Didn't realise pumping would be such a Pain!

"cjra" wrote in message

Nikki - what pump do you have?

I have the Ameda Purely Yours and while I like it, it seems to be
getting louder and louder each day. It didn't seem so loud on day 1!

I have a Medela Pump-In-Style. It is really loud but it is about 8yrs old
now. I also don't think it is working very well. If I ever get organized
I'm going to look about renting one to see if I get more. I think that
might be why I have such poor output. I can be so engorged I hurt, yet not
pump it all off. I still feel full. I pump about 10oz combined which seems
like a lot but not with two babies. The motor works but I may need to
replace some of the other pieces.
--
Nikki, mama to
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
Brock 4/06
Ben 4/06

Nikki wrote:
"Lara" wrote in message

I did. Plenty of times. Family gatherings, work, an airplane, various
other places while travelling. Nothing was flashed at any point. A
handsfree bra and a big shirt takes care of that.

EPing wouldn't have lasted long if I'd have had to sequester myself away
from people and work for 30 minutes every three hours or so.

Lara
EPed for 14.5 months

Another one! No, I don't think you'd have to flash people either, nor would
I think it would be a big hairy deal if you did. It isn't something that
grosses me out or seems immodest or anything. I dunno - just not something
I'd do. Probably because I've never had to.

I don't find it gross or anything of the like, I just feel silly ;-).
It makes me think of a cow hooked up to its milking machine, but then,
I don't pump discretely, I'm not sure I know how.
But I'm also one of those who just pull off my shirt when I'm home to
feed DD.

I'm in awe of EP'ers, I feared for a bit I might have to do that if DD
got too attached to the bottle at NICU (now we have the opposite
problem), and I just can't imagine how hard it would have been. I doubt
I'd have lasted long. I'm amazed by people who actually *choose* to EP.

"cjra" wrote in message
ups.com...
What I forgot about - MEETINGS! And because my office is separate from
the main office, often those meetings require driving. Sometimes
they're scheduled back to back all day.... Finding the time to pump, or
pumping on any sort of regular schedule is a PITA! Just when my supply
was starting to regulate and I wasn't leaking so much except for the
1-2 mins before DD starts getting hungry, it's going to get all wonky.
I'm just going to have to pump when I have time....and get a car
adaptor.


I hear ya. Honestly, I have to admit that after 6 months of pumping at work
(DD is 10 months old now and I went back to work at 3 mos), I stopped
pumping. I just couldn't take it anymore, and DD had started solids and
some formula to make up the difference b/w her input and my output. I
still bf evenings and weekends, pretty much exclusively, although she does
demand some solids every day now.
Here's how I managed those 6 months:
Scheduling. Yep, write it in, like a meeting. Actually, I bought a watch
that has 3 alarms, and set them for pumping times through the day (I could
remember the first pump of the morning, my boobs took care of that!) Even
if I didn't drop everything to rush and pump, it reminded me that I need to.
Short pumping sessions. DD nurses for only about 6 min at a time, so this
actually worked well for me since I really got almost all of the milk within
10 min anyway. If you don't have a fast let down and flow, this might not
be an option.
Manual pump (Isis) for out of office meetings, etc. Easy to take into the
restroom and pump a bit during a bathroom break. (A plus, during boring
meetings and conferences I get to miss more of it with a clear conscience.)
Batteries...the Ameda Purely Yours can be battery operated, and it works
pretty well as long as you keep the batteries fresh...I used rechargeables.
I also used it while driving a few times.
Internet access while pumping, very important! Make a hands-free set up
using hair elastics:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/h...e-pumping.html
Easy then to mouse with one hand and use the other to stabilize things. If
you're small breasted you can probably get away with totally hands free, but
I'm a 36D now.

