Exclusive Expressers

[teesmum]

glad to have found this thread I am expressing full-time for Tee who is 6 weeks old today. She has a cleft lip and palate so breastfeeding is a no-go I am now pumping 5 times a day and hoping like mad this is enough to maintain my supply, am watching the figures carefully for any drop in production.

i started off every 3 hours round the clock but it was doing my head in, plus I was getting over a litre so decided to cut back a bit. Enjoying sleeping more at night now

Um... what else? I'm using the medela symphony (need to return it soon) and also my own medela freestyle. Not doing a lot of double pumping though as I am not organised enough. The washing of bottles and pump bits is doing my head in, keen to hear how others do this - particularly how you dry them, and store them.

Looking forward to "meeting" you all! And now I'm off to pump and start reading the whole thread

[Lisa B]

Hi teesmum,

Welcome to the EE thread. I'm sorry BF hasn't worked out for you. Is BF definitely a no-go with these issues?

5 times a day pumping a litre is great. I found I had to pump a whole lot more to keep up my supply. I"m no expert in how these things work but I think the work you put in now helps for later on.. Everyone talks about needing to do at leas 8 times a day for the first few months. I was doing 7-8 times a day and then my supply took a dive at about 9 weeks and had to go on Motilium. Now I am pumping around a litre but am vigilant to get in 8 pumps a day - not always evenly spaced though. Maybe everyone is different so I'm not really sure. It's easy to stress over figures of how much you get but I think you're probably right to keep an overview of how much you are getting if you are doing 5 times a day so you can take action if it drops.

I'm using the symphony still but want to get the freestyle. We just haven't had the upfront cash so we continue to shell out the monthly fee, but I know it is cheaper in the long run to get the freestyle - sigh.

Double pumping was one of my earliest achievements that made such a difference as it halved the time I was on the pump and gave me a bit more time to respond to my bub. Hands free was the other achievement so I can occupy myself and attend to my bub if required.

Yeah, the washing of bottles and bits initially did my head in. Now it is a bit automatic. I do take a shortcut when I'm trying to get out the door and when I"m doing it overnight. I pop the bottles, funnels and bits into a snap lock glad bag and then into the fridge. Apparently you can do this for up to 24 hours at a time. I just do it when I'm short on time or want to go back to bed. I'm not sure on the protocol for drying and storing, but what I do is wash in detergent then rinse in hot water and then just put wet into a bowl on the bench for my next use. I think you probably are supposed to dry but I haven't been.

Also check out the kellymom.com website and go down into the Exclusive Pumping section for some more tips. I learnt a heap from this site about storage and handling of milk and some other shortcuts. Also going back through the experiences and past conversation of expressers on this thread was very helpful and an inspiration for me to keep it up.

Good on you for giving EE a go, it's hard work at times but I think it is worth it just knowing that you are giving your baby as much of your goodness as you can for as long (or even as short) as you can.

[teesmum]

thought i should answer all the questions properly

LisaB - thanks for the welcome. Yep, breastfeeding is a no-go, she can't physically get the seal. She needs to have a special bottle too.

There is no way i could maintain 8 pumps a day. i did it for the first week or so? I will have to check my records. Then i dropped to six up until this week (so DD was 5.5 weeks old). I know that what you do in the early days sets up your supply, so I am nervous doing less than recommended. But I need to save my sanity. How often did you pump for each session? I do 20 minutes a session, which is still nearly 2 hours a day. I felt like my poor DS was totally neglected.


How long have you been expressing? since I was about 35 weeks pregnant - I wanted to have colostrum ready to go as we were anticipating feeding problems due to the cleft and wanted to avoid formula. Tee has never been able to have a feed direct from the breast. She's 6 weeks old now.

How long do you plan to do it for/ or have done it for? everyone says to have small goals, but honestly, my goal is 12 months plus. Tee will have surgery at 6 months and again at 12, so I want her to be getting the good stuff at that point.

How many times a day do you express? 5. Recently dropped from 6 to save my sanity, and on the advice of my MCHN who is also a LC. I hope like hell my supply doesn't drop off too much. I am also hoping that once I am feeling better/stronger emotionally/am in more of a routine, I'll be able to add in extra quick pumps throughout the day. Currently doing 10 min per side or 10 or 15 min double pumping.

Do you enjoy it? enjoy? no. at best it is tolerable. right now i am handsfree so i can type on here, that enables me to almost forget what i am doing...almost. i have nearly thrown the pump already! i miss the ease of breastfeeding, of knowing if i was with bub i had everything i needed, no need for bottles and pumps.


