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December 2016 Moms
jennbaylor12
member
As Exclusively Pumping is a beast unto itself, I thought I'd start a weekly thread dedicated to it....
How long have you been EP'ing?
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path?
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)?
How's it going for you?
Rants/Raves/Questions?
EP thread - 2.4.17
jennbaylor12
member
As Exclusively Pumping is a beast unto itself, I thought I'd start a weekly thread dedicated to it....
How long have you been EP'ing?
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path?
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)?
How's it going for you?
Rants/Raves/Questions?
Re: EP thread - 2.4.17
How long have you been EP'ing? The hospital time after my c section is mostly a blur but I want to say 2 days after James was born.
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path? No, honestly I didn't have any expectations on feeding. I knew I wanted to at least try breastfeeding but I wasn't going to be hard on myself if it didn't work out. I didn't consider EPing and didn't even know it was a thing.
It was a series of events that ended with me EPing. Something was in the air because my hospital's small maternity ward ended up overfilled and I got bumped to a tiny GYN room. There was no where for my husband to sleep and because I had a csection they said baby could not be in the room with me overnight. I asked to have him brought to me for feedings but the nurse said no due to his sugars (I had GD). I don't know if this was legit it was very upsetting to not have my baby with me and to have them formula feeding. I didn't get him back til almost noon the next day.
James latched amazing whenever the LC was present. When they left I had zero luck. I have large nipples and had a ton of pain from the csection and it was hard to move around to find a comfortable position. The LC tried to show my husband how to help me position him. We nearly killed each other in frustration. She finally showed me how to pump and said it might be a better option with my large bbs/nipples and short arms. That's where we have been ever since. I wish I had tried harder because the few times I have tried to nurse him have failed, he's quite content with the bottle.
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)? I just take it day by day, eventually when I've had enough I'll start working through my freezer reserves and then move to formula.
How's it going for you? it's a roller coaster. I've managed to get my oversupply somewhat under control. I still pump 8-12oz every 4 hours and don't use nearly that much. It does take much longer to get those amounts now and more painful.
Rants/Raves/Questions? RAVE: All of you ladies are amazing, EPing is definitely a journey and hard work! Great job!
ETA spelling boo
LO is 9.5 weeks old now, so 8.5 weeks
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path?
Not at all. I'd planned to breastfeed and pump to build a supply and once back at work. I had a really difficult recovery from the CS as I'd also had my tubes removed and that recovery is super painful; my nipples cracked and started bleeding within 2-3 days, then I got mastitis. I could only pump while on the antibiotics bc you couldn't feed for 2hrs after taking the meds and there was no way to guarantee she wouldn't be hungry sooner than that so the pumping every 3hrs began
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)?
My goal is to feed exclusively breastmilk for a minimum of 3 months. She's 9.5 weeks old now and I will hit 500oz frozen tomorrow, so I've made it :-D Now I'm working on slowly decreasing nighttime pumps so I can catch up on sleep before heading back to work
How's it going for you?
It's hard. Some days less so than others but pumping every 3 hours round the clock for 2 months is beyond exhausting. It's not the pumping in and of itself but it's like every feeding is doubled.... 1 pumped, 1 bottle fed. My DH is amazing, very supportive and helps a ton but it's still really hard
Rants/Raves/Questions?
For those heading back to work, what's your plan? Wean off? Keep going? Come what may?
Since we got home from the hospital.
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path?
It wasn't planned, but I did highly expect to that it would happen. L and I didn't ever get the hang of nursing, and when Emma started to suck blisters with a perfect latch I gladly threw in the nursing towel.
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)?
I originally wanted to get enough for 1 week into the freezer, as when I dried up with L it was within 24hrs, so we could get formula gradually introduced. I am hoping to make it to 4 months, which is how far I made it with L(they switched my prep from before lunch to after lunch+1 more period - change in schedule killed it basically overnight at that point).
How's it going for you?
Right now we have 1 month worth of DC feedings in the freezer and I am keeping up when I remember to drink enough water and eat enough calories. My issue is I need caffein to control my ADHD and pumping makes it so I am never hungry. Both lead to a daily battle of alarms every 3 hrs, reminders to eat lunch with co-workers, and H force feeding me dinner at 9 pm because I forgot.
