April 2013 Moms

Pumping with giant boobs

Any of you other ladies with ginormous boobs pumping (I'm a 36JJ now)? I did for the first time yesterday and boy was that difficult! The only way I could keep the flanges on was to hold one in each hand and sit just right, even then they would pop off if I wasn't paying attention. I needed a third hand just to operate the the pump. How is pumping working out for you? I would love some tips or commiseration!

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Re: Pumping with giant boobs

  • I'm with you, I was a DD prior to pregnancy, not sure what I am now other than huge. I don't try to pump both at once I do one at a time even though I have the medela that allows both at once. Good times!
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  • I'm not that big, I'm a dd but that sounds about how my pumping sessions go.
    I figured it was just par for the course?
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  • I was a 38K when my milk first came in and faced the same issue. Lots of spilled milk! I got a hands free bra that worked wonders! I had 2 but the other one was such a waste of money. I can't recommend this one highly enough though. It's pretty much one size fits all due to the wide band of Velcro in the back. Simply Wishes hands free bra: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004S8MGHU
  • imageadl3399:
    I was a 38K when my milk first came in and faced the same issue. Lots of spilled milk! I got a hands free bra that worked wonders! I had 2 but the other one was such a waste of money. I can't recommend this one highly enough though. It's pretty much one size fits all due to the wide band of Velcro in the back. Simply Wishes hands free bra: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004S8MGHU

    glad to know that worked for you even at your size. I'll have to try it. There's no way I can pump like that at work. 

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  • zzbbzzbb member
    Are you putting nipple cream on before to help create a seal? I do that with a pumping bra and lean slightly forward and I have very few leaks now.
  • Yep. I've done it a couple times just to have a bottle or two in the fridge and to test how many oz I could get the first few days after milk came in. What a pain in the butt. I had to hold my flange and my boob.

    I'm a 40F normally and after being PP now too. A tad fuller sometimes.

    And as far as BFing I have to get the perfect position to be able to not need 3 or 4 arms! I feel like these suckers are 10lbs each anyway let alone PP, combined with holding the head of a 10lb baby.
    DD 4/3/04 & #2 EDD April 21, 2013 Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
  • I am huge too but I bought a Medela hands free easy expression bustier and the medela bags for the milk to go into vs bottles. I am even able to pump while driving with the bags on.
    2nd EDD 02/01/13 - MC 5 1/2 weeks 6/5/12. Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Pregnancy Ticker
  • I was a DD per-pregnancy and am huge now as well. As pp said, the Medela Bustier is AMAZING!
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  • I feel your pain. I was an F before getting pregnant, wearing an H/I now. I don't even try to pump both sides at once. Just one side at a time, with one hand holding the flange and the other holding and compressing the breast. Haven't tried one of the special bras but i feel like it would still be super awkward. It sure would be easier if I had an extra hand or two!
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  • I'm not quite that big but I used an old sports bra and just cut holes in it. It works well!

     

  • My boobs are huge too I bought a pumping bra and that does the trip, initially I had to do one boob at a time so the pumping bra works wonders. I bought the medela one from BRU

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  • It sounds like you need larger flanges.
  • JSS1002JSS1002 member

    42H right now -- I consider myself sort of an expert on this topic as pumping has become VERY easy for me.  First of all what pump do you have? You will most likely need ot get a hands-free bra and I have a great one to suggest:

    https://www.simplewishes.com/

    I got it on Amazon and it is great.  Also, make sure you order larger breast shields / flanges if necessary. Mine came wiht 24 and 27 mm but you can buy 30 and 36 as well.

    Good luck!

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  • imageJSS1002:

    42H right now -- I consider myself sort of an expert on this topic as pumping has become VERY easy for me.  First of all what pump do you have? You will most likely need ot get a hands-free bra and I have a great one to suggest:

    https://www.simplewishes.com/

    I got it on Amazon and it is great.  Also, make sure you order larger breast shields / flanges if necessary. Mine came wiht 24 and 27 mm but you can buy 30 and 36 as well.

    Good luck!

    i have the Ameda purely yours. Turns out my sister had actually given me a simplewishes hands free bra. I used it yesterday and it was so much easier! I still had to sit in an awkward position to get the milk to flow into the bottles properly, but I think playing around with the positions of the bottles and actually wearing a real bra might help.

    i don't think I need larger flanges. My nipples have plenty of room. In fact I was even thinking of trying a smaller flange for the left side since it produces so much less and the areola is getting sucked into the tunnel.

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  • I am right there with you! I'm wearing a 38J right now, but going tomorrow for nursing bras and since I'll lose some more of the baby weight, will probably end up buying 36K with an extender so I can shrink into it... (My baby is 2 weeks old) 

    I am having this exact same experience with the pump. Basically, the way I'm working it is I turn it on before I put the flanges where they should be. I also turn on the netflix to play something I'm interested in. Then, once the pump is on, I set the flanges one at a time, which is a skill I had to work on. From there, it's an exercise in trying to keep everything basically in the same position for the whole 10 minutes, lol. When my time is up, I use my knee or some other part of my body to secure the right flange, and reach over to shut off the pump. Then, I ease one side off the pump, then the other. (Be careful with the knee to secure thing, it's really just a gentle thing, because the suction will hold it a bit for you. If you think it's falling and tighten your knee, it can slip off the breast and spill bm all over the place, which is not fun or funny, no matter what my husband says.)

    You get it down to a science after a few times pumping. Now, if I could just figure out how to get my left breast to stop shooting milk all over the place whenever baby is feeding off the right one and vice versa, I'd be set, lol... I will also say I cannot imagine cutting any of my specialty bras into a hands free pumping "shirt" because they are so dang expensive I just can't bring myself to do it. It was suggested to me, but I don't think I'll be trying it.

  • JSS1002JSS1002 member
    imagerandomnames:
    imageJSS1002:

    42H right now -- I consider myself sort of an expert on this topic as pumping has become VERY easy for me.  First of all what pump do you have? You will most likely need ot get a hands-free bra and I have a great one to suggest:

    https://www.simplewishes.com/

    I got it on Amazon and it is great.  Also, make sure you order larger breast shields / flanges if necessary. Mine came wiht 24 and 27 mm but you can buy 30 and 36 as well.

    Good luck!

    i have the Ameda purely yours. Turns out my sister had actually given me a simplewishes hands free bra. I used it yesterday and it was so much easier! I still had to sit in an awkward position to get the milk to flow into the bottles properly, but I think playing around with the positions of the bottles and actually wearing a real bra might help.

    i don't think I need larger flanges. My nipples have plenty of room. In fact I was even thinking of trying a smaller flange for the left side since it produces so much less and the areola is getting sucked into the tunnel.

    I think your areola is actually supposed to get sucked into the tunnel, as that most closely mimics the experience of breastfeeding.

    A couple of other things:

    These breast shields are great, they are angled downward slightly so you don't have to sit quite as straight / stiff upwards. I don't know what your pump is like, but with mine, the breastsheilds would be angled UPWARDS if I leaned back in a chair, so these are great:

    https://www.amazon.com/Pumpin-Pal-Shields-Pumping-Flanges/dp/B005LNJFX4

    Also, the Medala bags... I just discovered these and tried them a few minutes ago.  You can hook them right onto the end of my pump so that milk flows directly into the bags.  Now, this can be sort of a hassle because it makes spillage much more likely, however since the bags are soft sided isntead of hard plastic like a bottle, it means that they can mold to your lap or leg or wherever they hit (in my situation, the bottles bump into my belly or rest on my thighs which can be sort of awkward).

    Hope that helps!

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