To pump or not to pump?

We just got a chest freezer for our garage! This makes me inordinately excited and a bit weirded out because I used to get excited about stuff like new movies, games, books, or other recreational stuff.  Somewhere along the line I actually became an adult (eek!) and now practical things like freezers and blenders and picking out bedding for my daughter’s room became the highlight of my shopping experiences. 

One of the reasons I am so excited for this new freezer is that our current freezer is packed to the max, and one of the items that is increasingly taking over the room usually reserved for food is my surplus breast milk. 

Which leads me into my next topic: I. Hate. Pumping.

There.  I have said it.  I absolutely HATE pumping. 

I love nursing my son, and before him, my daughter.  I love the bonding and the cuddling and the fact that I am giving him the best nutrition I can.  I love the sleepy “milk coma” look when they are fully satisfied and have that little milk dribble out of the corner of the mouth, and I love the smiles and coo’s they give me.  I love it when he will pull away for a second just to give me a big gummy grin and then go back to eating.  I love the convenience of breast feeding.  I never have to worry about bottles, formula, the milk being too hot or too cold, etc.  No matter where I am, I can just whip out a boob and he is good to go!  I used to be nervous about nursing in public, but now I can nurse just about anywhere and not care at all.  I do use a cover in public, not because I am shy or ashamed or anything, but I do try to respect other’s feelings and don’t want to make anyone else feel awkward.  There are many breast feeding advocates out there that are adamantly opposed to using a cover, but I have always believed that people are more receptive to something if it is not shoved in their face (now doesn’t that create an interesting visual).  I especially love gazing down at my chunky monkey healthy son and knowing that not only did I grow him well when I was pregnant, I also am growing him well now that he is outside too.  My child’s sole nutrition and the cause of his growth is all because of me!  Also, I like the fact that I burn an extra 500 calories a day.  And it saves us a ton of money (after the initial cost of pumping supplies) since formula is crazy expensive!

Now please don’t get me wrong.  I have nothing against formula feeding.  My mom raised five children on formula and we all turned out just fine.  Breast feeding is just something we chose for our family and what works best for us.  When it comes to pregnancy, birth, and child care I try to look for alternative, natural methods.  For instance while pregnant I go on a strict no-caffeine no-medicine policy.  I took absolutely no medicine while pregnant (including drug-free, completely natural labors) with both of my children.  I wouldn’t even take Tylenol or antacids!  So it makes perfect sense to me to give my child the most natural and best nutrition I can: breast milk.

But going back to work and keeping up with breastfeeding is a challenge.  Because did I mention I hate pumping?  In order to continue to provide my son with milk, I have to pump at least three times a day.  I am so very fortunate that my work is supportive of breast feeding and I am able to arrange my schedule a bit to pump on my morning and afternoon breaks and then over my lunch hour.  Sometimes I have to pump in the mornings or the evenings too.  But at work I have a nice private room with a comfy couch.  Many working mothers do not have these luxuries and must pump in their car or at their desk under a cover or in any other number of crazy places.  And if you are going to pump, then a good quality pump is a must.  You cannot skimp in this area! I have a Medela Pump in Style Advanced and it has not let me down yet! 

So what is it about the pump that I hate so much?  I hate being tied down.  You can get a hands free bra that holds the pump pieces in the correct spots so you can do other things while pumping, but for me it is just the fact that I actually have to sit for 20 minutes (I don’t like to be tied down and I don’t do well with relaxing and sitting).  There are also portable pumps that you can clip to your belt and then move around while pumping, but breast pumps are also crazy expensive (around $250 at least for a good double electric one) so I am not buying another.  Pumping is uncomfortable, inconvenient, time consuming, and generally just annoying.  I will get started on a project at work and then have to stop because I have to go pump.  My lunch break is cut short because I have to pump.  Plus, I feel like some kind of dairy cow hooked up to a machine expressing milk.

However, I am very fortunate to have an abundance supply of milk.  I never had a serious issue pumping enough milk for my daughter and this second time around with my son I have a great milk supply so I have rarely had to use any of my freezer milk.  Sure there will be dips in my supply in the future, but for now I am still going strong.  Some women struggle constantly with being able to provide their child with enough breast milk.  I was able to nurse and pump enough to exclusively provide Goober with breast milk until she was 5 months old (when we introduced solids) and then continue to supplement solids with breast milk until she was 15 months (at which point I had to wean her due to a surgery and the medications the surgery would involve).  Frog Face is eating about 15-18 ounces at daycare right now and I am pumping about 20 ounces or so a day so I am able to freeze a little each night to add to my stash.  I send all my milk that I pump on Tuesday to daycare on Wednesday, and whatever he comes home with on Wednesday is added to the freezer so that he can have fresh milk the next day.  Breast milk keeps well in the fridge for approximately a week so whatever I pump Friday is sent to daycare on Monday and any extra I need to pump over the weekend is frozen.  This system seems to work well.    

I am also fortunate that both Goober and now Frog Face seem to have no issue transitioning from breast to bottle, so they would get bottles when I was not around, but nurse when I am home.  For various reasons, there are many many women out there who are not able to breast feed their child so they exclusively pump.  I am part of a Facebook group for exclusively pumping mothers and I am constantly amazed at the perseverance and dedication these mothers have.  I mean, these ladies are getting up in the middle of the night, sometimes more than once, to pump for their babies.  They suffer engorgement, mastitis (a breast infection), plugged milk ducts, bleeding nipples, you name it!  But they still willingly pump every 2-4 hours for their children.  It’s amazing what a mother will do for their child.

So I say: Pump on ladies!  Pump on!  And also woohoo for a deep freeze!

My milk stash.  Each bag has anywhere from 2-5 ounces in it.  Poptart boxes are perfect for storing milk.  If you freeze the milk in the bags flat, they are easy to stack and sort.

The reason I pump: 12 weeks today and almost in 6-9 month clothing!

P.S. - I apologize for the delay in posting.  It has been a crazy week!  The zoo is opening  a major new animal exhibit and we have had our hands full.  I have been working on writing this post for days.  I will try and do better at posting in the future.