I am on my second exclusive pumping journey and just two months in, I’ve already made it longer than I did with my first. So, here are some things I wish I knew the first time around.
I will also preface this by saying that everyone’s journey is different, everyone’s body responds differently to things, and this is not medical advice. I just want to share my experience and hopefully help out some new mamas who find themselves EP’ing for whatever reason!
- You don’t *have* to pump every 2 hours around the clock.
This is what the lactation consultant at my hospital told me to do to build and establish my supply- they also said I can go every 3-4 hours at night.
During the day I stuck to that every 2 hours schedule for a while, and let me tell you, it sucked. When your life has already been turned upside down by having your first baby and you’re in a cycle of feed, change, sleep, now you’re in an endless cycle of pump, feed, wash, repeat. Oh and don’t forget about feeding yourself, showering, household chores?!
I dreaded every pump. I didn’t feel very attached to my baby. I developed the “sundown scaries” where I would get extremely anxious and depressed come nightfall. My husband was noticing these changes in my mental health as well. I felt like I didn’t have time to do anything except pump.
Fast-forward to now, I pump every 2-3 hours and don’t pump in the night unless my baby wakes up to eat (I did pump in the middle of the night for the first month and a half; now she’s sleeping longer). This has been loads more manageable. I’ll share my current schedule at 11 weeks postpartum below:
6am
8am
11am
2pm
5pm
7:30pm
10pm
2. Research, research, research. Preparedness and mental outlook is everything.
I fully intended to nurse my first baby. But since that didn’t work out, exclusive pumping was the next card I was dealt. More like a firehose full of cards started pummeling me in the face. Because of this, I didn’t know much about pumping whatsoever and wasn’t sure what to expect.
When I was about 10 weeks pregnant with baby #2, I began researching pumps. Many hours were spent reading blog posts and scouring subreddits for other people’s experiences and “hacks.” And because I was now going to be pumping with a toddler running around, I wanted to know how other people made that work. I actually teetered on the fence for a while whether I wanted to try to nurse this baby or just EP since I already had experience with it.
I think a huge part of the reason I’m having more success this time around is because I was mentally prepared to embark on this journey. Many things in life are truly mind over matter.
3. Make your pump sessions a positive experience.
This is another instance of “mind over matter.”
If possible (I say this because sometimes I have no other choice but to lug my Spectra around while playing with my toddler lol), do something you enjoy while you pump. Get a nice pumping bra- I recommend the Momcozy hands-free pumping bra, shown below (You can find it on Amazon!).:
It’s a great fit and holds the flanges nice and tight so you can move around, knit blankets underwater, throw pies off of buildings, you know whatever you wanna do.
In all seriousness, get you a hot cup of coffee or tea and good book, or watch a show you only get to watch while pumping. Make it something you look forward to; something relaxing- especially since stress is not good for letdowns or milk supply.
4. Pump and feed your baby at the same time.
Many times, my pump time will align with my baby’s feeding time. I’ll warm up the bottle, set my pump and the Boppy pillow on either side of me on the couch, set baby in Boppy, sit down, put my flanges on, turn the pump on, and begin feeding her.
My setup looks like this:
This saves an incredible amount of time; I highly recommend it!
5. Wash bottles and pump parts immediately after using them instead of waiting for the end of the day.
Many would disagree with this. I understand this isn’t always possible; sometimes I can’t wash everything right after I’m done with a feed and pump session because I simply don’t have the time. Whether it’s because I need to leave somewhere or I’m too occupied with my toddler, I can’t do this 100% of the time.
BUT, the majority of the time I wash bottles and pump parts immediately because it’s another time saver. I’d rather wash multiple times a day than spend a large block of time at the end of the day doing this. That’s just me though; some people prefer to save it all for the end of the day and if that works better for you, do it!
Note: Some people swear by the fridge hack, which is putting your pump parts in the fridge between pumps to slow bacteria growth then washing at the end of the day. I don’t personally do it, but I hear that is an amazing time saver as well.
6. Get a wearable pump, and/or a rechargeable pump rather than a wall pump.
Trust me, you can get so much more done when you can move around while you pump. As an exclusive pumper, you need to be able to multitask if the situation calls for it.
It’s not recommended to use a wearable pump for every single pump because they aren’t as efficient at removing milk and could result in a supply dip. I use my Momcozy M5 for 1, maybe 2 pumps per day if I’m not in a position where I can sit and have collection cups hanging off of me. I use it while I’m driving or while I need to be in the kitchen cooking dinner on a solo momming night. I definitely don’t get as much output when I use the wearable, though..
(Disclaimer: Some women find that they empty just fine with wearables and it doesn’t effect their supply! But for many, this is not the case.)
For my main pump, I use the Spectra S1, pictured above. It’s hospital-grade efficient and the best part is that it does not need to be plugged into an outlet, so you can be semi-portable using this pump too.
There’s only a few things I can’t do while using this pump. I can sit on the floor with my baby, play with my toddler, move from room to room, vacuum, make a cup of coffee, brush my teeth… the only thing I haven’t figured out how to do while pumping is use the bathroom, but I’m sure that’s possible too. 🤣
7. It is OKAY to combo feed.
This photo is one of my pumps about 1 month postpartum, about 2 oz total. I’ve been an undersupplier from the start, so the main part of her diet was formula for quite a while.
I’ve tried all the little tricks to increase supply, including power pumping 3x a day for 3 days, then once a day for the rest of the week and did that twice. Nothing. The only thing that seems to increase my supply is time, as it’s veeeerrry slowly been going up since birth. There was a time when I only got 0.5 oz a pump, after a while I started getting 1oz, 2, and I’m now at 3-3.5oz per pump. My biggest pump of the day is first thing in the morning, where I get anywhere from 5 to 7.5 oz.
If you’re like me, an underproducer, or you just don’t want to keep such a rigorous pump schedule that maintains your supply, use the formula!! It’s there for a reason, and using it does not mean you are a failure. That’s something I wish I had heard when my first EP journey ended.
I hope these tips are useful to you, but ultimately baby needs a happy mom more than they need breastmilk. If you find that exclusive pumping is just not for you, that is okay.
Exclusive pumping is not for the weak, so if you’ve done it any amount of time, serious kudos to you. If you plan to EP for any reason, I wish you the absolute best on your journey! We are rockstars!!