Pumping chit chat 3

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

Gav just broke my heart. We were cuddling and snuggling. He was tugging on my clothes, so I offered. He leaned in.....and backed off when I squirted some milk in his mouth. I seriously thought he would try, after all this time; I haven't offered in weeks. However, he bites. And he does not let go. Yikes.

[@llli*mtmama]

[@llli*mskalinin]

Aww Susan, thats sad. What a tease!

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

So since that mom gave all the milk back, I've been using one bag a day, and I've learned a few things


The milk from February and March..,Gav doesn't like it In fact, I used one 5 oz bag to top up his two night time bottles last night; I take two 9 oz bottles, fill with what I have pumped in my two sessions and then added this bag of milk from last March. I'm sitting here looking at 4.5 oz of it left. He normally drinks those two bottles overnight, and I know he will wake up and be ready to go. He eats his breakfast, which doesn't include breastmilk, and then he's off. He basically day weaned himself.

The milk from May and June is OK.

Boo. I liked just pumping 2 times a day and then topping up as needed. I might be adding a third session back in, but it's really hard to pump more when you cut back. I've been taking the kids on outings and things that are not compatible with pumping. It's like I have a life back. But I can't keep giving him milk that I end up tossing.

If I don't mix it, he won't even drink a little bit of the old milk.

[@llli*marley-n-emily]

I might be adding a third session back in, but it's really hard to pump more when you cut back.

So true, Susan! I just allowed myself to go down to 3 sessions (but I added time in to the later ones so I'm at the same total pumping time) when I realized I had been at 4 for about 4 months. I can't even imagine how I lived pumping 8 times a day. Well, yeah I can - it was home in my pajamas going through lanolin like there was no tomorrow!

I don't want to jinx it, but for the last 3 nights, Emily has only woken once in the middle and then has the second "night time" bottle when she wakes up between 5:30 and 6 am. It's like a miracle!! Just 17 months in and we're almost sleeping through the night!

So I'm wondering what the best way is to kind of wrap up the milk factory. I know I go back and forth about being ready to stop, but I know the summer is going to be pretty crazy with travel for my sister's wedding, travel of up to 4 days at a time for work when I'm not even sure the milk will transport well, and a 3 week visit from Emily's Dad's older daughters. So at some point I have to forgive myself for screwing up nursing at the breast and realize that I'm mommy to an active toddler and life has to go on. I know that if I had done things "right" we'd be breastfeeding every evening and all weekend long whenever, wherever, but that isn't our path.

I've been weaning off of domperidone for the last 3 weeks (about 3 weeks 'til I run out) and I'm planning to take fenugreek and marshmallow for about a month and stop. I'm down to 3 pumps a day 7-10 hours apart (100 minutes total) and I don't feel uncomfortably full at any point. I'm sure my supply will take a hit in the next month - 6 weeks, but what about after that? Is it better to go down to 2 pumps (though I'll have to reduce the time - I can't sit still for 50 minutes and I don't want to get up a half an hour earlier!) or stay at 3 and reduce the pumping time until I'm not pumping at all?

[@llli*mtmama]

Why doesn't he like that milk? Lipase?

[@llli*wiggle.bug]

Susan, I'm sorry about Gavin. And I'm sorry about your milk, too!

Kmoore, if Claire is drinking 10-12 oz. on average, that probably won't go up unless there's something going on (like a growth spurt). It may also go down once she's on solids. My DS went down to 8 oz. pretty consistently at around 9 months, I think (it might have been 10).

Elizabethlarae, I couldn't get a letdown once when I was really, really full, but it turned out I had a bleb. It was so painful it was inhibiting letdown in my right breast. Of course, this was on the last day of a vacation and mere hours before I was due to get on a plane. But the lactation consultant who was helping me troubleshoot said it's not uncommon. Is everything going okay now?

DS really doesn't want to nurse much in the mornings after he wakes up. Of course, that could be because he's nursing almost every hour at night. But it makes my morning pumps more productive. He seems to be cutting back at daycare, too: he only took 1.5 oz. of his 4 oz. cup at snack on Tuesday. We'll have to see what he does today. It's nice not to have to worry about production so much, but I wonder if he'll start nursing even more at night (if that's possible).

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

So true, Susan! I just allowed myself to go down to 3 sessions (but I added time in to the later ones so I'm at the same total pumping time) when I realized I had been at 4 for about 4 months. I can't even imagine how I lived pumping 8 times a day. Well, yeah I can - it was home in my pajamas going through lanolin like there was no tomorrow!

I don't want to jinx it, but for the last 3 nights, Emily has only woken once in the middle and then has the second "night time" bottle when she wakes up between 5:30 and 6 am. It's like a miracle!! Just 17 months in and we're almost sleeping through the night!

So I'm wondering what the best way is to kind of wrap up the milk factory. I know I go back and forth about being ready to stop, but I know the summer is going to be pretty crazy with travel for my sister's wedding, travel of up to 4 days at a time for work when I'm not even sure the milk will transport well, and a 3 week visit from Emily's Dad's older daughters. So at some point I have to forgive myself for screwing up nursing at the breast and realize that I'm mommy to an active toddler and life has to go on. I know that if I had done things "right" we'd be breastfeeding every evening and all weekend long whenever, wherever, but that isn't our path.

I've been weaning off of domperidone for the last 3 weeks (about 3 weeks 'til I run out) and I'm planning to take fenugreek and marshmallow for about a month and stop. I'm down to 3 pumps a day 7-10 hours apart (100 minutes total) and I don't feel uncomfortably full at any point. I'm sure my supply will take a hit in the next month - 6 weeks, but what about after that? Is it better to go down to 2 pumps (though I'll have to reduce the time - I can't sit still for 50 minutes and I don't want to get up a half an hour earlier!) or stay at 3 and reduce the pumping time until I'm not pumping at all?

I would drop to 2 and not worry about time. Just pump till you are done and see how that goes.

Why doesn't he like that milk? Lipase?

Yep.

[@llli*elizabethlarae]

Elizabethlarae, I couldn't get a letdown once when I was really, really full, but it turned out I had a bleb. It was so painful it was inhibiting letdown in my right breast. Of course, this was on the last day of a vacation and mere hours before I was due to get on a plane. But the lactation consultant who was helping me troubleshoot said it's not uncommon. Is everything going okay?.

Everything is fine now. No bleb/blocked duct that I could tell. I came home and nursed and everything was fine.

I have found a cereal that is called shredded oats. It is made from whole oat flour. Would eating that be as good as oatmeal? I don't think I can stand oatmeal every day.

[@llli*mskalinin]

@Susan: I gave my son milk from early May in early September and he refused it. Little stinkers.

@elizabethlarae: I make a smoothie with steel cut oats. Its kind of chalky/chunky but it tastes pretty good. I also throw feugreek seeds and black strap molasses in there. Let me know if you want the recipe. I like oatmeal, but I also don't wanna eat it daily.

Output is so bad. So... bad. I got goats milk today and little man did not seem to like it. Should I warm it up like I do my milk? My husband gave it to him with dinner, so I don't think he refused it because I was there. I am hoping he just needs to get used to it. It has a good amount of fat but its an 8oz serving size, if he does end up drinking it, should I give him 4oz? 5? He is nursing more at night lately so I am not too worried about his mommy milk intake.

Hope everyone had a better day than I did!!