Breastfeeding & Pumping Tips
Breastfeeding is a journey that is natural, but definitely not easy. There are so many things that can make it challenging like latch issues (tongue/lip ties), clogged ducts, and digestion issues (just to name a few). This journey has been different in the sense that Deuce has a very shallow latch due to her tongue tie. She was working really hard to get milk. It was exhausting and led to her easily falling asleep while nursing...only to wake up 10 - 15 minutes later and start the process all over again. It was exhausting the first couple of weeks. Getting information from my support team was really helpful with understanding what was happening. Tummy time helped her stamina so she doesn’t fall asleep as quickly anymore, but she’s still working overtime to eat. That leads me to my first favorite...a postpartum team: doula and lactation specialist.
When my milk came in with my oldest child, Bean, I really struggled with being engorged. It was so painful to feel that tightness and pain. Sometimes it was even too much for him to get milk out because my breasts were so hard. I knew I didn’t want that this time around, so I started talking with friends and researching. My favorite products to help with engorged breasts...La Vie vibrating massage pads. Game changer for me. They are warming...think seat warmers for your breasts and vibrating to help move the milk and reduce the knots. The other helpful product is a hand/manual breast pump. The electric pump can sometimes trigger let down and add to the problem, but a hand pump helped relieve the tension and pain much faster.
I avoided pumping for the first several weeks because initially I experienced an oversupply before my body tapers down to match the demand. Even then, it’s still an oversupply. I find that pumping exacerbated that during my first breastfeeding journey, so I held off this time around. Also, I just hated the thought of pumping and throwing myself in a schedule so early on. A haakaa really helped me capture milk from my breast while Deuce was nursing. In the beginning, it captured as much as 4-5 ounces! It was enough to put in storage bags for the freezer. Now that my supply has tapered to what Deuce actually needs, I use the haakaa more to catch a few drops so as to not leak on my sheets, clothes, etc. but the volume is far less (up to an ounce). Pumping from the start is an individual decision...definitely something I would do if I had a shorter maternity leave. But because I took far more time away from work, I wasn’t in a rush to establish a stash. (A stash is a collection of frozen breast milk for the baby to consume when Mommy is away from her baby).
Last, but not least, a hands free pumping bra. Pumping isn’t my favorite...which is an improvement from my first breastfeeding journey (I hated it then). It’s helpful to at least be hands free, especially when I need to work on my laptop. I’ve heard mixed reviews about portable or wearable pumps like having to remember to charge them and not packing the same power as pumps plugged into the wall. Of those options, the Buddha baby double pump had the better reviews (over Willow and Elvie).
If you’re starting your breastfeeding journey or thinking about it, I hope this helps make your journey more manageable. You got this!
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