~*Pumping Check-in*~

BootsOrHearts

Hello ladies! Hope you all have a lovely week. If you are new to the check-in, feel free to jump in! Use this as a forum to ask any questions you want or just vent/moan.

1. How's the pumping going this week?

2. Any challenges?

3. What do you typically do while you pump?

BootsOrHearts

1. Going ok, down to only 7 pumps per day and volume is holding so that's good.

2. These medela storage bags cost a damn fortune! $20 for 50 bags? Some Scandanavian asshole is getting rich of me.

3. Work, bump, or play games usually. Sometimes I read, like in the middle of the night when I'm too tired to do anything else.

iranwithscissors

1. How's the pumping going this week?

Fairly well actually. I've been continuing to rebuild my freezer stash.

2. Any challenges?

None this week.

3. What do you typically do while you pump?

It helps to looks around pictures of LO so that's usually what I'm doing. Or playing Candy Crush lol.

ErinO21

1. How's the pumping going this week? Could definitely be better. Mondays seem to be a low ounce day for me. I changed the membranes and that seemed to help. I also started taking fenugreek again.

2. Any challenges? I thought I was down to like 25-30 oz in the freezer but then I found out DH took 7 bags of frozen to his moms. That made me feel a little better but I'm still not comfortable with it since I keep starting the week off slow.

3. What do you typically do while you pump? Depends on the day and which pump. Mornings are usually for blogging, fb, and bumping. If the work day has been stressful I welcome the break. If I have a relatively easy work task that needs done I'll work while I pump.

BootsOrHearts

@nursetrina welcome! When I am in the office pumping I wipe the parts down with pacifier wipes and then put them in the fridge. I liked the ingredients betters in the pacifier wipes than the medela quick clean wipes. But I think wiping them down with anything clean or rinsing is just fine if they're in the fridge. I don't like the cold boobies so I don't do that at home!

I actually like the silly holes ha! I can pump right into them and save washing a bottle. Haven't found any other brands that have that.

@Ballerina10 Diary free is tough, I did it for years so I salute you!

thebobloblaw

1. How's the pumping going this week?
Pretty good. I've realized I'm way better at pumping at work than home, so after a day it too off my supply drops a little. I need to be better about staying on top of it.

2. Any challenges?
My boobs hurt. I think I need smaller flanges but the stores don't carry them and I am going to be pissed if I order them and spend money and they are too small.

3. What do you typically do while you pump?
Play games on my phone. My cell service sucks in my pumping room so it's hard to bump I've been pretty MIA lately and it makes me sad.

BootsOrHearts

@nursetrina‌ yeah you hook them into the pump where the bottle would go. Then you don't have to dirty a bottle. It's handy because it saves washing a bottle but the price yeesh! They come with these adaptor things. I'm doing a terrible job explaining it.

karebear8685

1. Pumping is still going strong. Down to 3 pumps a day and still pumping 40-45 oz for the day.

2. Challenges? Not yet but I keep thinking of what will happen when I decide to start weaning.

3. I play pet saga or candy crush. If I run out of lives, I bump.

ErinO21

12 oz a session?! Holy shit. I would be thrilled! 12 oz total for the day is getting to be about the norm for me.

BootsOrHearts

In my dreams I can make enough in 3 sessions, currently 7 sessions gets me about 30! I say as I go back to bed after getting up to pump :-/

karebear8685

As long as I don't go more than 10 hours without pumping, I'm still comfortable. If I go longer, I'm engorged so bad that I can't pick up my son - NOT AN OPTION.

My son drinks about 20-30 oz a day, but we supplement every other feed with formula so I have a very large freezer stash. I have enough to feed him until the 1 year mark, but I continue to pump.

Now before anyone asks - my son was born Dec 2013 but wasn't expected until Feb 2014. The hospital recommended Enfamil Enfacare for babies born prematurely. He's doing great and actually enjoys switching back and forth between breast milk and formula.

kmommy07

1. How's the pumping going this week?

Going good. I have been able to speed up my pumping sessions so they aren't taking quite as long but am still getting the same ozs

2. Any challenges?

Trying to go to a dairy free, soy free, tomato free, and any other gassy/allergy food free diet but am having a hard time finding foods to eat and snack on.

3. What do you typically do while you pump?

I Facebook and bump

thebobloblaw

ballerina10 said:

@Mapeers3354‌ have you tried the pumpin pals? They make pumping much more comfortable IMO.

Ooh I forgot sooz talked about those. I'm definitely going to order some now that I have my new pump! Thank you!

BootsOrHearts

nursetrina said:

Anyone know how to get rid of milk nipple blisters? (bleb) It hurts like a bitch.

