Pretty Simple Ideas

| Simplifying Homemaking | Moderns Proverbs 31 Woman

  • Home
  • Meet Sarah!
  • Life
    • Career Advice
    • Modern Homemaking
    • DIYs
    • Everyday Beauty
  • Love
    • Friendships
    • Wedding Planning
    • Marriage
    • Mom Life
  • Pursuit of Happiness
    • How To Be a Proverbs 31 Woman Today
    • Work Life Balance
    • Travel Inspiration
    • Health & Fitness

8 Tips to Make Exclusively Pumping Easier

July 14, 2019 by Sarah 10 Comments

Never in a million years did I expect to sit down and write a blog post about exclusively breast pumping, but here I am. Nor did I expect that it was a path I would take. My plan was always to have a healthy baby, and nurse the first year. But, my baby had different plans.

She didn’t nurse well at the hospital but they sent us home with optimism that all would be well. Until Penny wasn’t gaining weight properly. The pediatrician wanted to try an experiment. She told me to pump my milk and feed it to her for three days and come back. She gained weight. After that, Penny had even less interest in nursing. This is not to start a conversation about breast milk versus formula. But I had always intended to give my baby breast milk so, after weeks of trying (and failing) to get her to nurse, I switched to pumping exclusively.

Was it easy? Heck no. I had to mourn the loss of being able to nurse. Also, exclusively pumping is hard. It is exhausting. It’s tricky. It is time-consuming. And sometimes it is even funny. (Like when your intern walks in on you at work.)

But to me, it was worth it and here are 10 tips on how I made exclusively pumping easier.

(This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here. )

8 Tips to Make Exclusively Pumping Easier

8 Ways to Make Exclusively Pumping Easier

1.) Set a schedule.

In the beginning, you need to pump every two hours to get your milk supply up and keep it up. I had such a low supply I actually kept this schedule up well past six months. Everybody is different so there is no set schedule that will work for everyone. But your milk should be established after a few months to sleep through the night!

Once I set a schedule, it seemed a lot easier. I’d pump at 5:30 am (GAH!) 7:30 am…and so on and so forth until I pumped one last time until bed.

Every few months I’d drop a pumping schedule and increase my time to keep my supply up. But just knowing when I was supposed to pump (and that it was OK to go past it sometimes…) helped relieve some of the unknown.

2.) Use a car charger to pump in the car.

Some people I know pump in the car while driving. While I’m not sure I can recommend that from a safety perspective, you can EASILY pump as a passenger with a car plug adapter. If you’re using a hands-free pump then you can just skip this step, otherwise, let me tell you what a lifesaver it was!

I pumped in the car driving to New York and Pennsylvania to visit our families. I also pumped in the car right before and after weddings, church, and shopping trips. Although you are tethered to a machine, you don’t have to be tethered to your house.

I’d also invest in a few breast milk wipes to clean your parts while on the road. I also bought a cooler bag to keep my pump parts in, especially when driving 9 hours to Buffalo from Washington, D.C.

3.) Let go of your fear of making other people feel awkward.

It’s as important to talk about the emotional side as it is your practical side with pumping. Sometimes I didn’t want to pump because people were around. However, that quickly went out the door when I had a baby to feed.

I’ve had to pump in bathrooms sometimes and had to deal with weird looks from women. I also had to pump at work and had an intern bust in on my office without knocking. While I was embarrassed for about 10 seconds, I’m pretty sure he was embarrassed a lot longer.

Pumping covers can help you feel more comfortable. Just remember – you’re doing your best for your baby and motherhood is messy sometimes!

4.) Find a good support group.

It’s natural for people to question why you are choosing to exclusively pump. As I said, it’s time-consuming,  exhausting, and a lot of work. Mixing together a bottle is a lot easier. But if you’re choosing to pump be proud of your choice. Find people who can support you, give you tips, or just cheer you on. Feel free to email me even if you ever need encouragement!

You’ll be amazed at how much encouragement and support can help you stick with it. You’ve got this.

5.) Use your time productively.

It is easy to open social media and scan while pumping. But honestly, that is not the best use of our time. If you have a hands-free pump you can even walk around the house and get a few chores done. (Some of you are like – yay?)

Since I used an electric pump I used that time to do my devotions, work on blog posts, read the news, or watch online courses. I got some much done during my pumping sessions. Of course, an occasional Instagram scroll session is quite all right too.

6.) Increase Your Supply

I tried all the pills, Gatorade, and cookies. To be honest, changing up your pumping schedule will work way better than any of those. Make sure to eat plenty of calories and drink plenty of water. Besides that, try adding in a “power pump” once a day. A power pump is where you pump for 20 minutes on, 10 minutes off, and so forth for an hour. It works!

You could also try increasing your pumping time. You usually want to go about 5 minutes after you see the last drop to increase your milk.  Another trick (TMI ALERT) is to massage your “parts” right before pumping.

7.) Treat clogged ducts right away.

Exclusively pumping can be painful to start – and so can getting clogged ducts! My absolutely best trick is to take an Epsom salt bath and make sure you are – let’s just say – fully emerged! While in the tub and fully covered in water, you can also massage and express some milk to break up the clog. I am telling you – this is the only thing that worked for me. Plus, soaking in Epsom salts helps calm your mind and body.

8.) Make cleanup easier.

It can be very time consuming to wash your parts after each pumping session. What I learned early on was to wipe them down with either breast milk wipes or just a paper towel. I then put them in a ziplock bag or container, and keep in the fridge all day. I washed my parts at the end of each day. Easy Breezy.

