As a first-time mom, I feel as though I could not exclusively give breastmilk once the baby got out of the hospital because I didn’t know what I was doing. Although I did research, I think I could not produce full-time for some reason. Therefore, the baby kept taking partial formula post-NICU.
This time around I did more reading and watched videos and ask more questions. I tried so many tips and now 2 months postpartum I have a better understanding of what now works for me. Feel free to share your journey and ask questions. My goal is 1035 ml per day which is considered full time expectation if you are exclusively pumping
Please note the lactation consultant at the hospital gave me the wrong flange size and that really affected me. She gave me a size 27mm flange. I’m actually at 21mm. You want to measure each nipple. Nipples are not twins. Use exactly that number. Don’t add any more millimeters to it. The mistake from the lactation consultant occurred because my boobs and nipples were very very large when my milk came in. she just assumed I need a bigger flange and did not measure me. Big misconception. You must measure no matter what!
· The highest volume for December 2022 was ~ 15.22 oz or 450 ml on 12/30/2022
· My right boob is a major slacker but power pumping and drinking a gallon plus (135.2 oz to be exact) of water daily did help. Of course, this is a lot of water but if I plan to pump 8x daily then it’s easy. I just grab 16.9 bottles and drink 8 of those and voilà. https://howl.me/ci7ihDqI26T
· If you can’t drink water. Try the BODYARMOR LYTE drinks for electrolytes and extra hydration. The lyte compared to the original has no added sugar and is low calorie. https://howl.me/ci8k5jtoPiT
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· Also, try WTRMLN WTR Watermelon Cold Pressed Juice https://howl.me/ci8k7A9CBAH
· Greater Than Vegan Lactation Tea, Breastfeeding Support & Breast Milk Supply Aid, Organic Postpartum Nursing Supplement with No Sugar Added, Gluten Free & Keto All Natural, Coconut Water Electrolyte Drink, Iced Tea Lemonade https://howl.me/ci8lc0qBHfP
· My supply fully came in about 7 days postpartum. I was heavily engorged. I had a lot of milk.
· December 2022 was a research, trial, and error month. I pumped anywhere from 10 min -25 min per session. I was still trying to figure out how long was needed to completely empty my breast.
· I did not pump consistently in December 2022.
· My hospital-grade pump is Spectra S2 Plus Hospital Strength Double Electric Breast Pump. https://howl.me/ci7isrWaPCc as well as also use the Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breast Pump is discontinued.
· I have 2 portable or wearable electric breast pumps. Momcozy https://liketk.it/41gU4 and Imani. ………..
· As seen in the log, I missed pumping on numerous occasions and my supply decreased tremendously.
· Attempting to get the baby to latch and not pumping consistently caused a big drop in my supply as well the first 2 weeks.
· I started to get a good pumping routine in the last 2 weeks of January.
· Adding power pumping for 7 days straight in December was a huge success
· Now I power pump once a week
· I pumped 7x per day for 30 min as of 2/5/2023 to 2/13/2023. I did observe about 1 oz to 1.5 oz increase at a time per session. This did empty my breast out fully compared to 20 minutes. I was advised to revert to 20 minutes and rather add more pump sessions for optimal results. So I will try and pump 30 minutes for both middle-of-the-night sessions because I feel very engorged at night and in the morning. The remaining sessions will all be 20 minutes.
· I went back to pumping 7x per day for 20 min as of 2/13/2023. My goal is to pump 8x per day for 20 min until 11/30/2023 even 2 years depending on the baby and the future.
· My goal is 1035 ml per day which is considered full-time expectation if you are exclusively pumping.
· Based on my research it seems as though you should pump for a minimum of 120 minutes a day. Some of the lactation consultants have said up to 240 minutes per day but I wouldn’t go up more than 240
· Please note I also eat and snack a lot.
· I will not exercise until I’m done exclusively pumping. I just keep up with my steps as close as I can get to 10k steps per day with my Fitbit. https://howl.me/ci7ifQK1cgY
· I do eat Munchkin Milkmakers Lactation Cookie Bites – Oatmeal Chocolate Chip often🍪. I try one pack per day, but I don’t believe it does much. https://howl.me/ci7idSJqDWq
· I said no pacifier at the hospital but they gave it anyway, but I don’t believe it caused any issues.
· I also tried learning how to latch with the help of a lactation consultant and no luck. The baby was weighed before and after feeding to monitor milk intake and no luck. Baby rather burned calories while trying to latch.
· The baby eventually got used to the bottle and would scream with each attempt to latch. I gave up and started pumping.