“Just Me and My Medela” - Tips for Exclusive Pumping

October 12 marks 1 year since I have been exclusively pumping. While I was pregnant, I researched the options for feeding my son and I made the decision to breastfeed. I was super nervous though because I didn’t have many people in my family that were successful with breastfeeding, so other than my research, I knew practically NOTHING about it. Nevertheless, my mind was set, and if you know me, I am a pretty stubborn person.

Then my sweet boy was born. He had issues with blood sugar levels at first and had to go to the NICU for the first 24 hours of his life. The nurses were very focused on how much he was drinking, so I had to pump and take it to him and my husband in the NICU. It was so stressful because I hadn’t slept in 2 days (thanks to Pax making his arrival in the morning, which means I labored during the night after a day at work). I was also recovering from giving birth, but every 1 hour and 45 minutes I would wake up and pump and then rush it to the NICU so they could feed him on his schedule. Throughout the rest of our time at the hospital, they stayed focused on the amount he was drinking, even though his blood sugar levels were good and stayed good, so I kept pumping.

When we were both finally discharged, it was pretty hammered into our brains that he needed to drink a certain amount of breast milk every certain number of hours, so I didn’t even try to switch to breastfeeding rather than pumping and giving him a bottle. Looking back, I don’t know how necessary it was to keep tracking exactly how many ounces he was drinking and I likely could have switched to breastfeeding…but hindsight is 20/20. At the time, I also knew that in 6 weeks I was going to have to return to work and he would need to be able to take a bottle, so it just made sense to keep pumping.

The choice to exclusively pump was not an easy one. It was HARD to exclusively pump, especially when he was eating every 2 hours. I was doing 3x the work as if I could or would have just breastfed: It would take me the time to pump, then the time to feed him, then I had to clean the pump parts/bottles, and begin again. I did try to do some breastfeeding in the evenings after I went back to work, but I quickly realized that he was used to the flow from the bottle and didn’t get enough when I would breastfeed. I ended up having to pump and give him some in a bottle after because he wouldn’t drink enough breastfeeding, so I resorted back to pumping exclusively. It became my only option to still give him breast milk rather than formula. It was funny though, every time I went to the doctor with him they would ask about his diet and say, “breast or bottle?”, just assuming that bottle meant formula. I guess not many people exclusively pump? Or at least not enough that they would change what they ask. But as I mentioned, I am stubborn, and I really wanted my son to be fed breast milk exclusively for a year…So thus began my close relationship with my Medela breast pump.

After a year of exclusively pumping, I have learned a lot. I am so happy that I did it, because I believe that I gave my son the best nutrition that I could, and because of that, I wouldn’t change a thing. So if you find yourself in the position where you need to (or want to?) exclusively pump, here are some tips on how to survive exclusive pumping:

1.DON’T QUIT ON A BAD DAY

You will inevitably have a bad day; your supply will dip, you will forget a piece to your pump at home, you will have such a busy day at work that you feel like there is no time to pump, you just want to sleep through the night for once, etc. But as it is with most things, don’t quit on a bad day…Save that decision for a good day.

2.GET EXTRA PUMP PARTS

Since I used the hospital pump while in the hospital, they sent me home with the pump parts I used there. That gave me 2 sets of pump parts. This was a HUGE blessing because then I could do the pump dishes every 2 feedings instead of every single feeding. Even now, when he only has 4 bottles a day, I still dread doing the pump dishes. I have considered going and buying a 3rd set because of this.

3.DON’T BE SHY

If the amount of people that walked in and out of the delivery room didn’t take away any lingering shyness, exclusively pumping will. I have had to pump in most random places. I have pumped in the parking lot of a sketchy gas station, while on the road to or from events, at work, at church, and in other people’s rooms and houses. I have also had to pump in front of family and friends…you just get used to it believe it or not.

4.DON’T DROP YOUR MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT PUMPING SESSION TOO EARLY

I know it is tempting to sleep through the night when your baby starts to, but DON’T! Your supply will drop if you don’t pump at least once per night for a while. I stopped my middle of the night pumping session at least 1 month after my son stopped waking up in the middle of the night. There is definitely a direct connection between supply and how often you pump.

5.HAVE SNACKS ON SNACKS ON SNACKS

This one is super important: keep snacks and water everywhere. I was constantly hungry. So eat as much as you can. I had granola bars, quick snacks and water on every floor of our house, in our car, and at my desk at work. I also drank almost more water when I was pumping, than I did when I was pregnant. I noticed a direct connection between how much water I am drinking and my supply.

6.POWER PUMPING DOES WORK

I had two separate instances when my supply dipped and it freaked me out. I didn’t try any of those teas or cookies that are said to help increase your supply, but I did try power pumping. And let me tell you, power pumping does work! Power pumping, as explained to me by a lactation consultant, is taking an hour to pump once a day. You pump for 10 minutes and then rest for 10 minutes off and on for the whole hour and do that once a day. Yes, I get it, we have a lot to do and an hour is precious time, but it works! The first time my supply dipped, I power pumped for 3 days and my supply came back. The second time my supply dropped, it took me 4 days to get the supply back and then I could stop power pumping. Don’t dismiss power pumping!

7.REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK

If I have learned anything from this experience, it is this: I am strong. Women are strong and we can do so much more than we think we can. I’m not saying that you can breastfeed or pump for a year solely because you want it bad enough, but I am saying that you are strong and can do so much more than you could ever imagine. If you are on this pumping journey with me, whether you make it one week or one year, be proud of yourself. Every day that you were able to feed your baby is something to be commended.