 months as it was recomended to me and known to increase milk supply. According to Kelly Mom, its use was associated with increases in milk production of as much as 900%. Mothers generally notice an increase in production 24-72 hours after starting the herb, but it can take two weeks for others to see a change, whilst others see no change at all. I noticed a slight change and so have been taking it ever since. I take fenugreek in pill form, but it can be taken in various other ways.
check this page for any more details.
Fennel
We are big ‘young living’ fans and use oils for everything. A little while into pumping I read a post by a lady on instagram who had used fennel oil to increase milk supply. I apply 1-2 drops in fractionated coconut oil and apply to my boobs. It works very quickly! Only use as needed as using too frequently will eventually affect hormones.
I would only recommend a very reputable brand of oil.
community is vital
Get people around you to champion you. Exclusively pumping is tough and it can be taxing! I could not have done it without friends and family supporting me. The first four months of having Hephzibah I just needed to hear that it would be okay, it would get easier, and that I was a great mum! Find those people!
Make is easy for yourself
I am not the organisation queen and I often don’t make things easy for myself. From the start I was using milton’s sterilisation tables in a tiny tub trying to save space but it would have been far easier to just buy a steriliser. I was rotating between two bottles only, one that didn’t even have a lid so I cling filmed it if we had to go out. If I went out I would bring my pump but I didn’t have a suitable bag for it so I’d take it along in a plastic bag and bits would go everywhere and then I’d leave breast milk in the fridge of the house where we were visiting accidentally. WHAT WAS I DOING?! Things are hard enough anyway trying to navigate pumping so make things as easy as you can for yourself and do what you need to do. Put up a shelf if you need a place to rest your pumps, buy an armchair if you need to keep comfy.
& finally…DONT CRY OVER SPILT MILK
I have spilt so much milk and I have cried so many tears. I have also said countless times to Joseph ‘YOU DO'N’T UNDERSTAND’ when I have left milk out by accident, or spilt it on the floor or Hephzibah decides to only take a small feed when I’ve poured her a whole bottle and I need to discard it. If I could tell myself something in hindsight, it would be to CHILL OUT. It’s easy to become consumed by the world of feeding, I have and still am in some parts! These things matter yes, but they are not as big as I make them to be.
Hephzibah won’t grow like a tree because of what I put into her anyway but because her life is sustained by one much greater!
However you are feeding your baby, breast, bottle, breast milk or formula you are doing the most incredible job!!!!!
Things I have mentioned in this blog so you know where to find them:
Phillips avent comfort single breast pump
We use these glass bottles by Laninsinoh, the only ones she would take and I wanted her to drink from glass, we use them with the fast flow teats.
We use this Tommee Tipee steriliser and we didn’t get on so well with this avent steriliser.
Fennel Oil- Ask me for more details!