Frustrated and Jealous.

Kanlan · August 2013

Am I the only one who hears stories about women who are able to have ounces and ounces of breast milk stored in their freezers and think, "How the heck do they do it?"

Right now, I am breastfeeding, pumping in between feeding sessions, taking fenugreek, blessed thistle, and mothers milk tea...all while trying to "relax" and "imagine a flowing stream of milk pouring from my nipples."

It's so much!

I don't know if I'm looking for advice, venting, or just looking for some words from women in the same boat.

Thanks for listening!

https://www.thingsishouldvesaid.etsy.com

sully1109 · August 2013

I'm right there with ya! I hate pumping with a passion and only have 1 bottles worth of BM in my freezer for an emergency or for when I have a hair appointment

.

CNYBride05 · August 2013

Me too! I have no freezer stash and have to supplement with formula

Myaflowers · August 2013

Same here! I take domperidone and pump 4 times at work just to keep up with LO. Sometimes we still have to supplement. We are all doing something wonderful for our babies and should be proud of ourselves!

Eleventy11 · August 2013

Those woman have been tied to a pump and cleaning pump parts while you have been feeding your baby. There is no real need for a huge freezer stash. I loathe pumping and am not looking forward to starting again. I salute women who EP. I would not want to be in their shoes b

Kanlan · August 2013

Did you see an improvement with the domperidone? I'll have to look it up, but that is an Rx from your OBGYN?

And, I agree, we should be proud any effort put into breastfeeding. I really never imagined how hard it would be before giving birth.

CNYBride05 · August 2013

Domperidone is not FDA approved in the US and difficult to come by. It's available by prescription (and I've heard can be found OTC, but was unable to get some) in Canada. Or available via overseas pharmacy online w/o a prescription. I'm waiting for mine to get here

swgdvm · August 2013

I agree with the pp that pumping too often can lead to an oversupply. But it might also be draining you! Your body should keep up with the baby, not the baby and several pumps a day. Maybe pump once a day at the same exact time. You will see that that session will get you more and more milk each day as your body sees that as a time it needs to produce. Maybe two hours after the baby has the "going to bed" nurse?

Myaflowers · August 2013

I order my domperidone from inhousepharmacy.biz. I would recommend reading more about it on Kelly Mom. I have doubled my pumping output on it and have no side effects. You can get a prescription and get it from a compounding pharmacy but it's cheaper to order it online.

aiche Umm Ayoub · August 2013

how much water are you drinking? I found to increase my supply that drinking a glass of water (8 ounces before nursing and another 8 ounces while nursing helps I totaled my water intake and it is 3 1/2 quarts a day sometimes more , I drink a glass of water after I go use the bathroom too

abbity · August 2013

I couldn't have written your post better myself!!

I take blessed thistle, fenugreek, mother milk tea, eat oatmeal, flax, TONNES of water and brewers yeast to try to keep up!!

And today I made lactation cookies....which I don't have time to do but doing it all for LO

I dont have time to pump while trying to entertain her, but I would like to start just so I can feel comfortable leaving her for errands, etc.

downtown80 · August 2013

With my first, I never had a freezer stash. I was tied to the baby for a year because I couldn't really afford to use my pumped milk (I needed it for the next day at daycare). It caused a lot of stress on me, not having any "me" time. When I was back at work, there was a good period where I was just barely keeping up with her demands, and that meant pumping 3 times at work, plus morning, and twice at night. I hated all the effort that it was taking to keep up with demand. I was nonetheless able to get through and and continue BF for a year.

This time around, I hit the ground running. When LO was 6weeks, I started pumping once a day in the mornings. I did this the remainder of my maternity leave, and ended up with ~200oz in the freezer. This is perfect for me! I am so much less stressed this time than I was last time. I know that I have a little extra to fall back on, that I can enjoy dinner with friends, not stress if I'm stuck in traffic on the way home from work, etc. This stash just gives me peace of mind.

With my first, I felt like it was just a huge learning curve - breastfeeding and pumping. With my second, I knew exactly what I was doing from the get-go. I guess, I just felt better prepared and had a specific plan from the beginning.

llarkinburns · August 2013

I have only a small stash and I totally relate to how you feel. I've supplemented as necessary and try not to stress too much. I just do the best I can. Worrying seems to do more harm than good.

kreeper611 · August 2013

With DS I struggled to build a supply and keep up after 6 months. I went OOT when he was 6 mo old and it went downhill after that.

With DD I have over 350oz in the freezer. I haven't been taking supplements... I just think my body is different this go round. I wish it was half this easy with DS. An I wish I knew what I did to cause the difference.

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