Finally, I know this is going to annoy some people, but I really did find it
easier to pump once DD had started taking some formula. When she was about
6 months old I just wasn't pumping as much as she was eating, so she started
getting formula (Enfamil Lipil) when the milk ran out. Somehow once that
became an option, I started being able to pump more and keep up with her, so
she rarely had formula until I made the decision to start reducing my
pumping sessions.

Good luck!
Amy

cjra wrote:

I'm in awe of EP'ers, I feared for a bit I might have to do that if DD
got too attached to the bottle at NICU (now we have the opposite
problem), and I just can't imagine how hard it would have been. I doubt
I'd have lasted long. I'm amazed by people who actually *choose* to EP.

I don't know that "amazed" is the word I'd use, but, yeah.

Lara

"Nikki" wrote in message
news:QqGdnedZb4Q85IDYnZ2dnUVZ_r2dnZ2d@prairiewave. com...
Wow - good for you! I don't think it is a bad thing, just not something I
would do :-)

That's fine, but I was an EPer. I've pumped at GC, in front of inlaws,
friends, friends' mothers, at an exam in front of a nutrition professor,
neighbors, at a group get together with about thirty people (at least I
didn't have to worry about noise...)

Just didn't bother me once I got the WW and pumping was as easy as stuffing
my bra.

Jess

"Jess" wrote in message
newsomTg.2677$Rp3.1965@dukeread12...

"Nikki" wrote in message
news:QqGdnedZb4Q85IDYnZ2dnUVZ_r2dnZ2d@prairiewave. com...
Wow - good for you! I don't think it is a bad thing, just not something
I
would do :-)

That's fine, but I was an EPer. I've pumped at GC, in front of inlaws,
friends, friends' mothers, at an exam in front of a nutrition professor,
neighbors, at a group get together with about thirty people (at least I
didn't have to worry about noise...)

Just didn't bother me once I got the WW and pumping was as easy as
stuffing
my bra.

Jess
\
I haven't gone that far-but I've certainly pumped in front of family and
friends, especially in the first months when I was pumping around the clock
to try to get my supply back! I also carried the Isis with me almost
constantly initally, and often would find a discreet place to pump when
out-both because if we were gone several hours DD needed her milk supply and
because if I didn't it hurt. I have a Lactina with a hands-free bra-so large
shirts were my friends then (and, since DD was a November baby, when I was
pumping the most, it was COLD!).

I can't imagine anyone choosing to EP over nursing if nursing works for
them, but conversely, I didn't see going to formula as an option. After a
pregnancy and delivery which had been completely out of my control, I needed
to control something in DDs young life, and after all of the hobson's
choices which had to be made (medication which could potentially harm the
baby, or seizures which could potentially harm the baby AND put me at higher
risk...vitamin K which could cause problems, or excessive bleeding due to
medication side effects....frequent ultrasounds traded off between being
able to put off delivery a little longer and give the baby time to
mature...) this was one thing under my control.

Which may explain why I still pump, at 22 months, even though my supply is
down to a trickle.

"Jess" wrote in message
newsomTg.2677$Rp3.1965@dukeread12...

"Nikki" wrote in message
news:QqGdnedZb4Q85IDYnZ2dnUVZ_r2dnZ2d@prairiewave. com...
Wow - good for you! I don't think it is a bad thing, just not something
I would do :-)

That's fine, but I was an EPer. I've pumped at GC, in front of inlaws,
friends, friends' mothers, at an exam in front of a nutrition professor,
neighbors, at a group get together with about thirty people (at least I
didn't have to worry about noise...)

Just didn't bother me once I got the WW and pumping was as easy as
stuffing my bra.

I have pumped in front of my family a couple of times. Like I said I've
never had to since I didn't EP. I imagine if I was out all day I'd have to
or explode :-) If I pumped more regularly I wouldn't have to supplement
with formula either. I imagine it is a little like NIP (which I did not do
right off the bat). Once you start doing it out of necessity, you get used
to it and it doesn't seem so awkward anymore.

