Exclusively pumping Big Thread

spano41 · May 2014

Just bought a medela freestyle to have in addition to my Symphony. I'm pretty excited! This way I will be able to leave the house for more than an hour and a half! DH was not as excited about the price.... he started asking how much formula costs..... not exactly super supportive but there is no going back now. Hopefully he will support me to continue to pump now that we've invested money into it!

Holljade · May 2014

Jumping in here- I use the kiinde system and LOVE not having to wash bottles.

I am not EPing and having gone through 4 packs of storage bags and DS is one month.

For EP I would imagine it would be much more expensive but honestly I think the cost is totally worth it and with the right coupons you can get the price down to the other storage bags out there. When I EP'd with DD I would have loved a system like this- having bottles all over the place added to our stress- not having to worry about it this time had been amazing.

KatieGummow · May 2014

@Holljade‌ thank you for commenting!!! I am so glad you liked it. So the bags aren't reusable.. I was hoping they just advertised recycling for convenience and so they could make more money. But i agree with you, about it still being worth it.

Maybe some days I will pump into the medela bottles for fresh milk...

Mamamonzo · May 2014

eme520 said:
@mamamonzo than truly sucks about the spilled bottles, it seems like the world is against me when I spill.

My pumpin pal attachments arrived today and they are amazing!! I can lean back now while I pump and it's so much more comfortable. I'm interested in hearing how the Freemies work out.

Also, like kellymom recommends, my LC also said max 20 min on the pump since we will always have some in the breast. At least one thing is easier now.

How do you like the pumpin pals? Are they better than normal flanges? More comfortable? I've heard mixed reviews

KatieGummow · May 2014

I wish you could pick the size instead of buying all of them. I would loveeeee to sit back!!!!

Holljade · May 2014

KatieGummow said:
@Holljade‌ thank you for commenting!!! I am so glad you liked it. So the bags aren't reusable.. I was hoping they just advertised recycling for convenience and so they could make more money. But i agree with you, about it still being worth it.

Maybe some days I will pump into the medela bottles for fresh milk...

@KatieGummow‌ I have actually thought of rinsing out and reusing but haven't yet! It would make a world of difference if that worked... Not sure how to find out officially if they can be reused

spano41 · May 2014

I use the pumpin pals and really like them. To be fair I only used the ones that came with the pump once before switching so I don't know how they effect my supply but they are way more comfortable in that you can lean back.

patunia7321 · May 2014

Just ordered pumpin' pals. Thanks for the tips!

Mamamonzo · May 2014

How much of your areola goes into the tube when your pump is on? I'm trying to decided is I need smaller flanges.

Emily041285 · May 2014

I decided to take the plunge and pump after DD's last feeding. I only got an oz. is that normal to begin with? I just want to be able to replace a feeding at night.

Mamamonzo · May 2014

Emily041285 said:
I decided to take the plunge and pump after DD's last feeding. I only got an oz. is that normal to begin with? I just want to be able to replace a feeding at night.

Yes! Especially since she ate first!

KatieGummow · May 2014

Mamamonzo said:
How much of your areola goes into the tube when your pump is on? I'm trying to decided is I need smaller flanges.

A little bit of mine does like maybe 1/4 or less of an inch all around. But in the size down my nipples barely move after 5 minutes of pumping. It hurt so bad.

nycgirlkat · May 2014

So here's a silly question about flange size. Should the aereola also get pulled into the flange or just the nipples? I had been using the large ones and then switched to the smaller ones because I thought it would be better, but I'm just seeing my nipples in the smaller flange and heard more of the breast should be in there.

KatieGummow · May 2014

nycgirlkat said:
So here's a silly question about flange size. Should the aereola also get pulled into the flange or just the nipples? I had been using the large ones and then switched to the smaller ones because I thought it would be better, but I'm just seeing my nipples in the smaller flange and heard more of the breast should be in there.

I read and watched a video on the Medela (and kellymom.com) website saying that just your nipple should fit in the flange. However, my nips puff up after a couple minutes of pumping so the small ones that didn't have my are Areola in it were too tight and my nips couldn't freely move. I have to use the ones that grab a little bit of my Areola to pump comfortably/ successfully.

spalumb9 · May 2014

Do you all clean the tubing from the bottle to the machine? I have moisture in there sometimes and let the pump run a few minutes after I am fine to pump the moisture out. But there are residue marks and whatnot that just look gross. Am I supposed to clean that??

kalette · May 2014

spalumb9 said:
Do you all clean the tubing from the bottle to the machine? I have moisture in there sometimes and let the pump run a few minutes after I am fine to pump the moisture out. But there are residue marks and whatnot that just look gross. Am I supposed to clean that??

As long as you dry them mold won't grow. If the water spots bug you, you can run rubbing alcohol through the tubes every once and a while.

Stace0616 · May 2014

Is anyone else's baby having bright green poop? We have been 100% breastmilk for about a week now, and the last couple days, his poop switches between yellow and green. Dr Google said it could be a fore/hindmilk inbalance, but do I fix that by just pumping longer? I usually pump for 15 minutes, not paying attention to let downs or when milk stops flowing...

spalumb9 · May 2014

My LO has frothy poop all the time now. Should I be worried? How do I balance the fore/hind milk? Didn't know about this!!!!

megs3084 · May 2014

Anyone else trying reglan to help supply? Just curious when anyone else started to see it working.

