My Exclusive Breast Pumping Journey

What I learned from Exclusively Breast Pumping

Whether it’s by choice or by necessity, exclusive pumping may be a route you take. It is a breastfeeding experience that isn’t talked about much, but is becoming more common due to the affordability and access to breast pumps. I applaud all moms who take on this journey because it is HARD to say the very least. There were days where I felt like a bad ass for doing it, yet also days where I would cry from exhaustion and wanted to throw in the towel.

Exclusive breast pumping, or eping as it’s called, was a decision I made when I realized my babies could not correctly latch onto  me. After visiting multiple lactation consultants and lots of frustration I said no more. I decided one day to let my pump do the work, stick the freshly pumped milk in a bottle and give it to my baby. They drank it right up, burped, fell asleep and were content. There were no frustrating cries from me or them from lack of latching or excruciating nipple pain. So I just continued doing this.

Many people were thrown back to hear me say that I pumped exclusively. I would usually get puzzled looks, a lot of questions and a bunch of unwanted advice. Yet, let’s just get one thing clear…exclusive pumping…is…breastfeeding! My babies still received the liquid gold and all of its nutrients, but they just drank it from a bottle.

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Providing this liquid gold did not come easy, though. Exclusive breast pumping is difficult. Let’s just say that my main reason to exclusively pump was to make sure I was giving my baby what I felt was the best for them, yet my main reason for stopping was because I felt that it consumed my life and I wasn’t able to be the best mom I could be to ALL of my children.

In the beginning of my journey, I started off with telling myself that I would only do it for 4 months. Then it became 6 months…then it became 7 months until I slowly began to wean off. Some days it felt like it was just a part of my daily routine while other days I felt that I just wanted to be me again…not hooked up to a machine… not counting the clock for the next pumping session…and not constantly dragging my pump around everywhere I went.

But, even on those hard days I had to remind myself that it was so hard but soo worth it for however long I decided to do it! That goes for you too if you’re struggling out there. If you do it for a month that’s great! If you do it for a year that’s great too! A fed baby is what is best and a sane mama as well.

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My Schedule

If you’re new at this and have been searching for a daily schedule on how to exclusive breast pumping, I recommend finding something that works for you and your family. When my babies were newborns and I was at home for 90% of the day, I was constantly pumping. I wanted to start off with a high supply, so if I decided to quit before the one year mark I would have breast milk stored in the freezer. Plus newborns sleep a lot, so it’s easier to pump more when they’re new to the world versus when they’re crawling or walking. 

My pumping schedule was every 3 hours for 20 minutes. I started pumping at 4 am and then I would pump again every 3 hours. This would continue until bed time…it was exhausting. I pumped a lot of milk during this time. It was a total of 30-32 ounces each day. I continued pumping every 3 hours for the first 5 weeks after my baby was born.

If you’re looking for a great breast pump to do this for you I recommend the Medela Breast Pump. There are so many great breast pumps out there, but this one gave me the best experience.

If I had pumped extra milk during the day, I stored in the milk in breast milk bags and put it in the freezer for future use. I labeled the bags with the time I pumped, the amount of ounces, and the date. Breast milk can be stored for 6 months in the freezer and up to 12 months in a deep freezer.

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Once it got closer to me going back to work, I readjusted my schedule. I knew that I wouldn’t get the leisure to pump every 3 hours at work. Yet, I didn’t want my supply to go down. So, while at home I changed my schedule to pumping every 4-5 hours for about 25 minutes. With this schedule, I still maintained pumping 26-30 ounces each day. Since I started this change in schedule early on, transitioning my pumping schedule to my work schedule wasn’t as difficult. I spaced my pumping times to before work, on the way to work (yes, I pumped in the car), on my lunch break, on the way home and right before bed. My body adjusted well to this schedule and I was able to keep up a steady supply. 

I continued this schedule everyday until my babies began to reach the 6 month mark. It was at this point that I became mentally and emotionally exhausted from being hooked up to a machine around the clock. When it came to exclusive breast pumping with my third baby it was a lot harder. I felt restricted to a tight schedule afraid that my supply would go down. My time with my family was spent pumping and cleaning parts. I constantly had to take my pump with me when we went out. I also felt I could never get things done between a newborn, my pumping schedule, two other kids and a house to maintain.

The Weaning Process

By the time my third baby was 6 months, I started spreading my pumping sessions out even further apart. I wanted to test and see if I could still supply my baby with an adequate amount of breast milk by reducing my pump sessions. It was during this time, that I made the decision to slowly stop pumping. I began the weaning process by taking away one pumping session at a time. This part in the process was not super simple because sometimes I would get a clogged milk duct. There were days that I would have to add a session back in to drain the clog and avoid getting mastitis. I never wanted to suddenly drop all of my pumping sessions for a few reasons:

• Clogged milk ducts lead to mastitis
• I wanted to slowly wean for my hormones to slowly make the change versus a sudden stop and shift
• My baby had to get used to the taste of formula and thawed out breast milk. 

It took me about 2 months to completely stop pumping. It probably could have ended sooner, but this was the amount of time that I felt was best for me to stop. For those that are wondering how to stop, I suggest taking a pumping session away every few days. I would never suggest to stop in one day…you will be in pain. I would also say, that you decide how long to take to wean off. Your breasts will feel full, but overtime your supply will decrease.

If you are a mom who is embarking on the journey to exclusive breast pump, I commend you. You should know that you are already doing a great job. So many people are unfamiliar with this form of breastfeeding and you may feel unsure about it as well. Don’t worry. I felt the same way in the beginning! But hey, whatever choice you make in order to feed your baby is the best way because as a mama you know what is best for you and your baby.