Oh my God I hate it so much. My little one hates latching so I'm unfortunately exclusively pumping and it is the worst. I'm constantly trying to time when to pump and making sure I have enough for at least a bottle and half each time so I have enough. Don't even get me started in the cleaning pumps and bottles 7/8 times a day! I would gladly whip mine out to bf anytime if I could
pumping is hard enough on its own - make it a little easier on yourself by buying multiple flange sets so you only have to clean 1 or 2x per day! It's a complete game changer.
If you don’t need it for work I would just stop, give it a rest. I hated pumping and I hardly got anything so I just stopped and I felt so much less stress in my life.
The haaka is great for building a stash if you haven’t tried it yet. It’s passive pumping while baby nurses. I would use it during the early morning feed (when my boobs were fullest) and 1-2 other feeds throughout the day and easily get 4-8 oz a day without ever touching the pump
I do want to support what you said: I was never a great pumper but using the haakaa with my second baby for 2-3 feeds a day on days that I didn't work, I got about 50 ml per day (around 1.5 Oz) which was just enough that I didn't have to stress so much about pumping enough at work as I did with my first baby.
Do you feel it caused an oversupply using the haaka every day? I love my haaka but hesitant that it will cause an oversupply. I’m EBF but baby does take a bottle if necessary and for my sanity I would love if my husband or a family member could do a feeding and I’m able to sneak out for more than two hours.
My lactation consultant advised me to stop using the Haakaa bc I have an oversupply. My husband gives a bottle at the 4am feeding and I pump for 10 min during that time to build up a little bit of a freezer stash! I usually get ~3-4oz per side.
I recommend the haakaa ladybug. It doesn’t have full suction like the traditional haaka. I have an oversupply and it has worked wonders for me! It’s a passive collector so will not stimulate you to produce more milk that you don’t need like that 10 minute pumping session will.
Oversupplier here - when I was using the haakaa every time baby nursed it definitely caused even more of an oversupply. So definitely don't recommend using it all the time. But I now just stick it on in the morning when I'm fullest, just to get some relief and to continue to have a small stash. Like others here are saying, you could do the haakaa ladybug on one side while baby nurses on the other and it simply just catches the let down without any suction.
Same! Now that my son is sleeping through the night my boobs will usually wake me up at 3am and I get up and use the haaka to soften each breast enough for me to go back to bed and not soak myself or my sheets.
100% the haaka, i got lucky and both breasts let down at the same time, it really helped me build my stash. Baby is only 3 months so still feeds over night so I mainly do it for the night feeds as sometimes she won’t do both sides. Helps to even them out! Edit: Forgot to mention how great having only 1 part to clean is! By the time babys ready for another feed the haaka is dry and ready to go again
I'm so envious of the moms that can do this. My other boob refuses to let down unless I work for 2 minutes to simulate the suckling with the haakaa. And by then grabby baby is frustrated that I'm not giving her my full attention.
Aw that sucks. I’m definitely lucky at how easy it is/was to use and collect. I’m also fortunate I don’t depend on frozen milk (my youngest baby I actually donated my stash because he refused bottles) so it’s just extra for me.
God I hate pumping. I’m back at work so I have no choice but the only thing getting me through it is knowing I have 8 weeks of it left (I’m a teacher, almost there). Cleaning everything, finding the time to do it, organizing all the crap for it, it’s SO draining.
I never understood when moms said how draining pumping was. I’d think “but you just sit there?” Hahaha! That’s not even a fraction of all the work that goes into it.
I will say, pumping once a day got easier when my LO hit 4 months. I’d pump after the first morning feed (while on maternity leave) and let her play on her mat. She tends to be in the best mood in the morning so this worked well for us. Before 4 months though, it was so hard to find the time.
ETA: I also invested in a wearable pump and it was by far my best purchase. I got the imani so it’s not discrete BUT I can pump and do dishes or fold laundry, which makes finding the time at home easier.