KatieGummow · May 2014

spalumb9 said:
My LO has frothy poop all the time now. Should I be worried? How do I balance the fore/hind milk? Didn't know about this!!!!

As long as you're pumping for 20 minutes you should be getting enough hind milk (unless you hyper lactate). Do you get a bunch of milk at pumping? Or is it generally less than 5oz/breast?

Kelsey2me · May 2014

eme520 said:
Ladies I'm so excited, my lc gave me the go ahead to skip a night pumping session! Here's the possibility to sleeping more than an hour and a half!!

What were the criteria that made her say it was okay? Was it after a certain number of weeks? Over supply?

Stace0616 · May 2014

Nope not frothy! I guess since most of his poops are still yellow, I'll just keep my eye on it to see if the frequency remains constant.

KatieGummow · May 2014

Does anybody feel their uterus contract still? I haven't for a couple weeks now and am hoping it's still shrinking, just slowly...

Mamamonzo · May 2014

KatieGummow said:
Does anybody feel their uterus contract still? I haven't for a couple weeks now and am hoping it's still shrinking, just slowly...

Every once in awhile. Your situation may be different since you had twins!

Stace0616 · May 2014

@KatieGummow‌ - I don't feel it anymore. Maybe that's because my body is used to it and it's not noticing? Are we supposed to be contracting still?

scarles · May 2014

@aronie82‌ yes! Sometimes I mix cold milk with fresh milk. I know I read it was ok somewhere!

scarles · May 2014

Jack has been having green poops too. I don't think it has been "frothy" though.

Jenn06L80 · May 2014

I awoke to my left boob feeling like it weighs 100 pounds. It also has hard golf ball size lumps. I have been pumping for a month today so this is not milk coming in for the first time. I think it is a plugged duct and I want to advoid mastitis. Anyone have tips for helping me through this. I am doing heat and massage and taking ibuprofen.

bacorrea · May 2014

Jenn06L80 said:
I awoke to my left boob feeling like it weighs 100 pounds. It also has hard golf ball size lumps. I have been pumping for a month today so this is not milk coming in for the first time. I think it is a plugged duct and I want to advoid mastitis. Anyone have tips for helping me through this. I am doing heat and massage and taking ibuprofen.

Warm compresses before you pump along with massaging. That should help.

Eta: sorry I didn't read that you says heat at first. I'm sorry, hopefully others will have good suggestions.

macynsnoop · May 2014

@Jenn06L80 sounds like you are doing what you can. Make sure you keep BF/pumping & that you are emtying the breast, you should massage while pumping/BF as well. I had 2 bouts of plugged ducts & the last one turned into mastitis so I am now taking lecithin to help prevent a future reoccurrence. Kellymom has a ton of nfo on this as well.

kalette · May 2014

Taking a warm shower right before pumping cab really get the milk going too.

scarles · May 2014

XP from breastfeeding thread - I'm so proud - after 2 weeks of EPing my LO finally latched for a good 15 minutes!! He just fed off my left side though. Should I pump the right?

megs3084 · May 2014

KatieGummow said:
Does anybody feel their uterus contract still? I haven't for a couple weeks now and am hoping it's still shrinking, just slowly...

I get crampy & get an increase in bleeding. Also had twins-were 6w pp now.

scarles · May 2014

Thanks @Jessieann1020‌. Do you pump each time?

patunia7321 · May 2014

@megla‌ that's great!!!

so happy for you!

ambarnett1 · May 2014

So frustrated I just want to cry. My boobs hurt so bad. My LO has oral thrush and now I'm pretty sure I have it as well. The pedi gave me anti-fungal cream for his diaper rash and the yeast on my nipples. I'm pretty sure I keep getting plugged ducts as well. I massage, heat, and take ibprouphen/acetaminophen. It's been 3 days of this pain and I just want to quit altogether. I know that's not the right thing to do, but my breasts hurt so bad all the time despite pumping often and trying to work out the problems I've been having.

I'm being a baby I know, but nothing is how I thought it would be. Parenting is hard and I never know if I'm doing the right thing.

Eta- thanks for letting me rant.

scarles · May 2014

@Ambarnett1‌ hang in there! This is hard! With everything you have going on, I don't blame you at all for wanting to quit. Give it a few days and reevaluate!

Mamamonzo · May 2014

Jenn06L80 said:
I awoke to my left boob feeling like it weighs 100 pounds. It also has hard golf ball size lumps. I have been pumping for a month today so this is not milk coming in for the first time. I think it is a plugged duct and I want to advoid mastitis. Anyone have tips for helping me through this. I am doing heat and massage and taking ibuprofen.

Pump pump pump massage massage massage!!

Jenn06L80 · May 2014

Thanks for the tips. The plug is a bit better. Heat and massafe have helped. I also pumped on the left side more frequently than the right to try to work out the clog on the left. Sometimes I really hate being tied down to the pump.

spalumb9 · May 2014

I am pumping about 5oz in one breast and 3-4oz in the other. However I can go up to 8oz in each. My LO is only eating 4oz.

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