I am not sure how relatively new Exclusive Pumping is but I had never heard of it before I was introduced to it a few years ago by a friend. I didn't know that there was an alternative to breast feeding at the breast. Who would have thought you could establish and maintain a milk supply by just pumping?
Well my exclusive pumping journey started back on May 28, 2011. I was ready to give up trying to breastfeed my three day old daughter. My boobs hurt from engorgement from my milk coming in and my nipples felt like they would fall off if I had to nurse one more time. (Avery had a small mouth and therefore couldn't latch properly would cause an extreme amount of pain for me.) I thank God that I had the foresight to purchase a used Medela Pump In Style. (I bought it off eBay for about $20.00. It was old school, but it worked awesome for the first 6 months I had it.)
I guess I should stop for a minute and tell you how much we had planned on providing nothing but breast milk. I am not a formula hater but I wanted what was best and cheapest for my child. Quitting at this point was not an option. You have to understand my husband. He is a wonderful man, but he doesn't like spending money. And inside of my body, was this wonderful nourishment meant for my baby...and it was free. See where I am going with this. So yeah...I had to find another way to handle the nursing.
So I chose to pump. The first time I pumped, I felt so ignorant because I wasn't sure how to use it. Of course, everyone knows you are supposed to stick the horns to your breast, but there were so many other things you don't know. Like how high to turn the suction, if you don't hold the horns just right then there is no suction at all. I thought I bought a bad pump and it wasn't going to work. But I figured it out because I was so desperate. I had to have another way to feed my baby.
It was so scary starting this new journey. I had no idea if I was strong enough to stay committed to this. I was so afraid it wouldn't work, that I wouldn't be able to maintain my supply. In a way, it is so much harder than just feeding from the tap. You have to set a schedule and stick with it. Because you are using a pump (instead of baby), to establish and maintain your milk supply, you have to diligent. So I started out pumping every two hours and would go up to four at night. I was pumping anywhere from 8 - 10 times a day for 15 mins each time. I figured out quickly that I was blessed with an oversupply, meaning I had an abundance of milk. In the beginning I was pumping 80 ozs a day. That is more than half a gallon of milk A DAY.
But it was so HARD. Not only did I have to take care of a newborn, had no sleep, and was an emotion mess; I still had to pump, clean my pump parts, and bottle feed. It was a never ending cycle of washing bottles and feeding. It was exhausting and everyday I had to tell myself... just one more day. I had to make it day by day in the early weeks and months. I hated it. But I continued to do it.
It was hard to find information on Exclusive Pumping and when I did find information, it was all conflicting. One site told me I had to pump for 30 mins to an hour every time to maintain my supply. Another said I need to make sure I was pumping for 120 mins a day. All this information had me upset and scared that somehow I would mess it up and not be able to pull it off. It was even conflicting as to what was safe to store your milk in. So I read all I could and in the end decided to go with what I felt was right. (Some women might find it harder to get their milk to let down then I did. I only had to pump 15 mins each session. I don't think I would have made it if I would have had to pump too much more than that at each session.)
After figuring out I had an oversupply and had to buy a new freezer just to store my breast milk in, I slowly started dropping pumps. I slowly dropped down until I was down to pumping just 4 times a day when Avery was around 3 months old. I could pump anywhere between 45 oz - 50 oz a day with just 4 pumps, 15 mins each time. Life had evened out for me. I was coming to terms with fact that I COULD do this, and I WAS strong enough.
In the eight months that I pumped 4 times a day I NEVER missed a pump session. I pumped FOUR times a day and I was always within an hour of the time frame I would pump in. I pumped at 6 am, 11 am, 6 pm, and between 9:30 - 10 pm. I was always very close to those times, every time. I believe that is why I have been so successful with EP'ing.
The only problem I had was when Avery was around 6 months old, my old pump died. It wasn't a slow death that I knew was coming. One pump it was great and the next it wouldn't even work. I freaked out. It was going to cost me close to $200 just to rent a pump for the first month and like $70 after that. Of course, the best decision was for me to buy a new one. God was looking out for me that day because a friend sold me her barely used pump for half of what she paid for it. She had only used it a handful of times. She was a Godsend.
When I started this journey my original goal was breastfeeding until a year. When I had to start pumping I said 3 months, then 6 months, then a year. I fully intended to stop pumping at a year, I was tired of it. I had made it that long and Avery never had to have any formula. But a year crept up and I realized that I was not ready to stop. I am providing something for Avery that after finished she will never have again. My body 13 months later is still sustaining her life. There are so many benefits to breast milk after a year. And I know that had nursing worked for us, I would still be nursing her. So why not continue to pump?
Is it still hard? Some days, I don't want to do it anymore. But even on those days I don't want to do it, I know I am still not ready to stop. At this point I don't have a goal. I am leaving it open. I could make it to 18 months or beyond, and if I don't, I am okay with that.
For more information on EP'ing check out Kellymom.
Here are some cool stats. I have maintained this app on my phone from the beginning. These stats stand true for every time I have pumped, save a handful. The Total Pumping time, Average Pumping Time, and Average Pumping Time Per Day should be divided by two, since it is added for each breast.
| All Time |
 | Pumping |
| Total Pumping Sessions | 1,602 | ||
| Total Pumping Time | 33 day, 7 hr, 26 min | ||
| Total Pumping Amount | 18,081.1 oz | ||
| Left | 7,935.2 oz | ||
| Right | 10,145.9 oz | ||
| Average Pumping Time | 29 min | ||
| Average Pumping Time Per Day | 2 hr, 1 min | ||
| Average Pumping Amount | 11.3 oz | ||
| Left | 5 oz | ||
| Right | 6.3 oz | ||
| Average Pumping Amount Per Day | 45.7 oz | ||
| Left | 20 oz | ||
| Right | 25.6 oz |
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