Exclusive Pumpers... HOW DO YOU DO IT?!?!!?! - Page 2

[BakerALM]

Originally Posted by prettypixels

BakerALM you are inspiring me to try a pumping marathon, but I have no clue how I will manage it with my baby and I here alone... how did you do it???

What is your day like? How many naps does your babe take a day and for how long? Do you live alone or do you have a SO their with you? Also what type of babe do you have, can you put them down in something like a swing/foor mat/exersauser/bouncer/high chair ?

My DD really could never ever be put down. But if you have one who will sit for any length of time that would be great. You can set up a pumping circuit, you sit in the center and pump with all those types of babe holders lined up around you and toys for you to entertain with. When they get fussy in one item you move them to the other. But it can be very stressful wondering if they are going to have a meltdown and you are going to have to quit that pump.

To be honest here is what I did when I pumped 8/day...

I would get up early to pump before my hubbie went to work around 5:15-5:45. My dd took 3 naps a day for about 30-45 min so I would pump for the entire nap each time. Then my mom and hubbie & I share a house so my mom would watch her for 1 hr when she got home from work so I could pump (and she could have grandma time.) I would pump when my hubbie got home from work. Then we did bedtime together. Then I would pump before I went to bed around 11. And my final pump would be at around the 2am waking, My hubbie would take her so i could pump.

Basically what I did not do was rest, I spent all my resting time pumping

[melbb]

1. If I need to be pumping 8 times a day, should I be pumping through the night too? So every 3 hours, day or night, or while I'm awake more like every 2 hours?

I think when you are trying to increase supply, you should pump 2x during the night. Once it is more estalished you can pump 1x during the night. I completely dropped the middle of the night pump at 10 months with little change in supply. This is individual, though. Some women get a major drop in supply if they drop their night pump.

2. Will my nipples ever adjust?!? Do they eventually just get used to it?

I always found pumping uncomfortable, but not painful. And I always felt the letdowns, which didn't help matters. This is why I rented the Symphony for a long time. It was much more comfortable than the PIS. But I went back to my PIS at 11 months and it didn't bother me. So I think they do get used to it. If it is very painful, then something isn't right (horns are too small, thrush).

3. If I do end up EP'ing for a year or so, will I always need to pump so much?
It depends and you won't know until you try. As I said in an earlier post, I pumped the same amount at 5x/day as I did 9x/day. But, I didn't have a great supply, so maybe the difference is more pronounced for stronger producers. at 5x/day, I pumped around 26 oz. I pumped 25 oz at 4x/day. At 3x/day I pumped about 23 oz. At 2x I pumped 18 oz (this is when I saw my big drop). At 1x I pumped 9 oz, but saw a steady decline over 2 weeks until I dried up (but I also went off of the dom, so that could have been the reason for drying up).

4. I'm taking the fenugreek capsules now for help with my supply which is still struggling. Do you ladies take it ALL the time? Like those of you who have pumped for a year even, do you take it still? Or again, will my body finally go into milk mode and I can drop it?

Herbs didn't work for me at all. I tried fenugreek, blessed thislte, alfalfa, more milk plus. I ended up going on dom.

5. My father bought some Brewers Yeast for my milk supply. I haven't seen anything on this site about it helping with supply issues, and the bottle doesn't say anything about it, but I thought I'd ask if any here has heard about it? Does it work or is my dad just silly?
I have heard about this and it can help, but I never tried it so I don't know how much you need to take. You can probably do an internet search and find out.

[RootSnort]

I agree with everything in the previous post!

And as for #5, Brewer's Yeast, yes, I've heard of using this as well as hops, or drinking dark beer to support better supply.