BREAST PUMPING
9 PRECIOUS THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Use it or lose it
If you are not breastfeeding, it’s important to maintain pumping every 2-3 hours and not let more time-lapse as your body reads this as reduced demand for its milk and reacts accordingly by lowering its production.
Invest in a good Pumping Bra
You will spend a lot of time tethered to that pump (in my case 15 minutes x 10x per day = 150 minutes or 2.5 hours of actual pumping). You will be grateful to have access to your hands during that time.
Make sure to use compatible bottles
Make sure that the bottles and pumps you choose are compatible! I made the mistake to order a Spectra pump and Dr. Brown’s bottles without realizing that the flanges or the pump do not fit the neck of the bottle – I had to track down adapters.
A note on Dr. Brown’s bottles
My own personal experience was that Dr. Brown’s bottles had little benefit to my baby’s reflux – and washing the many pieces was a nightmare.
Milk bags are your best friends
Remember to date the containers—it can help to put a use-by date too. Add your baby’s name if he will receive the milk at a childminder’s or nursery.
Save every little bit of extra milk you produce
You never know when your natural production will drop – I had a freezer full of bags and felt rich, but once I factored in that hungry baby goes through 8-10 bags a day, suddenly all that seemingly endless backlog only covered a week or two!
Invest in a travel pump
Ask your insurance if they cover travel pumps or consider investing in one – I bought a Spectra 9 Plus which was life-changing (same power as the big clunky ones but the size of two stacked iPhones).
A tip for long travels
For long travel (especially lengthy flights) – consider buying some bottles with disposable liners (washing bottles on a long flight is no fun).
And last, but not least…
Don’t cry over spilled milk!