Exclusive Pumping – My Undesired journey

Baby won’t latch

Whether it was because her mouth was tiny or because she was hangry after 41 weeks in utero, both baby and I would escalate into a frenzy and nursing wouldn’t happen. We had two successful sessions on day one in the hospital. Latching became more difficult and my supply took its own sweet time coming in. By the end of the second day, she was getting more sustenance from a spoon of expressed colostrum than directly from the source.

She was breeched. We scheduled and tried a version to flip her and let my body take over the process post induction. The team had totally prepped us for the scenario of delivery by c-section if she did not handle the attempt to position her head down for a vaginal delivery. And she did not. Her heart rate increased a little; enough to concern the OB to take a closer look via ultrasound. There he found that the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. He proceed to take a moment to chat with me, letting me know we were indeed going to have to proceed with the cesarean delivery. Before long, my 7lb 6oz baby girl was being held next to my face by her dad.

Recovery from a cesarean delivery is different from vaginal delivery. It took longer for me to be able to walk on my own. Scooting to the edge of the bed and sitting up was painful and hard. My cut muscles weren’t working. I really think they should attach a grab bar to those hospital beds so I could have pulled myself with my arms.

We attempted nursing every 2.5-3 hours (you know 8-12 feedings in 24 hours). Nearly nine months later I’ve forgotten specific details, but I do remember feeling defeated, looking to the lactation team to help us. CT got so mad so fast when she wasn’t getting anything. We tried nipple guides until her chin was rubbed raw. Lactation also told me I would need to pump after each nursing session of using nipple guards. If I have to pump anyway… my mind wondered, I wonder if she will take a bottle. I’m still pumping in late October for my baby born the day before Valentine’s Day. 

My motivations were fear of loosing my supply and having to resort to formula. When ZP was born there was a formula shortage. We spent $75 on two containers that sat in our pantry for eight months. We only attempted to supplement formula to her breastmilk diet in that first week or so before she regained back her birthweight. Funds were tight and still are in this year of rising inflation.

How was I to both nurse and pump (becuase of the nipple guard) to establish supply and tend to a toddler and a baby? JJ was home for almost three full weeks to help me take care of the girls and ZP went back to daycare a few days a week soon thereafter. That was humbling – that I was frankly too tired to calmly handle my 22 mo old and my newborn by myself. 

I researched and researched. When learning to nurse my first baby, the question that was never really answered for me what did I have to pump during the night if she didn’t wake to feed. When I began searches for the term ‘exclusive pumping’ I think I finally found the answer. 

I also found that I should have eased myself into a stronger supply. I upped the fast that I needed to. I could have pumped only 10 minutes every 3 hours – well eight expressions of milk in 24 hours. I read somewhere that you could pump every two hours during the day 6, 8, 10, 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, and midnight, I think it was.