For Those Moms Who Exclusively Pump

I pumped for my son for a year. He was in the NICU for a month after birth so i had a little stock in my freezer when he came home. I then pumped and both breasts at the same time so i would always be up a bottle. And I exclusivly pumped never actully breastfed him and will do the same with my baby that's due in feb.

Breastmilk will keep in the fridge for a day or 2. Otherwise you should freeze it. At first you should only freeze very small bottles-1-2 oz.. That way there is minimal waste.
Warming it up is as simple as putting it (bottle/bag) in warm water.
I could never exclusively pump-my boobs hate it-but there are moms here that have done so successfully.
Even if you are pumping I still think the information in this book would be helpful to you: http://www.amazon.com/Thats-What-Theyre-Definitive-Breast...
HTH!

Oh, your topic said breastfeeding.

Well, go to kellymom.com. They have lots of good info there, including exclusive pumping.

When I worked and pumped for her bottles, I didn't freeze unless I had to. If it was going to be used in about 5 days, it went in the fridge til I was ready. We did warm it up (most breastfed babies like really warm milk). If I froze it, I measured it before I put it in the bag and then labeled the bag with the amount and date.

Get a GOOD pump and see if your insurance will help you pay for it.

Exclusively pumping is one of the hardest things you will do. Harder than breastfeeding which I think is the hardest thing a new mom will have to do...next to exclusively pumping. Pumping is unnatural and a baby is far more efficient at getting milk from the breast, as a result you will probably pump twice as much to get the same amount or even nearly the same amount if you are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is time consuming, pumping is a full time job. That said, it can be done and I know moms who have done it, you freeze the milk and thaw it in some warm water or in the fridge overnight. Thawed breastmilk must be used within 24 hours.

I only pumped when I needed to after I went back to work, but I have a friend who exclusively pumped because her daughter was early and never latched properly. Her advice was to rent a hospital grade pump, she recommended the Medella Symphony, especially in the beginning. They are a little pricey (though not as much as formula) but sometimes your insurance company will cover it. Getting your supply up without stimulation from an actual baby is difficult, but it can happen. My friend had to pump every 2 hours for the first few weeks and then she was able to drop back to every 3-4 hours and by the time the baby was 6 months old she just pumped twice a day and was able to get about 10 oz per pumping session. Her baby was also a premie, so I think ate a little less than an average 6 month old.

Other than that I would recommend getting a hands free pumping bra, which holds the pump in place so your hands are free to do other things.

As far as storing, you can get some guidelines here http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/recommendations/handling.... In the beginning I would not freeze it, because you loose some nutrients and antibodies when you freeze it and you'll be using everything you can get out in the beginning so I doubt it will sit in your fridge for more than 24 hours. As you get a better sense of how much you get and how much the baby eats you can find a system that works for you. Just try to use up your early milk first so that it doesn't go bad and because your milk changes as your baby grows to best suit their needs at that time. Ideally you want to feed your one month old milk you pumped when he/she was one month old, not wait until they are 4 months (although it won't hurt them either way).

Good luck and congrats on deciding to do something so good for your baby's health even if it will be difficult.

Exclusively breastfeed via pump? If so, your title is going to throw some people. :)
Yes, when you pump the milk, you can either feed it directly then, assuming baby is hungry - or you store it. It can be stored in the refrigerator, if you are going to use it in the next few days - or it can be frozen to keep longer.
You can keep it at room temperature for a few hours, but generally, if you are not going to use it right away, then cooling it is a good idea.
If you do store it (frozen or just cold) you need to reheat it before feeding the baby. A cup or mug of hot water works well to float the bottle in to get it warm. (Microwaving the milk is a bad idea, as it can get hot spots, and burn the little person.)
Assuming I read this correctly, and you are not planning on directly breastfeeding - it is a challenge. You will still need to pump on a regular basis. You also will want to get extra pump parts, so that you do not have to wash the set you have that often. You can keep the parts in the refrigerator between uses - so that you don't have to wash them EVERY time.
It can be done. I have a friend who did this with twins for a good 4 months - it is just a challenge - as the pumps don't work as well as the babies!
Hope that helps!