Have you exclusively pumped or are you currently? What are your best tips? We’d love to know!

Let’s Connect!   Facebook || Pinterest || Instagram || Twitter

Filed Under: Mom Life Tagged With: Exclusively Pumping, Pumping, working mom

Comments

  1. Peejay says

    July 16, 2019 at 7:37 pm

    I was not able to breastfeed my son for more than 4 months. We had a lot of things going on at that time. Hopefully for the next baby I can give my own milk.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 17, 2019 at 2:52 pm

      Hey – four months is still great!

      Reply
  2. Katie Wolfe says

    July 16, 2019 at 11:25 pm

    I had to EP too and, you are right, it is EXHAUSTING. People don’t understand how hard it is because it takes twice the time to feed your baby AND waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more coordination of time, location, etc.

    Your suggestions are spot-on and I applaud you for helping other women with your honest testimony.

    Much love!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 17, 2019 at 2:52 pm

      Thank you so much, Katie! Great job, too!

      Reply
  3. Donna | The Upward Blip says

    July 17, 2019 at 1:01 am

    I am a laboratory scientist working in a hospital setting. While I loved the idea of pumping, I only lasted for 3 months as my milk supply depleted way faster. Unfortunately, I failed to follow my pumping schedule because of the job demands. I remember just pumping 2-3x a day when away from my baby for 10 hours. That was not wise at all! I wish that with my third baby, I will be better at pumping. Thank you for this, Sarah!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 17, 2019 at 2:51 pm

      So welcome, Donna. Good luck!!

      Reply
  4. Mama Writes Reviews says

    July 17, 2019 at 3:31 am

    All amazing tips! I didn’t pump exclusively, but I pumped a LOT with my oldest since I had low supply, especially at first. Treating clogged ducts immediately is sooooo important, because mastitis is NO JOKE! Setting a schedule is great too.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 17, 2019 at 2:51 pm

      Pumping at all is still hard! great job.

      Reply
  5. Damico says

    July 17, 2019 at 10:53 am

    Wishing I found this post 3 months ago, I struggled to exclusively pump and part of that was not wanting all of my family and friends to be uncomfortable when visiting.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 17, 2019 at 2:50 pm

      I totally felt the same way! I hope you are doing better now.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hello! I’m Sarah

Hello! I’m Sarah

I'm a communications professional turned stay-at-home mom, wife, and writer. Here at Pretty Simple Ideas I help busy moms and working women simplify homemaking.

Connect with Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Reader Favorites

10 Clever Ways to Save Thousands on a Wedding
DIY Charcoal Mask
Five Fresh Ways to Go Green in Your Home
DIY Coffee Filter Flowers
Learning to Surrender My Career to God
DIY Face Lotion for Sensitive Skin

Save

Save

FREE “Beach life” Desktop Wallpaper

FREE “Beach life” Desktop Wallpaper

Categories

DIY & Natural Skin Care
Home & Garden
Home & Garden

Follow on Instagram
Instagram post 2195801595474789090_3951411711 No, she wouldn’t smile for Santa, but it’s a vast improvement from last year where she cried just at the sight of him. 🎅😂
Instagram post 2195175549708764633_3951411711 What’s your favorite Christmas tradition? 🎄 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As we grow our family I’m looking forward to creating more of our own! This year though, my sisters and I are starting one of our own. Instead of spending a ton of money on each other we’re going to be making each other homemade gifts! I’m really excited to see what we all make. 🎁 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Do you have a tradition you look forward to each year? Will you be starting a new one? ❄️
Instagram post 2192414669744927537_3951411711 Two years ago this week we found out we were having a little girl. And now I can’t imagine life without her. 💕
Instagram post 2190122047114384431_3951411711 It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! 🎄 My tropical tree is up. 🌴 Are you decorations up yet?
Instagram post 2185936659584122383_3951411711 🇺🇸 She’s pro-naps, pro-snacks, and pro-fun control. Vote Penny 2020. 🇺🇸
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I interrupt my usual “homemaking” posts to bring you a more personal look at my life. We visited daddy at work today and I just had to share. 😍
Instagram post 2184926872876556374_3951411711 ❤️ GIVEAWAY!! ❤️
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📌This week on the blog, I made the easiest DIY stenciled canvas bags that can be used as Christmas gifts, or to carry home your next grocery haul. Thank you @stencilrevolution for sending the super cute stencils for this project!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📍Now, here’s the good part. I’m teaming up with @stencilrevolution  to give one person $30 worth of stencils from their shop. You can make your own stenciled canvas bag or pick out something else. The possibilities are endless: you could also make homemade wrapping paper for Christmas, a DIY growth chart for your kid, or even stencil an accent wall. 💕
.
📍Head to @sarahalthouse and the link in my profile to enter. (PS: I definitely recommend the Market Fresh stencil.)
Instagram post 2182757798394383722_3951411711 😴 I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately. To be honest, I’ve been having trouble sleeping ever since Penny was born. I think this guy could tell the last couple of nights have been rough because he’s been cuddling up on my pillow.😻
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
💤 I’ve tried lavender essential oils, sleep gummies, and Epsom salt baths. Penny’s been sleeping through the night for almost a year-and-a-half and yet I can’t seem to tell my brain it’s OK for me to stay asleep too.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If anyone has a cure for “mom sleep” please let me know. 🤗
.
📸 by @rebeccawilcher

© 2019 Pretty Simple Ideas
Design · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclosure