Ixelle - ten months down

Yesterday I cleared out a lot of milk from my freezer. Lately it has started to sink in that in less than 2 months I will no longer be spending 2 hours a day with my trusty pump. We have a love-hate relationship, but knowing that it's almost over and Thumper is almost 1 has given me a renewed patience with pumping. Part of me can't believe that it went by so fast and another part can't believe the huge chunk of my life dedicated to pumping this past year. If my calculations are correct, by the time I'm done I'll have pumped for an amount of time totaling an entire month. That doesn't matter, my goal is in sight, I've already seen the fruits of my labor. I've given my son a great start and all this is worth it. Looking back I realize that I would have never made it this far if it wasn't for my husband and his support as well as his insistence that Thumper needed milk. No matter what you do in life, I think that a good support system gives you a great boost toward reaching your goals. I've been very blessed. I'm proud of what I'm about to accomplish, even though the daunting task of pumping while visiting my husband's relatives in Taiwan is still to be conquered. Maybe I'll miss pumping, who knows (yeah, right!). So ladies, seriously, if I can do this for ten months I know you can too if you want to.

In other news, I'm down to pumping 3 times a day at 8am, 4pm and 11pm. 40 minutes each time. I've had to use a couple of frozen bags in the past few weeks, but I'm not lacking in frozen milk and one those days I was still almost pumping enough to feed him. I'm guessing this is probably due to him drinking more milk because of teething. No plans to drop down to twice a day yet, so this might be the schedule I stick with until I start weaning off the pump. I'll update again when I get back from Taiwan with my experiences.

EP Nightmares: Power Outage!!! - Kathy's Story - "Save the Stash!"

Hello fellow EPers! I have made it an entire month. I am pretty happy. This is hard work! (see my first post here)

San Deigo suffered a HUGE power outage yesterday afternoon, which continued through early this morning. San Diego likes to freak out. If it drizzles - the news goes crazy with reports of "Storm Watch 2011". It occasionally gets cold enough in the mountain areas to snow. And, of course, its a big deal. Take out power to the entire population of San Diego county (and we weren't the only ones...) on a unusually hot day- holy crap! Since we had no power, we had the ol' radio in our favor. This is after my husband searched high and low for enough D batteries to power it. Looks like we need to work on our 'emergency plan'.

My first thought when the power went out- damn SDGE! They cut off my A/C earlier in the day (I give permission for them to do this for a break on my bill), now I have NO POWER?! After about an hour, I remembered one important thing- THE STASH! Luckily, we invested in a deep freezer two weeks ago, but that didn't take away the fear that I would loose everything I had stashed away. I don't have a guess in volume but I have been freezing about 15-20 ounces a day for the past two weeks, and probably anywhere from 10-12 ounces a day prior to that. So, there's a decent amount.

I did the best thing I could- didn't open the freezer. I took my current fresh supply that I would be using today and wedged it in between mixed veggies and chicken strips in the freezer. I put some in baggies to hopefully try and get it to stay as cold as possible. I took anything that was 'fresh' and placed in my little cooler bag with the ice pack that came with the pump. Annoying, yes. But, I knew that I would at least be able to feed Karly through the night and the next day. I also have a battery pack for the pump, which helped.

The power finally came back on sometime between 12:30 am and 2 am when we both work up to an unhappy baby. Luckily, she drank lukewarm milk, but she did complain. Hubby ran outside to turn us back on. And, I ran right to the freezer- it was all okay! The stuff in the upper 'basket' had some slight condensation on it, but the milk was solid. I decided to go ahead and use some of that today, just in case. I'll carefully weed through the rest. I am thankful I am only throwing away some regular groceries from the fridge and NOT the liquid gold!

Weaning Experience - Kylee

I am officially finished pumping. Whoohoo!! You can read my previous entries here.

I EP'ed for a total of 6 months. At first I had very mixed feelings about weaning. I was very excited to be done, but on the other hand I felt guilty for quitting. Now that I am completely done I am glad I made the decision to stop.

My weaning process took a total of 8 weeks. I was pumping 5 times - 6, 10, 2, 5, & 9. Here was my weaning schedule.

-Starting 5 pumps a day
-Dropped 5 p.m. pump - total of 3 weeks. Full pumping session.
-Dropped 10 a.m. pump - total of 2 weeks. Full pumping session
-Dropped 2 p.m. pump - total of 1 week. Pumped for 10 minutes each session
-Dropped 9 p.m. pump - total of 1 week. Pumped for 10 minutes each session

When I was down to one pump per day I did this for about 4 days. I went 2 days without pumping, then pumped just enough to relieve a little pressure. That was my last time.

It feels amazing to have my life back! I feel like I can fully enjoy my son now without trying to figure out how I'm going to entertain him while I'm pumping.

At 6 months here are my stats:

* I spent a total of 330 hours pumping
* I pumped an estimated 9000 ounces
* I have a freezer stash that will last me 3 months

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Way to go Kylee! We all celebrate when an EP mom makes her goal!

