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Hello mommies!

We’re here to talk about everything breastfeeding!

Breastfeeding is a journey, and though it is the most rewarding experience being able to provide for your new child, it can also be incredibly stressful and overwhelming with all the information that you are given (or sometimes not given) about breastfeeding. I want to offer the tips and tricks I’ve found with breastfeeding and how I was able to get the most out of it for my children.

Let me preface my tips and tricks by letting you know my story and struggles.

I had my son when I was 23 and I had no clue what I was doing. I read so many articles and created a list of all the things that I was supposed to be doing every day to keep my supply strong enough to feed him for the 6 month goal I had. It was hard.

My son latched well, but it took about 4-5 days before my actual milk started to come in. I had the colostrum, but he was still so hungry. Once my milk came in, that little boy practically went into a milk coma lol. I was told by my lactation consultant all this information that said I wasn’t allowed to pump until 3 months in, I had to use a certain position to feed him, I couldn’t eat or drink certain things, etc. It was overwhelming to say the least. And surprise, surprise… when you start to get overwhelmed, or stressed, or any of the common symptoms of just being a mother to a brand new infant, your supply can drop. That was where my problem started.

So with my son, I breastfed him on command, and I didn’t use any sort of pump, manual or otherwise, until I was 2 months in. I also wore nursing bras to bed, to keep from leaking all over the bed at night because I didn’t realize the mess that could happen. I was definitely never told that as they feed on one side, the other side starts leaking everywhere… but I was afraid of using a pump or anything because I didn’t want to affect my supply. I used reusable nursing pads during the day to catch any fallouts, as well as these ladybug catchers I found (I will list all of my products below). Eventually, I started to be able to build a little stock in the freezer that my husband was able to use to start bottle feeding. However, despite following the lactation consultant’s instructions, my son was never satisfied and always acted hungry after he finished drinking.

I remember actually breaking down with my husband because the pediatrician recommended that we start supplementing and I felt like such a failure that I couldn’t produce enough for him… Remember what I said about stress… Yeah, it affected it big time.

My husband eventually convinced me to supplement to relieve the stress off of myself, and my son loved it. He was finally full and not so fussy all the time, and my milk supply actually started to regulate again and become stronger. I started taking a milk supply supplement and between that, and supplementing, I was able to start pumping in between and my milk supply ended up giving us a 2 month stock in the freezer. I was so proud of how far I had come, and I started feeling so much better.

Shortly after my body started regulating itself, my maternity leave was up. Pumping and working can be difficult, and it depends on the facility you work for as far as their policies go for pumping. My work was amazing, and my boss even let me use her office to pump if one of the offices weren’t available for privacy. They worked with me on taking breaks every couple hours to make sure I could still pump around the time my son would’ve usually have been eating. I even had a dedicated area for me in the fridge for my breastmilk. Despite all of the accommodations my work made for me, I still had a difficult time with fully pumping. I wasn’t able to get the same amount of milk that I would’ve gotten if my son was breastfeeding, and I knew something was off. At this time, I was using the Motif double breast pump that I had gotten through my insurance company. I would get maybe 2-3 oz each pumping session, combined. However, when I switched to using the Medela manual pump, I was able to get a much stronger output, 5-6 oz, every session. There was just something about the manual action that my body reacted so much differently too.

Keep this in mind, don’t be afraid to try new options, everyone’s body is unique and responds differently.

As funny as it may sound, when I was having a rough pumping session, I would pull up videos of my son laughing and it was like magic. I’d hear that adorable giggle and instantly I would start a much stronger let down. It was incredible.

I did finally make it to the 6 month mark that I had hoped for, and I had a little back stock left by the time I fully finished. I gave him 1 bottle a day until it was gone to try and keep it going as long as I could. I believe by the time he finished the backstock, he was about 7-8 months old. I was so proud of myself for making it to my goal, and even slightly past it.

The experience with my daughter was entirely different.

I had my daughter right before my 25th birthday and my milk came in as I was in the hospital with her. The first time she latched, it was colostrum, but every time after that, it was milk. Her latch was perfect and after the first couple of days of being sore (Nipple cream is a must), our wonderful breastfeeding journey began.

I didn’t wear a nursing bra or anything like that to bed, just a simple tank that I could pull down for easy feedings. I believe the constant compression of the nursing bras actually caused my supply to be weaker when I breastfed my son. I also purchased a haakaa breast pump that I would attach to one side as my daughter drank from the other. By doing that I was able to conserve that let down instead of it being wasted by catching it with a towel. The stock alone that I was able to conserve with that let down using the Haakaa was incredible. I still didn’t use a breast pump other than the haakaa for the first three months but I made sure to feed on command.

Let me tell you, those cluster feeding months can be brutal but they are extremely important in getting your milk supply regulated properly.

After about 3 months, I did begin to start pumping and bottle feeding here and there, especially for when I was out and about with my son. I tried using my previous pump but it was so difficult to operate a pump, hold a newborn, and also play with a toddler at the same time. I opted to go ahead and spend the extra money to buy one of the portable Elvie breast pumps and I can’t tell you just how much of a difference it made in my life. I could pump absolutely anywhere… I even pumped while I did my best friend's makeup on her wedding day. They are very quiet and discreet… I mean obviously you can tell when you have them in but it’s 10x better than having two hoses sticking out of your shirt lol. They are also super easy to clean and empty out into the breastmilk bags. Definitely not as many parts as the standard breast pumps.

My favorite combo for breastfeeding is the Elvie breastpump and the Medela manual pump. While I was away from my daughter for 3 days, I switched on and off between the two and by the time we left on the morning of the third day, I had roughly 17 8oz bags of breastmilk.

I continued my breastfeeding journey until my daughter was 13 months old. My milk supply was still going strong, but once those teeth started coming in, I decided that I was ready to transition her to regular whole milk. I slowly weaned off by feeding or pumping longer and longer in between feedings sessions. I did it so slowly that it took about a month for me to be completely weaned off without having the engorged breasts moments… Those are no joke. By the time I finished feeding, I still had an entire freezer full of breastmilk. I went from barely producing with my son to finally being able to be a part of the mom club that could show off the amount I was able to conserve through my breastfeeding experience.

Breastfeeding is such an incredible experience… not to say it’s not exhausting. It can be. But knowing all your facts before you start your journey makes all the difference in your success. Below is a few of the different products I was able to use to help with my breastfeeding journey.