My little bumpkin and I have had quite a lovely day.
For the last few days I’ve been willing myself to start pumping and storing my milk. Jemma and I have had quite a successful breastfeeding relationship. She latches well, drinks quickly, glances up at me with her “melt-my-heart” blue eyes, burps easily and drifts off to sleep. It’s a dream come true. All my breastfeeding worries – out the window. So naturally, I have transferred those worries onto the pumping. I know, call it postpartum craziness :)
Anyways, I bucked up and dove into pump world this morning. Jemma nursed and fell back to sleep, I flipped on Good Morning America and hooked up the pump. The “woosh, woosh” of the pump and contraption-ness of it all is void of the loving feeling nursing brings about. Perhaps that is why I have been so hesitant to give it a try. My goal was to fill the 4 ounce canning jar my midwife had recommended that I freeze my milk in. After nursing Jemma I was able to get 2 1/2 ounces from 1 side and top off with 1 1/2 ounces from the other. WOOHOO! And it only took 20 minutes, which I later read is the max you should pump for. So, now we’ve got 4 ounces of precious milk chilling in the fridge. Daddy is going to introduce a bottle this evening and then I’ll start pumping to freeze.
After pumping I hopped on KellyMom, my favorite breastfeeding resource, and found this great guide for storing milk.
| HUMAN MILK STORAGE – QUICK REFERENCE CARD | ||
| Temperature | Storage Time | |
| Freshly expressed milk | ||
| Warm room | 79°F / 25°C | 4-6 hours |
| Room temperature | 66-72°F / 19-22°C | 10 hours |
| Insulated cooler / icepacks | 60°F / 15°C | 24 hours |
| Refrigerated Milk (Store at back, away from door) | ||
| Refrigerator (fresh milk) | 32-39°F / 0-4°C | 8 days |
| Refrigerator (thawed milk) | 32-39°F / 0-4°C | 24 hours |
| Frozen Milk (Do not refreeze! Store at back, away from door/sides) | ||
| Freezer compartment inside refrigerator (older-style) |
Varies | 2 weeks |
| Self-contained freezer unit of a refrigerator/freezer |
Varies | 3-6 months |
| Separate deep freeze | 0°F / 19°C | 6-12 months |
| These guidelines are for milk expressed for a full-term healthy baby. If baby is seriously ill and/or hospitalized, discuss storage guidelines with baby’s doctor. |
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After our pumping success I decided we should plan a reward. What better than a trip to the mall for a brisk walk and a eggnog latte! We parked at Nordstrom and loaded up in the stroller. As we wandered through Nordies (during the Half Yearly Sale) I happened to try on a pair of jeans in the BP. They were delightfully comfortable and part of the sale, so I splurged on a post-baby present for myself :)
We wandered through the mall, Jemma snoozing and I sipping on my eggnog (heaven). She woke up and had a royal meltdown in Old Navy which sent me sprinting to the Mother’s Lounge back at Nordstrom. She nursed and we packed up to go home where I inhaled my new favorite meal … spaghetti squash with marinara and mozerella on top. She’s been sleeping for the last few hours and I’ve been mindlessly watching “I Shouldn’t Be Alive”, an Animal Planet show that is both annoying and addicting.
Cheers to a great Wednesday with my darling girl. And just for good measure … here is her loveliness!
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You are amazing!
i'm going to write a blog post about what i've found most helpful these past 6 months that i've been pumping at work. i was so nervous about doing it and it has had some challenges, but it's doable. completely. good job on getting things going!
Awesome :) Hopefully pumping will go as smoothly for you as breastfeeding has… and daddy can get a little extra bonding time with the babe every day (and you can get a little rest!)
This is the first time I've been on your blog since the updated look! I LOVE IT!!!! ;)Way to go on the pumping! Such a task-oriented gal! That's just one of the many things I love about you! …"I shouldn't be alive" I feel the SAME way! Ugh, I want to turn it off, but MUST hear the end of the story!Love ya!