Two Months into this relationship with my Pump

Two months in, twelve hundred ounces of milk in the deep freeze and sanity still intact!

Pumping exclusivily can be so draining but I’m here to tell you it’s so rewarding! I get this rush putting another hundred ounces in the deep freeze. I love hearing my husband complain about needing to buy another deep freeze for my milk.

This post is going to be more about some of the tips and tricks I’ve used these past few months that have gotten me through having enough milk for the baby sitter and still able to stash a few bags in the freezer every couple days.

Tip 1. Keep to a schedule! This is very important (even though I don’t always follow the schedule) I pump every three hours for 15 to 20 minutes or until I don’t have anymore milk flowing out. When I first started, I would wake up in the middle of the night and pump. But after a month I was aching for a good night’s sleep. I don’t pump in the middle of the night but when I wake up I pump a little long, maybe 25 to 30 minutes to completely empty myself.

Tip 2. Stay hydrated! Drink lots of water, especially while pumping. I seem to chug most of my water while pumping. Also I’ve read the drink “Body Armor” has helped a lot producing more milk. It’s has a lot of electrolytes.

Tip 3. I’ve just recently just started pumping in the car while I’m driving. Different, I know lol. I never realized how convenient it actually was. I’m fully covered and no one can tell. Let’s just hope I don’t get pulled over lol. I start pumping after I get off work on my way home. So that way when I get home I don’t have to worry about pumping and taking care of the little one at the same time. It saves me a lot of time.

Tip 4. When storing breast milk that im going to put in the freezer to build my stash, I would always make sure I had at least 4 bottles in the fridge ready for little one. Then I would start pouring 3.4 ounces or 4 ounces in bags. FREEZE THEM FLAT! When I started to freeze them I would put them in sandwich bags too. I then realized I was wasting time and money putting them in those kind of bags. I also use a pitcher of water and dip the bags of milk in to push all the air out of the bag and then seal it.

Tip 5. I use two apps when pumping. (Don’t ask me why, its just a habit I formed) I use: Baby Tracker and Pump Log. Baby tracker times the whole pumping session and it can also track diaper changes, feedings and growth. Pump log is for my stash and times when my next pump is due. After im done pumping and key the info on baby tracker, I then switch to pump log and key everything in there too. I know, waste of time keying the same thing twice but it’s a habit and I’m trying my best to stay organized and create healthy habits.

When I first started this journey I would stress bad about how I would build a stash. Knowing I was going back to work soon and there was nothing on Pinterest would explain or help me. I couldn’t find any pumping groups. So I just kinda took the tips I was given by people and winged most of it. This is what works for me!

Like I said though ive been only doing this for two months. Ill make sure to do a post when I reach my first goal of 6 months.

The Milking Cow

I started this exclusive pumping journey two months ago. This has been the most annoying but rewarding experience of my life. With my second baby I was really excited and ready to breastfeed. I was more experienced and knowledgeable but sometimes life has a different plan for us. I began pumping because my little one wouldn’t latch. I remember being so upset because I wasn’t able to breast feed my child again! With my son I tried breast feeding. He wouldn’t latch, I tried pumping and I just wasn’t into it so I had to give him formula.

To all the moms out there, always remember you are still feeding your baby whether it is from boob, breast milk or even formula. With my son I was a 21 year old a new mom and very overwhelmed. I did what I had to do which was formula feed.

Now five years later I told myself I was going to stick to breastfeeding no matter what, because I feel like I gave up so easy on Bentley. I should have known with having a baby things don’t always go as planned. Once again I had a baby that wouldn’t latch and we tried everything! Yall, I pinched my nipples until they damn near fell off. I tried all those nipple guards and I went through all sizes. Finally I went to a lactation consultant. The things she showed me worked while we were there but when we got home everything was different. It wasn’t as easy and my patience was running thin but I didn’t want to give up! I took a break and my mom would comfort the baby. A little later I tried again, no latch. This happened multiple times. I was so upset I would start to cry while she was screaming her head off from being hungry and frustrated. I just wanted to feed my baby. Fresh out of the hospital, the baby blues were kicking in. Add this extra emotion to the equation and I started to get really depressed. Then I remembered there was one last option I hadn’t tried before which was pumping. So I got all hooked up to this automatic breast pump. I felt like a milking cow lol. To my surprise I had so much milk flowing! LIQUID GOLD PEOPLE! It was a success! I finally made the decision to just start pumping exclusively. It relieved me of milk and breast pain and baby girl was finally getting her milk from mama. Now just because she was getting my milk, I still had other doubts and concerns. At first I was mad with myself and upset because I felt like I wouldn’t get that bond with her like you would breast feeding. I cried to my husband for a few days he would just hug me and tell me she was still getting my breastmilk. He was very reassuring and he was right, it was MY milk. I think after a few days it came to me that I still had that bond with her. She would be sleeping and I would walk by her and she would instantly wake up because she smelt my milk. I started looking more at the pros of bottle feeding her, like knowing how much she was eating at one time and it even helped with building my freezer stash. I’ve learned to be disciplined and learned to prioritize everything. I’ve gotten better at time management and it makes me feel like superwoman.

Since I’m only two months into this journey I’m not going to say I’m a pro because I still stress about my supply. I still am not on a strict schedule (as much as I try). This post is just explaining how I came to this. I want to encourage other moms to try new things and not to give up. I will post as many helpful tips I can to help me and other moms continue.

*I will try to post as much as I can on this topic. Getting my thoughts together on what needs to be posted together* just bare with me 🙂

Let me introduce myself.

Here’s to another mommy blog! 😀

Hello! I’m Megan! I’m a Twenty-seven year old wife and mother of two. Born and Raised in Orlando Florida, home of the famous mouse. In 2013 I was dating someone in college, we got pregnant and soon after moved to his hometown in Missouri. When that didn’t work out I stayed in Missouri and two years later I met my husband. We found out I was pregnant 3 weeks before our wedding! Our little red headed baby girl was born three weeks early weighing in at 9 pounds 7.5 ounces. My first was born Bentley also three weeks early at 7 pounds 12 ounces.

**don’t mind our first awkward family photo lol I promise we love each other ***

This blog is about all things mommy related. Like, how I learned to Co-parenting with my son’s dad and pumping while working full time job. How I managed to keep my sanity moving from a big city to small town with no family and little support and how I deal with postpartum depression/anxiety.