Otherwise, its going ok, with 3 pumps each day, I am barely keeping up. I happily give Em 1 4oz formula bottle at bedtime so I can get a solid 4 hr stretch, and have some 'not frozen' breathing room JIC something happens(Like L stealing a bottle before Em gets much).
Rants/Raves/Questions?
On the feeding thread @Christinaruth74 posted some No Bake Lactation Cookies that are AWESOME!!! I have to have 4 batches per week, but I eat 2 large cookies at each pump to make sure I have some calories regularly.
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
I tried to get 1 week ahead as when I quit, my supply was gone (32oz a day - 3-4 oz a day) overnight.
I send the oldest frozen milk with Em to DC. Everywhere else she gets fresh, except for the 4oz formula at bedtime ( I need the sleep).
I only pump once at work, as a teacher its basically impossible unless I can get someone to cover 1 class everyday. I also only pump once before and after work. Thats a schedule I am able to keep with all of our other activities: movie night, clock at games, church stuff, visit parents . . . . If something happens, then we switch to formula.
Em is already more chunky than L ever was, and we have made it through 2 stomach bugs, colds, strep, and most of the flu/RSV season without Em getting any of it. That is enough for me to let it go whenever something happens.
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
Drying up has always been a fear, i had no idea that could happen so quickly @Kate08Young!
since I got home from the hospital.
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path?
Not at all planned. We tried breastfeeding so I pumped to get some supply while DD learned to suck since she couldn't do it a birth. Once she learned how to suck she only took the breast a few times because she was spoiled with bottles. We try to latch still but she hasn't actually latched in a month so I should just give that up.
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)?
My goal was to get through all the holiday visitors we had (mid January), then to get until I get back to work (next week), then through flu season (end of march). I never planned to go past that bit who knows, maybe it'll work out. But I'm not gonna kill myself to keep it up if it's too hard at work.
How's it going for you?
My nipples are bruised this week. I've changed nothing and this is the first bruising so idk what's up. It hurts.
Otherwise it's ok I guess. I'm trying to stretch out to every 4 hours because that's all I can do at work. That hasn't gone s great this week and I typically feel like I need to pump by 3.5 hours.
I also get shooting tingly pain about every half hour that I'm sick of.
Basically my boobs hate me. But...I produce enough for dd plus some to freeze each day. We do give her 1oz of formula in her bedtime and middle of the night bottles because initially it helped her sleep and now I'm just afraid to stop!
Rants/Raves/Questions?
Im running out of freezer space in my deep freezer. I'm gonna rearrange the food tomorrow to see if I can find more space.
Does anyone sterilize their pump regularly? Do you wash it every use or throw it in the fridge?
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
Anyways to answer the back to work thing: I plan on pumping at 530am before I leave home, 930am, and 2pm. Then 5pm, 8pm, and 1am at home. I found an office at work that is free and I have permission to use hut I haven't actually mentioned this to my male Boss. We get 2 breaks a day...most people smoke 4 or 5 times...so they best not complain about my 2 pump breaks. I'm worried though with scheduling as I have lots of meetings and they may overlap. I'm also worried about waking up at 1 to pump and 3/4 to feed...and still functioning at work. My goal is to make it a month at work then re-evaluate. But I may quit earlier if it's too hard.
And yes @LandJ13 I wake up at night. At least now it's every 4 to 5 hours but initially it was every 3. 9pm, 12, 3am, 6am. I was a zombie. Now I'm at 9, 1, and 5. Sometimes I over sleep an hour but typically my boobs wake me up before my alarm.
Off and on since birth. I tried to breastfeed for about 1.5 months, but kept pumping as well for most of it. I much prefer pumping to breastfeeding.
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path?
No, I hadn't even heard of it either! I'm glad it's an option. I was afraid of breastfeeding because I have weirdly sensitive nipples (my LC confirmed this actually) that are pretty flat as well. So it's a double whammy in the nipple department. When I was breastfeeding in the hospital, I got a blister after 2 minutes of latching. Then I had complications after delivery that caused them to have to formula feed in the hospital. So long story short, it wasn't planned or unplanned... just how it happened.
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)?
I want to pump as long as I can. I don't currently have a job, so it's one of the things I want to do to save money in the household. I know some of you ladies are really good at budgeting but I'm not. I look at the big picture and cut where I can without much analysis. Perhaps I should look at the actual numbers to see how much I'm actually saving and compare that to the value of my time pumping.
