Getting into the groove of pumping

There were so many different tips and advice from the internet on creating stash of expressed milk with a breast pump when I was due to go back to work that I got all confused and muddleheaded when I first embarked on this journey.

I first tried to work out the routine in my head but for some reason, it was almost impossible to mind-map and visualised it. I am hardly a gut-feel person, but in this case, I really just went with my gut to see what works for me.

It took me a few days to get the stash going while I continue to breastfeed exclusively. Basically, these were the things I did:

• Pump both breasts after each and every feeding session for 10 – 15 minutes. Hence, if Spud feeds every hour, I’d pump every hour after the feed to empty off the breast. (It was one of the most tiring things I have ever done and I felt like I was forever pumping). If I remember correctly, it took me at least a week to create enough supply to last for one day at the beginning of my pumping career.  
• As dumb as this may sound, getting Spud back on the bottle was one of the most important (and most difficult!) thing to do! .Once Spud took the bottle like a champ, I replaced the day feeding with a bottle of expressed breast milk.
• However, I made sure that I pumped in tandem (within the hour) every time Spud was being bottle-fed. It took me almost another week to collect and gauge the amount of milk Spud needs on daily basis vs. my pumped volume.
• I recorded everything – how much Spud fed from the bottle, and how much I pumped per time. ( I swear I never was this schizo or so anal retentive!) 
• During this time, I continued nursing her at night.
• As soon as a one day supply was established, I stopped pumping in tandem at every time she fed. Instead, I pumped 6x-8x a day (almost every 2 hours) up to 10 minutes thereafter (I usually don’t have the patience to last 15 minutes!), to ensure that we have adequate supply for the day when I am away at work.
• Gradually, I reduced the number of pumping session to 4x-5x (every 4 hours) per day – which is currently enough to last Spud for the time that I am gone. Now that the supply is established, I have a separate routine to ensure the continuity of supply as well as giving Spud some boob time.

The above start-up routine however, does not allow me to have a freezer full of frozen milk. This is because I work on the concept of pumping today for tomorrow’s stash. It works for me since I personally prefer that Spud gets a fresh supply every time without having to freeze it first. Not only does freezing take a longer time to thaw (and Spud is not the kind of baby who would patiently wait for her milk without screaming your ears off!), I was also told by the lactation consultant that more nutrients will be lost from thawed frozen milk.

Essentially, I work on the ideals of fresh is best. Besides, Spud has rejected thawed frozen milk quite a few times before. I suspected she does not really like the taste very much as (mostly according to Silver Bullet) they do taste a little different!

It helps that I started on this at least a month before I went back to work.

I only have 2 days worth of expressed milk supply – none of them is being frozen. They are good to keep for 3 days and I try to contain the freshness by keeping them in a sealed container.

Pumping is a part-time job I sometimes wish I didn’t have! I caould never have imagine this to be my life and that it did take some time to get things going, and then little bit more to get used to the extra work I have to do just so my kid gets her nourishment.

This is when I thank the breast pump I now have for making pumping so much more bearable!

I have heard of new moms having to pump only 2x a day while at work and apparently, that is enough. They must really have a lot of milk, for I can never get enough supply after just 2 pumping sessions!

The body is again truly amazing! Each time I look at my own produce (and at the risk of sounding like a true bimbo), I still have a hard time registering that the quantity of bodily fluids I pump out  is actually enough to feed my child. She is actually growing just from my milk and that is all she ever needs in  her 6 months of her life. Isn't that just truly awesome!