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dizzycooks
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pumping sucks
dizzycooks
member
haha, I read my title and thought, yeah it does actually.
Anyway, I know you're suppose to pump for something like 20 minutes a session, but I am at the point by the end of the week (pumping 3x day) that my nips HURT. Seriously hurt. I just had to stop because I am in pain. I'm getting plenty of milk, but I worry that stopping early will cause trouble down the road. Any recs to make this less painful? (I'd ask the Bfing board, but I like y'all better.)
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Re: pumping sucks
Anywho, some things I definitely recommend is switching the nipple size. I had to go up TWO sizes to get a comfortable fit for my nipples. Otherwise, I had lots of trouble getting all the milk out and got clogged ducts and my nipples just killed. Also, whenever my nips hurt, even if they weren't getting raw, I put on first years nipple cream. It wasn't lanolin but kind of similar. It felt SO good to put on. It was like a soothing cooking cream and always made my nipples feel better. If you use it though, I highly recommend some nipple pads as it's kind of messy and can make your bras 'dirty'.
I EP for both kids when they were little. When DD was born we were seen as the black sheep of the feeding baby world because we were pumping our bottles and feeding them too without latching. Pumping time is really dependent upon the individual - it took me 45 minutes to "empty" which REALLY sucked because when I tried to "cheat" I ended up with Mastitis and that was HORRIBLE!! If 20 minutes gets the job done and you've got plenty of supply, don't knock it. Some women finish in 10 but that was never me.
Yes, change your flange size (go up or down depending on your issue - mine was actually down and not up), BRU, Buy Buy Baby, Burlington Coat Factory, and some Walmart & Target stores carry these. My guess is that there's also a suction strength or frequency issue as well - start with adjusting those because the fear is that you'll be raw and that welcomes in the nasty bacteria that causes mastitis.
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As PP's said, check the flange size (google should have info and pics if your manual doesn't). Secondly, you might have the suction too high - crank it up only until you get a letdown, then turn it down once the milk starts flowing; you don't need to have it cranked way up high the whole time.