I am so sick of pumping...*vent*

[ladyleah]

Vent~~~~

DS is almost 11 months old. We have a great nursing relationship, and I am very happy with it-- but I am so sick of pumping.

I pump twice a day while at work (3 days per week), and once if I work (or go out) in the evening and would miss his bedtime nursing session (this doesn't happen every week of course).

I guess I am just sick of carting the bag around, cleaning the stuff, pumping in my office, in cars, etc.

Thought I would vent to fellow pumping mammas who understand!

Thanks for listening!

[Mosaic]

Is this your first/only baby? I have to say, for my first baby I *hated* the pump. It drove me batty, and I couldn't wait until the 1 year mark where I gave it up entirely!

But I'm 6.5 months in with baby #2 and it's not nearly as annoying. I'm pumping 4-5 times a day during the week and twice on the weekends and it's barely a blip on my radar these days. I think part of it is because DD had some feeding issues when she was born, so I was pumping like crazy to keep my supply while we got her sorted out. Pumping while nursing full-time is a bear, so now it's a treat to pump at work without trying to soothe a refluxy baby at the same time.

But yes, the amount of time spent pumping, storing, measuring, freezing, washing, and repacking just to do it all again 3 hours from now is so annoying!!

[ladyleah]

You know what Mosaic- you just gave me a very helpful reminder.....

I had a horrible case of mastitis when my son was 9 days old (and lost much of my new milk supply) and spent almost 4 solid weeks of pumping after EVERY single nursing session. It was about 20 hours a day of tending to my (very beat up) breasts! Even when he slept 4 or 5 hours in a row- I would set my alarm to wake and pump after 3 hours until he was about 12 weeks old to keep trying to boost my supply.

So- pumping twice a day 3 days a week, and sometimes in the evenings isn't really a big deal considering what I dealt with before!

I guess this is the "mommy amnesia" that people have told me about...lolol

Now if someone else would do all the washing, measuing, packing, etc.....

[akind1]

ladyleah: DS is just about 11 and 1/2 months old and I am totally giving up the pump on his birthday. When he turned 11 months old, I dropped to pumping once a day instead of twice (I have enough of a freezer stash to compensate for any drop in output).

I WOH 2 days a week. I am also trying to increase his solids intake so I can perhaps drop a nursing session or two during the day, and because he probably *should* be eating more than one solid meal a day (which is what I had been doing, and frankly, there were days he didn't even get that).

DH will wash bottle parts - even all the Dr. Brown's bits - but won't touch my pump parts! what is up with that?

[texmati]

can you stream line yoru pump routine? maybe leave the bag at the office, or cut down on a single session?

Can dh/sitter do bottles/pump parts?

[germin8]

I'm a low milk supply momma who hasn't given up and am exclusively pumping these days. My DD is 4 months and I'm about ready to give up!

Do you really clean your pump EVERY TIME? I found some "shortcuts"... and some others posted there's here.

I only wash pump parts once a day.

Hang in there... you're so close to the one year mark.

[hildare]

right there with ya sister. dd turns one tomorrow!!!
i don't know how i'm going to quit pumping. it's extremely hard to just do one pumping a day, which is what i'm down to now. i sure am ready to quit, though.

[cocoanib]

I don't hate pumping, but some days i would rather not do it. DD is 7 months and I pump while at work. Most times I treat it like brushing my teeth and just sort of it do it automatically. Some days, I'm annoyed by it thoough. I had about a week where I was cursing the pump, but I think that's because I was feeling pressure. We ran out of freezer stock, so I was trying to play catch up.
As long as I'm working and DD is eating, i will continue. Could be awhile for me yet, but I'll deal!

[ladyleah]

Thanks Mammas!

I do leave my bag in my office over night on tues. night and wed. night-which is nice. And, if I don't have time to rinse my parts between the 1st and 2nd pump I use the Medela wipes to "clean" them. Then I bring everything home to wash (except the actual pump) at night.

In a few weeks I might drop to one pump per day because my little guy isn't drinking nearly as much as he used to now that he is into the soild foods-- and there are always several ounces of "liquid gold" wasted the days I am at work. He would rather have it fresh when I come home, of course!

The joke is that I produce heavy cream instead of milk-- as the kid only drank about 6-8oz. while I was gone for 8 hours, even before solids were started, and he is a big boy!!!! Now he is down to about 5 or 6oz total- and I am usually pumping around 8-10oz at work.

I feel sick that I have thrown out a bunch of milk that I had frozen, because it just gets weird after being frozen for 4+ months (maybe a lot of lipase...who knows)...so I don't want to keep freezing milk to see it get wasted (plus I have no room!!). I looked into milk donation- but there is nothing in my state, plus you can't use milk that was pumped before the donor acceptance process.

I have to say- my Medela Pump In Style has been worth every penny....whether on direct power, or battery...she has never ever let me down!