September 2016 Moms
Sbrown721
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All Things Breastfeeding Related
Sbrown721
member
For all moms considering breastfeeding for the first time and moms that are experienced in breastfeeding.
Re: All Things Breastfeeding Related
Thoughts?
Copying and pasting what I responded to you in the randoms thread for those that don't frequent that thread
I've always gone by the mantra of save to drive, safe to breastfeed. My LC actually advised me to have a drink while breastfeeding due to the time of when the alcohol metabolizes. Very minimal amounts of alcohol is actually passed through your breast milk.
Personally, a drink relaxes me which made breastfeeding easier.
https://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/
I've heard (and followed) the rule that as long as you don't feel tipsy, it shouldn't be enough to transfer to the baby. That said, I never drank more than one drink while breastfeeding. You can always get the strips that test your milk if you are worried, and then pump and dump. But the idea of dumping my milk was cry worthy. (I actually did have to dump a few times to an unrelated issue... flange got a scrape in it that caused a teeny tiny scratch on my nipple that resulted in blood in my pumped milk. I had to have DH dump it because I couldn't do it.)
I had a hard time establishing my milk supply last time. Tried all the herbs the midwives recommended then had my first LC appointment at 4 days pp and she said the herbs are ok for a boost but pretty much useless for real supply problems and got me started on domperidone. It still took 3 months to completely get my milk going and cut out any formula top-up.
Does anyone have experience with starting meds before delivery or know how that would work? I'm fine with starting early on the herbs, lactation cookies etc if that's the only way to go but I am also not opposed to medications when they're really needed and I don't want to go through the crazy weight loss, sleepless nights and dehydration that my son had to endure when he wasn't getting enough to eat in the first weeks, so if starting on the domperidone before delivery is an option, I won't be ruling that out either. Anyone have experience with this?
No experience with that but strongly recommend taking to bed with baby for a solid 24 hours once your milk comes in. Basically nurse, nurse, nurse as much as possible during that time. It's supposed to work wonders with helping to establish your supply.
Because of my PCOS, my OB put me back on metformin last time to help with milk supply (limited data). I haven't decided yet if I'll start that up before giving birth or not.. but I am considering it
1. Unless you have a crazy night out, pumping and dumping should not be necessary. The lactation consultant I worked with for the first few months after DD was born firmly believed that if you time it right (and don't overly consume), you can wait until your system is diluted again and go ahead and nurse. Yay! To no wasted milk. And also pretty much eliminates the need for the test strips - expressing the milk in order to test it means you may have to throw it away! Just letting it stay in your body until a couple hours has passed (or you're no longer feeling buzzed) before expressing ensures that you won't have to dump it. (I guess you could still test it at that point to make sure but I never did because my LC thought the strips were gimmicky.)
2. You will also find that your comfort level with drinking changes over time after your LO is born. For the first couple months, when DD was nursing every couple of hours, I avoided alcoholic beverages all together. When she started going longer stretches at night, I started allowing a glass of wine after her last feeding of the night on occasion. Once breastfeeding is more established and you have a better idea of supply, your baby's feeding schedule, etc. it becomes much easier to listen to your body and comfortably consume a drink or two here and there.
I'm really curious to hear about BTDT mom's breastfeeding stories. I talked to my sister and best friend about their experiences with brestfeeding and they were both incredibly different, so I'm curious what others' stories are like so I can mentally prep for different scenarios (if that makes sense?)
A few questions-
Was it easy? Difficult? Intuitive? Did you need help from a lactation consultant or? How long were you able to breastfeed for/when did you stop? Why did you stop? etc.
ETA - you don't necessarily have to answer these questions, feel free to tell your story however you see fit.
Was it easy? Difficult? Intuitive? I found the early latch to be a bit difficult... and I mean super early like in the hospital. Once home we got it down very quickly - within the first few days home, but still had times that he would have too shallow of a latch and it would hurt like crazy until I could break the suction and get him on deeper. That was the first few weeks, after that it felt pretty intuitive.
Did you need help from a lactation consultant or? I called the LC to ask a few questions - more about being engorged on day 3/4 and when we could introduce a bottle. I also went to a mother's group led by a LC but rarely asked my own questions and mostly gathered news from others.
