Tips for Moms Who Exclusively Pump

My daughter is 4 months old and I have been exclusively pumping for about 3 months. I had preeclampsia and she was born at 36 weeks weighing only 4 lbs. Since she was so under weight I had to supplement her with formula. I tried nursing her for the first month but the nipple confusion from the bottle caused her to have problems latching on. I saw several lactation consultants and none was able to fix the latching on problem. When I returned to work nursing became harder to do since she was having the bottle all day while I was gone. I decided that the most important thing to me was that my daughter drink breast milk instead of formula. If it meant I had to give it to her in a bottle than that is what I would do and I began to exclusively pump. It was very hard to do at first and my milk supply was very low since I had not been pumping correctly.

My lactation consultant told me to pump at least 8 times a day for 15-20 minutes. Since I was taking care of a newborn who wanted to be held all the time, this wasn't easy to do. I pumped every 3 hours for at least 5 minutes after the last drop of milk had come out. At first my pumping sessions didn't last very long. I would pump and use that milk for her next feeding. When she had finished all of the breast milk I would give her formula if she was still hungry. To help myself remember when I needed to pump I wrote down the times I needed to pump at the beginning of each day and then after each pumping session I would note how many ounces I pumped during that time. It helped me to monitor my progress. The first week I started pumping I would only pump an extra half ounce each day and it was a bit discouraging but I still kept with it. At the second week I noticed I was producing an extra ounce a day and that was enough to feed my child all day. Eventually my milk supply increased enough that I had more milk than my daughter took in a day. I froze this milk and I kept it on hand for days that I would run low.

When my I felt my milk supply had increased enough I began pumping every 4 hours for at least 5 minutes after the last drop of milk had come out. Sometimes if I was out and I didn't get home in time I could stretch it out to 5 hours. My milk supply is still doing well and I don't have to give my daughter any formula. I am still working on the latch problem and maybe some day she will get it but if not I am fine with pumping.

The important thing to remember is don't get discouraged. It is very hard at the beginning and there were many times when I wanted to give and just switch her to formula. I kept at it and I am very happy I did! My daughter has tripled her birth weight and she is doing very well and I am sure it has to do with the breast milk she is taking in.

More tips on increasing milk supply

Product Review - Fisher Price Deluxe Auto Mirror

I received the Fisher Price Precious Planet deluxe auto mirror with music as a baby shower gift. I was very excited to use it because I knew it would be a useful gift. The mirror works well and has a good range so I can see my daughter well. The music has 3 options off, medium, loud. Unfortunately the medium volume never worked. Since the music calmed my daughter down when she was crying I decided to just deal with the loud music. My daughter really loved the music feature. It helped soothe her when I was driving and unable to stop. The only problem was that after a month the music stopped working. The remote didn't work all the time and the music feature became unusable. Since I hadn't purchased this item I was unable to return it. I called the Fisher Price Customer Support and they told me this product was made by Blue Ridge and I would have to call them for support. I was given the Blue Ridge number and I left a voicemail message. I was sure I wouldn't hear back from them but they promptly called me back the next day. Since they guarantee their products for 1 year I was sent a replacement mirror and remote. The funny thing was they sent me a different mirror, the Ocean Wonders mirror. I did some research online and it seems that the music breaking is a common problem among this product. Also the Ocean Wonders has a smaller mirror so I am not able to see my daughter as well. I really don't recommend this product. It is a great mirror but the music feature will probably break. So save your money and buy a different product.

Important Note: I recently took my car seat to my local fire station to make sure it was installed properly and I was informed to never use a car seat mirror. These mirrors are not tested for safety in car accidents. Most of the mirrors have hard backs and can fly off in an accident. Worst of all you usually point the mirror at your child's head, can you imagine that mirror flying towards your child's face at 60 mph? So you must never use a car seat mirror and if you know someone who has a mirror please let them know what a safety hazard it is!

Product Review - Bummis Fabulous Wet Bags Medium

I was looking for a good bag to store all my dirty diapers while I was away from home. I found lots of Wahmies bags on Amazon but the reviews weren't great for this product. Most people mentioned the bag becoming unraveled in the washing machine rendering the product unusable. I went to the Bummis web site and I found their Fabulous Wet Bags. I liked the snap handle which let me attach it my diaper bag and stroller. The zipper helps keep the odor controlled and the bags are lead, phthalate and BPA free. I decided to give the medium bag a try and I love my bag! It can hold multiple diapers and covers, so far I have been able to fit 2 covers and 5 prefolds, and I haven't had an odor or leak problem. The bag is fantastic. I have washed it multiple times and I haven't had a single problem. I just turn the bag inside out and I wash it with the rest of my diapers. I highly recommend this bag, it's a great product, and I look forward to trying some of Bummis other products.

Tip of the day

Instead of using disposable nursing pads try switching to reusable nursing pads. I use the Gerber reusable nursing pads and I love them. They are made out of cotton and have a textured back to prevent slippage. They work much better than the disposable pads I tried which always slipped. I bought them at Target and they were $3 for 6 pads. I bought 3 packs so I would have enough for the entire week. I just wash them with my regular laundry at the end of the week. It's a good way to save money and to produce less waste for the environment.

Tips to Increase Breast Milk Supply

When I first started breastfeeding I was having trouble producing enough breast milk to keep up with my child's demand. I got some good tips from my lactation consultant that I wanted to share with others.

Try taking Fenugreek, consult your physician first. My lactation consultant instructed me to take 2 pills 3 times a day. It can lower your sugar levels so make sure you take it with food. It can also make your urine and your child's urine smell like maple syrup. This is normal. It can be found at GNC or Sprouts Supermarket. I found that Oregon's Wild Harvest Fenugreek works much better than the Fenugreek found at GNC.

Drink plenty of water, try to drink 8 glasses of water a day. It is very important to stay hydrated because this really does make a difference. Make sure that you are taking in enough calories a day. I know this can be difficult when your dieting but if you dramatically cut your calories then it could affect your milk supply.

Try eating oatmeal. My lactation consultant mentioned that eating oatmeal increases your milk supply. I got this cookie recipe from my support group. Its suppose to increase your breast milk supply.

Chocolate Oatmeal Lactation Cookies

Ingredients:

1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
4 T water
2 T flaxseed meal (no substitutes)
2 Lg eggs
1 t vanilla
2 C flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 C Thick cut oats
1 Bag Chocolate chips
2 T Brewers Yeast or Nutritional Yeast Flakes

Preheat oven at 375.

Mix 2 T of flaxseed meal and water, set aside 3-5 minutes.
Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs.
Stir flaxseed mix into butter mix and add vanilla.
Beat until well blended and mixture turns a pale yellow.
Mix dry ingredients, except oats and choc chips.
Add butter mix to dry ingredients.
Stir in the oats and then the choc chips.
Drop on ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake 8-12 minutes. Makes 4 dozen