Breast Pumps

eatinwatermelonseeds

@k2k2tog what did you do when you weren't pumping? Just go nips out? 😂 The picture in my head of this is interesting. I'm guessing you probably used breasts pads though huh? 😂

Oh, that said, I made my own reusable breast pads from my old A cup bras where the cup only fit over my nipples at that point 😂

robyn2201

My kiddos are so much older so pumps and brands have changed a lot since then. I got a Medela PISA with DD1 and used it for a year. And used it again for another year with DD2. I hated pumping but it did the job and did it well. 

I pumped 3 times a day when I went back to work. At around 9 months I dropped it down to 2 times a day. I scheduled my pumping times on my calendar and marked them busy so people didn’t schedule meetings during this times but I do have to say I didn’t have to attend too many meetings in general. I did also have a reminder pop up each time as I would have easily have forgotten and kept working. 

Eta: work was very accomdating and had a special pumping room with a sofa, desk and fridge to store my milk in. I did for a short time have to share the room with another mom and we had to work out a schedule  but she quit nursing around 6 months. 

k2k2tog

@eatinwatermelonseeds hahaha! No, I would kind of shift the holes a bit so they weren't right over my nipples. And then just smoothed out the fabric and no one could tell.

MaggieG183

@brie_and_almonds that’s what I worry about. I am thinking this might not work, so I worry that I will spend the money and still need a hospital-grade pump and have to do hands-on pumping again. 

knarlytaurus

Thank you all for the advice! This is great to hear .I had heard about the make your own bra. You could buy some from old navy (maybe $10-15 if you catch a sale). They come with bra inserts that could work as breast pads.

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f

I also got 2 cheap nursing bras at Walmart! They were super comfortable and lasted over a year. I’ll probably wear them this time around too.

Also second the hands on pumping. I got so much more milk this way. I tried using my hands free bra that I bought online but just felt it didn’t allow maximum drainage. Kind of a bummer since it was so nice to sit there hands free. Maybe I was doing something wrong...

DuchessOfCambridge

Maybe I was doing it wrong but I very rarely wore breastpads. I did leak but not enough for it to matter (never soaked through bra). I had to wash my bras way more though. Idk why I didn’t, it was just extra effort and I couldn’t be bothered I guess 😆 I have soooo many leftover, maybe this time will be different

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f

Ohhh just had a lovely memory of wearing a dress to work and then having to pump. Casually sitting there topless (and pantless) pumping away 😆

expandcontract

@secicc12 ahhh yes! I think i did that twice and didn't wear a dress again until after I was done pumping.

What do you ladies mean when you say "hands on pumping?"

k2k2tog

@expandcontract I assume they mean massaging your breasts during pumping. It helps improve flow.

expandcontract

k2k2tog said:

@expandcontract I assume they mean massaging your breasts during pumping. It helps improve flow.

Ob ok. Yes, i did try that too. Thank you.  

kvh22

@DuchessOfCambridge I wore reusable breast pads up until 11/12 months pp but I had an oversupply. The last 3 months I only leaked once a day or less while DD nursed but it would definitely go through so I kept wearing them. I found the store bought single use ones were best when I first came home and was regulatating since I would leak through the overnight reusable ones. I still have a box and a half of those left that I'll use this time. If anyone is looking into getting reusable ones, I recommend the overnights as the day time ones were small and would move out of place easily.

optbaby2017

I used breastpads pretty much the entire time. Partly because of leaking, but also to keep the oily nipple cream off my bras (side note, Motherlove nipple cream is the best, and it helps to lubricate your pump parts with coconut oil to reduce friction). I went back and forth between the Lansinoh disposables and Bamboobies reusable ones. 

bpietronicco

I used the Medela PISA and it was alright but loud.  My sister recently used the spectra and said it was great and quiet so I think I will try that one this time around 

MaggieG183

@DuchessOfCambridge I didn’t leak even once, not even when my milk came in. Thankfully, as I did end up with 30-35 oz everyday from pumping, it’s clearly not related to having a strong supply. Some boobs just don’t leak, I guess? 

DuchessOfCambridge

MaggieG183 said:

@DuchessOfCambridge I didn’t leak even once, not even when my milk came in. Thankfully, as I did end up with 30-35 oz everyday from pumping, it’s clearly not related to having a strong supply. Some boobs just don’t leak, I guess? 

That’s amazing. I woke up with giant wet spots so often and leaked from whatever side DS wasn’t nursing on. 

You know what I don’t miss at all? Having just taken a shower and being all clean, then as you’re toweling off, having a let down. That always made me feel like “but WHY”

knottie78948b84327543e9

My doctor gave me a rx to get my breast pump for free but I have to wait till I'm 20 weeks to submit it. My first child was born in 2013 and during that time I had to pay for mine since that insurance rule wasent out yet. I got the medela back pack electric pump. I paid like 300 for it. It worked great since I went back to work full time. I was able to keep my supply up while away from baby. I also got the car adapter for it to and used it in my car. I will also buy a medela for baby number 2. 

truth_trust

my insurance had sent me a medela in style when I had my daughter 4 years ago. I still have my pump. I was wondering do they make new ones or upgrade. Would I have any reason to need to order a new one this time around?

anonellis

@truth_trust you should be entitled to a new one with each pregnancy.  I’d take advantage of it — the motors don’t last forever so your old one might die, and if it doesn’t, it would nice to have a spare.  

kvh22

@truth_trust I agree with @anonellis. Get a spare. Maybe try a different model (depending on what bottles you use). You're entitled to it.

coffeeislife

@truth_trust my insurance pays for a new one if it has been 36 months so I will be getting a Spectra this time (have a PISA from before). I will probably get new parts for the PISA and keep it at home as a back-up though (assuming it actually turns on- haven't tried- lol).

wishiwaspreggo

I exclusively pumped for my son. He never latched because he was a heavy sleeper and there was nothing I could do to get him to latch and eat when he needed it. I even had to tape a tube to my finger and stick it in his mouth to get him to eat enough for about a week after he was born. So breastfeeding wasn't in the cards.