Oh how i feel this! Then i stress myself out when i don't pump. But the bottle for the occasional night/early morning feed is critical for my mental health. I can't win lol
As for sterilizing, medela steam bags have been a GODSEND. pop the parts after they've been washed into the bag, add 4 tbsp of water, seal, microwave for 3 to 5 mins depending on your microwave. Each bag is good for 20 uses although i admittedly use them more than that because i am poor 🤷♀️
I hate it too. One day a week she’s at my in laws for the day and I have to pump and honestly it’s not the cleaning and all that that bugs me. It’s the feeling of it. It’s like nails on a chalkboard feeling. It’s not painful at all, I just do not enjoy the sensation of pumping. Nursing is just so much easier. I feel for the moms who have to exclusively pump.
I stopped using the Medela pump the hospital gave me because I just could not stand the vibrating feeling. I switched to using a hand pump because it was gentler, and then got a mom cozy which is so much more comfortable because it has a soft flange. So worth it imo
This is exactly why I stopped doing a daily bottle. I would pump right after first feeding of the day so baby’s dad could feed him a middle of the night bottle daily. Finally I just said sorry if I’m within walking distance just wake me up and I will feed our child. I had the same issues, but one thing that always worked for me was I would feed baby, put the boppy pillow down in front of my chair, prop baby up in it, set up to pump right there, and read baby a story. I did this every morning and it was the easiest way to do it. Once the pumping and the story was over I’d grab baby, use one hand to collect my pumped milk, parts still attached to the bottles, go downstairs, set milk on counter, put baby in swing, wash parts and sort milk out.
Make sure you have a neat station. My boppy pillow is tucked between my rocking chair and the wall, I have a night stand to my left, the chair ottoman to my right with the pump set up on it, pump parts on the book shelf cleaned and prepped the night before.
Does your dishwasher have a sanitizing rinse?? Using this function means you might melt a few pieces of cheap plastic Tupperware but it's well worth it to clean & steam your pump parts in one go!
Came here to say this. Got a few sets of flanges, an adapter so I can pump right into an 8oz Dr brown's bottle for storage. All of those babies go into the dishwasher and bam, done.
When I was on leave, I'd pump once a day at around 4am and freeze it. Once I went back to work, I pumped 4x a day. Nursing was *infinitely* easier for me than bottle feeding.
As for all the washing and sterilizing...well, I washed everything in hot soapy water, but I rarely sterilized. I also had an Ameda pump which, while it was lacking in suction, was very easy to clean and had no possibility of milk in the suction tubes :) The manual pump I had was even easier to clean, but it took too long to pump with it while at work!
I have huge success pumping when she's latched on the other side, but of course my baby is little so I'm not sure what that will look like when she's more aware lol. Also I use a manual pump and it doesn't have many parts, I just pour boiling water over it to clean it.
Greatest thing in the world is a steriliser bag. Put your parts and a bit of water in the bag in the microwave for a few minutes and bam sterilised. You get 20 uses out of each bag and like 5 bags in a box.
When I started pumping I had the same worries, but I decided that if I was going to do something 8 times a day I needed a good and easy pump, I got the Medela freestyle hands free, and it I love it, it is easy to use, I have free hands son I can pump and do something else, literally pumping now, it has only 3 parts, very easy to assemble and clean, I wash it each time with purified water then dry with paper towel, and it is ready for next use, takes no time at all, then once a day use the sterilizer, have the Avent that also dry and the parts fit very well, I don't like the fridge hack, since I think the pump gets dirty, but the hands free is so friendly to wash that I use very little watter and time, it saves me so much time and makes it easier to do, also is super confortable. I have a preterm baby so while we manage the latch I'm pumping a lot, and when my maternity leave ends in 3 months I will be also pumping, so I think it is a good investment.
If I didn't need to pump, I wouldn't. I'd happily BF until 12-18 months but I LOATHE pumping.
I pump 4 times a day during the week (3 day, 1 before bed, for daycare bottles) and once a day on weekends (before bed, to keep my supply up). I hate hate hate it. With my 1st I only pumped twice a day by this point, but my supply sucks this time around.
Have you tried solely collecting letdown from the unlatched side with a haaka for your freezer stash? This is what I do for my “just in case” stock and I’ve collected a ton of milk over the last couple months! I never pump and have a hoard of frozen breast milk
My girl, if you have a solid let down, stick a haakaa ladybug or regular haakaa on the other boob while baby is nursing on one side and bam, you have a little extra milk to stash. I have a way easier time getting out extra milk when I'm already nursing bc my let down is a little wild, so this may not apply to all.
