3 weeks ago, a little after JAE turned 13-months, I completely stopped pumping. Prior to that, I was down to 1-pump a day and was producing about 4-ounces each day. Then I decided to pump every other day. One week, I felt exceptionally full so I decided to hand express. I was able to get this for JAE.
A week after that, I hand expressed again but this time, I only got 3/4 of an ounce of milk. At last, my body had received the signal and realized I no longer needed to make milk for my baby.
That was 2 weeks ago. I have since then completely stopped pumping. I have really enjoyed the "free time" I now have. I am so thankful for the support I received from my family and while this is a bit challenging because I really will miss being her sole source of nutrition, I am happy that I was able to give her the best for the first 13-months of her life.
Today, I picked up my pump bag from the nursing room and removed my name from the nursing rooster in the room. Will I ever use that room again? Only time will tell. The bag is now empty.
U really challenged me with the way u pumped for ur baby.. i really want to try d same for my baby which is coming soon. Pls how did u store d breastmilk and where did u store it and for how long can it stay
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It is absolutely doable. I will first encourage you to try to nurse fully if you can and then transition to pumping as your baby gets bigger or as you get closer to going back to work. Pumping is HARD! You are constantly washing parts and have to actually get up at night to pump versus nursing where you can just roll over, pick up baby and give her the boob when you try to sleep.
DeleteIf all else fails, then pumping is certainly the way to go. But as I tell people, formula is NOT poison. If you are unable to pump or breastfeed, it is OK to give baby formula. They will be just fine :-).
I stored my milk in bags. Insurance paid for 90-day supply of bags so I used those and called every 90-days to get more. We have a deep freezer and I stored the milk there for 3-months before I started cycling through. So basically, in August, I was using the milk I pumped in April and storing all the milk I was pumping in August.
I hope that helps. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Goodluck and CONGRATULATIONS on your new baby!
Good tutorial coming directly from personal experience.
ReplyDeleteCongrats dear.
Good tutorial coming directly from personal experience.
ReplyDeleteCongrats dear.
The end of breastfeeding is always so weird, I am happy to stop but it's all so bittersweet. I am amazed that you survived 13 months of exclusively pumping. Go mama. I can't believe that I will be back in the trenches of pumping again (for the last time) in a few short weeks. The things we do for our babies :)
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