We're here to pump...you up!
I have started napping after the 7-8 pm-ish pumping, and then staying up between the midnight/1 am-ish one and the next one, at 3-4 am-ish. "Ish," because I'm not very good at managing every three hours--sometimes it's closer to four, especially if I've napped in between. It's so hard to get up again.
But this quiet time in the small hours is kind of nice--a little bit of private time with just the laptop, a book, a cup of tea, and a bowl of strawberries. Plus occasional AIM chats with my west coast friends who are still awake.
So...pumping every three or four hours. Problem is, the baby is also hungry every three hours, and come to think of it, so am I. Life is reduced to a daily struggle between food, sleep, and hygiene--and hygiene usually loses. My dentist is going to have fits.
Production volume varies between 2-4 oz per session, usually averaging about 3 oz. This was starting to get me ahead enough that I considered freezing some, but Z is now taking 2-1/2 to 3 oz per feeding, so it's getting hard to keep up. We ran out last night and had to go to formula again for one feeding. :P
Right now I have a house full of grandparents to help out, which is wonderful, but I'm getting spoiled. Once they go home, and Aaron's at work, I'm not sure how I'm going to manage to feed, burp, and change the baby, get him settled down, then pump, clean the pump parts, eat, and, oh, maybe nap for that last 20 minutes before Z is hungry again. As relieved as I am to have found a non-painful solution to the nursing problem, I can really see this being difficult somewhere down the line: planning every outing based on a three-hour turnaround, or carrying the small portable pump, and carefully mapping out convenient places to use it.
On the other hand, it is *such* a relief to not have to dread every feeding, and to actually enjoy being with my baby. That whole breastfeeding-as-bonding thing completely passed me by--in fact, I got the exact opposite of bonding. :P I really want to go back to my breastfeeding class and say, "look, chickie, tell these poor sods the truth--it's gonna hurt, be prepared."
I have found a lot of resources on line for women who exclusively pump, and I see a lot of resentment toward the pumps--women hate being tied to them, the tedious cleaning, the dairy cow vibe, etc. While I can certainly sympathize with those concerns--I LOVE my pump. Hell, I want to name it and snuggle up to it. It saved my sanity, my nipples, and my relationship with Z. What's not to love?
But this quiet time in the small hours is kind of nice--a little bit of private time with just the laptop, a book, a cup of tea, and a bowl of strawberries. Plus occasional AIM chats with my west coast friends who are still awake.
So...pumping every three or four hours. Problem is, the baby is also hungry every three hours, and come to think of it, so am I. Life is reduced to a daily struggle between food, sleep, and hygiene--and hygiene usually loses. My dentist is going to have fits.
Production volume varies between 2-4 oz per session, usually averaging about 3 oz. This was starting to get me ahead enough that I considered freezing some, but Z is now taking 2-1/2 to 3 oz per feeding, so it's getting hard to keep up. We ran out last night and had to go to formula again for one feeding. :P
Right now I have a house full of grandparents to help out, which is wonderful, but I'm getting spoiled. Once they go home, and Aaron's at work, I'm not sure how I'm going to manage to feed, burp, and change the baby, get him settled down, then pump, clean the pump parts, eat, and, oh, maybe nap for that last 20 minutes before Z is hungry again. As relieved as I am to have found a non-painful solution to the nursing problem, I can really see this being difficult somewhere down the line: planning every outing based on a three-hour turnaround, or carrying the small portable pump, and carefully mapping out convenient places to use it.
On the other hand, it is *such* a relief to not have to dread every feeding, and to actually enjoy being with my baby. That whole breastfeeding-as-bonding thing completely passed me by--in fact, I got the exact opposite of bonding. :P I really want to go back to my breastfeeding class and say, "look, chickie, tell these poor sods the truth--it's gonna hurt, be prepared."
I have found a lot of resources on line for women who exclusively pump, and I see a lot of resentment toward the pumps--women hate being tied to them, the tedious cleaning, the dairy cow vibe, etc. While I can certainly sympathize with those concerns--I LOVE my pump. Hell, I want to name it and snuggle up to it. It saved my sanity, my nipples, and my relationship with Z. What's not to love?