It sucks so far. I'm totally thrown off more than I thought I'd be. I have a private, personal space to do it in so I feel very fortunate. But it's soooo not the same as home, and even less like directly nursing. There's the mechanical factor that makes you feel like a cow. You hope and pray no one sees you while you're actually pumping as I'd be mortified. Much more comfortable (now) with breastfeeding in public with my nursing drape but forget the exhibitionism of pumping anywhere but behind a closed door. Preferably locked.
Today, we had a fire drill at work. It would have sucked if I was pumping. I got a short heads up that kept me from getting all set to pump. Whew! We had the drill and I was hurting, having waited nearly an hour past when I WANTED to pump. I came back inside and things were just off. I have a lovely pump but the hands free set up HURTS now. My girls are just too big for the fixtures. Maybe it didn’t work with specific bra. Maybe I was frustrated. All I do know is that I had to spend 50 mins trying to restart the process one side at a time after a failed hands free attempt. I HAVE to keep this up but it’s sooooo much work. I hope it doesn’t get me in an awkward spot with the boss lady. I know there are laws to protect me if I am taking too much time so I'm not too worried. But damn it, I wish I the pump fit better. (It would be way better just to bring bambino with me to work but she'd be miserable when not eating or sleeping.)
So during my frustration I set to Googling "breast pumping at work."
I found some resources and laws to help me learn what a pumping mom is entitled to, sources of encouragement, and tips on what to be prepared for.
Pumping at work from Parents.com
Are your breaks long enough for pumping? You'll want 10 or 15 minutes for actual pumping, and the setup and cleanup can take an additional 10 minutes. ( I hadn't thought about this!!)
Breastfeeding Laws as of Sept 2010
Relating to how much this sucks but is worth it from MomsRising.org (her first hand account is here)
My favorite part of the column, after all the tough stuff moms had to go through to get a good spot to pump was a mom's comment. "They say to increase your milk supply, you should think about your baby," Sinead said. "I used to imagine my daughter and I were in little boat that was floating in sea of milk. It was often a Hawaiian sea of milk."
Tips, facts, and great educational info about breastfeeding from breastmilkcounts.com
Tips, facts, and great educational info about breastfeeding from breastmilkcounts.com
Some facts, Working Moms in America
(Motivation to hang in there)
"If most new moms would breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life, it would save nearly 1,000 lives and billions of dollars each year, according to a new study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. However, a 2009 breastfeeding report card from the CDC found that only 74 percent of women start breastfeeding, only 33 percent were still exclusively breastfeeding at three months and only 14 percent were still exclusively breastfeeding at six months."
I feel better having found some good information (and now my girls aren't so full that they could pop.)
Have you struggled with the abrupt swap back to work and how to continue to feed baby?
Have you struggled with the abrupt swap back to work and how to continue to feed baby?
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Gotta be honest, I only lasted six weeks per kid at work pumping. My decision to stop was mostly due to lack of appropriate place. With Noah, I was told to go to the bathroom. Lily I at least had an empty conference room, but it had windows and no furniture so I had to sit on the floor.
ReplyDeleteBut for the boobs being too big for the shields, maybe you need bigger shields? My boobs got to be (and stayed at) G-cup sized and I needed larger shields - like 24-26 mm. Are you using a Medela pump? The pain might also have been from poor shield placement, which can happen a lot if you slouch while you're pumping (which I did a lot).
You'll get there though, as much of a pain as it is for you - I treasured nursing so much. I really miss it and is one of the only reasons I would consider having another one.
Good luck! And call if you need to chat. Miss you!
Keep it up, Cait! I'm still breastfeeding Emily at 10.5 months. I know it's totally different than pumping (which definitely has its challenges), but it's worth it!
ReplyDeletethanks girls-
ReplyDeleteyes Lindsey, I JUST got the bigger shields. Posture sucks but I can't figure out how not to get it all to back up into the shield if I sit up straight.
Pumping sucks :-P I'm so glad you have a private space. I do too, and also feel very fortunate. I was also lucky enough to have a lactation consultant at St. V's fit me for shields. If she hadn't I'd probably be using the wrong size. I hope that the new shields help you out! And same here with the milk backing up if I don't lean forward. AND I totally feel you on pumping in front of someone else...I feel like a total weirdo, like I'm publicly engaging in a fetish. LOL.
ReplyDeleteGotta love the internets and all their wisdom :) One of my faves is Kellymom.com. I'll have to check out your linkies. And Hawaiian sea of milk...teeheehee. I'd try that next time I pump, but it would probably just make me giggle. Love you, lady! Good job "hanging" in there!
Angela M
PS, it took me a long time and a lot of frustration to figure out what to pump and when so that Ellie had enough milk, but that I wouldn't feel empty when I got home and met up with a famished baby. It would totally be so much easier if I could just feed her at work. But don't stress too much about getting it all figured out right away. It's a lot of play-it-by-ear and guesswork. Also, you've probably already read this, but different women respond differently to pumps. Some women struggle to just get a few drops out, just because a pump is no comparison to baby. But it doesn't mean their supply is low. A pump isn't really an accurate gauge of supply. When I read that, I was relieved, because there were some days that I just didn't produce what Ellie consumed in bottles.
ReplyDeleteAngela M