How long were you able to breastfeed for/when did you stop? Why did you stop? etc. I breastfed for 10 weeks. At that point I was (unknowingly) suffering from post-partum anxiety which made my appetite null and void. I had lost my 40 pounds of pregnancy weight and couldn't slow the loss because I simply was never eating and when I did I had terrible diarrhea ( thanks stress-induced IBS). E was fussier and it was hard to tell if it was something I was eating, my supply was tanking or if it was just all of the stress and I was reading too far into it. I went back to work at 10 weeks and a few days before decided "This isn't for me, I'm switching 100% to formula". It was a perfect decision for me at the time, I needed to take care of myself so I could take care of my child and breastfeeding didn't work in that equation at the time. I got help, he strived on formula and we were all the better for it.
I plan to try breastfeeding again, I went in with no expectations of myself and was happy to make it past his first immunizations. If it works it work, if not.. there are other options for me.
Did you need help from a lactation consultant or? I took advantage of the lactation consultant when we were in the hospital - mostly for validation that I was doing things right/DD's latch looked good. I also spoke to a lactation consultant on the phone when I had my cracked nipple. She was very helpful with giving verbal advice but also suggested that I tell DD's pediatrician at her next appointment (which was the next day). The pediatrician, surprisingly, was a huge help. She watched DD latch and nurse and was the one who actually "diagnosed" the crack - up until that point, I didn't know what it was, other than very painful! She suggested the alternating positions which worked wonders! While on maternity leave, I also attended a Mom's group run by a lactation consultant but at that point, it was more for socialization with other Moms than anything else.
How long were you able to breastfeed for/when did you stop? Why did you stop? etc. I breastfed DD until she was about 14 months old. (We stayed on a pretty consistent nursing/expressed-milk bottle feeding schedule for the first 12 months and then she sort-of self-weaned by nursing less and less frequently over the last two months until we eventually eliminated her only feeding of the day.)
my being because up to that point, breasts were sexual and I hated the idea that I would feel like a cow. Over time though, I grew to love it and love helping others going through breastfeeding issues.
Was it easy? Difficult? Intuitive?
I wouldn't say it was easy at first, not even the first few months, but it became easy and definitely intuitive. I had (I say had because if you have them, they will change because your baby will suck them right out of you) flat nipples and had to deal with the breast shield in the beginning. Then came to find I have a very, very overactive letdown (this means my milk came out with a sh!t load of force) that caused some real issues while DD was still little because it would choke her. So from around 2 weeks old until probably 4 months, we dealt with her getting pissed and screaming and milk shooting freaking everywhere until she got old and strong enough to handle how fast my milk came out. Once we got past that, it was a breeze, it would come out so fast that she had her entire meal done in 5 minutes! A blessing in disguise haha
Did you need help from a lactation consultant?
I did because I had no idea why she would pull off and cry. And I needed reassurance that she was getting enough because she ate so fast and my friends baby would eat for 45 minutes.
How long were you able to breastfeed/why did you stop?
I nursed for 15 months. I stopped pumping at work at 12 months and then had gotten down to only nursing at night before bed by 15 months. It was my plan to continue that as long as DD wanted to, but I think I had stopped producing enough milk for her to be satisfied so she no longer her wanted to nurse. I was heartbroken but it worked well with timing because we decided to try for baby #2 the following month and I probably would've produced even less while pregnant. Although I think I'm still making milk?
Regarding pumping and dumping: no, it does not clear your system. But if you had a night where you had more than planned and do not feel comfortable nursing, you may want to consider pumping and dumping to keep your supply up. If there is less of a demand for milk, your body may start producing less milk. Follow me?
@poodledoodleOoo, to answer your questions, it was easy, but challenging, especially when we had to correct a bad latch. It was easy to not have to cart bottles everywhere and I comfort nursed a lot. It was difficult when DH couldn't comfort her or feed her. We EBF until 6 months, then introduced some formula. We were down breastfeeding at 9 months. My levels tanks, and I believe it was partially due to my auto immune condition and hypothyroidism.
I'm actually looking forward to breastfeeding again!
