Pumping Routine

Pumping for breast milk sounds daunting but take it from someone who has been doing this a long time, it’s very easy. Setting a pumping routine can help. Let me tell you how.

My son is 8 months old and I have been pumping full time since he was a month old. The transition from breastfeeding to pumping came with a lot of ups and downs. The guilt of not feeding my child directly, the worry of what the society is going to say if they know I am pumping and not breastfeeding, people seeing the bottle and questioning me of giving outside milk to my child etc. all these things and a lot more was to be dealt with. With the changes happening in my body, my mind was too fragile to accept all of this. A newborn who needed me to be his mother and here I was worrying about what others would think of me.

Things were tough, trust me, but when things started to settle down and I started to see things practically and not emotionally, I could make the switch from breastfeeding to pumping full time. My pumping routine has been set since my son was a month old and that has helped me a lot.

Pumping has its merits and demerits so to speak. Let’s talk about them.

Electric Breast pump

Merits

1. Anyone helping you during this period (like your family or a nanny) can feed your kid and you can relax for a change.

2. You need not sit up straight for 40-60 mins to feed your child.

3. The more you pump the more milk you get. This is a fact and I have experienced it first handed.

4. If you are planning to start working soon after the birth of your child, pumping makes your life easier.

5. If you have a good milk supply you can donate milk for other babies in need.

6. You can know how much milk you are making.

Demerits

1. It is an added cost essentially. You have to buy a lot of things if you decide to pump full time e.g.: pump, sterilizer, hands free pumping bra , bottles etc.

2. When you plan to go out on a vacation or outing you have too many things to carry with you (added baggage).

3. If you are planning to store the milk you need to have milk bags, a separate place to store and you have to be careful the milk doesn’t expire.

4. You have to get up in the middle of the night to pump as your schedule will be set accordingly.

All the points written above is what I have experienced. I am totally for breastfeeding but for me pumping was the only option and I found it was very satisfying. My pumping routine wasn’t set initially as I was also learning and had no prior experience of the same.

My Pumping Routine

I used to pump every 2 and 1/2 hours the first 2 months. Later on I increased the time by adding 30 mins to it and was pumping every 3 hours. This went on till my child turned 4 and 1/2 months old. I started to increase the time by adding 30 mins when I thought it would be required. When he turned 6 months and started with solid food, was the when I could manage to have some time off pumping.

Things I follow while pumping

1. Diary – This helped me to keep a track of when I pumped last and not just me this could be accessed by anyone helping me and could see which bottle to be given first or last. This is the most handy thing

2. Milk quantity – When you pump you get to know how much milk you are producing and also can keep a track of how much milk is the baby drinking.

3. Mobile app – I used the medela app to keep a track of the pumping time and the quantity of milk from both the breasts. This app is really helpful and has a lot of other features as well.

4. Labelled your bottles – One of the most important things is labeling the storage bottles. This will help you know in which one did you pump first or last, that way you know which milk to give first (you can note the bottle number in the diary)

5. FIFO – If you have excess milk and want to put the milk in the fridge, First in First out is the rule you need to follow. The diary will help you manage the bottles nicely and can be done by anyone who is helping you.

Diary for keeping the record of pump time and the storage bottle

Things get easier when you get the hold of it. The most important part, if you decide to pump full time, is to have a pumping routine (a set schedule). Try and manage the time as much as you can or else it will affect your milk supply.

One last thing, every mother has to decide things for herself. Do not let anyone push you into doing things you don’t feel like doing. Listen to your instincts and go with it. People will have a lot to say on everything you do, don’t get carried away. See things practically which will make life easier for you.

#bottle #breastfeeding #breastmilk #pumping