Do you have other kids? yep. DS is 3.5yo. he was breastfed until nearly 3.

If you feel comfortable sharing- Why you are expressing? Tee has a cleft lip and palate. Breastfeeding is physically impossible.

What type of expressing method do you use? Hand expressed ante-natally and for the first three days. Then a hired medela symphony, and now medela freestyle. it has a nifty handsfree thing but it is still awkward.... i think it would work better with smaller boobs? not keen on double pumping - too cow like... trying to get over that as it obvsiouly would save time. but then, when i am double pumping i can't really do anything else so it's a tradeoff.


How much milk in a day? around 1L. has been over 1.2L. Blessed with a good supply which does remove some stress. I am lucky to have at least a few litres in the fridge already which will hopefully give me enough time to build up supply if it does start to drop or if her needs ever outgrow my supply (doubt it at this point).

Best expressing tip? handsfree and do something else - watch tv, surf the net etc.

Questions: what have you done while pumping? I have fed DD in the sling and pumped. Not a lot of fun tho... I tried yesterday to attach the handsfree while she was in the sling, couldn't do it

With handsfree - are you all able to pick up your baby? I just can't seem to manage it, the bottle sticks out too far?

I will go read kellymom a bit more, and am still working my way thru this thread

[Lisa B]

Hi Teesmum,

I pump for a total of 20 mins a side through double pumping, so a total of 20 mins. Yes, I do feel rather like a cow sometimes. Doesn't help that I grew up on a dairy farm and my mum referring to the pump as the 'milking machine'. I try and block the whole experience out like you by doing emails/computer time, watching tv or reading a book...anything but clock watching.

In terms of feeling like neglecting your bub, yes I understand that feeling. Although I only have one and I'm not trying to occupy another child...that would be much harder. For me it has come down to how do I occupy my bub so he isn't neglected and he isn't upset from not having enough mum time. When my son was about 6 weeks old I would feed him whilst I was pumping by putting a cushion on the end of my knees and putting his head on the cushion and his legs dropping over to the couch so he was on an angle. Sometimes I would lay him on his back beside me on the couch and stimulate him with some toys or touch. Now the only way I can do things is when he is asleep, he cat naps for about 30 mins after a feed so I jump on the pump then, so he doesn't even notice I"m gone. This means that I'm often pumping every 2 hours in the morning and then I stretch it out a bit in the afternoon, sometimes up to 4 hours as I wait for my partner to come home and then I pump then. I therefore pump fairly erratically but get in about 8 pumps a day.

Are there some special activities you can set up for you other child, or quieter interactive things whilst pumping?

Yes if I really need to I can pick up my son but can't hold him against me. I can therefore move him, get him out of the cot, put him beside me etc. I just hold him out at arms length. He has neck control though, I can't remember if they have it at 6 weeks. On the rare occasion he wakes whilst I"m pumping I just unhook myself and go and resettle him or if he won't resettle grab him from the cot and hook up again to finish.

In terms of handsfree - the women on here have used a few different methods to achieve it so if the freestyle gadget doesn't work for you there maybe some other options. I just do my mat. bra up around the bottles and they usually stay put. I'm a small busted gal (with BM I'm a C cup for the first time in my life...hehehe...an incentive to keep on pumping!!) so I don't know if that makes this method easier for me.

If you can have the vision of 12 months that's great. I"m a small goal girl. My next goals is to get to 6 months which is only about 5 weeks away. I can't believe that I"m almost there. I had a lot of emotions to work through to accept that I was an EE and BF wasn't going to work out. Initially I had a lot of resentment about having to use the pump and saw it as a stop gap until I got BF going. Then finally at 9 weeks due to issues with my son I accepted that BF wasn't going to happen and I had to go to the next best thing. I had the milk so it made sense to use it.

[Barb Glare]

Hi,

You are both doing such amazing jobs for your babies, Lisa and Teesmum. it's easy to feel like you are tied to the pump, and most of us have *helpful* friends and relatives who encourage you to see it that way. I wonder, Teesmum if they would say that if your baby had another disapility that required a couple of hours therapy each day? it's been shown that breastfed babies are less likely to get sick than bottle fed babies. Now a sick baby is REALLY time-consuming. The good thing about babies and children is they just want to *be* with you. they don't demand so called "quality time" - they just want you around. Rather than neglecting your son and daughter you are giving them a fabulous gift. It's a good thing for him to play with his sister, and to learn that sometimes you just have to wait. best start them young I say! In terms of expressing try to throw in another pumping session when you can, even if it's just short. It's so much easier to keep your supply up than to build it up when it goes down. At this age you have all those fabulous hormones working for you. If your breasts feel uncomfortably full, head straight to the pump! A dose of mastitis would be very bad for you right now, and this is something to look out for when you have got such a fabulously abundant supply.

