I'm gonna pump you up!

It's damn near impossible to nurse a premature baby. It's completely impossible to nurse MY preemie. He is still requiring respiratory support, so he is still receiving all of his feeding via a gavage tube that goes down his throat. He has been receiving my milk since he was 4 days old. They started by giving him 1mL every 8 hours. That's the equivalent of half a teaspoon a day! He's now up to 1 ounce every three hours, for a total of 8 ounces a day. That sure is a jump! Because of how little he was getting and still gets (compared to the amount I supply), I now have a pretty large back-up supply in a deep freeze in the basement - 400 oz!

Let me give you the ins and outs of how I am successful at exclusively pumping (EP). It's not for everyone and it's definitely not preferred, but with certain circumstances, like NICU babies, tongue-tie, latch problems, etc., many moms find it best not to throw in the towel and instead become besties with the pump!

1. Get a good pump. Many suggest you get a hospital grade pump and stick to it. You can rent these from most hospitals with a lactation consultant (LC) and they can cost anywhere from $30-75 a month. Some people are luckier than most, and they can get their insurance to qualify their rental as a medical necessity to get it's rental fee covered. My son being born three months early was not qualified, but hopefully you have better insurance!

I don't have a hospital grade pump. I rented one for 2 weeks and it was great. I have the same pump in my son's hospital room. It's an Ameda Elite pump. Because I was used to using Ameda and already had three sets of tubing, flanges, bottles, etc, I decided to get an Ameda Purely Yours Ultra pump. It's great. It works just as well as the hospital pump. I get the same output at home then I do with it at the hospital.

2. Drink lots of water. Get into the habit of always having a drink by your side. If you are thirsty, you aren't drinking enough!

3. Get started right away. I started pumping within 6 hours of my son's birth. I could've started earlier, but I was in the NICU visiting with my baby and his care staff. It's important to mimic the needs of your child. Most suggest pumping 8-10 times per day or more. My LC said a minimum of 8 times per day. You will notice your supply drop if you don't reach that goal of 8-10 times.

4. Do not sleep through the night! It's important to wake up at least once overnight to pump, ideally between 1-4AM. No newborn sleeps through the night right away. If they do, I'm envious. Just remember to mimic that baby and his needs and pump around the clock. My schedule is typically (but not always) like this: pump at 3AM, go back to bed, 6AM, 9AM, 12PM, 4PM, 7PM, 9PM, 11PM, go to bed, 3AM.

5. Lube your horns. Your breast pump horns can get pretty uncomfortable, especially in the beginning. Some lube up the horns directly with lanolin or even olive oil to prevent friction. It's great to also apply this directly to your nipple. I never quite got into doing this. I hated the Lansinoh lanolin. I found it painful to apply. It's quite thick and sticky. The Medela lanolin is much easier to apply.

6. Get lots of parts! I have a total of 6 pairs of horns and valves. It's so much easier to just keep a plastic Rubbermaid near my pump and toss the dirty sets in there throughout the day. When all of my sets are used, I will then wash them all at once. It's so much easier than washing one set at a time. It also saves water and precious time you could spend with your baby rather than the sink. Parts can also be washed in the dishwasher.

7. Try to boost that supply. I currently am taking Reglan to increase my milk supply, but many also try Domperidone (available online), Mother's Milk tea, blessed thistle, fenugreek, among others. Of course, before starting anything, check with your doctor.

8. Take good care of your nips. It's very important to take good care of your nipples. Keep them clean and dry. I always let my milk air dry and then I wore a little lanolin the first few weeks. After a while, the pain ceased and they became more tolerable of the pump.

9. Think of your baby.  Some say that looking at a picture of your baby, hearing them cry or thinking of them will help their milk letdown. I haven't noticed a difference with using any of these for a letdown. It just... happens. If it doesn't come as easy, use one of those mind tricks to get that milk flowing.

10. Massage and compress it out! The most useful thing I have done within the past few weeks is massage my breasts and compress them before, during and after pumping. It keeps the clogged ducts and infection away. My worst fear was recently realized with a case of mastitis. Immediately call your physician, get some antibiotics and rub out that clogged duct. Also, use warm compresses, hot showers, cold compresses (for pain relief). It's a difficult thing, having a clogged duct.

Lastly, this you can't buy at a store - patience. Be patient of your work at the pump and be accepting of whatever output you get. Every little drop counts. I know it. I've cried over spilled milk. :)