How's it going for you?
Okay. I could complain, but I had a much more difficult time with breastfeeding.
Rants/Raves/Questions?
I hate doing the dishes. Does anyone use an actual sterilizer for bottles or pump parts? Is that easier?
Plus, less actual money out is real. Theoretical time value is...Theoretical.
@sourlemon I also used to do the 1oz of formula at night thing and was scared to stop. When I ran out of the liquid formula and moved to powder for that ounce he got super gassy. Could have been coincidental but I stopped the formula and nothing really changed, he didn't wake up earlier. Also, how old is your LO. I was reading that between 6-7 weeks our bbs start producing milk on demand instead of producing constantly. I noticed a big change this week in nipple pain and the sharp shooting pains you mentioned. I also noticed my bbs are much softer throughout the in between pump
times. It takes longer to pump my 'normal' amounts. James will be 7 weeks on Tuesday so it seems to be true for me at least.
ETA link for article
https://www.bellybelly.com.au/baby-week-by-week/6-week-old-baby/
@LandJ13I'm so sorry you had that experience at the hospital.
@ea301 I hand wash pump parts once a day and keep them in the fridge in a ziploc between pumping. I hand wash bottles constantly. My hands are so dry! With DS, I had a microwave sterilizer thing that worked fine, but I'm weird and find washing dishes relaxing.
How long have you been EP'ing? Since LO was 2 weeks, so about 6 weeks.
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path? I planned to EBF, as I did with my son. I have flat nipples, but shields worked really well for DS. Not so much for DD. We had latching problems and she wasn't gaining weight. The pedi told us to supplement with formula so we started giving bottles and I continued to pump. LO got used to the flow of the bottle and latching was becoming increasingly frustrating for her so we started bottle feeding pumped milk. I was afraid of EPing because I didn't think I could keep up with her demand, but it turns out I can so now she only gets formula before bed.
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)? I'd been sort of taking it day by day. Initially my goal was to produce enough for her to have BM for almost every feeding.
How's it going for you? A lot easier than BFing! I do spend a lot of time pumping, but I like being able to know how much milk she's getting. With BFing, I was always nervous that DS wasn't getting enough. Also, with EP I don't have to deal with cluster feeding for hours on end, which is really nice.
Rants/Raves/Questions? I'm glad we're doing this! I seriously feel like most of my life is spent pumping or thinking about when I have to pump so it's nice to have people to talk to about it!
Me: 33 H: 36
Married: 12/14/13 DS: 1/29/09
BFP2: 10/9/15 MMC: 11/12/15
BFP3: 4/6/16 DD: 12/12/16
How long have you been EP'ing? 8 weeks
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path? I figured with twins I'd be at least 50/50 pumping/nursing. Babies were born small, so I started pumping right away. Lucas was never able to breastfeed, and nursing one twin AND pumping for the other - no thanks!
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)? I'd like to feed the babies breastmilk for a year....ha. but I'll take every week as an accomplishment right now. I need to be pumping to be able to work from home (wierd state law), so I will be doing at least some sort of pumping for at least the rest of the year for that reason.
Also with Lucas's aspirating issues, breastmilk is best for it so there's that too.
I'm at 6/7pumps a day I'd like to be at 4/5 long term, so we will see how my supply looks at that rate- I'm not sure it will hold.
How's it going for you? pretty good- supply is okay but the time it takes away from my life is getting harder to manage. I've been able to freeze some, but with 2 babies, any sort of stash won't last long!
Rants/Raves/Questions
EP'ING is so much harder than EBF!
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path? definitely not planned. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that that's where we are. I'm getting there. BF never really stopped hurting and we finally figured out that I have flat nipples. We tried the nipple shields but DD couldn't get enough milk out with it so she wasn't gaining weight well, and it hurt me too much to feed her without it.
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)? I'm struggling to keep up with DD. Yesterday we supplemented with formula for the first time. I guess my goal is to pump enough to keep up with DD as much as possible and to continue BF as much as I can tolerate. And we'll supplement when necessary.
How's it going for you? I'm struggling emotionally but DD seems happy and that's what's important. On top of dealing with latch/pain when BFing, we are also trying to figure out exactly what protein in my diet she is having a sensitivity to. She's still having green mucus-y poops with small amounts of blood in it, even though I've cut out milk, egg, and soy products. We may end up only formula feeding with the sensitive (and expensive) formula pretty soon.
