Pumpers of the world, unite! (Pumpin' Pal question)

KLJ3

Hi ladies.  You may recall my desperate thread a few days ago, asking someone to invent a better hands-free pump.  While that has yet to happen, I stumbled across a link to this Pumpin' Pal website on kellymom.  Flanges that allow you to lean back while pumping?  A hands-free device (similar to the hair elastic trick) that is fully adjustable and doesn't necessitate wrastlin' an ill-fitting hands-free bra? (Sorry...I'm a little bitter...)  It almost sounds too good to be true.  Has anybody tried these flanges or the Pumpin' Pal?  I want to take the leap of faith, but figured I ought to ask around.

https://www.pumpinpal.com/index.htm

If nothing else, the "live demonstration video" is kind of amusing...

MOMama987

I've heard good things.. but I don't remember where. Maybe Amazon reviews or something? Or a moms group I'm in on Facebook? There is a discount code / coupon for the flanges that came with my handsfree bra, so I bet there's codes online if you decide to go for it!

Oohgurl

Ehhh whats another 36 bucks. I bought one, we will see how it goes. I pump once a day and HATE it. Hats off to those that EP. 

kelly422

ohgrl95 said:

Ehhh whats another 36 bucks. I bought one, we will see how it goes. I pump once a day and HATE it. Hats off to those that EP. 

I just figured out something depressing...I've EP since the beginning.  LO is 12 weeks.  I used to pump 8-10 times a day, now 7...do the math and that's almost 600 times that I have pumped.  OMG... Only 9 more months to go!

Ceefome

I'm really curious to see if these work. I have TWO Avent pumps that are in perfect working order, other than the fact that the flanges are now too small. These claim to work for Avent and are customizable. I don't pump that often, but if I had to, I'd like to be able to use my Avent pumps.

Rachel Goldstein

So I don't know if this is creepy but what size flanges do you use?

I bought the 24mm (M) ones but they were too big. I've also quit EP for sanity's sake so I would be happy to send you mine to try. No contraption just the flanges though.

Again, if that's not creepy... You could always sanitize the hell out of them

Send me a PM with your address if you want them!

AllieAGame

I'm intrigued. It does seem like the slanted flange would work better- when I hand express (ugh), I get more milk if I push my nips down instead of straight out. 

I'm EPing and down to 3 pumps a day now, so I kind of don't want to mess with what works, but if I saw this a month ago I would not have been able to whip my credit card out fast enough. 

TheyCalledHerKate

AllieAGame said:

I'm intrigued. It does seem like the slanted flange would work better- when I hand express (ugh), I get more milk if I push my nips down instead of straight out. 

I'm EPing and down to 3 pumps a day now, so I kind of don't want to mess with what works, but if I saw this a month ago I would not have been able to whip my credit card out fast enough. 

I EP as well- just curious, how is your supply with just 3 sessions a day? I pump around the clock to keep mine up but I would love to drop the 3 am session. Any thoughts?

AllieAGame

TheyCalledHerKate said:

I'm intrigued. It does seem like the slanted flange would work better- when I hand express (ugh), I get more milk if I push my nips down instead of straight out. 

I'm EPing and down to 3 pumps a day now, so I kind of don't want to mess with what works, but if I saw this a month ago I would not have been able to whip my credit card out fast enough. 

I EP as well- just curious, how is your supply with just 3 sessions a day? I pump around the clock to keep mine up but I would love to drop the 3 am session. Any thoughts?

My supply actually increased a bit. I pump about 33-35 oz a day and LO eats 25-30 oz a day. I pump first thing in the morning (usually around 7 am), mid-day around 2:00 or 3:00 and again before bed(ish) around 10:30-12:00. 

The only bad thing is that it takes longer to pump now- probably 40 minutes from start to finish, but it's worth it to me to be able to actually get out of the house for a 5 hour stretch. I also do some hand expression after the pump to really empty the suckers out and work out any potential clogs.

I originally thought I would just supplement LO with formula when I started dropping pumps, but I haven't needed to. We were ready to begin to make the switch, but now that the 3 pumps per day is working out, we are going to keep with it for a while. 

AllieAGame

PM me if you want more info- I could write volumes about what has worked out for me. 

DiFazette

AllieAGame said:

TheyCalledHerKate said:

I'm intrigued. It does seem like the slanted flange would work better- when I hand express (ugh), I get more milk if I push my nips down instead of straight out. 

I'm EPing and down to 3 pumps a day now, so I kind of don't want to mess with what works, but if I saw this a month ago I would not have been able to whip my credit card out fast enough. 

I EP as well- just curious, how is your supply with just 3 sessions a day? I pump around the clock to keep mine up but I would love to drop the 3 am session. Any thoughts?

My supply actually increased a bit. I pump about 33-35 oz a day and LO eats 25-30 oz a day. I pump first thing in the morning (usually around 7 am), mid-day around 2:00 or 3:00 and again before bed(ish) around 10:30-12:00. 

The only bad thing is that it takes longer to pump now- probably 40 minutes from start to finish, but it's worth it to me to be able to actually get out of the house for a 5 hour stretch. I also do some hand expression after the pump to really empty the suckers out and work out any potential clogs.

I originally thought I would just supplement LO with formula when I started dropping pumps, but I haven't needed to. We were ready to begin to make the switch, but now that the 3 pumps per day is working out, we are going to keep with it for a while. 

