We’re already halfway through Breastfeeding awareness week, today you’ll find lots of posts around about pumping breastmilk, from how to do it, to why we do it.
If you missed any of my previous posts you can find them here
There are NO benefits to breastfeeding
Are Breastfeeding cafes and organisations the only way to get support?
There are no 2 ways about it pumping is not a quick and easy thing to do, particularly if you have your baby around you all the time needing attention while you are pumping.
I have known people to pump for various reasons ranging from having babies in special care, to returning to work.
Whatever your reason for pumping it is worth making sure you know what you are doing.
Why do I say this?
I began pumping with my first child using a manual pump that had been lent to me, it seemed slow and hard work, but I have a weak wrist, so decided that it was never going to be easy for me to use so invested in an electric pump, this worked ok, I even tried hand expressing, as I had it explained to me,
basically you just sort of squeeze
please if you have just read this and don’t know how to hand express ignore what I just said and ask for a proper explanation.
My second boy was 9months old when my peer supporter course covered hand expressing, I went home and decided to give it a try, it was never going to work well, I’d tried before, was I ever wrong, with a bit of gentle massage to begin and the correct positioning and motion it was easy, so I would really recommend anyone who wants to give it a try to ask for some support to get it established.
SO WHY THE TITLE?
I have never got on brilliantly with pumping myself, sitting for what feels like hours to come away with an ounce at a time. At times it is is really disheartening.
But then I thought there was something wrong with my baby, he was suddenly being sick at a couple of months old, having never been a ‘sicky’ baby before, the trouble is when you tell people (friends, family, health visitors etc) you have a baby who is being sick they can look like they are about to laugh at you.
you’ve got a baby, babies are sick, that’s what they do
but even at a couple of months old, you know your baby and what is normal. And when each time they try and feed they are sick all over you while your breast is in their mouth you know there must be something wrong.
Then things got worse and I was finding that he wasn’t keen on feeding.
When I was able to express and fill a bottle several times a day I knew for sure that things weren’t right.
So if he didn’t need or want it why was I expressing?
I knew that he would need it at some point and i needed to keep my supply up, if I stopped feeding (or expressing in it’s place) my supply would quickly diminish.
In the end this was one of the signs that ended up with a 2night stay in hospital.
So yes changes in the amount that we were pumping really did indicate that there was something wrong, remember it won’t mean something in all cases!
So for anyone that has managed to successfully pump on a regular basis maybe to feed a baby that can’t latch on themselves or if you need to be away from them for any length of time perhaps to return to work I congratulate you it is very hard work.
If you are participating in the Keep Britain Breastfeeding Scavenger Hunt them please leave a comment below about anything else you think might be useful for people starting out feeding in public, you have and it will be counted towards your final hunt score to win the Grand Prize
Please also take a moment to look at some fellow bloggers and companies also taking part in the hunt
Lets walk together for a while
Hinckley Yummy Mummy 
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I came to the same problem when my little one was moved into SCBU after being born.. the midwives thought the special care would help me, and the special care thought the midwives would help me. Needless to say noone helped me, oh wait.. they gave me a leaflet that I already had been given before giving birth. When someone saw me doing it she told me I was doing it wrong but couldnt help me any more.. so they gave me an electric pump. I think it was about 4 days since he had been born, with the hand expressing I was getting maybe 5ml in total using a syringe to collect.. used the pump, 40ml out of one side!! I knew it was in there 😉 Im still happily pumping away for him now nearly 6 months later 🙂 with him taking around 180ml five times a day 😀
it is soo wrong that we have to find the help for ourselves in all these things, great to hear that you are still able to pump now, keep up the good work
I struggle to express, and luckily I haven’t needed to on a large scale, smelly babygrows always helped if I had to express whilst away from baby
I know people who have expressed to go back to work and while they are there for over a year, I think people who can are amazing, but I don’t think I have the stamina.
I’m like you soo glad I haven’t had to
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My one thing i have to have when feeding in public is my muslin square! without that i wouldnt be able to feed in public as im too shy!
As they get older it will be harder to keep them covered up, unfortunately the ‘baby’ decides sometimes to reveal more than the mother would necessarily like. Good luck keep the muslin in place
I’ve never had to express, thank goodness. I’ve always used breastfeeding vests and scarves or muslins to cover up with, that does get trickier as they get older though, that said I’ve got less concerned over the years of feeding!
I think you have to learn to be braver with feeding when they get older if you are going to keep it up, my best experience was when Sammy wanted to feed standing, i’d gone to a quiet bench in the park so as to be discrete, (big gathering on, BBQs, bouncy castles, entertainment the works) but when he starts standing on the bench and holding my top up, i might just as well have been sat in amongst them all as from where I was everyone could see instead of just the few people next to me if i’d been closer
I expressed for top ups and to boost my supply for 6 months. I hated it! I am so in awe of women who exclusively express. Such dedication and hard work. I found I could get most milk first thing in the morning.
I agree completely people who exclusively express or keep it up while returning to work really are amazing