Got (breast) Milk?

Fair warning, if you don't like the word BREAST and milk in the same sentence, or the talk of BREAST feeding makes you uncomfortable, then you best get to stepping, this entry ain't for you.

Now on to bigger and better things, and yes I'm talking about my boobs!  ;)  I have been breastfeeding my son since the day he was a newborn.  Scratch that, I have been pumping exclusively to breast feed my son since he was a newborn.  He had a hard time latching on when he was a newborn and he is tongue tied, so it made it difficult.  So after doing some research and joined a group on the great website Baby Center I found out that I could still breast feed through pumping.

I learned that the first 12 weeks are the most crucial and critical to obtain and create your supply.  Pumping every 2hrs is crucial, and a pain in the ass might I add.  Not only was I a first time mom and sleep deprived, but I had to do one "MOTN" pump, a middle of the night pump between 2 and 5am.  Because apparently our dear Lord thought it would be funny to make that the time of day when our boobs produce the most breast milk.  ;)  And man that ain't no joke, I would get between 25-30 ounces in that one pump session!!  Wowza! 

We had so much milk that our own food wasn't able to fit in our freezer and deep freezer in our garage.  There was only room for Holden's food!!  So I had to take action and donate.  After doing some research I found two milk banks to donate to Austin Milk Bank and Helping Hands.  After doing all the processing required to become a breast milk donor, I donated!  I sent off 300 ounces to Helping Hands via Fex Ed.  I drove to a local hospital that had a drop off location here in town and donated 300 ounces.  Then later that same month, I donated 325 ounces again to Helping Hands.  So to date I have donated 925 ounces.  It was no big thing for me to do, I just am glad that it's helping preemie babies and NICU babies.  :)  Warms my heart!  And I'm due for another donation because my freezer is getting full again.

Oh and don't worry, my son is eating plenty and just healthy!  He is by no way suffering from my donations!  He is fed first, then I fed the others!  :)

Here is my freezer stash from December 2012.  Around this time I had about 1000ozs frozen. 

This is my official Mother's Milk Bank donor card :)

 

The two coolers mailed to me so I could donate my 300 ounces this go around.

 

 So here are some tips and tricks that worked for me with my Exclusive Pumping. 

-First and foremost, get a hands free bra.  They sell them at Target/Wal-Mart for about $40, but that it is well worth its weight in gold and you will definitely get your forty dollars’ worth!  They come in sizes S-XXL, so no worries in finding a size that will fit.

-Set up your pump in a comfortable chair/couch.  When you’re being milked like a cow, you might as well be comfortable!

-Get a timer to leave with your pump.  Set it and forget.  DON’T WATCH THE CLOCK.  Rule of thumb is to pump 20-30 minutes each pump session.  Watch TV, play on your laptop, your phone, read a book.  Doing something to keep busy so the time passes. 

-Pump between 8-10 times a day till you reach your 12 week mark.  After about week 9 or 10 you can drop down to 6-7 pumps per day, but it all depends on your supply  Every momma is different. 

-Massage your breasts when you pump.  Overtime you will feel your breasts start to feel a little hard/full.  As you massage when you pump you might feel a knot (clogged duct), just keep massaging to get the knot out and the extra milk stored in there.  You don’t have to massage the whole session, but off and on throughout your session.

-Pump every 2-3hrs.  Breast milk is based on supply and demand. The more you pump, the more you make.  When you empty your breasts by pumping, they begin to fill up shortly after your “empty”. 

-Do one MOTN (middle of the night) pump between 2am and 5am.  Your boobs produce the most milk at this time of night, so be ready to fill up about 3 or 4 bottles at this time. 

-Pump until you feel empty.  Yes, I said pump 20-30 minutes, but some sessions you might need to pump a little longer if you still see milk coming out after your 20-30min mark.  I’m not saying pump for an hour, but this will take a learning curve on knowing your body and knowing the “empty” feeling. 

-Boobs are sisters, not twins.  Both boobs won’t always produce the same amount every time—and that is OK!  My right always produces more than my left.  So don’t get discourage when you see less milk come out of one boob.

-Keep track of your output.   I would track till week 12 so you can see your progression.  Makes me feel happy when I see the numbers go up.  I will also attach my weekly average outputs so you can get an idea of what a ballpark figure is. 

-Drink plenty of water!  Tea is okay too, I’m not all that great at drinking my water, but I try. Being hydrated helps your milk supply.