FWIW - I had the same experience as AllieAGame when I was still pumping.  I dropped sessions and noticed I actually ended up with more BM.  I also ended up on the pump for about 45 minutes time, but the freedom was priceless.  I'm still being treated for high blood pressure (PP preeclampsia) and the "safe" meds for BFing weren't doing the trick.  I'm now on a med that works for me, but I had to stop providing any BM.  I figure that my baby is better with me alive and on formula...

TheyCalledHerKate

I also pump about 30 oz a day but I'm pumping all the time. I do seem to get more when I wait longer between sessions but I sometimes wonder if that's temporary and I don't want to mess my supply up so it's interesting to hear this feedback from y'all. Thanks!

AllieAGame

Actually, Kate, you were my epic Pumping Inspiration! I would not have tried dropping pumps and getting my life back if it weren't for you posting that you only pumped 3x/day, so THANKS!

CNJ4EVA

Yikes, I only pump about 16 oz a day, which would be great if it were in addition to nursing. But it's not! I already eat oatmeal and flax seeds everyday. I know I need to drink more water, I wonder if that would make a big difference.

KLJ3

Some days, I'm ready to quit. I miss fitting into regular bras and having nipples that don't hurt all the time. (To all the cows I milked in my youth...I'm sorry!!!) Other days, I feel proud as hell when I put together a bottle of fresh BM. I was down to providing only half of what LO needed, but now I'm up to 2/3.

I'm pumping 4x per day and would like to drop to 3, but I don't have the balls to do it quite yet. I'm really hoping that these squishy flanges will help me relax and maybe produce more.

In the meantime, I'm going to consume my weight in oatmeal!

MOMama987

I EP, but LO only gets a about 1/5 of his daily intake. Even with 4 pumps a day, I only pump about 8 oz (and he usually has about 36 oz total a day). I wonder (often) if it's worth it, but I figure some is better than none. I take 9 fenugreek a day, eat oatmeal (though not often enough probably) and chug water. I just never really set myself up for success, I don't think (LO bf'd as a newborn, but poorly due to a few issues), and I never did much to increase my supply other than the fenugreek and oatmeal. 

LaxMOM44

Allie, Kate you ladies are amazing!!!! 30 oz!!!! and I was proud of the day I got 6 in one session. So when you pump for 30 mins does it start and stop because after 10 mins mine seems to not be shooting out anymore. Is everyone now picturing my boobs? Good. Just wondering should I just leave the pump on?

kelly422

laxminavkar said:

Allie, Kate you ladies are amazing!!!! 30 oz!!!! and I was proud of the day I got 6 in one session. So when you pump for 30 mins does it start and stop because after 10 mins mine seems to not be shooting out anymore. Is everyone now picturing my boobs? Good. Just wondering should I just leave the pump on?

Do you massage them, too? If I start slowing down, sometimes I can massage them, get squirts started, and then I will continue to get more milk. 

KLJ3

laxminavkar said:

Allie, Kate you ladies are amazing!!!! 30 oz!!!! and I was proud of the day I got 6 in one session. So when you pump for 30 mins does it start and stop because after 10 mins mine seems to not be shooting out anymore. Is everyone now picturing my boobs? Good. Just wondering should I just leave the pump on?

Lol! I'm wondering the same thing...after 19 mins and 45 secs, my hand is on the knob to turn the damn thing off because my nipples hurt like hell, my left side has given up since minute 10, and my right side is still dribbling.

Are things supposed to pick back up if you go longer?

AllieAGame

KatieCGC said:

KLJ3 said:

Are things supposed to pick back up if you go longer?

I think some women experience a second let down. I have yet to have this experience, and like PP I'm done in about 10-15 minutes with nothing else coming out. I have to sneak in pumps when I can at work around patients/meetings, so for me it's actually easier to several short pumps. I BF in the morning/evening and pump about 16-20 oz during the day in 3-4 pumps. 

Yeah, it definitely goes in waves. The first couple minutes are a little slow/nothing. Once the "letdown" (I guess) happens, it will squirt pretty good for about 7-10 minutes. Then nothing for a few minutes and I have to really pay attention to how relaxed I am and think about LO and all that hippy dippy BS. But it works! I'll get another wave of good production, and then another if I have the time. I also do breast massage and compression off and on while I'm getting good output and also when it's stopped. 

KLJ3- I was having a HORRIBLE time pumping for a while- lots of pain- but then I started using less suction and it got a ton better and didn't affect my output. I thought higher suction=more milk, but that wasn't the case for me. Higher suction = tears of misery and bleeding nipples. And nausea. Oh, the nausea.

TheFutureMrs.O

I am an EP as well. I get about 50oz per day but I am still pumping 7x a day as I wanted my supply established. Now that he will be 12 weeks tomorrow, I'm going to try to drop a pump session and hope to keep my 50oz a day. Anyways, I have heard good and bad about the PP. Your supply may decrease at first or it may take longer to get your usual amt. And then ive also heard that your supply will increase. Just want to let you be aware. I haven't tried them as they aren't compatible with my Hygeia pump. Good luck!

Cgoode517

I love my Pumpin Pals! Very comfortable and so much better than the Medela ones.

Oohgurl

Anyone buy and use their Pumpin Pals yet? I got mine yesterday and tried it. AND...a lot of nothing. I got hardly any output from them. I use Ameda Purely Yours, I don't know if that makes a difference 

KLJ3

I got mine on Monday. I was really disappointed with the output, and I tried the two larger sizes. I'm going to try repositioning and some other stuff, but if things don't get any better, I'm shipping those puppies back!