We had a tough start. My nipples were extremely sensitive and somewhat "flat" before baby. Apparently there are adhesions in there making it flatter and when baby would suck, she was breaking the adhesions to make nursing more productive and a better latch. Needless to say, I was in tears at the hospital and didn't know if I would be able to BF at all because of the pain. I ended up pumping exclusively the first two weeks just to ease the pain. Once I got comfortable with it, I met with a LC and we worked with a nipple shield for a few days to help. After that I was able to drop the shield and we had an awesome BF relationship. The pumping and shield never ruined her ability to latch. Sure there was a few days of transition when we would try something new, but those little babies are so eager to eat they will do just about anything. We BF until 16 months, probably would have gone longer, but at 4 months pregnant it was becoming uncomfortable and I was dreading it.
my best advice is don't be afraid to try "aids" if you need them. Just because we werent able to latch the first few weeks, she still figured it out! It's not all or nothing. If you are committed to it, just keep trying and it definitely gets better. I was so shocked at how much it hurt. I think if I was more mentally prepared for that before, it might have gone better.
I felt like it was intuitive for me and for my daughter but not necessarily for my son. While DD latched just fine, DS didn't latch well. In addition, I had to use nipple guards, which I had never heard of. Let me tell you what a pain in the rear those can be. They're great if you need them. However, I found (with two babies anyway) that it was really hard to position the nipple guard, position a baby and then do the same thing on the other side (I tried to feed keep them on the same schedule and they generally were hungry at the same time anyway). Again though, they were great specifically for DS.
I took all the help I could get before I was discharged from the hospital when it came to the lactation consultant. They were extremely helpful.
I also had to find out the hard way about engorgement and (because I was a very clueless FTM) wearing nursing pads. (Guess what happens when you're a week postpartum and you don't wear nursing pads in your bra...?? Ugh!)
Lastly, a piece of advice if you're interested. Take it for what it's worth. Do not let anyone make you feel guilty if BFing doesn't work for you or your baby/babies. I had to supplement DS and DD with formula right off the bat. I wasn't producing vast amounts of breast milk and, again, with DS not latching it wasn't great. No one made me feel guilty until DD was admitted to Children's Hospital for poor weight gain due to acid reflux at 3 weeks old over New Years. When the nurse asked how much they were eating and if I was breastfeeding, I was lectured because I had stopped breastfeeding for the most part at that point. According to her, I was supposed to nurse one baby, hand him or her of to DH to be supplemented by formula and feed baby #2 while that was happening only to pass baby #2 off DH to be supplemented. Mind you, my kids had to be fed every 3 hours to ensure weight gain. By the time, we had finished with a round of BFing, supplementing and burping, it would have been time for another round. Forget the fact that DH worked full time and couldn't be there to help all the time.
I let that woman make feel awful for a very short period. The short story is, it didn't work for me, my babies or our family's schedule last time. I'll try again this time around. But I refuse to let anyone make me feel bad about that choice. And I encourage you not to let anyone make you feel guilty either.
*sorry for the long post*
Getting into a schedule (not necessarily strict feeding times with baby, but everything else surrounding nursing) really helped. I woke up engorged every day, so I started pumping in the morning regardless of whether or not my son just fed. It was great for getting rid of the discomfort and starting to build up a "just in case" supply of breastmilk before I went back to work. It was an adjustment, but I started looking forward to that time as designated sit-down, read a book, play a game, forced-fun/relaxation in the morning. Your breasts "refill" on demand (check out the section on Lactogenesis III, which sounds like horrible sci-fi doesn't it?) so barring a medical barrier, you'll be able to keep up with baby even if you shove some extra pumping sessions into your schedule.
I'm not someone who relaxes easily. I over-read, I over-worry. But it's important to remember that as long as you are happy and baby isn't ill, there isn't a wrong way to do breastfeeding. With a boppy, upside down, dangling from the ceiling, once every half hour, once every 3 hours, do what feels right for your situation and don't beat yourself up if you need to adjust things or stop. Knowing that things would be OK no matter what I did (because there's always supplementation or fully switching to formula) helped me chill out and that's the most important factor IMO.
Awkward Family Fun
Was it easy? Difficult? Intuitive? It was so much harder than I thought...the hardest time was the first 4 weeks. I kept wondering how something so natural could be so difficult and I almost gave up so many times. I wish I could tell you that you won't have any trouble, but chances are it won't be easy. My friends were my cheerleaders, as well as my tight-knit group from TB....if you can get past the 4 week hump, it gets MUCH easier in my experience...
Did you need help from a lactation consultant or? I did not use this resource- I was an anxious mess
How long were you able to breastfeed for/when did you stop? Why did you stop? etc. I breastfed for 13 months (even though I tried to wean her before that, at 6 months, then again at 10). She weaned herself.