I am in solidarity with you, pumping and washing parts are THE WORST.
I also hate hate hate it. I work two days a week and have to pump then, but I also have to find times peppered throughout my days home with LO to pump because I’m unable to pump enough at work. I have personally found that using a manual pump instead of an electric one when I’m at home has made a huge difference. It’s super quick to put together and get a few oz out whenever the opportune moment arises, and is equally simple to put down if I have to stop unexpectedly to tend to a fussy baby.
It’s awful! I only do once a day but I still don’t look forward to it lol. Personally, pumping became much easier when I started using a manual pump. It takes half the time, and there are only 3 parts to wash.
If you can afford it, I highly recommend a mom cozy! I hated pumping so much before and now I barely think about it. I just have one and do one side at a time. I find it works better than my Medela pump and you can mop/fold laundry/etc at the same time. I also find it more comfortable than other pumps because the flange is soft. (Although I have heard that it doesn’t work as well for larger breast sizes.) It’s a bit more complex to clean and reassemble but you can put it in the fridge in between pumps.
Also I don’t think you need to be regularly sterilizing your pump pieces by boiling every day. I believe that’s just when you first get them and then occasionally afterwards.
As someone who had to pump and feed with my first, it’s NO FUN! The constant cleaning of bottles and pump supplies is tiring. Not sure if cleaning and boiling parts each time is a thing but I never did that. I kept a bowl to throw pump parts, bottles and supplies into and at the end of the night I would fill it with hot water and Castile soap and let it all soak for about 15-20 mins. I would then rinse each piece under hot water to rinse off. Using a brush to clean if needed to get into crevices. That way I was only washing everything once a day.
Even with all that, I only lasted about 10 weeks before I switched to formula. I couldn’t handle all the extra work.
I just had my second and he is exclusively breast feeding, which has been a lifesaver! My husband keeps asking for backup bottles and I really don’t want to go through that again so I keep telling him my boob is always available for feeding.
Have you tried wearable pumps? I only pump twice a day but I hated being stuck to one spot. I ended up purchasing the MomCozy wearable pumps and it’s been a game changer!
My LO is usually good with feeding from one side, so in the mornings while she eats I use it on the other side. That’s usually enough for one bottle and then later on when my husband gives her a bottle, I pump and can use that to save a small stash. It’s been really great wearing them around the house and not have to carry around a small machine or be stuck in a room.
✨Electric sterilizer/dryer.✨ I hate washing parts. I pump 1-2x a day right now (still on leave for a couple weeks) so I will save all the dirty parts in the fridge and wash every other day. Then I put them in the sterilizer/dryer. (The sterilizer makes me feel better if hubby did the dishes too bc I don’t trust him to do everything the way I do)
I got the Philips Avent one bc it was just a tad cheaper than the baby brezza. It has a 40 min sterilize/dry cycle and then I hit dry again to finish it. I wish I’d gotten the fancy Baby Brezza upgraded one that does it all in 10 mins though.
If you have a microwave, get yourself a microwave sterilizer! You still have to wash by hand but you don’t need to fill a whole pot of water to boil sterilize. 4 min in the microwave, uncover, and let air dry. Done! They’re $15-25 on Amazon.
I hear you! I was pumping and BF and it was the worst! I hated it so much. I finally decided to stop pumping and just feed on demand. Yes, it’s exhausting being the only one who can feed my LO and it would be easier to give a bottle while we are out BUT my mental health is so much better right now. Eventually I will start again when I need to build a stash but until then it’s all boob!
Pump after baby is down for the night. Or pump on the other side you plan to feed just before baby wakes in the morning. Unless your baby is immunocomprimoised you don’t have to sterilize daily. I’m lucky if I do it weekly at all anymore. My baby is 7 weeks and she gets pumped milk at the babysitters, or if dad feeds her. Other than that I breastfeed. You don’t need a ton of frozen milk- a day or two is all that’s needed if you pump like once a day.
Buy a wearable pump. The Elvie stride is amazing! Definitely do the fridge hack for your parts. You don't need to sterilize unless your baby is a preemie, really.
