Expecting moms, new moms, old moms and everyone in between has advice to offer. I say, listen to the advice and then do what makes sense to you…always go with your gut! I have made a lot of gut decisions through my short motherhood journey, and one of the most profound of these decisions was opting to exclusively pump.
From day one at home with my twin boys, my gut was telling me to make the process of breast feeding more efficient and less stressful. We were on day ten of nursing, and I was struggling with non-aggressive eaters, which resulted in a lazy latch. Combine a lazy latch with my non-cooperative nipples, and we were on a one way street to melt down city. Managing two hungry babies among the plethora of other things I was balancing as a new mom, I decided then, after 10 days, to do what felt right to me, and that is when I embraced the idea of being an exclusive pumper (EP). Thankfully, I had a wonderful EP mentor and colleague who shared her knowledge and helped guide me through the challenges.
Overcoming the societal pressures
I was told: Give nursing two weeks before you give up. You and your children will find a rhythm and it will get better. Obviously, I made it a whopping 10 days but those 10 days were full of frustration and negative energy. I didn’t find breastfeeding particularly relaxing, and I was definitely not experiencing a positive bonding experience with my children. I was resentful, disappointed, and overly tired. I would breastfeed for over an hour and then 45 minutes later they would be hungry again. This routine was not something I was willing to continue. After a few visits with the lactation nurses at the hospital, Google, and support from a few mom friends it didn’t take long for me to be okay with the choice.
The common negatives with not nursing include not bonding with your child and not providing them the healthy nutrients of breast milk. While my nutrients were still being passed on through pumping (for the most part), I was only really worried about the bonding, and that worry quickly subsided. Because we bottle fed, my boys have a deeper bond with both parents than they probably would have if I was doing most of the feedings.
Tools needed to succeed
I began recording every feeding from July 25th (boys were just 4 days old) using the app Baby Connect. I am not sure if it was that I was in the depths of data collection much of my pregnancy earning my doctorate when I was 28 weeks pregnant or the convenience of an app? Whatever it was I LOVED logging my pumping sessions. I opted for the Baby Connect app which shows you really cool graphs, live stats, and averages which I totally geeked out on! Check out my complete pumping log here.
The obvious tool moms need is a good pump, a hands-free pumping bag, and hands-free pumping bra. I got my pump prior to delivery. Had I known I was going to exclusively pump, I would have done a little more research and would have opted for a hospital grade pump. I had the Medela Pump in Style Advanced, and it trucked right along the whole eight months. I did have the Lansinoh Bandeau bra and when I went back to work, I ordered pumping bras to wear all day with a bit more structure. I got these from Amazon. They were not overly supportive, but most importantly had the appropriate holes for a pump versus the entire flap opening for nursing mothers.
Supplements and milk boosters
Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle were my supplements of choice, thanks to my EP mentor for recommending these. These helped greatly with production and were easy to fit into my lifestyle. I did try mother’s tea and didn’t really like the taste of it. I had high ambitions to make lactation cookies but opted for oatmeal for breakfast every day and pineapple juice with my lunch. I am not sure how much research has been done to prove or disprove those milk boosters, but it seemed to work for me.
An awesome partner is also a necessary tool. When I was pumping and feeding my husband really helped out. He would feed both boys with the bottle while I pumped. I burped and he changed diapers. This made our middle of the night feedings very efficient at 30 minutes rather than an hour if I was trying to do everything alone.
Occasionally I had to do middle of the night feedings alone, and it was exhausting, but he was quick to return the favor and let me sleep an extra hour before I had to get up and pump. He became quite the pro at all things pumping related; he would keep me on schedule and on long trips, he would let me pump away in the car while he drove. He would research and order new parts on Amazon and have them two day shipped. He also was great at pitching in and cleaning all the bottles…there were endless amounts of bottles.
The stats
Many moms who nurse don’t really know how much the baby is eating in one feeding or even a collective understanding of how awesome their bodies can be. Because I exclusively pumped, I collected all this information,and I love to share it with others. Here is a summary of the stats:
- Pumped for twins for 8 months
- Averaged 7 pumps a day
- Spent a total of 500 hours pumping
- Produced 7,492 ounces total (nearly 468 pounds)
- I pumped 1,297 times total over those 8 months
- Highest production months were December and January when the boys were 5 and 6 months old
Eight months of pumping
I based my decision to ween the boys entirely on the fact that I was going to be traveling for work via plane for six days without the kids around the eight month mark. I decided that I wanted to enjoy those 6 days. Not pumping meant that I could sleep through the night, wouldn’t have to pack all my supplies, it also meant that I would not miss out on conference material or presentations because I had to excuse myself to pump.
I tapered myself for six weeks before the trip. I was terrified I would be in pain from engorgement or that my supply would not decrease because I was pumping quite a bit each day. It took me four weeks to taper and the last two weeks before I left we used our small stash of frozen milk. Exactly eight months is when I was dry and out of milk. I wasn’t lucky enough to have a lot in the freezer so when I went on the trip they got formula and were on it until they were one years old. It was nice to have my time back and if my breasts could talk, I am sure they too would have thanked me for the break!
Finding freedom
One of the greatest things about pumping for me was the freedom. The freedom to have the boys spend time with their grandparents for a weekend. The freedom to share the responsibility of getting up in the middle of the night. Or the freedom to excuse yourself from a social gathering and spend twenty minutes listening to the hum of your machine while you scroll through Pinterest.
Pumping was fast and efficient for me, it gave me a task to complete and a sense of routine in what felt like a chaotic and schedule-less time in my life. We were in survival mode for most of the boys’ early days and pumping gave me a piece of mind and a sense of accomplishment.
Downsides of exclusive pumping
While there are plenty of hurdles and challenges that present themselves with pumping, I was fortunate to not have too many that created set-backs or frustration. I never had a confirmed case of mastitis but I did have a few times where I was sore, hot, and pretty sure I had a clogged duct. A long warm shower with lots of massaging and sliced warm potatoes in the bra every 20 minutes for an hour would do the trick for me.
I also have to be honest and acknowledge that my supply each day was awesome, however most of those 8 months the boys were combined eating approximately five ounces more than I was producing. So I supplemented with a bottle of formula when needed. They took formula well, and we then knew if we were in a pinch (like those days when I struggled with a clogged duct), they could take formula which alleviated a lot of stress.
Lastly, I would say a huge obstacle would be the bottles. You are cleaning baby bottles, pumping bottles, pumping supplies, and all the lids and nipples that correspond. So if you are not one who likes to do that, then this is not the gig for you. We loved the steam/sanitize bags and used those all the time for a quicker way to get things clean. Again, my husband was very helpful when it came to cleaning the bottles. It gave him a point of pride and responsibility in the early days of child rearing.
I often get asked if my experience is altered because I had twins or if I would choose to exclusively pump if I had a third child? Honestly, I think I would exclusively pump again. It is all I know and it was awesome.