How often did you pump each day?
How long did each session take?
What sort of room did you pump in?
Where did you store your milk after pumping?
What was the clean up process like?
How were co-workers' reactions?
How long did you keep at it?
How often did you pump each day? 3-4 times (every 2-3 hours or so)
How long did each session take? 15-20 minutes
What sort of room did you pump in? A tiny room with a washer and dryer in it (I work at a school, and didn't feel comfortable in my classroom)
Where did you store your milk after pumping? In the little cooler that came with the pump with an ice pack inside
What was the clean up process like? I used the wipes after each session and then did a thorough cleaning of parts every night, and sanitized them in the microwave bags twice a week
How were co-workers' reactions? I am a teacher so everyone was very supportive
How long did you keep at it? 1 year
How often did you pump each day? Three times
How long did each session take? 15-20 minutes
What sort of room did you pump in? My office. However, I'm an attorney and am often not in my office, so also my car, courthouse bathrooms, conference rooms at other firms, etc. It sucked.
Where did you store your milk after pumping? In the cooler that came with my pump in the fridge.
What was the clean up process like? I refrigerated my parts. No need to clean until I got home.
How were co-workers' reactions? Indifferent.
How long did you keep at it? Only three months. See answer about where I pumped above. It got too stressful. I was able to switch to formal during the day and continue nursing morning and night, though.
BFing my first was MUCH HARDER than I thought it would be. We had an LC at our hospital, so learned how to get a good latch and also showed DH what to look for since he would be able to see better than I could. Around day 2 or 3 the pain set in from bfing around the clock and every feeding was awful. The soothing gel pads were LIFE SAVERS for my poor nipples. I think around the third week they started to callous and it was easy from then on.
I had a pretty big oversupply until it suddenly tasked around 10mo, when I found out I was KU again. I kept at it, but DS would get frustrated at the low volume and eventually quit on his own around 1. From 10-12mo I had done a mix of bfing and pumped bottles from my stash.
With DS2 my milk came in quickly and I was super engorged, even after he would feed on one side for 20-25min. My nipples were sore again at first, but not nearly as long as the first time. We weaned around 19mo (right before I got KU this time). I had a clogged duct and Mastitis, and they were both awful and likely due to excessive oversupply.
My biggest advice to FTMs is to expect it to be difficult and expect it to hurt A LOT. I felt like people made it sound so easy/natural, I thought I was doing something wrong.
Every 2-3 hours, which was how often DD was eating if I was there.
How long did each session take?
About 10 minutes, I have a very fast letdown.
What sort of room did you pump in?
I work for an energy company that is very pro-parent, and they provide a lactation room in each building with a big padded chair, a mini fridge, magazines and a symphony pump. It's really, really nice and I'm very thankful we have it. That being said, there were many occasions where I pumped in a truck in the field or a gas station bathroom or wherever I could.
Where did you store your milk after pumping?
At work, in the fridge. In the field, I kept a cooler.
What was the clean up process like?
Not bad, I refrigerate my parts so I only clean them in the evening. Our company provides bodily fluid cleaning wipes too, so it wasn't gross pumping after other people.
How were co-workers' reactions?
I work with a bunch of guys, but almost all of them have kids and their wives breastfed, so they didn't think much of it.
How long did you keep at it?
My goal was to pump until she was 12 months and then nurse when we were together as long as she wanted. I pumped to her birthday and then nurses to 15 months.
Oh, good to know that it's not available in the US. What on earth do ladies there do? It's an off label use of the domperidone anyway so there's little to no clinical data. I'm going to talk to my midwives and LC about it much later in the game anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else had already gone through this. It took 3 months with the drugs to get my body producing enough milk the first time so I don't think any amount of nursing in the first day is going to solve that. Unless I just get lucky and it knows the drill this time and there and gets into gear right away. I also have PCOS and hypothyroid which can both cause problems with milk supply so I don't know if I really stand a chance without some help.
Did you need help from a lactation consultant? I spoke to a LC during both of the issues I mentioned above. I didn't find the LC in the hospital very helpful at all. My intuition and keeping myself calm helped me a lot more than any of her advice. She tried to teach me different nursing positions and how to use a nipple shield and how to do "suck training" which is basically shoving your finger in your baby's mouth and supposedly that helps them learn to latch. None of that was really necessary, and all it took to get her to latch again was me and her alone in a quiet room working on it together. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from consulting with a LC, I'm sure they are extremely helpful in most cases.