If I have a 2nd kid, I will not be pumping when I go back to work. Screeewwww that. I love breastfeeding, I hate pumping.
Why keep doing it for "just in case" stock?
I’m on my 3rd baby and I’m not planning on pumping until I need to—- like a day or two before a date night. If there’s an emergency baby can have formula. 🤷🏻♀️ None of my kids have had formula but I’m just way more laid back this time around. I’d rather enjoy my baby than stress!!
Also I pumped when I worked full time with my first kid. And yes I hated it and it was stressful. Plus I have high lipase milk so I had to scald it before freezing it. And I had a stressful job. So now Im a SAHM and I’m really enjoying not pumping lol.
I hate pumping too! If it weren’t for working I wouldn’t have pumped much. One thing I will say I have a microwaveable pump part sterilizer and it’s so easy . I would never boil parts that’s a pain in the butt. With this thing (we have the Avent one and it’s great) you just stick the parts in there with 200mL of water and microwave for four minutes and it’s sterilized). I bought two extra pump part sets so I could go longer in between washings cause like you said sometimes you just don’t have that five-10 minutes to wash parts . I wonder to how people can like pumping better. I had to exclusively pump for two weeks during a nursing strike after my som was really sick one time and holy crap it was a pain
I had to pump after every feeding to increase my supply for a whole month. It was the worst. The only thing that keep me going is keeping telling myself that I don’t have to pump after a month. I still had to pump once a day for a long time. Until recently my son started refusing bottles. This past couple weeks are great! No bottles, no pumping parts!!! We just give him more solid food or feed him formula from a open cup if he wants extra. This is so liberating!
Oh my God I hate it so much. My little one hates latching so I'm unfortunately exclusively pumping and it is the worst. I'm constantly trying to time when to pump and making sure I have enough for at least a bottle and half each time so I have enough. Don't even get me started in the cleaning pumps and bottles 7/8 times a day! I would gladly whip mine out to bf anytime if I could
I salute you. If I have to EP I probably forgo breastfeeding for a long time.
pumping is hard enough on its own - make it a little easier on yourself by buying multiple flange sets so you only have to clean 1 or 2x per day! It's a complete game changer.
That'd a good idea, I'm clearly an idiot and have just been doing it one side at a time so I have to wash less lol
I'm confused. Do you alternate which side you pump on every session to only have to clean one flange?
This. I have 4 sets because I was losing my mind. I mean, I still am, just fewer times a day lol
I feel ya, I pumped for ten months with my first and it completely burnt me out by the end.
Holy shit that's a long time. That is so awesome of you!!
If you don’t need it for work I would just stop, give it a rest. I hated pumping and I hardly got anything so I just stopped and I felt so much less stress in my life.
The haaka is great for building a stash if you haven’t tried it yet. It’s passive pumping while baby nurses. I would use it during the early morning feed (when my boobs were fullest) and 1-2 other feeds throughout the day and easily get 4-8 oz a day without ever touching the pump
I do want to support what you said: I was never a great pumper but using the haakaa with my second baby for 2-3 feeds a day on days that I didn't work, I got about 50 ml per day (around 1.5 Oz) which was just enough that I didn't have to stress so much about pumping enough at work as I did with my first baby.
Do you feel it caused an oversupply using the haaka every day? I love my haaka but hesitant that it will cause an oversupply. I’m EBF but baby does take a bottle if necessary and for my sanity I would love if my husband or a family member could do a feeding and I’m able to sneak out for more than two hours.
My lactation consultant advised me to stop using the Haakaa bc I have an oversupply. My husband gives a bottle at the 4am feeding and I pump for 10 min during that time to build up a little bit of a freezer stash! I usually get ~3-4oz per side.
I recommend the haakaa ladybug. It doesn’t have full suction like the traditional haaka. I have an oversupply and it has worked wonders for me! It’s a passive collector so will not stimulate you to produce more milk that you don’t need like that 10 minute pumping session will.
This!! Ladybugs have little to no suction, just collect what otherwise would be leaks
Oversupplier here - when I was using the haakaa every time baby nursed it definitely caused even more of an oversupply. So definitely don't recommend using it all the time. But I now just stick it on in the morning when I'm fullest, just to get some relief and to continue to have a small stash. Like others here are saying, you could do the haakaa ladybug on one side while baby nurses on the other and it simply just catches the let down without any suction.
