LIFESTYLE

OUR FEEDING/PUMPING JOURNEY WITH HUDSON

I’ve been asked a lot about our pumping/feeding journey so far so I thought I’d write a quick post about it.

OUR JOURNEY

OUR INITIAL PLAN

We’ve gotten to a really good place with it, but it definitely has been a journey with highs and lows. Going into it I had an open mind about breastfeeding but felt like I would rather exclusively pump. My midwives were really supportive of that choice but it was a choice that was often met with comments about how difficult it would be and how I should reconsider.

At the end of the day I wanted to feed Hudson breastmilk in the way that worked best for me, not for someone else. Early on in the process Nick and I decided the most important thing to us was that Hudson was fed and that we found the least stressful and healthy way to do it. We felt this would keep Hudson happy and calm as babies tend to feed off of your energy.

Before I breakdown our journey, just know this is what we’ve found has worked for us so far but it doesn't mean it’s the right journey for you. I hope you listen to yourself and do what feels right for you, your body and your baby.

the first days / breastfeeding / waiting for milk to come in

We tried breastfeeding the first few days but it became a lot of work. My colostrum wasn’t really coming out in the first few days and my milk didn’t come in until day 4.

In the early days we tried breastfeeding. Im glad we gave it a try as it was a memory that I will hold dear in my heart. It’s an amazing way to bond with your baby. When I was first afraid of breast-feeding one of our midwives told us something that really helped me want to try it out. She said ‘your baby doesn’t know what they’re doing either, you’re learning together’ and that totally changed my perspective.

Trying to learn how to do my end and trying to learn and teach Hudson what to do was a really amazing experience. At the end of the day though, we were breastfeeding (with no success), then pumping (with no success) and eventually we would just have to feed him with formula to ensure he was getting something.

It was painful, time consuming and night time feeds were taking over an hour. Plus, Hudson would get frustrated because he was hungry and it was taking so long to get anything. It wasn't a sustainable routine for us so we decided to re-adjust.

EXCLUSIVELY PUMPING AND SUPPLEMENTING WITH FORMULA

We tried to make breastfeeding work but decided it wasn’t for us and it made more sense to pump exclusively to encourage my milk to come in and while we waited for it we supplemented Hudson with formula. This really sped up our feeding routine and it became a lot less stressful and way more manageable.

The process was still frustrating on my end for a few more days though. When my colostrum finally came in, it would come out in such tiny amounts that it would just get stuck in my pump and I would try to get it out with my finger and put it in Hudson’s mouth. It was incredibly time consuming with little reward, it was very frustrating.

That experience ended up being very isolating. I would be pumping and trying to get something for Hudson to eat while Nick would be feeding him formula from the bottle. It ended up making me feel really lonely. I was spending all my time trying to get milk for my son to drink but I didn’t ever actually get to hold and feed him. Something that should be bonding us, felt like it was keeping us apart.

once my milk came in

My milk finally came in on day 4 postpartum. I went from pumping five times a day and getting a few drops that would get stuck in my pump to getting 40mL on the fourth day to producing 450mL on the fifth day.

I remember I was so excited to finally have gotten milk that I danced around the house and took pics of the bottles. I remember I yelled the news to Nick from across the house and we both celebrated.

my pumping schedule

Since my milk came in, I pump for 45 minutes at a time, 3-5 times a day (usually 4 times). This seems to produce the most amount of milk for me but you should test out what works best for you.

Some people pump for less time more frequently but this system has allowed me to sleep through the night for the most part without having to pump.

When it comes to timing out my pumping sessions, I try to pump every 3-5 hours.

First: I pump first thing in the morning (between 5 and 9am)

Second: I pump 3-5 hours later in the late morning or early afternoon

Third: I pump just before or after dinner when Nick gets home from work in the early evening.

Fourth: I pump right before bed while Nick is doing the night time feed with Hudson before we put him to bed.

I pretty much never pump through the night, I only do if Hudson is going through a growth spurt (which he did when he was three weeks old) and drinking through my supply too fast. If he’s doing that I try and pump during the night so we don’t need to use formula but if I’m too tired I’d rather give him formula and get more rest for the next day.

If I wake up for a nighttime feed with Hudson and I’m engorged and in pain, I get Nick to feed Hudson and I pump.

WHAT I’M PRODUCING

Here’s a breakdown of what I’ve produced on average each week since Hudson was born:

Day 1 - 7

I didn’t produce milk until day 4. I went from producing 40mL on day 4 to producing between 210-450mL/day, pumping 5x/day.

Day 8-14

I pumped on avg 4-5x/day and produced between 440mL-730mL/day.

Day 15-21

I pumped on avg 3-4x/day and produced between 500mL-820mL/day.

Day 22-28

I pumped on avg 3-4x/day and produced between 720mL-1160mL/day.

PROS AND CONS OF EXCLUSIVELY PUMPING

Pros:

anyone can feed the baby, especially at night. This way you can divide up who gets up with the baby for their nighttime feeds and diaper changes. (Luckily Hudson only wakes twice at night these days; once between 1 and 3 am and again between 5 and 6:30am, we’re very lucky he sleeps very well through the night and since he’s gaining weight nicely we don’t need to wake him, we can just let him sleep through his meals.)
you know how much milk the baby is getting
you’re more in control of their weight gain (especially if you’re supplementing with formula), Hudson regained his birth weight in 1 week and has been healthily gaining weight since.
You can easily build up your supply
It’s easier (in my opinion) to feed them in public with a bottle ready.

Cons:

You have to sterilize the pump parts every time (not a big deal if you ask me). I’m sterilizing his bottles anyway. My brother and sister-in-law lent us their bottle warmer and sterilizer and it’s been our most used baby product.
You need to find a way to occupy your baby while you’re pumping especially if you’re caring for them with no one else home to help. (Baby Bjorne to the rescue.)
You’re a bit tied to your home. If you do go out and miss a pumping session it means less milk for your baby and potentially some engorged boobs.

HOW OFTEN AND HOW MUCH HUDSON EATS

Since we were in the hospital we’ve been feeding Hudson every 3 hours. Luckily that really hasn’t been too much of a struggle. If he’s really hungry and upset and nothing is calming him down, we’ll feed him a little early at the 2 or 2 and a half hour mark but that is rare.
He is currently 4 weeks, almost 5 weeks old and at night he only wakes twice. We feed him right before we go to bed, then he wakes at some point between 1 and 3am and again between 5 and 6:30am for a feed and diaper change.
He started off eating between 60-90mLs/feed in the first week and a half and started eating between 90-120mL’s/feed in the second week. When he was three weeks old he went through a growth spurt and drank between 120-180mL/feed which was very hard to keep up with on my end. After he turned four weeks he started eating between 90-160mL’s which was way more manageable.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY

I would go back and tell myself not to worry and that my milk will eventually come in. I was so scared it wasn’t going to, but it’s normal for it not to come in for a few days. I wish someone had told me that.
I would have bought a different pump. The pump we have works great but I can’t pick Hudson up when I have it on as it’s too bulky. To do it over again I would’ve spent more and bought one that you can tuck in your bra, like the Willow or Elvie.

WHAT WE USE THAT WORKS FOR US

I had bought some Avent glass bottles which Hudson drank great from but we ended up having to buy another style of their bottles that prevent air in-take. Hudson had a lot of painful gas early on and the new bottles have really helped with that. I would’ve used those bottles from the start had I known better.