Have I told you lately how much I hate pumping? I really, really, really hate it. It is the downpoint of my day, every day, four times a day. Yes, working full time, I have to pump four to five times every day, twice at home, and two to three times at work, depending on whether I go feed Bryleigh at the daycare during my lunch hour, which I do practically every day.
In the mornings I get up, shower, wrap my hair in a towel and put on my robe, then I wake Bryleigh up to change her diaper and feed her. While I’m sitting there feeding, enjoying that special time with my daughter, I can’t help but feel dread at knowing that as soon as I’m done, I’m going to have to go pump.
Once B has been fed, I rock her back to sleep and put her back in her crib. If she won’t go back to sleep, then I give her to her daddy, who is always still in bed and who I’ve nick-named “Baby Ambien”—when he lays her on his chest, she falls straight to sleep within a matter of seconds! Once she’s in her crib or wrapped in her daddy’s arms, I then gather up my pump stuff and take it into the bathroom, where I get myself all hooked up and then blow dry my hair and put on my makeup while I pump. Usually I finish with my hair and makeup before I’m done pumping (it only takes me about six minutes to dry my hair, and about five to put on makeup every morning), so I sit and read a book for the remaining three to four minutes.
I pump at work again at 10am sharp and then head to the daycare to feed her at 12pm, and then I wait and pump again at work around 4pm. Then after work I pick her up, and we play until 7:30pm (she’s usually had a daycare bottle between 5pm and 5:30pm), and then we start her bedtime routine (bath, lotion, diaper, jammies, food and a story, and then a song), and she goes to bed between 8pm and 8:30pm.
Then I end my day by pumping again around 10pm. I hate pumping.
Showing posts with label breast pumps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breast pumps. Show all posts
Friday, 3 December 2010
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Pumperstar (continued)
Flanges
So, I found out the hard way that the flanges (the piece of the pump that looks like a funnel or horn) that come with the breast pumps do not fit most women! Most women need a size large flange, but the pumps come with a medium. I used the mediums for a month with no problem, but then they started feeling like they were pinching me! They hurt so badly; I really couldn’t stand it! It was killing me, so I asked my lactation consultant about it, and she informed me about the sizing issues. I went out and bought the larges, and they fit SO much better. Now I’m normally a B cup, and have gone up to a C cup since the pregnancy, so take that into consideration when you decide on your size. If you were a pre-pregnancy C cup, you may need extra large flanges.
So, I found out the hard way that the flanges (the piece of the pump that looks like a funnel or horn) that come with the breast pumps do not fit most women! Most women need a size large flange, but the pumps come with a medium. I used the mediums for a month with no problem, but then they started feeling like they were pinching me! They hurt so badly; I really couldn’t stand it! It was killing me, so I asked my lactation consultant about it, and she informed me about the sizing issues. I went out and bought the larges, and they fit SO much better. Now I’m normally a B cup, and have gone up to a C cup since the pregnancy, so take that into consideration when you decide on your size. If you were a pre-pregnancy C cup, you may need extra large flanges.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Pumperstar
I feel I really need to post a few blog entries about pumping because I have so many suggestions and tips for people, but no one ever really talks about pumping out loud!
First of all, for those of you getting ready to pump, I recommend the Medela products. They're the only ones I considered. I bought and use the Medela Pump In Style Metro with the shoulder bag. The motor, instead of being built into the bag, actually comes out, so you can take it out and carry it around with you if using the battery pack, rather than having to carry the whole bag.
the motor box, 
First of all, for those of you getting ready to pump, I recommend the Medela products. They're the only ones I considered. I bought and use the Medela Pump In Style Metro with the shoulder bag. The motor, instead of being built into the bag, actually comes out, so you can take it out and carry it around with you if using the battery pack, rather than having to carry the whole bag.
The bag itself is spacious enough to carry the little cooler (which fits up to six bottles and an ice pack),
the motor box, the loose pieces (flanges, membranes, valves, etc.), and a tube of Clorox wipes (we'll get to that in a minute). I complain that the bag is too big, but I'm afraid that if it were smaller, I would complain that I couldn't fit everything into it that I need, so that complaint is kind of a washout.
Which pump to buy?