I have blood blisters is that the same thing? I also have flakey skin on the end of my nips I guess it's from pumping too much/too hard, who knows. My nipples have seen better days.

BootsOrHearts

@kmommy07 please share any tips you have to speed up pumping! It takes me a good 25-30 minutes to get all the milk out first thing in the AM. :-|

kmommy07

My first pump in the morning is about 30 min but I don't pump during the overnight and I get about 18oz. My other 3 pumps last about 15 min and I get about 12oz. I start slowly then gradually increase the suction until it stays to be too uncomfortable. Once I get that going I will start squeezing the undersides of my breasts until my milk shows down then I use both hands on one breast at a time and compress the top and sides and push in towards the funnel. Basically I am hand expressing (sorta) while I am pumping. It's taken a while to figure it out. My first kid it would take me 45 min to p pump 8 oz so I have been trying to train my body to work faster.

karebear8685

Like @kmommy07‌ I technically hand express. I pump at 7am (15ish oz), 3pm (13ish oz), 11pm (13ish oz). Each pumping sessions is 15 mins long and once squirting has slowed down, I begin pressing my breasts with my hands until I no longer have milk flowing.

forrystar

Wow some of you ladies get a lot of milk in one session! I felt like I was doing ok by getting 5 oz a session, and that's from both breasts combined. Now I'm not so sure. I'm barely keeping up with bottles for daycare. I eat oatmeal every day, and drinks tons of water (3 or more Nalgene bottles). I only pump for about 10 mins on each side...should I increase the amount of pumping time? I'd really like to up my supply...

BootsOrHearts

Chillpr said:

@Chillpr‌ @BootsOrHearts‌ If you pump for 30 min... are you squirting the whole time or is there a second let down? I usually stop before 15 because it looks like there is very little milk coming out after that. I've never kept going to see if I get more...

I know a lot of ladies have said they get a second let down, but not me. I squirt the whole time. I do a little of what @kmommy07 does... A lot of massage, nearly hand expressing with squeezing the underside of my boobs to get all the milk out. (I feel accomplished when I have flappy boobs :-))

They don't squirt the whole time but they're still big and hard after 15 mins so I know there's more milk in there. Mostly I have to squeeze to get it all out. :-/

forrystar

@Chillpr‌ Mmm sometimes there's a small amount of milk at the end of a 10 min session, but most times it seems like I'm empty...so I stop. I work at a very busy hospital so I get a limited amount of time to pump...And when I'm home I'm BF'ing and don't pump.

yty0205

Damn. I pump 6 times a day: once at 5:30am, 4 times at work, and once before bed). I usually get 5-8 oz at the morning pump but then after that I'm lucky if I get 3oz per pump. I'm renting a Symphony; taking fenugreek, blessed thistle, and moringa; drinking water; eating a ton... what the hell is wrong with me that I can't pump more? I've broken down and accepted that we will be supplementing with formula. Still feel like my body is letting me down.

Missykisses85

SailorTink said:

I'm late to this party but I have to vent... I've been getting more and more anxiety attacks the past couple weeks. I think part of it (a major part) is me stressing over keeping up pumping with DD's appetite. My life has been nursing and pumping, nursing and pumping... 

I've decided I'll do my 3 pumps at work and my morning pump and no more now. If she needs formula to supplement so be it. And I'll say, I've felt such a weight lift off of me. Still anxious trying to adjust to NOT worrying about counting every ounce. But I think I'm starting to feel like me again.

I have done the same thing you are not alone. I am consistently 2 oz short every day, and some days I cant pump after work to make it up.
I have decided when my freezer stash hits 50oz (only have 100 now) I will start giving her formula.

I think making this plan and decision before needed has helped me calm down because it is still under my control.

yty0205

SailorTink said:

I'm late to this party but I have to vent... I've been getting more and more anxiety attacks the past couple weeks. I think part of it (a major part) is me stressing over keeping up pumping with DD's appetite. My life has been nursing and pumping, nursing and pumping... 

I've decided I'll do my 3 pumps at work and my morning pump and no more now. If she needs formula to supplement so be it. And I'll say, I've felt such a weight lift off of me. Still anxious trying to adjust to NOT worrying about counting every ounce. But I think I'm starting to feel like me again.

This.  Exactly.  My work is suffering because of my constant pumping, I worry constantly about how much LO is getting when he actually nurses, and the anxiety is almost crippling.  Formula combined with BM is just how we're going to roll, but my anxiety isn't going away bc every time we try to do formula mixed with BM, he fights the bottle.  I just don't know what else to do.  It's not like we can try a lot of different brands bc he needs the Alimentum/Nutramagin.  I seriously could cry thinking about it.