How long were you able to breastfeed for/when did you stop? Why did you stop? 16 months. She basically weaned on her own. She was always a very good eater so she was getting plenty of nutrition from regular food by then. She was never one to "ask" to nurse or like to "snack" throughout the day. We sort of just fell into a routine where I nursed her before/after bed, and before/after naps. Weaning was a very natural process.
For me breastfeeding was very difficult. I didn't produce any milk or even much colostrum on my own so after the first 24 hours or so my son started to fight the breast and wouldn't stay latched for more than a couple of minutes. He never had problems latching but after the first day of not getting anything, he just didn't want anything to do with it and he screamed and fought with more strength than you could imagine a little baby having when I tried to nurse. All I can remember from those first few days is my arms feeling like I'd done a killer workout at the gym from holding him so tightly to my chest.
I took a breastfeeding class so I was comfortable with how to get him latched and hold him. That part felt fairly "intuitive" but what didn't feel intuitive was how to know when my baby was hungry vs. when he needed something else. It didn't help having my MIL around telling me to nurse every single time he whined and making me feel guilty for not agreeing that this was always the solution. I totally agree that newborns need to nurse A LOT but I also learned within the first few days with my son that if I tried to nurse him every 15 mins he would scream and fight whereas if I waited an hour or two in between he would latch and actually suck for at least a few minutes. Not long enough but he was much more willing with a bit of a break in between and nursing him 24/7 was NOT comforting him or satisfying whatever was making him cry.
Did you need help from a lactation consultant?
Yes, my lactation consultant is the only reason I was able to breastfeed my baby. We knew before I delivered that I was likely going to have supply issues due to some medical conditions so my midwives started me on fenugreek, blessed thistle, lactation tea etc and referred me to a lactation consultant as soon as my baby was born but my first appointment with her wasn't until 4 days pp. In that time my baby lost over a pound and got dehydrated so I was still trying to nurse him every hour or two but the midwives also had us syringe feeding him formula. Before seeing the LC our routine was: attempt to nurse for 30 mins, then pump for 30 mins to try and stimulate more milk production while DH syringe fed him some formula, then clean and sanitize all the parts and repeat. The LC put me on a stronger drug to stimulate milk production and taught me how to use a feeding tube to supplement at the breast so that DS could nurse and get formula through a straw at the same time as he was nursing. This was a game changer because he was able to feed and stimulate my milk production at the same time. As my milk came in he was getting breast milk and formula at the same time and we slowly decreased the amount of formula in the bottle as the drugs did their thing until he was EBF. Without that I'm sure we would have given up on nursing.
How long were you able to breastfeed for/when did you stop? Why did you stop?
It took 3 months to get to the point of being EBF and he kept nursing until 13 months. The only reason we stopped was because I wasn't getting my period and we wanted to try for #2. He weaned in October, I got my first PP period 2 weeks to the day after he nursed for the last time and here we are
Breastfeeding was not easy for me at first -- all was going ok in the hospital and then when I got home she wouldn't latch. My mom is a big hippie / pro breastfeeding, and in hindsight I was feeling a lot of pressure from her. She was so anti-formula. Fortunately I talked on the phone to an LC who helped me through that day -- feeding the baby / baby's health are most important, despite grandma's good intentions. The next day another LC came over, gave me a breast shield and taught me how to pump. We nursed exclusively by a week, and without the shield by around 8 weeks. It's definitely a you-do-you thing - whatever combo of BF & formula (or either exclusively) works for your family. I pumped at work until she was 12mo. But we didn't stop nursing in the morning/evening until DD was 2yo and change. Eventually she was just too busy, I went with a don't offer don't refuse approach (well, until the very end there when I would redirect her attention).
As for pumping and dumping -- I never dumped! I think two different times I diluted my "boozy" pumped breastmilk with "clean" pumped breastmilk (2 oz of each). I just couldn't bring myself to pour it out. And it's not like I was wasted when I pumped the boozy milk, it was probably ok as was, I was just being cautious. Overindulging more than a glass or two just kind of went away for that first year.