When I was pregnant, my husband's company set me up with a lactation consultant, and I asked her recommendation about what pump to buy. She recommended the Metro to me. She said that the only advantage of the Freestyle was that it was hands-free, but she said that wasn't really a plus considering you can buy bras that make the Metro hands-free, as well. She also told me that the Freestyle is a lot louder than the Metro.
Now I have not heard the Freestyle, so I can't vouch for how loud it is, but I can tell you that the Metro isn't quiet. If I'm pumping in bed watching television with my husband, I have to place a pillow over the motor because it's so loud. I'm guessing that the Freestyle is only slightly louder.
My main complaint with the Metro is that it's not hands-free! Yes, I bought the hands-free bra, and it works great for me, but I would much prefer not to have to wear it. It gets dirty quickly because despite all efforts I usually tend to leak a bit onto it, then washing it is a pain the ass because no matter when I do it, I usually always need it again before it's finished drying.
Another advantage of the Freestyle is that it uses rechargeable batteries (I think). I can tell you that the Metro sucks up the energy from eight AA batteries quite quickly, and rather then use up my paychecks buying batteries, I use the plug option whenever possible, which means that I’m bound to one spot while pumping.
All in all, if I were to do it again, I would hands-down (pun intended) buy the Medela Pump In Style Freestyle, and honestly, I would probably go with the backpack option. I would imagine that would be pretty convenient to walk around while pumping using the rechargeable battery pack.
Hands-free bras
If you go with the Metro, I recommend you buy two hands-free bras so that you can wash one while using the other. I also recommend that you buy a larger size than you need. This is a tip I came across by accident! Bryleigh was crying in the baby store when I bought mine, so I grabbed the first one I saw and never even thought to look at the size. When I got home, I realised I had bought a large when I needed a small. Unfortunately I bought it when I was out of town and couldn’t exchange it in the near future, so I just started using it. However, I tend to put it on over my clothing, so the large really works well for that! The room in which I pump at work is freezing, so if I'm wearing a sweater, I can lift up the front of the sweater and pull the large hands-free bra down over it, and because it's too big, it works, and I get to stay relatively warm!
When I was pregnant, my husband's company set me up with a lactation consultant, and I asked her recommendation about what pump to buy. She recommended the Metro to me. She said that the only advantage of the Freestyle was that it was hands-free, but she said that wasn't really a plus considering you can buy bras that make the Metro hands-free, as well. She also told me that the Freestyle is a lot louder than the Metro.
Now I have not heard the Freestyle, so I can't vouch for how loud it is, but I can tell you that the Metro isn't quiet. If I'm pumping in bed watching television with my husband, I have to place a pillow over the motor because it's so loud. I'm guessing that the Freestyle is only slightly louder.
My main complaint with the Metro is that it's not hands-free! Yes, I bought the hands-free bra, and it works great for me, but I would much prefer not to have to wear it. It gets dirty quickly because despite all efforts I usually tend to leak a bit onto it, then washing it is a pain the ass because no matter when I do it, I usually always need it again before it's finished drying.
Another advantage of the Freestyle is that it uses rechargeable batteries (I think). I can tell you that the Metro sucks up the energy from eight AA batteries quite quickly, and rather then use up my paychecks buying batteries, I use the plug option whenever possible, which means that I’m bound to one spot while pumping.
All in all, if I were to do it again, I would hands-down (pun intended) buy the Medela Pump In Style Freestyle, and honestly, I would probably go with the backpack option. I would imagine that would be pretty convenient to walk around while pumping using the rechargeable battery pack.
Hands-free bras
If you go with the Metro, I recommend you buy two hands-free bras so that you can wash one while using the other. I also recommend that you buy a larger size than you need. This is a tip I came across by accident! Bryleigh was crying in the baby store when I bought mine, so I grabbed the first one I saw and never even thought to look at the size. When I got home, I realised I had bought a large when I needed a small. Unfortunately I bought it when I was out of town and couldn’t exchange it in the near future, so I just started using it. However, I tend to put it on over my clothing, so the large really works well for that! The room in which I pump at work is freezing, so if I'm wearing a sweater, I can lift up the front of the sweater and pull the large hands-free bra down over it, and because it's too big, it works, and I get to stay relatively warm!
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