June 27, 2022
I’ll start by saying that fed is best.
There are so many pros and cons with formula, breastfeeding, and exclusively pumping. Really, it’s personal preference and what you and your child are physically able to do.
I’m sharing this because I know there are women out there who are in the position I was in, and sometimes it’s comforting knowing that someone else has been through it and overcome the obstacles you’re facing.
I’ve always said that I wanted to try to breastfeed for as long as possible, but with my super busy life, I don’t know if I would have been devastated if it didn’t work out. During my hospital stay I had access to lactation consultations that helped Waylon latch, and they gave me a lot of advice about breastfeeding in general. I felt confident in my ability to breastfeed my baby. Once you and your baby leave the hospital, it’s normal for your baby to lose up to 10% of his/her body weight. Waylon latched great at the hospital and wanted to eat all of the time. I didn’t think I had anything to worry about once we got home from the hospital on Thursday.
On Friday, Waylon had his first pediatrician appointment. He had lost 12% of his body weight. My milk still hadn’t come In yet, so Waylon was only getting colostrum. Colostrum is the first form of milk produced by the mammary glands after giving birth. We were so concerned since he came three weeks early. His pediatrician advised that we supplement with formula until we could get his weight up, and she suggested that we try giving him a sample of formula while we were there to see if he would take a bottle. When he got a hold of the bottle you would have thought that he was starving. He took the bottle like a champ. His pediatrician then asked if we had been using my breast pump to try to get my milk to come in faster. We told her that the lactation consultant told us not to use the pump yet. I can’t remember what the lactation consultant’s reasoning was for not using the pump from the beginning. Waylon’s pediatrician highly recommended using the pump to get my milk to come in and to increase my supply. I used the pump as soon as I got home, and after 2-3 pumps, my milk came in. I was so happy, and I was producing quite a bit!
Once I started pumping, I nearly stopped breastfeeding. At the beginning, if I pumped enough milk to feed the baby more than once, I didn’t pump again until I needed more milk. I noticed a significant drop in my supply and had to start supplementing with formula again. One evening, a friend of mine and I were talking about how things were going. I shared that I was struggling to produce enough for my baby. She recommended a Facebook group for exclusively pumping mothers. This group is honestly an answered prayer. I have learned so much from the other women in the group.
Here are some of the things I’ve learned from the group that I think are worth sharing. I had no idea that I needed to pump every 2-3 hours, regardless of how much I was producing, to keep my supply up until I regulated. Once all of the milk is removed, it signals your body to produce more. Each of these pumping sessions needs to be long enough for you to completely empty. For me, this usually takes about thirty minutes, but it can be different for everyone. For example, if my baby eats 8x per day, then I need to pump for at least 4 hours per day to continue producing enough to feed him. That’s just the amount of time it takes for me to pump. That doesn’t include how long it takes to clean the pump parts and actually feed my baby. Pumping can be extremely time consuming and overwhelming, but it does have its perks. When you exclusively breastfeed, nobody else can feed your baby but you. When you pump, you are able to leave your baby if you need to and others can feed your baby.
After a couple of weeks, I realized that I was using the wrong flange/nipple shield size on my pump. Using the wrong size can cause nipple pain, blocked ducts, and decrease milk supply. Six weeks into my pumping journey, I thought my nipples were going to detach from my body even though I was using nipple balms regularly. My pump came with a 24mm flange. Honestly, I didn’t even know there were different sizes, and I definitely didn’t know how to properly measure myself. Again, I consulted the ladies in the Facebook group for advice. Someone recommended this silicone nipple ruler and I ended up purchasing it. Y’all, I needed a 17mm flange. That’s three sizes smaller than the flange that came with my pump. It’s no wonder I was struggling.
I ended up pumping and/or breastfeeding for six months, and I am proud of that. I learned a lot along the way that I hope I can take with me into my next pregnancy. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It doesn’t make you any less of a mother.
