Hate pumping

fiazo

So since having given birth & since I started pumping, I'd like to share my opinion on it.

First of all if you are buying a pump & getting it from Babies R Us, make sure to buy the Buyers Protection Plan. It was $17.99. lf you break the seal on the box, they can't take it back. Unless you have this plan. You can return it within 15 months, even if you use it & decide you don't want to or can't pump.

The first time I pumped I got 1 oz. of milk. And it took a long time to get that. Reading through their literature, it does say that you may get very little the first few times you use it. I think it really depends how far along you start. I started at 3 weeks so my milk supply was not alot to start with. As of now (4-1/2 weeks), the most I have gotten between both breasts is 5 oz. This actually took about 45 minutes of pumping time. My sister reassures me the quantity will increase with time. It also hurts a bit especially in the beginning.

 

MrsW.10.15.05

I say wow!  to get 5 oz at 4-5 weeks is nothing to be discouraged about.  Especially if your little one is nursing in between those pumpings.  The pump will never equal the stimulation your little one gives either.  I nursed and pumped when I went back to work for almost a year and I only got 4-7 ounces.  I work side by side with Lactation consultants and they constantly reassured me and my little one did fine!  It is discouraging though when you see others and their supply seems like it is so much more!   Good luck with whatever you choose!  

Oh and I never liked the pumping part either, and yes it was kind of painful.  Just something I chose to put up with I guess.  Hoping this time around isn't so bad.

rsd12

Awww I feel your pain!  I pumped exclusively with my first & it was a horrible experience too ; (  But since I started right away & pumped often I produced a crazy amount of milk!  The way I did it was 10/15 mins every 1-2 hours.  I decided that if I ever had to go that route again I would formula feed & not feel guilty about it!  For me it was a double feeding as it took my son to eat 30-45 mins from the bottle.

I did end up pumping a little bit to have a stash for my 2nd - he was a natural nurser & honestly it was not as painful as my 1st time!  But I used a manual pump for this reason ; )

JenniferTCU

Thanks for the info on the BPP. I had no idea they had that.

I'm sorry pumping isn't going well for you. The whole BF thing has me wigged out at the moment.

Mango2

Pumping is not my favorite activity by any means, but now that I'm back at work I have to embrace my pump. Some things I did last time to make it easier were:

• having a hot shower before pumping.
• looking at a picture of DD while pumping
• drinking lots of water
• inventing a hands-free bra by cutting slits in an old bra where my nipples were. That way I could be on-line or read while pumping
• caught up on soap operas I hadn't watched in years while pumping. Some of your favorites might be online. It was such a guilty pleasure.

GL! Sounds like you're doing pretty well. You might want to cut it back to two shorter pumpings rather than pumping for 45 mins at a time.

 

fiazo

Mango2:

inventing a hands-free bra by cutting slits in an old bra where my nipples were. That way I could be on-line or read while pumping

Wow-what a clever idea! LOL Seriuosly, that is one of the worse things about it is to be tied down to the pump & not be able to get anything done. I gotta try that!

BarefootContess

It sounds to me like you are doing great if you are both nursing a newborn and pumping.  I hate pumping, too.  For this last baby, I just ended up doing all of the night feeding because I did not want to pump.  I had a small stash for the few times I would be away but that was about it. 

BrideBuddies

Ah, fizzy.. thaks for the heads up about the Buy-back thing at BRU.   I've been leary about buying a pump for just that reason.. if I can't use it, would I be stuck with it?

We're actually thinking about renting one right at the beginning just to see if it's something I can do.  BRU does rent them by the month, I think.

Dragonflyer

I would definitely recommend renting a pump for the first month or two. I don't know how many people I know who bought expensive pumps only to not have bf'ing not work out for some reason. Also, the hospital grade pumps are much more efficient and will help you establish your supply if you are planning on pumping often. This time around I bought a pump but still rented one this first month. But you are right, pumping is not fun. I hardly pumped with my first and am trying to make more of an effort.

Momofdrewmarie

I pumped with both my first two but also formula fed.  I totally reccomend renting a pump at first for several reasons.  First is that the Hospital Grade pumps that you can rent from the hospital or Specialty Bra shops are VERY strong.  I borrowed a friends that she had bought from BabiesRus and it was not nearly as strong, I got a lot more milk from the Hospital Grade ones.

 Second, you can stop when you want and just return it...so with #1 I kept it about 2 months, with #2 I kept about 10 weeks.  The place I rented was by the week.

 Also nice was that if you tell the hospital that you are pumping, they will bring you a pump to your room with ALL the accessories that you get to keep and take home for free.  The accessories all fit the one I rented (pretty sure it was Medela hospital double pump) and so I had a ton of extra bottles, etc.

Also with the hospital grade they are double pumps, so you can do both breasts at same time which is much more efficient.

 I always pumped both breasts while I was in turn giving the baby a bottle that I had pumped earlier, or formula...so I was multitasking.

Amy

funchicken

It sounds like you're doing great.  I EP'd for six months, so I know what a drag it is.  Have you had a lactation consultant check to make sure you're using the right size of shields?  The ones that come with the pump are too small for a lot of people.