Hi T. - I pump exclusively also. It's hard work, but worth it for your baby. Good for you for choosing that and sticking with it! I pump into 9 oz bottles. I keep them in the fridge and then I make up all the bottles I'll need for the day, more or less. If I've got that much milk left over, I freeze it. (I'm a large milk producer, so that is what worked for me). I use the Lansinoh freezer bags instead of the Medela brand and fill them to 9 oz. In a regular freezer, the milk can be stored frozen for about 6 months. If you have a deep freezer, about a year.

I was warming the bottles when my daughter was a newborn, but later on, we were out and I decided to try to give it to her cold. She didn't bat an eye. I researched it and asked her doctor about it, etc. (Old wives tale is that cold milk causes cramps.) Cold milk is fine if she'll take it. The primary reason for warming the bottle is so the milk is the similar in temp to breast milk and so they won't turn their nose up at the bottle or breast because of one or the other. If your baby isn't breastfeeding, you don't have to worry about this. And it makes the transition to regular milk easier later on down the line. I don't know how old your baby is (and I was more comfortable warming up the milk for mine when she was a newborn), but if yours is between 4-6 mos, you could try it and/or wean her to it. One less step to take in an already busy day! Best of luck to you and congratulations!

I had to pump, and was not able to pump enough for my son on a day to day basis. For me, I never had milk in the freezer, just in the fridge. Since I supplemented with formula (which was at room temperature), I always heated the milk from the fridge a little, just to either room temp or just a little colder than that. If my son was really thirsty, he would drink it cold (after he had already eaten the amount that was his normal feeding). In the beginning, I would just leave the milk out so I wouldn't have to warm it. He was eating every 2-3 hours and milk is good at room temp for 6-8 hours. I just made sure to put the bottle on top of a post-it with the time I pumped and the time it had to be consumed by (sometimes my mommy brain just couldn't figure it out with my lack of sleep). I was able to pump for 6 months even though I had a supply problem, but after that, my milk was long gone. If you have any more questions you can p.m. me. I will give any advice that is needed.

Breastmilk can be left in the fridge for up to 5 days, in the freezer for up to 3 months or longer. It should always be warmed up in a bottle so that it's close to the body's temperature, although some babies will take it cold it can give them stomach troubles.

I started out breastfeeding and then had to switch to pumping due to an overactive letdown (too much milk) that just never adjusted. My baby was always fussy during feedings. After 3 months, pumping became a godsend for me although I still nursed some. I'd highly recommend starting out with nursing, so that your supply builds up...nothing builds it up like the baby actually nursing, then switch to pumping if that's what you still want to do. It's also easier to be able to just sit on the couch and nurse the baby as opposed to pumping then cleaning all the parts. In the beginning, nurse the baby and when the baby is done feeding, pump. Store the pumped milk in freezer bags designed to hold breastmilk (Lansinoh makes some) so you can start your stockpile. Best of luck!

I exclusively pumped for 7 months. I had no way to pump at work so I trained my body before going back to pump morning and night and I would get 20-24 oz each time. Rather than use the little bottles that came with the pump (Medela) I used the big bottles. I would pour everything from the day in a rubbermaid bottle and put it in the fridge (since I had to switch bottles mid-pump this gave me the best mixture). At the end of the day, I would make the bottles for overnight/morning and then freeze the remainder and wash the jug. For freezing, I bought the little baggies and dated them. I think I tried to do 4 oz batches. After the first few months (or less, I can't remember), we didn't warm his bottles. He got used to colder milk which served well for middle of the night feedings since we just brought a cooler upstairs with us when we went to bed. I did not get the handsfree bra, but it would have been helpful. Also, you can rent the Medela Symphony from a few places including some pharmacies. It is a much more efficient pump than even the pump in style. It is good for when the production starts declining a bit. I think I paid about $30/mo for it and I rented twice. It made a big difference.

With my first one I have never pumped, basically I was on demand a walking buffet. Which was exusting at times, my daughter never took a bottle. My understanding is that when you start pumping your supply slows down and you will not have enough. There are also lots of studies that state that freezing and warming up take the nutritions away. There are so many sudies that contridict themselves, so confusing. With my second one, excessively breastfed till solids and never pumped. Just supplemented a bottle with formula here and there, but still breastfeeding my son will be12 m Wednesday.

I exclusively breastfed/pumped for both babies. I would immediately bag it and put it in the freezer (write the date on there), and then use the oldest milk from the freezer first. You can thaw it in the baggie (in a warm water bath or in the fridge). I did always heat it up in a bottle warmer before giving it to the baby; keep in mind that you shouldn't microwave it since that kills off the good stuff in the milk!