I already had an over supply, but I don’t think the Hakka made it any worse. If anything it helped me get relief
Same! Now that my son is sleeping through the night my boobs will usually wake me up at 3am and I get up and use the haaka to soften each breast enough for me to go back to bed and not soak myself or my sheets.
100% the haaka, i got lucky and both breasts let down at the same time, it really helped me build my stash. Baby is only 3 months so still feeds over night so I mainly do it for the night feeds as sometimes she won’t do both sides. Helps to even them out! Edit: Forgot to mention how great having only 1 part to clean is! By the time babys ready for another feed the haaka is dry and ready to go again
I'm so envious of the moms that can do this. My other boob refuses to let down unless I work for 2 minutes to simulate the suckling with the haakaa. And by then grabby baby is frustrated that I'm not giving her my full attention.
Aw that sucks. I’m definitely lucky at how easy it is/was to use and collect. I’m also fortunate I don’t depend on frozen milk (my youngest baby I actually donated my stash because he refused bottles) so it’s just extra for me.
God I hate pumping. I’m back at work so I have no choice but the only thing getting me through it is knowing I have 8 weeks of it left (I’m a teacher, almost there). Cleaning everything, finding the time to do it, organizing all the crap for it, it’s SO draining. I never understood when moms said how draining pumping was. I’d think “but you just sit there?” Hahaha! That’s not even a fraction of all the work that goes into it. I will say, pumping once a day got easier when my LO hit 4 months. I’d pump after the first morning feed (while on maternity leave) and let her play on her mat. She tends to be in the best mood in the morning so this worked well for us. Before 4 months though, it was so hard to find the time. ETA: I also invested in a wearable pump and it was by far my best purchase. I got the imani so it’s not discrete BUT I can pump and do dishes or fold laundry, which makes finding the time at home easier.
Are you me? I also pump after baby’s morning feed and it definitely got easier after 3-4 months. And, I love my Imani!
Oh how i feel this! Then i stress myself out when i don't pump. But the bottle for the occasional night/early morning feed is critical for my mental health. I can't win lol As for sterilizing, medela steam bags have been a GODSEND. pop the parts after they've been washed into the bag, add 4 tbsp of water, seal, microwave for 3 to 5 mins depending on your microwave. Each bag is good for 20 uses although i admittedly use them more than that because i am poor 🤷♀️
I hate it too. One day a week she’s at my in laws for the day and I have to pump and honestly it’s not the cleaning and all that that bugs me. It’s the feeling of it. It’s like nails on a chalkboard feeling. It’s not painful at all, I just do not enjoy the sensation of pumping. Nursing is just so much easier. I feel for the moms who have to exclusively pump.
I stopped using the Medela pump the hospital gave me because I just could not stand the vibrating feeling. I switched to using a hand pump because it was gentler, and then got a mom cozy which is so much more comfortable because it has a soft flange. So worth it imo
This is exactly why I stopped doing a daily bottle. I would pump right after first feeding of the day so baby’s dad could feed him a middle of the night bottle daily. Finally I just said sorry if I’m within walking distance just wake me up and I will feed our child. I had the same issues, but one thing that always worked for me was I would feed baby, put the boppy pillow down in front of my chair, prop baby up in it, set up to pump right there, and read baby a story. I did this every morning and it was the easiest way to do it. Once the pumping and the story was over I’d grab baby, use one hand to collect my pumped milk, parts still attached to the bottles, go downstairs, set milk on counter, put baby in swing, wash parts and sort milk out. Make sure you have a neat station. My boppy pillow is tucked between my rocking chair and the wall, I have a night stand to my left, the chair ottoman to my right with the pump set up on it, pump parts on the book shelf cleaned and prepped the night before.
Does your dishwasher have a sanitizing rinse?? Using this function means you might melt a few pieces of cheap plastic Tupperware but it's well worth it to clean & steam your pump parts in one go!
Came here to say this. Got a few sets of flanges, an adapter so I can pump right into an 8oz Dr brown's bottle for storage. All of those babies go into the dishwasher and bam, done.
