When I was 19, I had my first daughter, Shalie. I was so young and had a rough pregnancy that the idea of breast feeding really turned me off. I think most young girls are like this. The doctors tried to talk me into breastfeeding but I wouldn't hear it. In hindsight, it would have saved me a lot of problems with a acid reflux, milk intolerant baby. But you know hindsight is 20/20. When I became pregnant again in the winter of 2002 with my second daughter, I had ever intention to breastfeed. I knew it was best for baby and with us being so poor, also cheaper. Needless to say, I never got the chance because I lost her between 29/30 weeks. She was stillborn. (One of the hardest things about losing her was having to dry my milk up because I had no baby to feed. But that is a different story for a different time.)
Fast forward almost 8 years to the birth of my beautiful Avery! When I became pregnant with Avery I had this plan, I was going to breastfeed. (And I was going to use cloth diapers, again another story for another time.) No one tells you how hard breastfeeding is. No one tells you how much work goes into it. You usually find out on your own at home after you have brought baby home from the hospital. It was hard and it HURT.
I had the foreknowledge to go ahead and purchase a pump before Avery's arrival. It was my "Option B". I knew if I couldn't get the feeding at the breast thing, then I would pump the milk for her. On our second night home I could take it no more. Every time Avery would latch on I was screaming in pain. It got to the point that I either had to pump or I was done with it all. Of course, if you know Nick (my husband), if you say you are going to do something then quitting is not an option.
So here I am engorged from my milk coming in with very sore nipples and I have this pump that I have no idea how to use. I mean I knew the basics but come on, it was a bit intimidating. And I felt like a fool trying to figure out how to double pump at the same time.
I quickly learned that I was going to have to figure out how to do this and feed a baby. So I jumped online and researched as much as I could about pumping instead of feeding at the breast. Everything I read had a very negative vibe to it. All I kept seeing was how hard it was to maintain a supply with Eping, how if you didn't sit at your pump for 30 -60 mins at a time that you wouldn't produce enough, and blah blah blah. I quickly stopped looking at advice from others because I felt that I could do it my own way. I did learn a very useful piece of information though...how to make my own pumping bra. I am a cheapo and hate to spend money on things I can make myself. (if you want to learn how to make your own pumping bra, see here).
So then it started, I worried so much that I would fail. I worried that my milk would dry up and I would have to use formula. We aren't poor but who wants to spend thousands of dollars on formula when I can make it for free (See told you I am a cheapo). For the first two months all I did was worry about my supply. It's funny really because I had an oversupply. A really big oversupply. At one point I was pumping between 60 - 80 ozs a day. That's a lot of milk. But I did what I felt needed to be done to make this pumping thing work.
I started pumping 8 times a day, for 15 - 20 minutes each time. Every two hours during the day and going 4 hours a night. I was making a lot of milk and feeling up our freezer fast. So I thought I would drop two pumps and see if that would work. I knew that I could always add back if my supply tanked. But I always only pump 15 - 20 mins. I think any more and I would have quit. At 10 weeks, when I went back to work, I decided to drop two more pumps and see where that got me. It was easier for me to only have to pump once a work. So I pumped at 6 am when I woke, 12 noon when I went to lunch, 6 pm once I got home and then again around 10pm before bed. I did this from 10 weeks until Avery was 11 months old. At 11 months I dropped to 3 pumps a day. I didn't drop a lot in supply so this worked still. I dropped to two pumps right after a year but quickly learned I couldn't keep up with her demand and would have to start cow's milk sooner than I wanted. So I added a pump back. I just recently in the past 4 weeks dropped back to 2 pumps and now I am down to one a day.
The love affair with my pump is coming to an end. I dropped my last one this past Sunday. I have really mixed feelings about it all. Pumping has been such a huge part of my life for almost 15 months now. Avery only had breast milk and water for the first 14 months of her life. We just recently (07/18/2012) introduced cow's milk to her diet.
I am happy that it's coming to an end because I am ready to have my body back. I am ready to move on and start trying to lose more weight. I really didn't try to while pumping because I was afraid of messing with my supply. But, on the other hand, I am really sad. By stopping, I am forced to realize that I no longer have a baby. My little girl is now a toddler. I am just not ready to believe it yet.
My planned quit date is 08/25/2012. Exactly 15 months from the day Avery was born. I am so proud of myself for making it this far. I only know of one other person who has done this for as long as I have. It was a huge commitment for me and I followed through on it. I will forever be grateful to my body and God that I was able to provide for Avery this way. It was such a hard and sometimes depressing journey, but I can finally say that I made it. I made it far past my first goal of three months, then six months, and finally a year. I made it!
We plan to have at least one more child and yes, if breastfeeding doesn't work for us that time... I will pump again. Never again will I willingly give formula if I can make something so much better!
Here is an update to my pumping stats...
| All Time |
 | Pumping |
| Total Pumping Sessions | 1,710 | ||
| Total Pumping Time | 35 day, 17 hr, 57 min | ||
| Total Pumping Amount | 19,161.6 oz | ||
| Left | 8,427.2 oz | ||
| Right | 10,734.4 oz | ||
| Average Pumping Time | 30 min | ||
| Average Pumping Time Per Day | 1 hr, 56 min | ||
| Average Pumping Amount | 11.2 oz | ||
| Left | 4.9 oz | ||
| Right | 6.3 oz | ||
| Average Pumping Amount Per Day | 43.5 oz | ||
| Left | 19.2 oz | ||
| Right | 24.4 oz |
