Pumping Breastmilk
I recently started pumping breastmilk for my second baby and I love the freedom it brings me. I never pumped for my first child. It was a source of pride for me that a bottle nipple never touched the lips of my baby and she went straight to a straw cup. I have since gotten over that pride.
Why I Didn’t Want to Pump
I was concerned about nipple confusion with my first baby. The breastfeeding class I went to was very clear that my baby could get nipple confusion and refuse to nurse from me afterwords. Also, I had heard stories from friends who started to pump and then the babies only wanted a bottle afterwords. These friends even felt certain that nursing was established and it would be okay to introduce a bottle.
Another reason why I didn’t pump with my first was because I didn’t want to shell out $300 for a pumping system. I knew Medela was the best, but it wasn’t cheap. I didn’t need it, my baby was always with me and I got very proficient at nursing in public with my nursing cover.
I also thought it was too much work to pump, store, and clean all the equipment. There seemed to be so many rules about how to store it, how long to store, how to heat it up. It was just another system that I didn’t want to take the time to learn.
Why I Pump With My Second Baby
With my second child I felt like a lot more confident breastfeeding, so I wasn’t as worried about nipple confusion. I also don’t have the same pride about not using bottles as I once did. I decided I wanted to pump, because I was invited to an evening wedding where kids weren’t allowed. The bride told me I could bring my son, but I wanted to enjoy an evening out with my husband without kids. My baby was 2 1/2 months old at the time.
Thankfully a friend (thanks Natalie!) loaned me her Medela pump that she wasn’t using. Some people discourage borrowing pumps, but I felt that it was okay to use. I found my book from the breastfeeding class and read up on the rules of storage. It wasn’t as complicated as I thought it would be.
I questioned what to do with leftover milk in the bottle that the baby doesn’t drink. After taking a survey of friends I decided that I would put the milk back in the fridge to only be used one more time only if the next time was soon after. I know that some of the nutrients may be gone, but I am okay with that. It is very rare that my son won’t drink everything now.
Now I don’t pump every day, but once a week or so to keep up demand. I love the freedom to be able to leave without my little buddy. I like to pump before church, so I can feed him in the sanctuary without having to miss the sermon nursing in the cry room. There is so much freedom in pumping. If you are about to nurse and are afraid to pump, you should at least try and see if it works for you! I am certainly happy that I tried it!
P.S. I just pumped this morning so I go to a Coldplay concert tonight with my husband. I wouldn’t have been able to go with him if I didn’t pump.
How about you? Have you tried pumping? Did you hate it? Did you like it? Did you have any concerns about nipple confusion?
- photo courtesy of webchicken
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Big fan of pumping – bought a Medela system off of a fellow church member and don’t have any qualms about it being used; I just supplied my own products for what actually touches my breasts (what you have pictured).
I always had so much breast milk that I had quite a freezer-full, and we used every single bag. It was sooooooooooo handy for Sunday mornings in church, and all the other times I needed to get away, too. When my son was 7 weeks old, I traveled to another state by myself for a quick weekend situation – and I had to pump & dump all weekend long. That was a bit of a chore, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as missing my son for 48 hours!! I had my breast pump in this briefcase style bag and it was one of my carryons on the plane. Ha ha!
Pumping is so great! I have been pumping ever since I left the hospital and Asher has never had a problem nursing or bottlefeeding. Pumping has been so nice because it allows other people to feed him, gives me freedom and most importantly provides the oh so important benefits of breast milk.
As a mom who breastfed (and pumped for two) I agree with all of you. But I have one more suggestion that will give you even more freedom: the Easy Expression Hands-Free Pumping Bra (www.easyexpressionproducts.com). This product actually holds the pump flanges to your breasts while you pump, freeing your hands; that way you can do other things like write emails (or blogs), play with your baby, fold laundry, whatever, all while you pump. I just got done pumping 6 months ago and wish I had this. It used to be so maddening to me to sit and hold the pump to my breasts and do nothing else but watch the clock tick by. But I believe this product so much I now do PR for the company. I hope this is helpful! Good luck and Happy pumping!!
I had to chime in about this….the reason why you shouldn’t borrow or buy a used one (that isn’t a hospital grade pump) isn’t so much about the parts that touch your breasts, it is because bacteria can get behind the washers and diaphragms. You can’t clean those parts.
I found a website that says this,
“The practice of re-using single user pumps may be dangerous because some disease organisms are know to be present in the breast milk of infected women. Additionally, if a woman has used the breast pump during an episode of cracked bleeding nipples, blood contamination may have also occurred. Home sterilization methods are not always reliable to ensure the safe destruction of all pathogens especially in the rubber parts such as washers and diaphragms. Some pumps have internal diaphragms that cannot be removed and cleaned or replaced. In addition, even if you get a new collection kit (the part the touches your breast and collects the milk) it may be possible for air-born pathogens or droplets of milk that are not visible to the naked eye to get into a pump motor and cause contamination to the next user. Most single user pumps are “open system” pumps and do not have any protective barrier to prevent cross contamination to multiple users.