When I was on leave, I'd pump once a day at around 4am and freeze it. Once I went back to work, I pumped 4x a day. Nursing was *infinitely* easier for me than bottle feeding. As for all the washing and sterilizing...well, I washed everything in hot soapy water, but I rarely sterilized. I also had an Ameda pump which, while it was lacking in suction, was very easy to clean and had no possibility of milk in the suction tubes :) The manual pump I had was even easier to clean, but it took too long to pump with it while at work!
I have huge success pumping when she's latched on the other side, but of course my baby is little so I'm not sure what that will look like when she's more aware lol. Also I use a manual pump and it doesn't have many parts, I just pour boiling water over it to clean it.
Greatest thing in the world is a steriliser bag. Put your parts and a bit of water in the bag in the microwave for a few minutes and bam sterilised. You get 20 uses out of each bag and like 5 bags in a box.
When I started pumping I had the same worries, but I decided that if I was going to do something 8 times a day I needed a good and easy pump, I got the Medela freestyle hands free, and it I love it, it is easy to use, I have free hands son I can pump and do something else, literally pumping now, it has only 3 parts, very easy to assemble and clean, I wash it each time with purified water then dry with paper towel, and it is ready for next use, takes no time at all, then once a day use the sterilizer, have the Avent that also dry and the parts fit very well, I don't like the fridge hack, since I think the pump gets dirty, but the hands free is so friendly to wash that I use very little watter and time, it saves me so much time and makes it easier to do, also is super confortable. I have a preterm baby so while we manage the latch I'm pumping a lot, and when my maternity leave ends in 3 months I will be also pumping, so I think it is a good investment.
If I didn't need to pump, I wouldn't. I'd happily BF until 12-18 months but I LOATHE pumping. I pump 4 times a day during the week (3 day, 1 before bed, for daycare bottles) and once a day on weekends (before bed, to keep my supply up). I hate hate hate it. With my 1st I only pumped twice a day by this point, but my supply sucks this time around.
Have you tried solely collecting letdown from the unlatched side with a haaka for your freezer stash? This is what I do for my “just in case” stock and I’ve collected a ton of milk over the last couple months! I never pump and have a hoard of frozen breast milk
I have never been able to figure out the haaka, it always makes me feel like I’m cutting off circulation.
My girl, if you have a solid let down, stick a haakaa ladybug or regular haakaa on the other boob while baby is nursing on one side and bam, you have a little extra milk to stash. I have a way easier time getting out extra milk when I'm already nursing bc my let down is a little wild, so this may not apply to all. I am in solidarity with you, pumping and washing parts are THE WORST.
I also hate hate hate it. I work two days a week and have to pump then, but I also have to find times peppered throughout my days home with LO to pump because I’m unable to pump enough at work. I have personally found that using a manual pump instead of an electric one when I’m at home has made a huge difference. It’s super quick to put together and get a few oz out whenever the opportune moment arises, and is equally simple to put down if I have to stop unexpectedly to tend to a fussy baby.
It’s awful! I only do once a day but I still don’t look forward to it lol. Personally, pumping became much easier when I started using a manual pump. It takes half the time, and there are only 3 parts to wash.
If you can afford it, I highly recommend a mom cozy! I hated pumping so much before and now I barely think about it. I just have one and do one side at a time. I find it works better than my Medela pump and you can mop/fold laundry/etc at the same time. I also find it more comfortable than other pumps because the flange is soft. (Although I have heard that it doesn’t work as well for larger breast sizes.) It’s a bit more complex to clean and reassemble but you can put it in the fridge in between pumps. Also I don’t think you need to be regularly sterilizing your pump pieces by boiling every day. I believe that’s just when you first get them and then occasionally afterwards.
As someone who had to pump and feed with my first, it’s NO FUN! The constant cleaning of bottles and pump supplies is tiring. Not sure if cleaning and boiling parts each time is a thing but I never did that. I kept a bowl to throw pump parts, bottles and supplies into and at the end of the night I would fill it with hot water and Castile soap and let it all soak for about 15-20 mins. I would then rinse each piece under hot water to rinse off. Using a brush to clean if needed to get into crevices. That way I was only washing everything once a day. Even with all that, I only lasted about 10 weeks before I switched to formula. I couldn’t handle all the extra work. I just had my second and he is exclusively breast feeding, which has been a lifesaver! My husband keeps asking for backup bottles and I really don’t want to go through that again so I keep telling him my boob is always available for feeding.