Mail Call: EPing for Twins

Sara has twins, and reading around on message boards she's gotten the advice that a "hospital grade pump is NECESSARY" for an exclusive pumper in her situation. Here's what she asked our pumping moms:

I have been renting a Symphony for the past 3 months and I am about a week away from having to return it. My insurance only covers 3 months, which is a value of $160. I have purchased the Medela PISA from Target, but have not opened the box and broken the seal, so I *do* still have the option of returning it. I thought I had read enough good reviews about it to be confident in my purchase, but after reading this and other posts from twin moms, I am concerned that returning the Symphony is going to decrease my supply when I start with the PISA. I really don't have the money to be able to rent the Symphony for $50/month, but I also realize that I don't have that kind of money to buy formula if my supply drops and I have to go that route. The only reason I was able to get the PISA is because I saved all my Target giftcards from my baby shower.
So whats the deal? Is the PISA "designed for pumping only a few times a day, not around the clock"??? What would you do if you were in my shoes?
Thanks for your opinions! ~Sara

Here's what our Pumping Moms had to say -

Advice from Arvada -
Dear Sara, Congrats on your twins! I would think that using the PISA would be just fine. I started with the Symphony for about a week and then upon my discharge from the hospital, used my PISA. I never saw a difference in my supply. I have been using my PISA around the clock for nearly 14 months now. While my supply has changed over time, based on the need of my baby, it has never tanked because of a change in pumps.

I would also encourage you to try fenugreek if your supply does drastically change. I do think you might see a small change in your pumping volume with the switch but once your body becomes familiar with the new pump, you should see it come back up.

I would highly suggest that you do change out your membranes about every other month since they will wear out over time. You can get the little white membranes and most Targets and BRU's.

Also, make sure you familiarize yourself with the various parts of the PISA pump since it is vastly different than the Symphony. But you know you can always ask questions here on this blog and any one of us will gladly reply to your question.

Advice from Kristen:
I have a Medela PISA & I pumped 6- 8 times a day for an hour at a time for almost 6 months & now I pump 5 -6 X a day an hour at a time & I get 5 -7 ounces at a time. I love my PISA... Mine is almost 4 yrs old ( got it for my first son & only used for a month) and I have had no problems.

I would say that as long as you keep your nutrition good & your water intake up you should be fine. If you see a drop at beginning you can always add supplements to help (I use Mother's milk plus capsules).

Do you have a health flex plan? If so, you can use that $$ to buy pumping supplies & pumps. Good Luck!

Advice from Kylee:
Sara - I had a Medela PISA - used it for 6 months. The first 3 months I pumped 6-8 times a day, and then the other 3 months I pumped 4 times a day. I had no issues at all with my pump. I would use and will use my PISA again.


Advice from: Janna
First of all I would like to say, great job! I found it hard just to maintain a supply for one baby, so good job providing breast milk for twins by EPing!! As far as switching to a personal use pump, I did notice a slight decrease in my supply when I switched from the Symphony to the Medela Freestyle. However, I also returned to work and was away from my baby, so that may have been a contributing factor as well. I wouldn't give up on trying to get your insurance company to continue to cover the cost of the Symphony. I was able to get approval for an additional 3 months after my coverage ran out just by asking my physician to put in a referral. I that doesn't work, I would go to your babies' pediatrician to see if he/she can get approval; your pediatrician may be able to persuade the insurance company to cover the cost because of the numerous benefits of breast milk (including cost saving benefits to the insurance company due to less childhood illness). Additionally, starting January 1st, insurance companies will be required to cover the cost of breast pumps; your insurance company may be more willing to approve the pump because they will be required to cover it starting in 2012. If that doesn't work, I would check to see if you qualify for WIC. WIC provides loaner hospital grade breast pumps. They can also provide formula if you need supplement. If all these options fail, I would go ahead and use the PIS. I had a friend that was able to build her supply with this pump, so I know that it works well for some moms. I hope this helps! Good luck!!

Advice from: Jennifer
Hi Sara, I have to be honest with you and say that I completely regret returning my Symphony to the hospital. I rented it for the two months that my daughter was in the NICU. Insurance didn't cover a dime, so we paid for it completely out of pocket. I started using the Medela Freestyle and that in combination with starting my menstrual cycle again slashed my supply in half the next month. I'm not certain it is all due to the switch in pumps since my period also started that same month, but I will always wonder if I had kept the Symphony would my supply have stayed up. I even debated going back and re-renting the Symphony again. To me, it was a much more comfortable pump. I find the Freestyle slightly more awkward and not as smooth as the Symphony, as well. With the Symphony, I was able to pump only 4x/day and get more than enough milk for the day and to freeze the excess. With the Freestyle, I pump 6x/day and only freeze excess every few days.

Overall, we've made the transition and survived. Luckily, I had an oversupply so my reduction in milk hasn't been drastic enough that I need to supplement. I also have a massive freezer stash that I can break into on the rougher days. But, I do still miss that Symphony!! Best of luck!