At work I had an office with a door and a lock to pump in, brought in my own mini fridge, and pumped 3-4 times a day for 15- 20 min. Travel was tough, transporting 3-4 days of BM on a plane is a pain. And I had one awkward time when I pumped in the backseat while a coworker drove us to the airport (fortunately he was a good friend and his wife was BF at the time so he totally understood...)
How often did you pump each day? 3x per day for the first month(ish) (4-5 months post partum) and then 2x per day after that
How long did each session take? 30 min (I was getting a lot at each session, hence the longer time and the fact that I was able to go down to just twice per day fairly early)
What sort of room did you pump in? My office has three "Mother's Rooms" with chairs, tables and magazines and curtains around each "station" for privacy.
Where did you store your milk after pumping? In a cooler bag with ice.
What was the clean up process like? The "Mother's Rooms" had a shared sink so I washed up there after each session.
How were co-workers' reactions? Supportive or indifferent...I was fortunate my boss at the time had a daughter who was three months younger than my own and his wife also EBF'ed so he was extremely understanding and comfortable talking about it, etc.
How long did you keep at it? Until DD self-weaned (starting at 12 months...I continued to BF mornings and evenings after that but she was cutting back so I stopped pumping to allow my supply to dwindle).
**Side note - DD pretty much hated the bottle. I was pumping between 20-26oz per day but she was only drinking 3-8oz in bottles at daycare. She nursed like a maniac in the mornings, evenings and before bedtime to "hold herself over" while I was at work. This gave me a huge oversupply (basically everything I pumped at work was "extra"...but I couldn't stop pumping for fear it would decrease my supply for her actual feedings) so I ended up with somewhere around 800oz of milk left over after DD was weaned! Luckily, I was able to donate it all so it wasn't wasted.
Was it easy? Difficult? Intuitive? Did you need help from a lactation consultant or? I did not have many big challenges with breastfeeding. It hurt the first couple days - it felt like he was biting me. I met with an LC as soon as possible in the hospital and she was very helpful. DS wasn't pulling his tongue out far enough for a good latch, probably due to a minor tongue tie, and that is why it was hurting so much. I had to have him practice sucking on my finger and pull his tongue forward before putting him on my boob. The issue quickly resolved and we got the hang of it before leaving the hospital. Between the latch issues and getting my nipples acclimated to breastfeeding, I had some small cracks and blisters. It would make the first 15-30 of breastfeeding painful before the pain subsided. That was gone within the first week.
I was in the hospital for 2 1/2 days. Each morning the nurse would ask if I wanted an LC to stop by as they made their rounds. I always said yes. Each day it happened to be a different LC. The first one was very helpful. She stopped by my room a couple of times that day. She helped with the latch issue described above and gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to breastfeed. The second one was a waste of time. I felt like I was really getting the hang of feeding and she started correcting me and making me feel like I was doing everything wrong. The third one really helped rebuild the confidence I had lost after the 2nd consultant and I felt good handling things at home.
How long were you able to breastfeed for/when did you stop? Why did you stop? etc. I breastfed exclusively for until we introduced solids. We introduced solids around 5 1/2 months because DS's appetite was exceeding what I could pump during the day. Around 6 1/2 months, we started adding in a bottle of formula everyday. From there, the amount of formula increased while the amount of breastfeeding decreased. He was fully weaned just shy of 10 months
How often did you pump each day? I would pump 3x/day at work. And since DS was sleeping through the night, I would pump about 2 hours after he went to bed.
How long did each session take? 1/2 hour
What sort of room did you pump in? There was a small conference room with a lock on the door that was designated for pumping. I would schedule the room to reserve my time. On multiple occasions I had the awkwardness of having to kick people out who were in there unscheduled (sometimes people duck into open conference rooms for impromptu meetings or personal phone calls).
Where did you store your milk after pumping? I put it in a small soft sided cooler in the refrigerator in the break room at work.
What was the clean up process like? Before: I would use Clorax wipes and wipe down the table before starting. After: I would put the pump parts in a gallon size plastic bag and stick that in the cooler with the milk I just pumped. I never washed or rinsed the pump parts after use. It was stored in the fridge between pumping sessions so I wasn't concerned about washing them. I fully washed them every evening. I did buy a second set because it was sometimes a pain to get them fully cleaned every night.
How were co-workers' reactions? They all knew what I was doing but we didn't really talk about it. Majority of my coworkers are male, but married with children.
How long did you keep at it? Stopped pumping completely around 9 months.