Rants/Raves/Questions? DD is starting day care on Thursday and I go back to work on Friday.
DD- 11/2016
Since about a week or so PP, so about 5 weeks.
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path?
It wasn't planned (is anything with babies? ha!) I was hopefully I would be EBFing, but the spinal headache really threw everything out of whack. We had to start bottle feeding in the hospital because I couldnt sit up long enough to try BFing and I didn't have the energy to even work on side-lying. The bright side was that she was still latching well, though. When we got home, we had to continue with formula since I was rendered useless. My H took care of all feedings, but once we blew through all of the sample bottles, I was thankfully able to start sitting up to pump and around that time is when my milk started coming in (around 5-6 days PP). I still didn't have the energy to BF as I was mainly still confined to the couch and not eating, so I just began power pumping and was able to get her off formula completely. Pumping just became the most convenient option for us...It has afforded me the ability to get the rest I needed after a long recovery since my H can take over feedings whenever I need him to.
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)?
I told really have a foreseeable stop date for EPing. It hasn't been nearly as inconvenient for me as I thought it would be. There have been days of decreased supply, but I'll check my water consumption, drink up some Mother's Milk Tea, and load up on lactation cookies and oatmeal and it boosts it right back up. I vary between oversupply and just enough which has allowed me to freeze a little bit, but not much. I really like the idea of seeing just how much she's eating and it feels like such an accomplishment to see how much my body produces. We still work on BFing and she is still latching really well... I just think the bottle gives her milk faster than my boob so it leads to some frustration and interrupted feedings while she thrashes and grunts and cries. I'm going to keep trying though because I want to leave the option on the table to switch to BFing when / if I need to.
How's it going for you?
Really well! With DD1 she was having mostly formula with maybe 3oz of BM a day for about 9 weeks when I stopped pumping. She never latched well so BFing was out early on (i just needed to stop trying for my sanity). This feels like a huge accomplishment to have DD2 solely on BM and I am really proud of myself!
Rants/Raves/Questions?
Just a giant round of applause for everyone!
Also, a huge rave, I have dropped my MOTN pump session as Willa has started sleeping for longer stretches and my first pump session of the morning has been yielding 7-9oz every day!! typically I am getting 3-5oz every 3-4 hours, so that extra supply in the mornings has been going toward my freezer stash.
@Kate08Young theyre so good, right?! I cut the sugar content down to 1 cup and ive been adding some flax, chunky peanut butter and a little extra coconut oil. I could eat them all day!
@sourlemon I just handwash after every use, but admittedly I'll only rinse a few times a day and then actually scrub with soap a few other times. My hands are a wreck right now! Also, have you tried Lecithin for your clogged ducts? A friend gave me some that she got from a LC. They are ginormous, but if I suspect I ever have a clogged duct and massaging it isnt doing the trick I will take it up to twice in a day and it seems to resolve the issue.
@ea301 re: budgeting... We are horrible at this, but a month or 2 before the baby came we sat down with a friend who is awesome at it. He broke things down so simply but it required us to look at the reality of all of the numbers...what was going out vs what was coming in. We were much better off financially than we had realized because we were just constantly pissing money away on whatever without any consideration for where that money actually needed to be allocated. Anyway, I say all of that to say, just do it. Look at the numbers and find a system that works for you, especially now that youre without work. My H was on unemployment for a bit recently and if we hadnt learned this system prior to that we would have been way worse off. We both had serious anxiety at the thought of really looking at our finances and budgeting, but it was way worse in our heads than it was IRL!
And as as an EP'er for the first 2 1/2 weeks of Ambrose's life I have to say, keep up the good work ladies! It's hard, but I admire your guys' commitment.
TTC #1 January 2016
BFP April 18 2016 | EDD December 29, 2016
Welcome baby A! January 9, 2017
TTC#2 March 2018
BFP March 30, 2018 | EDD December 12, 2018
1. For those of you that refrigerate pump parts between pumps - do you rinse the parts first or just let the milk residue dry? Do you ever pump into the same bottle more than once?
2. Do you keep track of how much you pump per day vs. how much the baby consumes?
3. Does anyone know if it's okay to stretch out pumpings? (Is pumpings a word? haha) Reason I ask: I am pumping far less frequently than everyone else (every 4-6 hours instead of 2-3, and sometimes stretch it to like 8 or 9 hours) but I think that it evens out - I don't really keep track of how much milk I get though. It doesn't hurt to wait a few extra hours, so I just wait. That's probably bad, isn't it?
