Learning To Pump

Namastè!

Happy autumn morning, may your cup of namastè overflow.

I'm sitting here pumping and looking out the window. Casa Namastè has a really nice view.

I remember my first few runs with the pump, in Baby Namastè's first week. I was tired, engorged, and the PISA was, at the time, my sworn enemy. I contend with D-MER, and pumping was my least favorite part of caring for my baby. I have forceful letdowns. I needed to pump because otherwise, Baby Namastè would get sprayed in the face. (It happened.) Then he'd be too upset to eat and I'd be engorged to the point of tears.

Besides all that--It had no idea how to effectively pump. I wasn't taught, so I just hooked the thing up, set it on high, and practically ripped my nipples off. (Hyperbole, yet so legitimate.) The hospital lactation consultant was not interested in teaching me to pump, because she was focused on the baby latching. Please make sure your lactation consultant is on board with how you want your breastfeeding journey to go. If you will nurse exclusively at the breast, make sure they support that. If you will do a combination of nursing at the breast and bottle feeding expressed milkies, let them know that. If you will be exclusively pumping, let them knew that. It's one of those points where we as women have to advocate strongly for our needs. An unsupportive LC can wreck your entire breastfeeding experience.

I decided to take Medela up on their little University course, as well as YouTube and Google every bit of info I could find for pumping successfully. Kellymom proved invaluable, as well as some other blogs and pages. I was like a fanatic.

I learned, first off, that I did not need the highest setting. Very few women need that, actually. I did need to do something about those shredded nipples of mine. I had blisters and cracks from the pump, as well as painful soreness from the sheer amount of suction I was enduring between pump and baby. Answer: Nipple creme.

Armed with a better understanding of the PISA and a crazy supply of nipple cream and my personal favorite, coconut oil, I prepared to tackle it again.

As the days went on, it got easier. (Unfortunately not overnight.) I found a pumping schedule that worked for me--every 3 hours, with a mini session following each of Baby Namastè's nursing sessions. My magic number (the minimal number of pumping sessions needed for my supply) is 5. I no longer pumped for 45 minutes at a clip. Gosh, what a noob I was! Face palm. It generally takes about 20 to 30 minutes to empty the breast. My PISA can do it in 15, and I go 5 minutes more to make sure I've gotten each one fairly empty. I use my PISA at minimal to moderate suction. (I only turn it on the high setting when I'm drying out my tubing.) I found it incredibly helpful to oil up my horns  (flanges) with coconut oil before pumping.

I hope this would be a good starting point in your own journey!

Namastè!

-- Tayè K ♡