It sucks. It's time consuming, and it makes your dang nipples hurt if you have to do it every two or three hours like I do. Apparently my body hates the pump and doesn't respond well. Rumor has it the 2-3 oz I pump during each session is totally normal. And normal's all fine and dandy except C eats between 12-15 oz when I'm at work. I'm already pumping 4 times per day, and I feed C at lunch everyday, so unless I want to add a middle of the night pumping session (I don't), I'm not really sure what to do.
I am thinking of trying a combo of fenugreek and blessed thistle to see if that helps increase my pumping output. The annoying side effect: it makes you and your baby smell like maple. If you know me, you know I hate maple. I don't even really use the fake stuff on my pancakes or waffles. So, yeah, the idea of smelling like the local IHOP makes me really excited. But, the kid's gotta eat. So, I'm gonna order some from Amazon and see if it works.
Beyond that, I've decided that I can only do what I can do. And also any breastmilk that baby gets is better than none. So I think it may be time to concede that every once in a while, C might need to take a little formula. And I need to learn to be ok with that.
This post really didn't start as a vent about everything I hate about working and pumping. In fact, I intended it to be more about tips and tricks I've learned to make pumping suck a little less (pun intended). However, since my milk duds have dried up for the moment, it's back to work for this momma. My helpful post will have to wait.
No comments:
Post a Comment