I think I have others, but those are the ones that come to mind right now.
i also pump every 4-6 hours. I pump around 4am when LO wakes me to eat, when we get up in the am (8/9ish). 2ish, 6ish then right before bed (10ish). If we run errands etc I flex the pumps around that.
So 5 times a day and I get 10-12 ounces a pump. LO eats 4-5 oz a feeding 6x a day. I have no idea what he 'should' be getting in expressed milk, Google is vague and the doctor suggested we follow LO's lead. He seems content with 4oz every 3/4 hours during the day with small increases around his longer stretches overnight.
After each pump I empty the bottles into the bottles DD uses then refrigerate the pump with the original bottles. No rinsing. I wash every night.
I use Baby Feed app to track pumps thanks to @jennbaylor12 recommending it. I also track when DD eats with the default being 4oz. I don't adjust it down if she doesn't finish the bottle...this is more to keep track of times so DH can know if she's whining from hunger or grumpiness. (Early on he thought anytime she cried she needed a bottle so there was too much wasted). Since I use the free version of the app I write down my production on my daily planner. More outta curiosity since my supply is pretty consistent.
I was trying to stretch out pumpings to every 4 hours during the day in preparation to go back to work but ended up with a clogged duct so I'm working through that. If your body doesn't hate you for it stretching seems fine. I can't imagine 8-9 hours at this point though! I'd be worried about a supply hit. Plus ouch!
My work stuff gets washed every time, but I only pump once at work. Home stuff gets washed once a day also, just depends on if it's before or after work - never during the night.
I keep track of what I pump at work, just so I know roughly is I am keeping up/ahead for DC.
I kept track of everything with L, and the stress of seeing the difference between my output and his intake I decided never again, as I can't take the stress.
Formerly known as Kate08young
August '18 Siggy April Showers:
Married: 7/22/14
Baby L: 8/4/2015 August 2015 Moms
Baby E: 11/18/2016 December 2016 Moms
TTC #3 08/2017 BFP 11/27/2017.
Twin B lost 11/22/2017, Twin A doing well.
1. Sometimes I rinse before putting my parts into the fridge and sometimes I don't. Either way I do pump into the same bottles.
2. I've been keeping track for a few days because I am prepping to go back to work. I want to be able to be somewhat specific about how much LO is eating and how often so I can give that info to H and my mom (who will have her while I'm working). As for pumping, I am trying to figure out if I'll be able to pump enough at work. Before that I didn't keep track.
3. I've gone back and forth about stretching out pumping sessions. For a while I was okay with stretching it out and it seemed like I was getting the same output either way. Then it seemed like my supply was dipping if I went too long. So I've been trying to pump 5-6 times a day.
Me: 33 H: 36
Married: 12/14/13 DS: 1/29/09
BFP2: 10/9/15 MMC: 11/12/15
BFP3: 4/6/16 DD: 12/12/16
Was EP'ing planned? What caused you to take the EP'ing path? Uh. No. None of our birth story went as planned. We tried hard to nurse while he was in the NICU but it just didn't stick. He will latch once in a blue moon but EPing is definitely our main game.
What's your pumping goal (daily/weekly and/or longterm)? Right now it's until he is 6 months which will be April 12th. I have enough of a freezer stash to stop pumping at the beginning of March but honestly I may go until he is 6 months adjusted, which is June (so I could stop pumping by May or so). We will see. I've dropped to 7 pumps per day and that's more manageable than 8 or 9. I'll drop to 6 sometime over the next month or so.
How's it going for you? Not too shabby. It's become a decent routine, even now back at work.
Rants/Raves/Questions? I belong to an EPing moms private group on FB that is phenomenal. I highly recommend it for anyone in this for the long haul.
My Wedding Bio!
So I know that you "can't overfeed a breastfed baby," but I'm not sure if I am overfeeding this LO with expressed milk bottles. We do paced bottle feeds and infrequently give more than 4 oz, but I am a little worried that she might be overfed. I guess the question is: can you overfeed and if so, how do you prevent it? I don't want to keep her from eating if shes hungry...
Maybe a question for the pediatrician?
EDITED because math