Just over one month postpartum with my third child and I’m exclusively pumping again – except so far I’ve been far more successful than the first two attempts with my older kids. Although there are many reasons for this attempt being more successful – including a medication change so I actually *have* milk to pump this time around – after much research (and learning some things the hard way) I have discovered that most of my typical problems while pumping were easy fix mistakes.
Exclusively pumping is no walk in the park – it’s hard. If you don’t have support, it will be even harder – so let’s just acknowledge that, first. Breastfeeding comes with its own set of challenges; we aren’t negating that – just realizing that the challenges with exclusively pumping are different.
When You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know
With my first baby, I thought exclusively pumping would just mean some idle time and extra dishes to wash. You know, I thought I could slap a pump on my chest a few times a day and magically make enough milk to not need formula – oh, and I thought it would be EASIER and less hassle than breastfeeding, because other people could help with feedings, too.
Boy, was I wrong.
So, so wrong.
There was so much I didn’t know. Let’s be honest, I made a few of the same mistakes (and some new ones!) with my second baby, thinking somehow things would be better from one child to the next with my (uninformed) exclusively pumping journey… and here’s the *spoiler alert*: both of my older two kids ended up on formula, with zero breastmilk – and rather quickly.
To be fair, I was on a medication (with both of my older kids) that caused my milk to never fully come in, and what little did come in dried up fast. So there’s that. But this time, I was *determined*. With my doctor by my side, we changed the medication to one that wouldn’t dry up my milk supply, and armed with lots of research, I started my exclusively pumping journey as soon as we made it home from the hospital.
Common Easy Fix Mistakes While Exclusively Pumping
In no particular order, these are some of the easy fix mistakes while exclusively pumping I have made and/or seen:
- Not wearing a specialized bra or converting one
- Not eating enough calories each day and/or not getting enough nutritious calories in
- Needing to hydrate better or drink more water
- Not pumping often enough and/or long enough
- Missing middle of the night pumping sessions
- Using an in bra or wearable pump as a primary pump or more than 1-2x per day (for lower pumping sessions only!)
Let’s Break Down the WHY
- A specially designed bra is more intuitive (less frustration!) and can help you get a better seal with your flange, while also keeping your hands free (less wasted time) so you can be productive or at least have the option of using your hands instead of holding your flanges in place
- If you don’t consume enough calories to support YOU, it will be a challenge for your body to support you AND baby. I found this Calorie Calculator for Breastfeeding from The Lactation Nutritionist super helpful in figuring out about how many calories to aim for each day (and then I updated my target calories in the free MyFitnessPal app, and log my food and drinks there to keep me on track)
- Did you know breast milk is more than 80% water, according to the World Health Organization? It’s important to stay hydrated, to help maintain your supply. It’s very discouraging to pump and not see results (and you want to be able to feed your baby – that’s the whole point, right?)
- A baby at the breast (or a pump) helps signal to your body that breast milk is needed – and if you are exclusively pumping, the amount of times you send that signal is important! 8-12 times per day is the typical recommendation during the first three months of life
- Missing middle of the night pumping sessions can have a negative impact on your supply… because if you go longer than four hours without emptying your breasts (I.e. pumping in this case), your body isn’t getting the *milk needed* signal and may slow production
- Using an in bra or wearable pump for your primary pump may be convenient, but those types of pumps are not usually as efficient at extracting milk (and pumps in general aren’t as effective as a baby!) which can over time reduce your supply
Bonus Product Suggestions
This article contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may earn a a small amount, but your price does not change. Thank you for helping support All Behind A Smile!
Using the right products for your body can make all of the difference in your exclusively pumping journey! These are a few products I’ve used and loved:
- the Spectra S1 double electric breast pump makes a GREAT primary pump and is the one I’ve used for two babies so far. (yes, the portable feature is a MUST if you already have kids! It allows you to be productive while pumping instead of attached to a wall, and you can chase toddlers without missing a pumping session!)
- MomCozy S12 wearable breast pump for a secondary (1-2x per day) breast pump option (I broke down the pros and cons between MomCozy VS Willow Wearable Breast Pumps if you are interested in why the I chose this particular pump)
- Pumpin’ Pal OptiFit Angled Flange Set helped me once I started bleeding during pumping using the flanges that came with my pump – after three pregnancies my nipples were VERY elastic and these silicone flanges are a great option to keep that from being a problem on your pumping journey (Bonus: I can lean back in my glider and sleep through night time pumping sessions due to these being angled! Just keep in mind there IS a learning curve.)
- CoBoo Natural Pumping Spray WAS my go-to for ease and comfort, until I learned about elastic nipples (mine were hitting the back of my flanges) and that you SHOULDN’T use products like these if you have very elastic nipples, too. Otherwise, this is a WONDERFUL product that I loved and definitely would recommend. Just be warned, a bottle goes fast
TL;DR
There are other considerations that could be easily added to this list of common easy fix mistakes while exclusively pumping, like not replacing pump parts often enough – I just replaced my backflow protectors, and WOW, what a difference!! But this article was getting long so the focus was on some of the bigger or less mentioned issues.
The items in bold are the mistakes that are easy to fix, so you can skim the article and troubleshoot pretty easily… and the heading that breaks down the WHY can explain if you want a deeper dive!
Please keep in mind that I am NOT focusing on increasing supply in this article – I’m barely producing enough myself, currently – but rather on having a better, more useful pumping session. We are in it for the long haul!
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
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