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PUMP & FEED: Get Milk to Store while Nursing

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Have you heard of pump and feed?  Sounds like it’s too much to handle for breastfeeding moms!  It may be at first, it just takes practice, balance and lots of determination.  I read about how dual pumping can boost up milk supply of breastfeeding moms. Dwindling of stored breastmilk happened to me both with my two children.  In spite of having a good milk stash upon returning to full time work, the time came when I had low milk output.  This happened at the same time as my babies went on a growth spurt and they would take more than their expected milk intake.  And so the demand for milk grew, and my body needs to produce to supply baby needed.  This happened both to Migo and Maia, at about 4-6 months.  Supplementing with formula was never my option.  And so, I needed to take steps in getting more milk. 

The biggest reality of an exclusively breastfeeding-fulltime working mom I came to realize was that the low milk supply due to the hustles and bustles of daily work.   There were days when let down was easy, there were times that output was barely 2 ounces per session.  But my baby needs 3-4 ounces of milk every 3 hours!  I knew I needed to produce more. Pumping milk after nursing was not an option, since I can only collect barely an ounce and babies were efficient in draining the breasts.  Since my work then was from 7 am to 3:30, I woke up to prepare for work around 5 am and left home at 6am, I have to make extra time.  There were sessions that I did this at night, when I would be out of the house more than usual and baby would need to nurse and I know I was engorged from missed pumping.  That way, I maximized again the time to collect and feed baby. Expressing milk during the day was out of the question, because work seemed to be taking a toll on me.  I wanted to be fair to my body and give the best to baby.  So I read, researched and experimented…

Until I came up with the PUMP and FEED style…

It worked so well for me as I achieved 2 major objectives.  First was to increase my milk supply, and second was to collect more breastmilk for baby.    

Here are the steps I took, things I used and why:

  • Set the TIME to pump & feed.  I dedicated the early mornings, between 4 am to 4:30 am to pump and feed.  Waking up a little earlier than I should was hard, but I knew I needed to do it.  The early mornings were the best time to do this since I was rested and my breast was engorged, ready for feeding and expressing.
  • Choose a SPOT to set up yourself.  I pump and feed at the foot of our bed, or at the bed’s head board.  First, I need to be in an Indian sitting position, so that the nursing pillow would be fully supported.  The edge of the bed worked to the advantage since there was a table for other breastfeeding/pumping gears and an outlet for the electric pump. 

the Babinski babi pillow I use for nursing

  • Use the right PILLOW.  I used a nursing pillow where baby was positioned, and on my right side was another pillow, to support the nursing pillow with baby on it.  I used to have the SM Nursing pillow but it got flattened after a few weeks of use.  My friend gave me the Babinski Baby’s Babi Pillow that fit my specs and suit my needs.  Doing this on the bed, with other regual support pillows helped me secured baby.  There were times they would fidget, so it was important for me to have the pillows and the bed to catch them on moments they tried squirming out.

Know the RIGHT POSITION for baby and the pump.  Balancing baby and the pump was the right key to successfully pull this off.  The baby would be best positioned via football hold.  With the nursing pillow that I used, I place the C-shaped towards my right side to baby would be fully supported by the C-pillow then there was another large pillow under.   Since the other breast does not have the baby and a pillow on it, the pump is strategically positioned on my left breast, supported by my crossed leg.  I use the pump’s bottle container stand to support the pump in my legs.  Then by leaning slightly forward, the breast was in a relax position for expressing. 

  • Pump on the Abundant Breast and Nurse Baby on the Weak Side. Since my right breast was the weak one, and the left was the abundant side – I positioned my baby on the right breast since the sucking is better than the pump.  Then, I pump the other breast and I can collect 2-4 ounces of breastmilk for this kind of session. A
  • Use the RIGHT BREASTPUMP.  In doing the pump and feed, I guess it was an advantage that I was used to the breastpump.  For my eldest Migo, I used the Medela Pump in Style that a friend lent me.  For my second, Maia, I used the Avent Uno electric.   The electric features worked well since all I needed to do was put the flanges in the breast and balance baby on the other.  Eventually with Maia, I have mastered the balancing skill of pump and feed, thus there were times that I used the manual mode of my reliable Avent breastpump.  I got accustomed to using the manual features that I can balance the baby and the manual pump at the same time.  

the reliable Avent Uno: you choose - electric or manual?

  •  Get HELP.  Get your husband, yaya, or someone at home to help you set-up in this position.  I usually positioned myself on the bed and put the pillows with me.  Then I scooped baby or baby was handed to me.  Then once baby was properly latched, I placed the pump on the other side.  Usually, my husband assisted me by setting up or plugging the pump properly.  Then if baby was through or the milk I was expressing was enough, someone took either baby or pump from me.  Thank God for my supportive husband and able yaya.  Yet, there were days that I did it on my own without help.  It was hard, yet the manual features of the pump worked well when I did it by myself since there were no cords, and I can stop anytime I needed to. So, no reason for me not to pump and feed.

 This practice took me time, patience and mastery in balancing baby and pump.  Too good to be true from the start, but later on it was like simply nursing.  Did I successfully obtain my two fold objective?  YES.  I was able to exclusively breastfeed Migo for 10 months while working full time.  Then with Maia, she was purely on breastmilk while I worked fulltime for 8 months.  On her 9th month until now that she is 15 months and counting, I am still exclusively breastfeeding Maia while I do part time work.  Never did I opt to supplement with formula. 

 

successfully nursing Maia at 1 yr. & 3 months

 

I believe my body is capable of producing milk in spite of stresses, low milk supply, hormone change due to menstrual period, and even growth spurts of baby.  God gave me the capacity to breastfeed.

Pump and Feed worked for me. 

It is doable… It is practical… With the proper attitude, planning, some practice, some gadgets and help… oh, and lots of love and dedication to breastfeed my babies, then I was able to do it well.



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