Around week 3 (I can’t remember exactly) I started to pump, maybe a bit early but I’m not doing ‘full pump sessions yet’ I just needed to relieve some pressure. Apple has been gaining weight but my left side overproduces a little in my humble opinion, ouch!
Anyway, I know a few people who used to work on a dairy farm and umm yeah based on their descriptions I now feel like a cow. Its awkward for sure and I feel weird when my hubby sees me (odd I know) but it helps sooo much so who cares!
Source U of Minnesota
Anyway so far I’m blessed with a good little sleeper so I started using it whenever but quickly realized using it as part of the night routine was the best way to get started. She tends to cluster feed and or eat less at night so that was when the pressure started to build. Here is our current routine (next week I’m going to start transitioning for work.) Also FYI I’m not a doctor or anything so make sure your child is gaining weight and talk to your doctor if you have any questions. There got that out of the way. Also I would like to say that right now we only nurse on one side per time. It’s just what works for us, so if that is what you do maybe this will help you out.
- For her last feeding of the night or what I hope to be if she doesn’t cluster feed I let her eat till her hearts content on whatever side is up, lets say the right. Then if its a short feeding I finish off the 10 min with the pump. Then I switch to the left side and pump for 5 min just to relive the build up but not to stimulate a full feeding (and therefore the need to refill.) Then that amount (around 2-3 ounces) goes in the fridge.
- Whenever she wakes up (nope I don’t wake her, and hopefully never will need to why start that habit?) she will eat on the left side and again I’ll finish out the 10 min with the pump and then pump for 5 min on the other side. This also goes in the fridge.
- I complete the cycle one more time in the morning with her first feeding wait for that milk to cool and then combine all the milk and freeze it.
Here are my thoughts behind this. First off I started doing full pumps (10 min) on the not used side. This didn’t help AT ALL in fact it made it worse. Then both sides thought they needed to refill ouch! I read somewhere that doing about 1/2 your normal time will help relieve the pressure but not the refill, its worked for me! Secondly when she is cluster feeding I do switch her back and forth to both sides. I know its mostly a comfort thing not a hungry thing, but at least for her if I switch back and forth she ends up eating more ( at least I hear more swallowing ) and that seems to shorten then amount of time she needs to eat. I’ve gotten it down from 3 hours to just 1.5-2 using this method and that is nice since she starts cluster feeding around 10…ish tired mama. Lastly according to my research you should only mix cooled milk, not warm and warm and not warm and cool. You can read more about that here on the Medela website. I can’t find my original source though but it was more scientific but if I find it again I’ll add the link.
Lastly remember when you first start your not going to get the same amount of milk that your little one does when she eats, so don’t freak out if your only getting a tiny bit. Keep trying and hopefully it will work out for you. The fact is pumping doesn’t work for everyone and that is ok. Don’t beat yourself up about it, its not your fault. Try as long as you can and try different helpers but if it doesn’t work out it just doesn’t. There are some things you can do to help, I’ve not had to try them but I’ll find some links for a future post.
LoveGreenBaby 
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