Okay, previous posts in the past I used to talk about how I wasnt having much luck with pumping and went as far as buying a new automatic pump, seeing a lactation center and was very concerned about being able to have enough milk set aside for Audrey when I was at work. HAVE NO FEAR MY SUPPLY IS HERE! lol. Seriously tho, they dont lie to you when they tell you it's all about 'supply and demand.' Your body starts off with a little and its up to you to increase it. I wasnt getting enough pumped because I wasnt pumping often. It wasnt until Audrey was able to sleep past her feeding hours that I was able to pump during those times. I had no choice because they would engorge and start to hurt or leak real bad if I didnt. So I started pumping more and I found out how to make it work for me. Im now back to my manual pump and it works just fine! I went from pumping only 1 oz from both sides to 5-6 oz! I discovered that i start to get this tingling sensation when im pumping and thats when it starts to gush out. I was learning more and more about my body and my advice would be to just stick with it and know that your supply will increase over time! Trust me, it will happen out of the blue!
I've had no problems with keeping a good supply for Audrey when im away at work. This is what is saved up in my freezer
Sidenote: I keep them in the freezer because
they last upto 3 months, whereas in
the fridge they only last up to 8 days.
My longest shift at work, Audrey uses 4 containers. Im able to pump just as much while im at work to compensate for what is being used at home. So its all working out just perfectly! Like I said, I refused to put her on formula and was determined to make it work. Im very proud of my success with this, seeing how I was having trouble at first. This just goes to show that you have to stick through with things as it takes practice to make things go exactly how you want them to. If someone would have told me things were gonna get better, I wouldnt have been so frustrated from the start. But im passing on that advice to the next!
Pumping at the workplace is a little difficult. I've realized that not that many places cater to or really appreciate moms that breastfeed and pump. Theres not a designated area for me to go to for privacy, I dont have enough time [10 minute breaks and 30 minute breaks], which means if I only have a 10 minute break that day I cant eat because thats not enough time to eat and pump...pumping comes first. Luckily I have a case with ice packs for my containers so I cant stick that in the freezer at my work, discretely. There isnt a designated freezer for my personal stuff. Ive learned to work around all of this and so far its been going good. I know there are laws, especially in the workplace that protect moms who pump [longer breaks, designated areas to pump, special places to store your containers, etc.] but im just not gonna bother with it. However, if you feel your rights are being violated I suggest you look it up and find out what you need to do.
