After trying (and failing miserably) to breastfeed my firstborn with pumped breastmilk, I’m less than a week away from the third trimester with my second and already planning ahead on how to avoid the pumping mistakes that happened with my first attempt.
Not only have words of encouragement been super helpful (even those from unusual sources), but stories of failing to breastfeed/pump for one (or multiple) babies and then succeeding later have been inspiration for me to keep pushing, keep trying, and not give up.
What Went Wrong (The First Time)?
Although no one can be positive what went wrong with breastfeeding/pumping for my firstborn, there are definitely major indicators of what could have contributed to the problem.
Not only was I very physically ill after my son was born (hemorrhaging and postpartum preeclampsia, for starters) but I suffered from depression during pregnancy and following my son’s birth. My supply was barely a fraction of what my son was consuming, and never improved – likely (in part at least), due to health issues.
Curious about depression during and after pregnancy? Read more about my experience with Peripartum Depression – the Unknown Illness.
In addition, there were the environmental factors. Although surrounded by support, I picked my “pumping station” very poorly. With our house being the hub of family and friend activities on a regular basis, the lack of privacy (since I picked a place in the living room) kept me from pumping (I had hoped to exclusively pump) or even breastfeeding.
Also to be considered, I didn’t have spare pump parts… so if the parts for my pump were being washed or drying when I needed to pump, I was unable to pump or had to quickly wash/dry parts. Not conducive to a proper pumping session.
Planning Pumping Prep for this Go Round
Every pregnancy I hope to get more efficient, and I will try directly breastfeeding again.. but I love the idea of the freedom exclusively pumping can offer. I mean, who doesn’t want to sleep (except for a pumping session) while daddy feeds the baby during the night?
Although I cannot be positive to avoid health complications again, there are things I can try to increase the odds of staying healthy. I’m working on eating enough protein (to avoid preeclampsia), getting my iron (avoiding hemorrhaging), and taking care of my mental health (avoiding depression).
For supply issues, I am planning on watching my diet – lots of oats, including oat milk, and brewer’s yeast, among other things – staying hydrated (a difficult thing for me), baby wearing, and researching all I can (already started) on increasing milk supply.
Fixing the Remaining Issues
With so many things left to try/adjust/fix, the remaining issues deserved their own heading… so here we are.
For environmental factors, the most obvious place to start was the location. My “pumping station” has been relocated to my bedroom, where it will (likely) disturb my husband at night, but at least offer privacy and a consistent place to be (without having to relocate regularly).
A small cabinet will house my pump, spare pump parts, and snacks… because producing breastmilk is HUNGRY work and no one wants to be hungry AND unable to fix the problem because they are connected to a pump.
Having spare parts on hand is my solution for the washing/drying problem… because if one set of parts is being washed, the other can be in use. We might have to spend more out of pocket to buy spare parts, but in the long run it will likely pay for itself in breastmilk production (because formula is expensive)!
There are certainly other factors that play into this pumping (and/or breastfeeding) and not giving up, but the above are the main ones. If you exclusively pumped and/or breastfed your baby, how did you manage? Did you have solutions to the problems above? Leave your comment below!
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
[…] because at that point, I could try harder, be better, and maybe actually succeed. When I wrote Pumping and Not Giving Up, that was my belief… but now we know that the milk supply issue is due to a medication that I […]