Hey mamas,

After I nursed Rush to sleep last night, I thought to myself, I have come a really long way and learned a lot of things about breastfeeding since becoming a mother. Those first weeks of engorgement with my first baby were SO hard. I cried {a lot} and called my sister or a lactation consultant for advice nearly every single day. Three babies in, I’m now a huge advocate of sharing all of my breastfeeding insights so they may help another mom on her own breastfeeding journey, which is why I’m incredibly excited about today’s post.

In collaboration with my good friend Amy, of BalancedAmes, and Aeroflow, a supplier of breastpumps that helps mothers obtain a free breastpump through their insurance, we are sharing an amazing wealth of information regarding breastfeeding + pumping… in a VIDEO!

After the video, you can reference my show notes (AKA pumping schedule) below, but be sure to jump over to Amy’s notes too, to notice the vast differences. We are here to show you that each mom has a different journey with different situations and challenges, but we rely on supporting one another to make it all work. The encouragement and knowledge of fellow breastfeeding mothers has been invaluable in my journey (still learning!) and so I am so grateful I am able to pay that forward.

 

Lisa’s Show Notes:

My employment situations have been different with each of my babies (read more of my breastfeeding differences here) + I am currently a work at home mom who is with my (third) baby more often than I am not.

 

Pumping Early On:

• I pumped through engorgement whenever my breasts would become entirely too uncomfortable to stand. Frequency: 2-5 times a day for approximately 10 minutes each time. In the beginning I would pump anywhere from 2-6(ish) ounces. I could watch the color change as the colostrum was expressed – so cool!
  • Note: I know there are varying opinions on pumping while engorged because most advice suggests not putting more demand on the body to produce more milk and thus become more engorged. I was SO scared to pump when painfully engorged with my first baby, therefore only did so minimally and the pain was excruciating + lasted so much longer than it could have if I would have just pumped more. I pumped more the second and third time through engorgement because I recognized the importance of expressing milk so as not to get clogged ducts that could lead to mastitis, the importance of soft breasts for ease of baby’s latch + comfort on my own part.
• Once engorgement subsided and I became more comfortable, I slowly started pumping less, down to only 1 time a day.
  • This took several weeks to get to this point. I started eliminating pumping sessions as I felt less full but would sometimes have to “catch up” by pumping in the late afternoon or evening as my body adjusted. Approximately 10 minute pumping sessions collecting average 4 ounces each time.
• I transitioned to pumping once a day: I would pump at breakfast time while my older kids were occupied. This was a good time between morning feeds with my baby + morning is typically when the body produces the most milk.
  • I did this for approximately 3 weeks after the engorgement pumping, mostly to continue getting milk stored in my freezer stash for if and when I needed it. I was not as concerned about building a large freezer supply given I was not returning to work outside of the home. Again I would pump for about 10 minutes and depending on the time after the last feed, could collect anywhere from 2-6 ounces depending on spacing between feeds.

 

Pumping Routine Now:

• Pumping while away from baby: I always pump while I’m away from my baby the number of times he would feed during that time period. At this point in my supply and by his demand (he’s 4 months old), I’m pumping approximately 5 ounces total in each session, give or take. When he bottle feeds, the most he takes is 3.5-4 oz, therefore I am storing additional milk in the freezer from each pumping session.
• Pumping after longer sleep stretches: As my baby is starting to sleep longer stretches at night, I am waking up with that very full feeling occasionally. I always breastfeed first, but if still feeling full, add a pumping session in between morning feeds.
• Pumping to increase supply: Because I have experienced supply issues in the past, I am a little sensitive to the issue. If I feel I’m pumping less than my “normal”, or if I’m feeling sick or run down or anything that may influence my body producing milk, I add in a single pumping session in the day. That extra “demand” is one strategy I use to boost supply. (Other strategies I’ve used have been noted in this post.) Sometimes this only collects 2 ounces, but it’s more to put the demand on my body.

I honestly feel like this is the easiest pumping schedule I’ve ever undertaken based on the fact that I am with my baby far more than I’m not. It has eased some of my stress about freezer stash and supply, but can certainly relate to those who have those concerns.

 

I recognize I am one mom with my own experience that is unique to my work at home situation . Visit Amy’s show notes for an alternative pumping schedule, as she is a mom who works part-time outside of the home. She also has a unique situation based on her oversupply, so our two experiences couldn’t be any more different.

Between the two of us, we would like to say you’ve got this. We are here for you; we are cheering for you; this can be SO hard, but we know you are capable of achieving your goal + making the best decisions for you and your baby(ies).

We hope you enjoyed our first vlog on breastfeeding + pumping (brought to you by Aeroflow!) and hope to bring you more soon. Let us know what else you’d like to hear!

 

XO

 

PS- I tell every mama about the great resource of KellyMom.com and love following pumpspotting + lactation link + the milk source on social media!