[teesmum]

I am lucky that I have a good network of people who are very supportive of my pumping, and keep reminding me of the good that I am doing. I am very pro-breastfeeding and stubborn which is why I am committed to this pumping journey.

Barb - was it you that said much earlier in this thread that you adopted a baby and that you established breastfeeding when bub was over 12 months old?? I always here that this is possible, but don't know of anyone who has ever done it, it was sounding a bit like an urban myth. Given my bub will have her palate repaired at 12 months, I am very interested in this! I don't want to get my hopes up... but it would be lovely to establish breastfeeding post-surgery. I Breastfed my son until he was 34 months old so very much worth it in my eyes.

Things are settling down here as Tee is sleeping better so I have more time to pump, and also more time with DS. He is very good at occupying himself, but was beginning to show signs of being ignored/dealing with new sibling etc. But this week as I've had more time, he's back to his normal happy little self

that's it for now, in a hurry, but will no doubt be back at a later pump session

[Barb Glare]

All babies will go to the breast given time and patience - I haven't yet met one who didn't. I think - 'he was too old and didn't remember how to suck" is an urban myth. guan began breastfeeding when she was nearly 2 and fed til she was 6. I think you have EVERY chance of feeding at the breast when her clefts are repaired - but yes, you need patience!

[Lisa B]

I have just hit the 5 month mark...yay!! The last month has been a hard one mentally. I had 2 incidents of burst veins which were a bit scary and made me panic a little when jumping on the pump. I hope that is all in the past now! I am going back to work 3 days at the end of the month and am looking to trade the symphony in for a freestyle so it looks like I'll be pumping for awhile longer. I"m a bit nervous about fitting the pumps in at work between meetings etc, particularly when I'm off site.

My DS has been diagnosed with a milk protein allergy and regular formula isn't suitable so I kind of see the need to keep expressing for awhile longer. My goal of 6 months is in reach now but it seems I'm already setting my sights a bit further. I haven't decided what my next goal will be as yet.

My son is now having 2 solid meals as day but I haven't noticed his milk appetite decreasing yet so I"m not sure when that happens. I'm currently pumping 8 times a day and getting about a litre. My son takes about 800mls including milk in his food. I'm going to cut back to 7 pumps a day in a week or so to make it fit better for work and my freezer is getting full again and we have no room for food...hehehehe. I hope my supply doesn't drop too much but a tiny bit wouldn't hurt. I'm still doing one overnight. I have been too worried about dropping that as it usually yields the biggest volume, I'm prone to blocked ducts at the best of times and I'm worried if the stretch of 7 hours might affect my supply.

Tee's mum - how are you going with it all?

Cece - are you still expressing or did your little one have other plans and succeed?

Happy pumping!

[Fleur]

Hey all, and welcome teesmum

Lisa congrats on hitting the 5 mth mark! Those milestones mean so much, I remember the feeling of achievement every time I ticked one off
I dropped my overnight pumps at 6mths & I worried too about blocked ducts, I moved my last pump at night a bit later & my first in the morning a bit earlier so it wasn't like I just cutting one out all of a sudden but extending the times ITMS, a bit gentler on the boobs I think. 7 hours overnight should be ok at this stage I think? your supply sounds great

Teesmum, I found the first few months the hardest, that was when I was doing the most pumps - I know what you mean about feeling tied to the pump! How are things going now?

[Lisa B]

Fleur - thanks. Did your daily volume decrease significantly by cutting out the overnight pump? I currently pump at 2.30am and 6am. Between these 2 pumps I usually get a third of my daily volume - around 300mls.

[surprised]

Hi Lisa,

You're doing so well. My DS also had that allergy, and I didn't want to use prescription formula unless I really had to. I'm assuming no dairy for you as well? When I was finishing up expressing, I couldn't decide if I was more excited to be able to eat anything, or to not have to be attached to my pump!

Once solids were well established, I actually started DS on 1 bottle of rice milk per day (after dr's approval). This took a bit of pressure off me in terms of supply. I then stopped expressing just after 11 months and went to rice milk (again after dr's approval).