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Do you have advice for Sara? Share it in the comments!
Have a question for our pumping moms? Send it to pumpingmomsblog@gmail.com

Dealing with the tedium - Ixelle

I looked at the calendar recently and realized that next week will mark 7 months of being a mom, and 7 months of pumping. The first few months went by so slowly, and I couldn't imagine having to pump for an entire year of my life. But now the months go by pretty fast and now, before I knew it I was more than halfway through, with much less pressure to produce since Thumper is now taking solids and will likely need less milk as he gets older. Here's just a few tips that I've found handy to keep yourself sane and motivated to 'pick up the horns' every day:

1. Celebrate the little victories! Made it to a month mark? Reached the halfway point to your goal? Go out for dinner with your hubby or treat yourself to a massage. Obviously don't overspend on luxuries but work within your budget, besides that's just money you've saved from not having to buy formula (don't quote me on that, I'm not a professional financial adviser and I'm not trying to get you in trouble with the hubbs!). Just find a way to make room for a little celebration now and then.

2. Pat yourself on the back. Hey, no one else can do for your baby what you've been doing! You're providing years and years worth of benefits for your baby by pumping for him or her. Fewer medical problems, higher IQ, (appreciation of good food?). The few months you spend pumping is nothing compared to that, you can make it. Hang in there.

3. Fish for encouragement. Don't feel bad for reminding the people around you of how long you've spent pumping (I've spent more than 17 days of my life pumping btw) or how hard and draining it is for you to pump. I'm not saying to whine or complain, just use it as a way to let your significant other or others involved in your child's life know that you need an encouragement boost. We're all human, we tend to forget things pretty fast and need a little reminder now and then.

4. Take a long look at your baby, and remember how much you love that little monster. That's your heart right there walking/crawling/squirming around outside your body. That makes it all worth it.

NOT Crying Over Spilt Milk...Anymore

I just returned from a short end of the summer vacation, during which my daughter started full-out crawling and pulling herself up in the crib. First order of business upon our return was lowering her mattress!

Which resulted in a grizzly find...

(don't judge me :)

I found a bottle of milk, about 3/4 full hiding under the crib.

For about 6 days.

Oops.

I can count on one hand the amount of milk we've wasted. I definitely guard my liquid gold well - usually. And in all previous cases I've cried or felt completely ill at the thought of such waste. So I guess this is a sign of growth! Even though my milk is gone and there's no more to replace any that is lost at this point (we're on the last box of my frozen stash right now), I was able to shrug, gag a little, and move on.

It wasn't always that way. Early on, one of the first times I left the house with The Cupcake, I set out from the house with 2 bottles and only returned with one. The other was probably left in a cart at Target or dropped in the parking lot, but it kept me up for DAYS. I had dreams that I found it in my car (which had been thoroughly checked), on store shelves, in the closet - and in my already sleep deprived haze, I couldn't always be sure I was dreaming until I checked again and again.

That sleep deprivation also resulted in a few spills while pouring bottles, which always ended up in tears. An ounce of milk brought at least 2 oz in tears. And there may or may not have been talk of divorce after my husband left 2 full bottles in the diaper bag for two days...

But now, even though I'm fully weaned and there is no more milk, there were no tears with this discovery. It was a bummer, but I'm okay. TC is okay. Life goes on. In retrospect, I wish in those early days I could have let the anxiety go and just roll with the punches more. Despite the pain and frustration of EPing, especially in the first few weeks, a bottle here and there were such small parts of our lives, it was hardly worth the sorrow.

Have you cried over spilt milk?

Tips - Always have enough milk

One of the challenges that is unique to EPing is having enough milk on hand to feed your baby, both at home and on the go. If the baby gets hungry and we're out of milk we don't have powdered food with a long shelf life that we can quickly add water to, and we can't feed them straight from the tap either. Sure, we might have our pump handy but that takes time, which a hungry, screaming baby doesn't understand. So here's a few things that I personally do to make sure there is enough milk.

1. I always keep at least one extra full bottle in the fridge in case Thumper is hungrier than normal or somehow I lose the milk he would have had due to spills or spoiling.

2. I make sure there is at least one full bottle out of the fridge, ready for when he is hungry. Thank God breast milk lasts so long out at room temp! Thumper does not like cold milk so this saves me having to warm it first, which takes time. If he drinks this bottle, and I'm not due to pump for a while I take the bottle that was in the fridge out so that it can 'warm up' to room temperature and be ready if he gets hungry again.

3. When travelling, always pack more than enough milk, even if you plan to pump while away. I've had way too many instances where I was certain I had packed enough milk when lo and behold Thumper finishes everything I bring and is still hungry before I get a chance to pump. That is not fun. I usually pack at least one full bottle that he drinks out of and two full bottles that I pump into, one of which is usually my extra fridge bottle, more if we are planning to be gone for longer periods of time. The nice part is the bottle that was in the fridge keeps the other bottles chilled when we're out and about. If you're worried about the milk going bad just bring a cooler and an ice pack.

4. I keep a manual pump in the diaper bag with some 'Pump & Save' freezer bags at all times just in case. I have not had to use it yet, but it seems like it would be more discreet and require less setting up if I'm out of milk and just need a quick few ounces to tide Thumper over.

I'd love to hear what you do to make sure you have enough milk on hand, do comment!