The Ending to My Breastfeeding/Pumping Journey

My breastfeeding journey with my triplets was nothing like I expected.  My goal when I was pregnant was to breastfeed for one week and if that worked out I would try to make it to 6 months.  Little did I know that my little ones would never learn to latch (bummer) and that my body would produce MORE than I needed for my 3 babies.  While in the NICU for 12-13 days, my girls were fortunate enough to receive donor breast milk while I was building up my supply.  Our hospital is one of the first in the nation to offer donor breast milk to preemies rather than only offering formula.  Since my girls were little, even for their age, the doctors asked us to give them one bottle of extra calorie formula per day.  They did that for about 6 weeks and by that point my supply had more than caught up to their demand.  So it was solely breast milk, until about 8 months when they were supplemented with about 1-2 oz of formula per day because they were eating more than I could supply.  When they began eating more solids and drinking less milk, my supply caught up and they were only on breast milk again.

 

I was hungry ALL of the time and never felt full.  I was on a strict no dairy/no soy diet, but I still managed to eat a ton.  I ended up 20 lbs lighter than I was when I got pregnant (I call it the triplet diet).  All of my calories were going to my boobs to make that precious liquid gold for my girls.  I started off pumping 7-8 times per day, by 6 months I was pumping 6 times per day, and by 1 year I was pumping 3-4 times per day.  We had to buy a deep freezer for the extra milk. 

 

Taylor was weaned to cow's milk at 12 months old since she had no allergies.  At 12 months, I began adding dairy to my diet to make sure Sam and Mallory had outgrown their allergies before giving them whole cow's milk.  At 14 months, they were all weaned.  I continued pumping another month to wean myself and also to add to the stock pile in the freezer. 

 

In October, I was able to donate two large boxes of breast milk back to Texas Children's Hospital.  I felt like it was the least I could do to give back to the hospital that took such great care of my trio.  It made me feel so good to help out the preemies in the NICU and I'm so proud of myself for sticking to it for so long.  I also have to give much deserved credit to all of those that have helped me out with the girls along the way.  Without someone here to take care of them, I wouldn't have been able to sneak away for that 20 minutes to pump.  So I thank you all very much (and so do the preemie babies :)

 

The end of my breastfeeding journey was actually bittersweet.  I was happy to drop each and every pump since it would give me that much more time to catch up with things around the house, but it was also sad for me.  As crazy as it sounds, I will miss the sound of that pump and the feeling I got when I would feed my girls.



My Breastfeeding Journey

Today, I was fortunate enough to be able to share my breastfeeding journey on the series, The Breastfeeding Diaries hosted by Julie at The Girl In the Red Shoes. This series helped educate me on real women's experiences with breastfeeding prior to my triplets being born.  For any soon to be Mom or new Mom interested in breastfeeding, I strongly recommend you read this series. To see my story, click HERE.

 



For the Exclusively Pumping Momma

Prior to having my babies, I had no clue what breastfeeding or pumping would entail.  I didn't know what a nursing pad, membrane, or lanolin was and I was kinda scared to find out.  Pumping is not as scary as it looks.  Yes, at first it is a bit uncomfortable and a very strange feeling but as the weeks and months pass, it becomes a part of your daily routine... kinda like brushing your teeth or washing your hair.  Since it has become such a huge part of my life and most people don't know much about it, I've decided to share how I set up my pumping station, my schedule, and what supplies are the most needed.

 

I tried breast feeding for about 6 weeks and the girls never caught on.  You can see my breastfeeding journey HERE.  So... I became what they call an "exclusively pumping Momma".  Having triplets may have helped me stay on track since I have them on such a strict schedule, which means I have a very strict pumping schedule.

My Evolving Pumping Schedule

 

~Here is what my pumping schedule was like when they first came home...

 

1.  Babies are breastfed.

2. Babies are supplemented with a bottle.

3.  I pump.

4.  Repeat.

Simple, yet time consuming.  It wasn't that complicated at first, but I was lucky to have someone there all the time to watch the babies while they slept so I could go pump.  I would pump 7-8 times per day on this schedule.

 

~When we got the babies on a 4 hour schedule (about 4 months old)...

 

6:30 AM: Wake up before the babies to pump.

10 AM: Babies would nap so I would go pump.

2 PM: Same

5 PM: I either bring the babies in the bathroom with me to pump or someone is there to watch them since they don't nap at this time.

8:30 PM: Babies are asleep for the night so I would go pump.

3 AM: Wake up to pump.

~At 6 months old, I decided it was time to drop the middle-of-the-night pump and my schedule became...

Pump at 6:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 2:30 PM, 5 PM, and 10 PM

~And now, at almost 10 months old, I've dropped to 4 times per day and pump the same as above minus the 5 PM.

I'm still able to produce over 2 liters of milk per day allowing my girls to have less than one bottle supplemented with formula per day each.  The human body is amazing.

My Pumping Supplies

• Medela Advanced Double Electric Breast Pump
• 4 total sets of breast shields and parts
• Extra breast milk bottles accumulated from when the girls were in the NICU
• Chair
• Container with lid
• Hands-free pumping bra
• Full glass of water
• Snack
• Washcloth
• Lansinoh or Medela Lanolin
• Lansinoh milk storage bags
• Lansinoh disposable nursing pads
• iPhone (to catch up on email, FaceBook, & Instagram)

 
At first, I rented a hospital grade pump, then eventually got my own through insurance.  I'm happy with the Medela Advanced Double Electric Breast Pump.  I also purchased 3 extra sets of breast shields and parts in order to not have to clean after every pump (trying to save time here).  Once I've finished pumping, I just rinse them off and dump them in a container.  Once I've used all of the pieces, I fill up the container with soap and water and clean each piece.  I do this while pumping, of course, with the use of my hands free pumping bra. 

My Pumping Station

My pumping station is set up in our bathroom.  I have a chair next to the sink and my pump + supplies just sitting on the counter.  Luckily, I have enough space to spread out a little.  While I pump, using my hands free bra, I am able to do my hair and make-up, clean supplies, make phone calls, or just browse facebook/instagram.  As I clean the supplies, I let them dry on a washcloth then put them together at the next pump.

So there you have it.  How I have survived being an exclusively pumping Mom of triplets.  I owe a lot to my husband and everyone that has helped out with our kids while I escape to the bathroom to pump.  It has been very important to me to be able to provide my girls with breast milk and I definitely see us making it to one year.