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After having a successful breastfeeding journey with my first daughter, I thought I would be prepared to handle everything with my second daughter. Then, she was born and was having some trouble latching.
This led to her not gaining enough weight, and I decided to start pumping. I then knew exactly how much milk my daughter was getting. I tried to breastfeed her once a day for a few days. However, I quickly realized it wasn’t working for us. It was then at this point that I committed to just exclusively pumping. I knew she needed to gain weight and she wasn’t going to do that through breastfeeding.
The First Week
This was definitely the hardest part so far of my exclusive pumping journey. I had a c-section, so the recovery from that alone was a challenge. Now I had to throw in pumping along with feeding my baby every 2-3 hours. By the time I’d pump and then get all of my pump parts washed, it wouldn’t be long until I’d have to do it all again. It seemed like I barely had any time to relax and recover. Thankfully, I had a lot of help from my husband and our families.
I quickly did some research on exclusive pumping. The consensus was to pump 8-12 times a day for 15-20 minutes each session. I ended up pumping every 3 hours both throughout the day and night, essentially each time my baby would eat.
One of the main things that helped that first week was to stay on a schedule. My milk was just starting to come in, so I wanted to make sure I was creating a good enough demand to build my supply. A good nipple balm was also my best friend during this time to help prevent any discomfort.
As I had said, it becomes very tiring having to wash your pump parts so often. It is highly convenient to have more than one set of pump parts. This helps so that you can have one set clean while you wash and dry the other set. Having a bottle sterilizer/dryer can also help cut down on dry time. It makes it a lot easier to sterilize your bottles and pump parts.
Check out my post Here to find out what I recommend for your pumping journey.
Months 1 & 2
By the time I was a month in, I was starting to get the hang of my pumping schedule. I maintained the 3-hour intervals during the day. At night, I began to extend the time between pumps. My daughter would go 4-5 hours at night between feeds and I would wake up to pump at the same time she would feed.
My husband had gone back to work after the first few weeks, so I now had to figure out how to fit pumping in while also taking care of my newborn and my toddler. A portable pump that was still hospital-grade was what made it possible to adhere to my schedule as well as I did. I use the Pumpables Genie Advanced as my main pump.
Closer to the 2 month mark, I was more flexible with my pumping schedule. But, I still tried not to go longer than 4 hours between pumps. Some mothers may have to stick to a stricter schedule to maintain their supply. My supply, however, was not affected by being a little less consistent.
Around this time is now when my daughter started sleeping pretty much all night and would only wake up around 4:00 or 5:00 am. So, I would make sure to pump right before bed. Then, I wouldn’t pump until she wakes up to eat. If I am uncomfortable from going so long between pumps, I will get up earlier. If I started to see a small dip in my supply, I would try to add a pump session back in, in the middle of the night.
This is the Huckleberry App that I use to track everything with my daughters. Download the app HERE.
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Month 3 (Now)
At 3 months, I’m still pumping every 3 to 4 hours during the day, but no longer than 5 hours. Overnight, I will pump if my baby wakes up or if I wake up at some point uncomfortable. Now that she is starting to sleep the whole night, I make it until about 6:00AM. My supply is regulated now, so I will stick to this schedule unless I see a dip in it.
Disclaimer: This information is not medical advice. Please contact a health care provider to make any health care decisions. The reason for this post is to share my personal experience.