[Fleur]

Fleur - thanks. Did your daily volume decrease significantly by cutting out the overnight pump? I currently pump at 2.30am and 6am. Between these 2 pumps I usually get a third of my daily volume - around 300mls.

A little bit, not a lot. My first pump of the day was always the biggest and it increased once I cut the overnight pump. I'm not sure what time your last one at night is, but you could try making your first morning one 5am? If your supply does drop too much, extending your day time pumps just a bit might help, too.
Also, I would try dropping it gradually - don't just stop all of a sudden - skip one night, then wait a few, then skip another and gradually increase the amount of nights you skip.
HTH

[Lisa B]

fleur - mmm...interesting. If the volume doesn't drop much I may need a bigger bottle for that express. Yes I think I would need to drop it gradually due to regularly getting blocked ducts for no apparent reason (like weekly) but definitely happens if I'm late in expressing.

Surprised - yes I'm dairy free at the moment. When I eventually finish up I will have a big binge on cheese, chocolate and ice cream...all my favs. I hadn't thought of rice milk. Is that fortified with calcium? Did your son take to the taste? I heard it is a bit bland.

[Fleur]

Lol Lisa, I used to set up for my first pump of the day with three bottles

Rice milk is actually quite sweet. You are doing so well, I went dairy free for 8 weeks when I was BFing my DS2 - he got over his intolerance very quickly thank goodness, I thought that was hard work! Huge congrats to you getting through this long

[Lisa B]

oooh, my Freestyle just arrived. The set up is different with each medela pump I've tried. This one sits flatter to my stomach than the swing and symphony. The membrane/valve is different too, only need to use the big bottle brush to clean it and the valve doesn't hang into the bottle like the symphony one does. I've tried the hands free and it holds much firmer than my current hands free method. Now I just have to work out how to pay for it!

I've cut back to 7 pumps and getting around the same amount as I did with 8 but it might drop as I feel full at the time I used to do the 8th pump so I guess this feeling will go soon and so might the milk. DS is now having 2 meals a day and in 3 weeks will start having 3 meals so dropping isn't so bad. Gosh it is hard to see when the volume goes down. I have to do a lot of self talk and remind myself I really don't need to be creating 1L when my son only needs just under 800mls including what I thin out his meals with. Like I think everyone here I feel the pressure to keep up my supply even when I don't need to keep it up as much.

[surprised]

Hi Lisa,

Ooh exciting! I loved my Freestyle. Just be careful - the milk can actually spill quite easily because of the design - and we know that stuff is liquid gold!

DS loves rice milk. In fact, at one point he was having 1 rice milk and the rest EBM, and never seemed to notice a difference. Most rice milk I've come across is fortified with calcium - sometimes other things too. There is even one that is protein enriched (with chickpeas).

[CeCe]

Hi all.
I haven't been on lately as we've been moving house. We're still in the land of unpacked boxes. DS has now turned 1 and I'm down to a nightly pump. I'm clinging to that and don't entirely know if I want to give it up yet. There are a couple of reasons for this. 1. DS has some development delays due to low muscle tone, so I find myself saying "I'll stop when he's stronger and able to sit unaided". 2. I'm not sure what to change him to. We have some frozen EBM but I'm not sure if I go to formula or cows milk. He still has trouble with wind so I'm really not certain aboutcows milk. Any ideas or suggestions please?

Sorry for the lack of personal responses -I'm on my phone so it's s little hard to review things. I should have Internet and computer set up next week.

[Fleur]

Hey all.

Lisa, woot for the Freestyle! And such good news that your supply is still pretty good. I totally understand that feeling of needing to maintain supply, even when it's already pretty good. I wasn't even using half of what I was expressing each day but I was so reluctant to let it drop. I think in the long run it does mean that you can reduce some pumps and still maintain a good supply, so there is an upside to it.

CeCe, congrats on making it to one year! and happy birthday to your little man. I think if you feel like you want to keep going, then do. If you feel like he needs it still, then why not continue; there's no real reason to stop other than what works for you. I had to remind myself if I was BFing then there was every chance I would be feeding past 12 months, so no real reason to stop EE then, you know? On the other hand if you feel like this is a good point to stop, it's a great milestone to have reached.
As for cows milk / formula, most formulas are cows milk based anyway, and both are harder to digest than breast milk, so there will be an adjustment phase either way. If it were me I would try him on cows milk, and if it doesn't seem to agree with him maybe then try a LF formula.