If you don't already have one, get a good pump (like the Medela Pump in Style). That will make a huge difference in your success.

I breastfed for 15 months, exclusively the first year. I hand expressed (no pump) maybe 6 emergency bags and put them in the freezer... the babies only needed to use about 2 or 3 of them for date nights I was out.

I would rotate. I built up a freezer supply and then rotated through. I would take out enough for a full day the night before to thaw in the fridge and then put what I pumped in the freezer. I just warmed the cold bag under hot water before I poured it in the bottle. It warmed faster than warming in the bottle. Every now and then I would just use what I had pumped if it was more convenient because it didn't really have to be warmed.

The lactation consultant at the hospital told me about the "rule of 5's"...breastmilk is good for 5 hours at room temp, 5 days in the fridge, and 5 months in the freezer. Just made it easier on me to remember! I pump when at work and nurse when at home, so I can't offer much advise on solely pumping, but hopefully that tip will help you remember how long milk is good for in various temps! Good luck!

I highly recommend attending a La Leche League meeting. It is HARD to exclusively pump and many moms find it is harder to keep their supply up, but it can be done. The nice thing about a LLL meeting is there are moms there who have done it before and you can ask all your questions and see what questions they lead to. I see you are in Topeka, and I know that Topeka has a very good active LLL. It's great to be thinking of these things before the baby is born! Way to go, prioritizing your baby's health, no matter what the personal reasons.

K.

Okay, wow, well it is going to be really hard as others have said. I did it but honestly I only lasted for 5 months or so. Maybe 4? It's all a blur!

I had a medela pump in style, but the suggestion of renting or buying a hospital grade pump is something to consider.

Where to begin...here were my must haves:
1. a giant tub of Lanolin...order it from the pharmacy and it will only cost about $10 for a pound. The small little tubes are only going to last a week or so and are at least $4-5 each. You can put it on your nipples/breasts but I also rubbed it inside the falange of the pump and it felt better. The lactation consultatnt gave me this idea so it's safe.

2. a hands free boustier (sp?). It is a MUST! This way you can pump and feed at the same time. Or you can pump and read a book, type, diaper...I even knew someone who pumped and drove...no joke!

3. Soothie pads....they are expensive but you can find them at CVS and Walgreens. I used them when my nipples were really raw.

4. Fenugreek....it's an herb that helps to keep your milk supply up. You can buy it at a health food store. It will make you smell like maple syrup which is weird but true.

5. Medela easy steam bags for the pump parts...I used these more at the beginning but then I just started washing the parts after each use with good ol' soap and water. I was too tired in the middle of the night. I did this for many weeks at a time and my kids never got sick and I never got mildew or anything. But, I did use the bags every few weeks to get a "good" clean.

As far as keeping stuff in the freezer, fridge, etc. I had a stock pile in the freezer. But, when my babies were brand new they were waking up every few hours anyway I would just pump and then leave my milk out in the bottle right in their room so that it was easy to access and room temp. I think that milk can stay out for 4 hours. I'm a little rusty on my breastmilk time tables, it's been a while. When they started sleeping longer I would take it down and put it in the fridge. I trained my kiddos to drink cold milk as soon as I could b/c it's easier and it's faster and when you have to diaper, feed, pump, and clean multiple times in the middle of the night, it's a life saver.

As far as thawed breastmilk, it's pretty quick to thaw in a cup of hot water so I'd do it shortly before each feeding if possible. Others mentioned it only keeps 24 hours in the fridge after it's been frozen and that is so true! I accidentally gave my son some very spoiled milk after I had forgotten that rule from my first pregnancy, so after that I tried to do it on demand! ;)

Good luck!