This has been educational. If I ever run across anyone exclusively pumping
I would certainly recommend the whisperwear now even though I've never used
it. I always just say I've been happy with my PIS but it wouldn't be that
great for pumping in public. Do you wear nursing shirts? I don't. I can
be quite modest when NIP but I would think for pumping nursing shirts would
make it a lot easier.


--
Nikki, mama to
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
Brock 4/06
Ben 4/06

have a Medela Pump-In-Style. It is really loud but it is about 8yrs
old
now. I also don't think it is working very well. If I ever get
organized
I'm going to look about renting one to see if I get more. I think
that
might be why I have such poor output. I can be so engorged I hurt, yet
not
pump it all off. I still feel full. I pump about 10oz combined which
seems
like a lot but not with two babies. The motor works but I may need to
replace some of the other pieces.

I am finding that, too. It seemed to work better in the early days.
Anyone have suggestions on what to replace?

Erin
Nikki wrote:
"cjra" wrote in message

Nikki - what pump do you have?

I have the Ameda Purely Yours and while I like it, it seems to be
getting louder and louder each day. It didn't seem so loud on day 1!

I have a Medela Pump-In-Style. It is really loud but it is about 8yrs old
now. I also don't think it is working very well. If I ever get organized
I'm going to look about renting one to see if I get more. I think that
might be why I have such poor output. I can be so engorged I hurt, yet not
pump it all off. I still feel full. I pump about 10oz combined which seems
like a lot but not with two babies. The motor works but I may need to
replace some of the other pieces.
--
Nikki, mama to
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
Brock 4/06
Ben 4/06

"Erin" wrote in message
ups.com...
have a Medela Pump-In-Style. It is really loud but it is about 8yrs
old
now. I also don't think it is working very well. If I ever get
organized
I'm going to look about renting one to see if I get more. I think
that
might be why I have such poor output. I can be so engorged I hurt, yet
not
pump it all off. I still feel full. I pump about 10oz combined which
seems
like a lot but not with two babies. The motor works but I may need to
replace some of the other pieces.

I am finding that, too. It seemed to work better in the early days.
Anyone have suggestions on what to replace?

Erin
Nikki wrote:
"cjra" wrote in message

Nikki - what pump do you have?

I have the Ameda Purely Yours and while I like it, it seems to be
getting louder and louder each day. It didn't seem so loud on day 1!

I have a Medela Pump-In-Style. It is really loud but it is about 8yrs
old
now. I also don't think it is working very well. If I ever get
organized
I'm going to look about renting one to see if I get more. I think that
might be why I have such poor output. I can be so engorged I hurt, yet
not
pump it all off. I still feel full. I pump about 10oz combined which
seems
like a lot but not with two babies. The motor works but I may need to
replace some of the other pieces.
--
1) Those silly little membranes. Are they sealing well? Any tiny little
tears?

2) The tubes. I had a cat bite one once, and that was enough of an air leak
to drastically drop the suction and my output until I replaced the tube

3) The little connectors between the tubes and the pump valves. Those become
loose with time and reduce suction. What works for me is just to remove it
entirely (if it's loose enough to come out easily, the tube has been
stretched or worn down), snip off the stretched out area of tubing, and then
jam the sucker back in the tube.

I've never had the plastic parts crack or get punctures, but I suspect the
results would be the same-even a small leak means that you get almost no
suction and therefore almost no output.

I plan to buy and store a new kit when I pack up this pump so that I have
one when I next need it (since I bought a Lactina, I'm planning to keep
it-even though I hope that I won't need to EP again).

"Nikki" wrote in message
news:SpqdnYeo7fJb8oPYnZ2dnUVZ_tqdnZ2d@prairiewave. com...
Do you wear nursing shirts? I don't. I can be quite modest when NIP but I
would think for pumping nursing shirts would make it a lot easier.

No, when I was EPing I just stayed in my maternity shirts or my looser
non-maternity shirts.

Jess