If you are a Momma that decided to exclusively pump like I did, then you know all to well how challenging this decision can make your life. It’s made harder by the fact that it’s a relatively uncommon decision. Most Moms breastfeed or give formula, but it is rare (although getting more and more common) to find other Moms who have also braved the journey of exclusive pumping.

Finding people who can share tips and and understand your struggles is so important when you are a new Mom and/or new to this journey. Over the next two posts, I’m going to share some information that helped me get through this process with my sanity intact!

I decided to exclusively pump because my daughter had a slight tongue tie that prevented her from latching well. This led to her being intensely unhappy when she had to breastfeed and led to me having really painful and bleeding boobies for a few weeks. Finally, after talking with my husband, I decided that the stress both she and I were experiencing was too much. I decided to try exclusive pumping instead.

I had no idea what I was in for. Thankfully, I did have one other Momma-friend that had done this not once, but twice! I leaned on her for advice heavily. Below you will find a mix of her advice, my own experience, and advice from my absolute favorite exclusive pumping website: exclusivepumping.com. If you don’t follow this blog already, go and do it now! And then come back and read the rest of this post.

Here are my first 6 tips for Exclusive Pumping:

1. Scheduling: This one is first because it is, by far, the hardest part of the journey. You must set a schedule. This initially sounds easy. You think – ok, I’ll just pump every time the baby eats and just get both done at the same time (at least this was what I thought!) But it’s quickly obvious that this is harder than it appears. I remember being reduced to tears on multiple occasions because I just couldn’t figure out how to do it all. I highly recommend checking out this post on exclusive pumping.com. It was a lifesaver for me when I was trying to figure out a good schedule. I didn’t always do the exact schedule, but it at least gave me a starting point and then I adapted it to the hours that made sense for me and my daughter. Shooting for 7-10 sessions initially is a good goal. I believe I started with 8 pumping sessions/day, but I know other Moms that started with 10. You can adjust down if you have an abundant supply and adjust up if you don’t have enough. With that said, don’t be fooled into thinking that meeting all these times is going to be easy. Be prepared to have to adjust. If you can only get in half a pumping session, then you get in that half. Some is better than none. If you have to push a session 30 minutes or 45 minutes, then you have to push it. If you can’t meet your schedule and keep it all together, then you’ll have to do less pumping and supplement with formula. All of those things ARE OK! At the end of the day, you need to be able to feed your baby AND be sane enough to take care of them. Make it work for you, Momma!
2. Purchase multiple sets of parts: This was something that I didn’t figure out until later in my pumping journey, but boy did it make a difference. Get at least two sets of parts for your pump. This will allow you to not have to constantly be washing them. Clean and sanitize one while you are using the other set and then swap them out. This will significantly cut down on the amount of time you spend in front of the sink and, at 3 am, when you can just pump, refrigerate, and go back to sleep, you will be thankful you spent a little money for some extra sets. Speaking of reducing cleaning time:
3. Refrigerate Pump Parts: So as I was writing this, I came across this post regarding new CDC recommendations. I strongly encourage you to read this whole post (including the comments) and then make a decision on how you want to handle this one. But for me, refrigerating your pump parts in between pumps was advice I received from my friend who had exclusively pumped and, wow, did it make life easier! I would use a set of my parts, rinse them out, and store them in a gallon sized ziploc bag in the fridge until my next pumping session. I would then swap out that set with a clean set every 3 pumps or so, which allowed me to do a big clean and sanitize of all of my parts at night before I went to bed. This worked for me (and nobody became sick), but with the new recommendations it may not be something you feel comfortable with. I’ll leave this one up to you.
4. Get a travel pump: This was another big help for me. I used a Spectra S2 pump at home, but it’s not a very good pump for when you are traveling. I also had a Spectra 9 Plus Rechargeable one that I could use on the road. It’s tiny and is much easier when you are not home. I don’t think the suction is quite as good as the S2, but if you are only using it when your normal pump is not convenient, then it’s perfect. We have a two story house, so there were days that I would use this one if I was downstairs and the other if I was upstairs. Having both just gave me more flexibility. With that said, it’s not cheap. If you can’t get it through your insurance, or don’t have a friend that will gift you their used one as I did, I’d recommend either looking for a used one online or finding another one that is both good for home use and is easily portable.
5. Purchase wipe off labels: These were a game-changer for me. Your milk can only be stored in the fridge for so long before it goes bad (usually 3-5 days). The hardest part was remembering when something was pumped and then trying to figure out if it was still usable. I would pump and then write the date and time on these handy little labels so there was no more guesswork. When you are sleep deprived and stressed with a newborn, these little things can make a huge difference!
6. Get a good pumping bra: You are going to spend A LOT of time on your pump and often you will also be feeding your baby, playing with them, or – gasp! – trying to do something for yourself at the same time. A good pumping bra allows you to be hands free so you can do most other things while also connected to the pump. I suggest the Medela bra because it fit the best and seemed the easiest to manuever. With that said, if you are using a different brand of pump, like I did, getting your flanges into and out of this bra can take a little extra work so be prepared for that. It will be totally worth it when you can calm your crying baby or answer a work email during the multiple hours you are stuck to the pump.

So this list is just a start! A lot of this time in my and my daughters life feels like a big blur to me (anybody else feel me on that?!), so my goal over the next two weeks is do some brainstorming as to what other things I found helpful and I’ll report back in two weeks!

If you are Momma that has or is exclusively pumping, please comment below with any tips that were or are helpful to you! Let’s all help each other out! And stay tuned for more tips in the next Mom Tip Monday!

As Always, Stay Healthy as Heck! KH

Update: Part 2 is Live!! Click here for more exclusive pumping tips and tricks!