Hi T.,

I exclusively pumped for a year and it was HARD, but worth it for me. My son was in the NICU for 3 days when he was born so I thought it was important that he get breastmilk as long as possible.

helpful things:
I bought cheap bottles (bpa free) from Target or Wal-Mart and I would attach those to the pump and pump into them. I would only combine milk that was pumped in the same sitting. (so i would pour one bottle into the other so I only had 1 bottle to store) I would then take a sharpie and write what day it was and what pumping number it was. This helped to make sure the "oldest milk" was being used first.
I never mixed cold refridgerated milk with warm milk. I actually think that this is something that your lactation consultant will talk with you about.
My supply wasn't enough to freeze much before using at daycare in the next day or two. If I did freeze it then I would buy the milk storage bags to do so.
Buy washable breast pads. I switched from disposable to washable about 8 months in and I was amazed at how much money I saved.
I always warmed my baby's bottle because I didn't think that cold milk was something that was good for his little tummy. That may just be a personal thing to me though.
You are going to have a lot of bottles to wash but I think that comes with the territory of having a new baby. (after bottles it's sippy cups, plastic forks and spoons and plastic dish sets) It doesn't seem to end :)
Buy a good bottle brush. I liked Dr. Browns. It held up 3x as long as a cheaper bottle brush for washing my pumping parts.
Buy an extra line of tubing so you have it. If you get a leak somewhere you will want to change out the lines so you don't gather mold in there.
I strongly recommend something like this. It's a hands free device that holds the pump on so you can actually use your arms to do something else. (like turn the page of a book or pick up the remote)
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4449556
I also bought a car adapter so that I could plug in the breastpump in the car if we were out running around and I couldn't get home to pump. This actually was the reason I was able to pump for so long. I used to stress out about getting home in 3 hours to pump again. After this I had the freedom to cover up and pump whenever needed. It put me at ease.

Last but not least, know you are doing something great for your child no matter how long it lasts. Good luck and hang in there!

It's unbelievably hard work to EP - I did it for a YEAR. In the end, I think at least after the first 3-4 months, DD would have been better off with a present & functioning mom than she was with the breastmilk. Let's see - random thoughts:
- You'll need a ton of bottles since you'll be feeding from them but also pumping into them.
- Storage baggies are expensive, and the "2 oz. phase" lasts such a short time that I wouldn't bother freezing that small an increment.
- Do NOT use lanolin as a "lubricant" when you pump! It's super sticky & is really the OPPOSITE of a lubricant, so you'll end up tearing your nipples - BTDT. It is meant to be used on your boobs as you'd use chapstick (not lip gloss, for a texture comparison) on your lips.
- My DD was super impatient (which was part of our problem when we tried to BF) and she would always rather have it cool and RIGHT NOW rather than wait for the milk to be warmed. The stomach issues from cold milk is an old wives' tale - if you don't have to warm it first, you'll save yourself a ton of trouble and be much more portable, since you can just grab a bottle right from a cooler or something to give the baby.
- Absolutely get yourself a hands-free pumping bra, or maybe even 2 so you don't have to rush a load of laundry in between pump times.
- Just remember, your body may go along with the pumping or it may not. Some people respond well to the pump, and some don't. Don't let it be the measure of your self-esteem, and don't feel like a failure if your body doesn't work well with the pump.
- I never EVER pumped & dumped. If I had a drink or two, I'd keep track of that milk and maybe combine it with some following a diet coke. ;) Such a very small amount of alcohol transfers, that if you mix "boozy" milk with non, it really isn't going to hurt the baby at all. You don't want to throw that liquid gold away!
- As for freezing, I'd do my "process" about every other evening. When you freeze, if you've got big quantities, you'll want to be sure you're getting a good mix of foremilk and hindmilk (you'll notice some seems really creamy and some's watery) in each bag. I measured in bottles, then poured into bags, because the measurements on the bags never matched up as far as I could tell.
- We never broke into the freezer stash until DD started eating more than my daily output, so some of what we used was probably around 7-8 months old, but it was in a deep freezer, and DD never complained. When I froze a batch, I'd leave out enough for one feed, so basically DD always got some fresh/refrig and then maybe some frozen or some not, right up until she was a year old.
- If you're EPing, you're not dependent on baby's schedule, so as long as things are going well - you're meeting baby's needs, etc. - you can try to space out your pumps. I was down to 3 a day (but for an hour each) by the time I went back to work at 12 weeks, and it was a lifesaver for me to not have to be up at night to do it. Be careful, though, and pay attention to your output. 3 months is about the time that the hormone "booster" for production starts to run out, so if your supply starts to drop, you might want to add another pump back or something to be sure your body isn't getting the message that the milk isn't needed.
- Wherever your pumping space is, be sure the chair is very comfortable. You'll be spending a lot of time there, and you don't want to end up with a sore back! Also, start making your list now of books to read or websites to visit or something, because you'll be wanting some entertainment while you pump!

Good luck - I hope it goes well for you! :)