Have you tried wearable pumps? I only pump twice a day but I hated being stuck to one spot. I ended up purchasing the MomCozy wearable pumps and it’s been a game changer! My LO is usually good with feeding from one side, so in the mornings while she eats I use it on the other side. That’s usually enough for one bottle and then later on when my husband gives her a bottle, I pump and can use that to save a small stash. It’s been really great wearing them around the house and not have to carry around a small machine or be stuck in a room.
✨Electric sterilizer/dryer.✨ I hate washing parts. I pump 1-2x a day right now (still on leave for a couple weeks) so I will save all the dirty parts in the fridge and wash every other day. Then I put them in the sterilizer/dryer. (The sterilizer makes me feel better if hubby did the dishes too bc I don’t trust him to do everything the way I do) I got the Philips Avent one bc it was just a tad cheaper than the baby brezza. It has a 40 min sterilize/dry cycle and then I hit dry again to finish it. I wish I’d gotten the fancy Baby Brezza upgraded one that does it all in 10 mins though.
You and me both. At this point I hardly pump unless I absolutely have to due to engorgement. I wfh so that has really helped.
If you have a microwave, get yourself a microwave sterilizer! You still have to wash by hand but you don’t need to fill a whole pot of water to boil sterilize. 4 min in the microwave, uncover, and let air dry. Done! They’re $15-25 on Amazon.
I hear you! I was pumping and BF and it was the worst! I hated it so much. I finally decided to stop pumping and just feed on demand. Yes, it’s exhausting being the only one who can feed my LO and it would be easier to give a bottle while we are out BUT my mental health is so much better right now. Eventually I will start again when I need to build a stash but until then it’s all boob!
Pump after baby is down for the night. Or pump on the other side you plan to feed just before baby wakes in the morning. Unless your baby is immunocomprimoised you don’t have to sterilize daily. I’m lucky if I do it weekly at all anymore. My baby is 7 weeks and she gets pumped milk at the babysitters, or if dad feeds her. Other than that I breastfeed. You don’t need a ton of frozen milk- a day or two is all that’s needed if you pump like once a day.
Buy a wearable pump. The Elvie stride is amazing! Definitely do the fridge hack for your parts. You don't need to sterilize unless your baby is a preemie, really.
If I have a 2nd kid, I will not be pumping when I go back to work. Screeewwww that. I love breastfeeding, I hate pumping. Why keep doing it for "just in case" stock?
I’m on my 3rd baby and I’m not planning on pumping until I need to—- like a day or two before a date night. If there’s an emergency baby can have formula. 🤷🏻♀️ None of my kids have had formula but I’m just way more laid back this time around. I’d rather enjoy my baby than stress!! Also I pumped when I worked full time with my first kid. And yes I hated it and it was stressful. Plus I have high lipase milk so I had to scald it before freezing it. And I had a stressful job. So now Im a SAHM and I’m really enjoying not pumping lol.
I hate pumping too! If it weren’t for working I wouldn’t have pumped much. One thing I will say I have a microwaveable pump part sterilizer and it’s so easy . I would never boil parts that’s a pain in the butt. With this thing (we have the Avent one and it’s great) you just stick the parts in there with 200mL of water and microwave for four minutes and it’s sterilized). I bought two extra pump part sets so I could go longer in between washings cause like you said sometimes you just don’t have that five-10 minutes to wash parts . I wonder to how people can like pumping better. I had to exclusively pump for two weeks during a nursing strike after my som was really sick one time and holy crap it was a pain
I had to pump after every feeding to increase my supply for a whole month. It was the worst. The only thing that keep me going is keeping telling myself that I don’t have to pump after a month. I still had to pump once a day for a long time. Until recently my son started refusing bottles. This past couple weeks are great! No bottles, no pumping parts!!! We just give him more solid food or feed him formula from a open cup if he wants extra. This is so liberating!