I used a Medela Symphony, which is hospital grade. It did a good job, I'd get 25-30 ounces a day at my peak production. I'm going to look into Spectra S2 this time around and see if my insurance will give me one. I had a Medela PISA that came from insurance but I wasn't very impressed.

Funny thing: the hand pump actually worked remarkably well! I'd whip that sucker out if I had to sit in a changing room or bathroom stall to get some milk out of me when I ran out in my diaper bag and it would get 4-6 ounces from a quick pumping session. Kinda hurts your hands but it relieves the pressure in the boobs pretty quickly and feeds baby at the same time.

There are veteran twin mamas on this board, right? If any of y'all are reading this, tips and hints would be welcome. I'm worried I'll have to supplement formula with my pumping.

misskimsue

I haven't been in the market for a breast pump since 2014, so this thread is really helpful. I used an Avent electric pump for DS1, and while it got the job done I wouldn't exactly recommend it. I pumped for about a year at work and I did have it break once. It was also loud. I chose it because I was using the Avent bottles and I didn't want to have to clean tubes. At some point, I bought a Madela Harmony manual pump for backup/travel and realized it was actually super efficient... I just gave up with the electric and kept using the manual even with DS2. It is hard on your hands, as @wishiwaspreggo stated, but I think a lot of people would be surprised how effective it can be. I used to finish pumping in 10 or 15 minutes. I did quit my job to SAH when DS2 was about 4 months old, so I probably did not spend the same amount of time pumping with the manual as I did with the electric. Getting a good electric pump is highly recommended; consider a manual as backup or in case you have difficulty getting what you need from the electric.

I am definitely going to look into the Spectra, since it comes so highly recommended on here. I don't remember those being around when I was pregnant with my first. Thanks to all for the info.

kvh22

@wishiwaspreggo there were two twin moms in my last BMB. I don't recall much about one of their feeding journeys but the other had one baby who didn't latch. She EP'ed for him and her daughter would latch and breastfeed. She definitely supplemented some with formula but I think it worked well for her.

DuchessOfCambridge

@wishiwaspreggo there are two twin moms in my other BMB, one of whom breastfed. She ended up leaving her job and nursed pretty much constantly. That's the only experience I have heard of but I'm sure there are twin moms who are able to nurse and work. @anonellis is a twin mom I think??

anonellis

@wishiwaspreggo totally agree about the manual pump!

I exclusively breastfed my twins until they were 12 months (meaning a combo of nursing and giving pumped bottles). Then I stopped pumping but kept nursing 1-2x/day for maybe 3 months after that.  It’s doable, though if I could do it all over I’d probably supplement, just because it’s a lot of work and they still get the benefits of breastmilk whether they also get formula or not.  I went back to work and pumped there and while each pumping session probably took me longer than for a singleton, it wasn’t that bad.  

It was a LOT of work at the beginning in the newborn phase, but maybe in part becuase I really hated tandem feeding.  I found it uncomfortable and unnatural and didn’t find it to be a particularly bonding experience. Whereas nursing one-on-one gave me nice solo time with each baby, which was otherwise pretty rare.  Once they could hold their heads up and were less “floppy,” tandem nursing got easier, but still wasn’t my preference (and definitely could not do that in public or if others were around).  Basically the way you do it (if this time you don’t end up exclusively pumping) is every day one baby is on the left boob all day and one is on the right all day, and the next day you switch.

I used the Medela Symphony and the Spectra S2 and found I got roughly the same amount of milk from both and found them equally comfortable.  Obviously the Spectra is often free and I paid a ton for the Symphony.  Hated hated hated the PISA.  I will say I never had an impressive freezer stash the way that some singleton moms do, but I always had enough.

I know a lot of twin moms and one of the best things about having twins is it’s easier to ignore the pressures on all moms to do things a certain way.  There’s just no time to give a f*** about what you’re “supposed” to do so you just do what works.  As a second time mom maybe you would’ve been that way anyway, I don’t know 😉 Twin moms on the whole are super non-judgmental.  So everyone I know had a very different experience with breastfeeding — some loved it, some wanted to but it didn’t work out, some exclusively pumped and some exclusively nursed, some never wanted it and formula fed from day 1 — and really, it all worked out! 

wishiwaspreggo

Thanks @anonellis!!! That was super helpful and reassuring. I'm totally on the "IDGAF" mindset right now as a second-time mom lol... I was militant about breast milk with my son but now I'm like "Eh, if they both can get my colostrum that would be fabulous." Formula doesn't kill babies. Dehydration and undernourishment, on the other hand, do. My game plan is to pump what I can and do the rest with formula. If I can manage to get one or both to latch I'll probably alternate between breast and bottle. We shall see.

It's exciting that the Spectra 2 has just as good of results as the Medela Symphony! I paid $50/month for the stupid thing because the PISA was a pisa-crap. I'll be sure to order one through insurance.

knarlytaurus

So I had heard awesome things about the spectra I, but just saw the Medela Sonata pump, which I think is fairly new  Has anyone used it or heard how it may compare to the spectra? I'm always so skeptical of online reviews since it seems like everyone is paid for their "opinion".