Many of the diseases that can be found in the milk of infected women are very serious or life threatening. Pathogens like Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and others can be found in the breastmilk of infected women. (Lawrence 94) These diseases frequently go undetected for long periods of time, so even if the former user of the pump is trustworthy and willing to share this personal health information with you, she may not be aware she or her partner are carriers. Though there have not been any documented cases of mothers or babies being infected through the use of a second-hand pump, I don’t believe sharing single user pumps is worth even a very small or theoretical risk.
Other very difficult to clear fungal infections like candidiasis, more commonly known as yeast or thrush, may also be transmitted. Yeast organisms are very stubborn pathogens that can live on surfaces for long periods. Some lactation consultants will go as far as recommending replacing old pump equipment when working with a mom who has an especially persistent yeast infection because of the difficult in ensuring the complete destruction of the fungus even with careful cleaning.”
Of course, if you know your friends well then you won’t worry about some of those diseases being transmitted, but it could make one a little wary about buying a used one from someone you don’t know. I let a friend borrow mine and then I used it after she was done. I trusted her health, but I also didn’t know about the risks of it either. I’m not sure I would have lent it out had I known about the risks to each of our children.
I hope I didn’t rain on anyone’s parade too much…..
Pumping saved my babies lives! I know this sounds extreme, but for a mama who was determined not to give up on breastfeeding pumping was my only option. My last two babies were early, sleepy, tired, and tiny. Breastfeeding wasn’t easy so I pumped and nursed and bottle-fed and used an oral syringe to feed them until they caught on to nursing exclusively. It was a chore, but so worth it! I haven’t pumped in many months though, so my body just doesn’t respond to the pump anymore. I can only get about 1/2 an ounce
Oh well, I don’t mind keeping my sweet baby close until she weans! There are a select few women (me included) who cannot freeze their milk though. I had to toss a ton of mine. Something about having too much leptin or lecitin or something like that. It spoils in the freezer. What a bummer!
With my son, I had to pump when I went back to work. Pumping at work was definitely a chore, especially seeing that my supply was quite large and I always felt engorged. Every three hours like clockwork I had to go into a tiny room or sit under my desk to pump. I hated pumping!!! With my daughter, I was blessed enough to be able to stay home with her, but I did pump on occasion. I wished I would have started pumping and bottle feeding her earlier than I did because she really didn’t like the bottle. No problems with nipple confusion with that one! When we are lucky enough to have another child, I fully intend to start pumping early on and storing what I can. I missed getting to go out with my hubby!!!
Pumping is fantastic. Especially if you’re a SAHM and MOSTLY breastfeeding, with an occasional bottle. It’s nice to have a date night without having to rush home to feed junior on time while the grandparents are watching him. As for nipple confusion, I know it’s an issue for some babies but we didn’t have a problem with either child.
Since I only bottle-fed a couple of times a week, I bought a hand-held pump. Avent makes a great one, and although it’s not as strong as an electric pump, I actually found it more comfortable. And they’re only about $50, so very affordable. You can usually use your Babies R Us giftcards to buy one for yourself; at least, that’s what I did!
There was no way my second baby was going to get nipple confusion… he was voracious. He would nurse from me or take a bottle from anyone!
It was wonderful not to be the only one having to get up in the middle of the night.
And he’s still a great eater, trying anything you put in front of him, even wanting to pick up tidbits dropped on the floor (ew).
I really didn’t enjoy pumping, but I felt it was necessary since my triplets were born just at the beginning of RSV season and were preemies. I didn’t try breastfeeding for long because i would have been feeding or pumping 24/7! But I pumped for 4 months and built up a freezer stash so that the babies got some breastmilk in their bottles their first 6 months. They never got so much as a cold during all of that time, so I feel it was well worth it.
I pumped with both of my kids, but unfortnately, I’ve never been able to pump too much volume!
I pumped every day for a month in order to leave enough milk so that I could take my older daughter to a concert for a day for her birthday. This was back in March and now, my little guy rejects the bottle so even if I could pump successfully, he wouldn’t drink it.
This should be interesting in a few weeks when I am going to a wedding solo and leaving him with my hubby!
My son was born 4 weeks early and unfortunately hadn’t developed his suck/swallow reflex very well so he never took to nursing. I tried for three months to get him to breastfeed with no success. We tried syringes, nipple shields, even waiting for him to be REALLY hungry, but nothing worked. It was extremely important to me and my husband that our baby get breastmilk (especially since he was a late-term preemie) and I am happy to say I have successfully pumped for the past six months. There are times when I wish he would take the breast (for convenience sake) but pumping has really been a blessing to our family. Our son will take a bottle from anyone and it gives us the freedom to have a date night every now and then! I will continue to pump for as long as I can!
If you haven’t tried pumping and need/want a little freedom it’s definitely worth a try!