Breastfeeding: Pumping and Donating

Pumping

With the invention of breast pumps mothers now have the opportunity to continue to breastfeed even after returning to work. Here are a few pieces of advice regarding pumping and pumping at work.

Pumps are expensive. But a year of formula is much more expensive so you are saving a lot of money in the long run. My only experience is with the medela pump n style-which I love. I've only heard good reviews about this pump but there are other brands that are good too. You can also rent pumps from breastfeeding stores or hospitals.

While away at work your goal is to pump the same number of times your baby will eat while away. Usually in a 9 hr workday that would be 3 times for an infant. I knew this would be unreasonable for me since I have a packed schedule with patients so my goal was to pump twice at work.

I bought extra pump supplies so that I wouldn't have to wash anything at work. I now have 3 sets. With Nathan I only had one set and it drove me crazy washing it so often!

At my job with Nathan they did not incorporate any pump breaks or a place to pump so I had to do it in the bathroom.

In 2010 President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring an employer to provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk and a place to pump (other than a bathroom). This law pertains to places of employment that have 50 employees or more. This same law has also helped many moms rent breast pumps with no cost to them because their insurance will cover it. Other laws regarding pumping at work vary from state to state so you might want to get online and research to know what your rights are.

I work at a different dental office now than I did when I had Nathan and it's much more supportive. There are two different empty office spaces that they have offered for me to use and they have also let me add a 15 minute break in my schedule to pump (the other time I pumped was at lunch)

If you are considering breastfeeding talk to your boss about it before you even have the baby and discuss pumping at work. It's a good idea to stress that it will not affect your work and that research shows breastfed babies get sick less so it should aid in less days missed.

Sometimes there is a tendency to get on your soap box if you feel strongly about this topic and your rights. Especially of you add in hormones. But be patient and kind when making your point. You really do catch more flies with honey than vinegar!

Recently I decreased my pumping at work to one time a day because frankly I was getting burnt out. I have noticed my milk decreased a little but I still have enough for Luke.

Sometimes it helps to have a picture of your baby with you to stimulate a let down while pumping at work.

There are many charts online that show how to store breast milk and how long the milk is good for in different conditions.

Donating

The first I had ever heard of donating breast milk for other babies in need was while watching 19 Kids and Counting. Michelle Duggars donated her unused milk she has pumped for her 19th baby, Josie. I was like "humph- I didn't know you could do that"

Running out of milk with Nathan I didn't really put anymore thought into it because I was hoping to at least have enough for my baby. I didn't anticipate having extra.

I started pumping about 2-3 times a day when Luke was about 1-2 weeks old if he didn't drain me. When I returned to work I would pump 16 oz in the morning, pump twice at work, nurse Luke when I got home and once before bed, and then I would pump right before bed. Sounds exhausting and it kind of was but while pumping you can usually hold the pump against you with one hand and then you have the other one free to eat or do things online so it never felt like wasted time.

Before long I had about 200 oz stored and that was huge for me! But then I started accumulating more and more. We had to get a freezer in the garage for beef and so I would have more room for storage.

My freezer eventually looked like this. And yes there are bags of milk behind the ones in the front.

I realized I was going to have to do something or I was going to run out of room! I called a store in the area that I heard recently started accepting donated milk and they put me in contact with the Indiana Mother's Milk Bank.

To become a donor I had to have my obgyn fill out a health form, Luke's pediatrician (stating that he was getting plenty and the milk I donated was not needed by him) sign a form, and blood work (at no cost to me) Once that was completed I was given a donor number and began donating by dropping it off at the babyology store in Louisville (they can also mail you everything you need to ship the milk)

They ask for you to donate a total of 100oz (not at once but during the whole time you are breastfeeding) but my first drop off was already over 400oz. I felt like a celebrity that day. All the LC's there wanted to be the "woman who donated all the milk." I just kept thinking back to the tears I shed when I was running out of milk for Nathan and now I had not only enough for my baby but also for other babies in need (premies, formula allergies)!

Shortly after that a couple that we know from church adopted their third blessing who they named Lucas. He was a premie and needed breast milk. Within an hour of the couple asking for donated milk I had several friends on fb message me to bring it to my attention. I began bringing milk to church on the weekends for them to take home to little Lucas. With the help of my milk and several other donors Lucas began to grow and grow.

He's now 5 months old- look at those cheeks!

I got to meet him a few weeks ago. I was so incredibly thankful that God had used my body to help grow his.

I have also donated to a few friends who for different reasons were running low on breast milk. In total I have been able to donate over 1200 ounces!!

It is true that it is so much more of a blessing to give than to receive. I never thought I could glorify God through my breast milk but I hope that I have. I prayed for abundant milk and I'm pretty sure his answer was yes :)

Moo.