Pumping in the Car

How to make the best out of a 20 minute care ride? PUMP!

Hubs is driving.

Pumping at Work.

I have been back to work for two weeks now... and pumping at work sucks! I know I wrote tons of post about this the first time around... But nothing has changed in this category pumping at work sucks and it definately takes some dedication especially since I am a teacher. And extra especially when the school changes up the daily schedule for end of the year standardized testing. UGH!

This time around I was a little more prepared when going back to work and knew what to expect with pumping. In the two weeks before I returned I spent time dropping pumps and getting on the schedule I would be during the day while working. It was nice to gradually adjust rather than just completely change over when I started working. This is what I did the first time around and it resulted in a huge supply decrease.

I pump right after lunch in clinic/nurse's office and have about 25 minutes to do so, this is just enough time to completely empty the breast. This is the only time I have been pumping at work (pump again as so as I get home).

This week we are on testing schedule and the rest of next week we are on testing schedule. It is the most random annoying schedule ever. We have 4 classes a day instead of 7, and there are 4 days where I have no breaks from students at all, other than 22 mins to eat lunch.

Today was the first day of testing schedule. Yesterday I spent my planning period staring at the testing schedule and completely stressing about how in the world I was going to be able to squeeze in a pump.

Since I only have a 22 min total break from students I do not physically have time to go to the nurses office, set-up, pump, clean up and get back.  (Plus hope there is a open room for me!)

So today I locked myself in a closet and pumped! To my surprise... it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be and there was a plug outlet so I didn't even need my battery pack.

The things we do... :)

;)

My view from the pump!

Today marks 11 weeks of pumping!

How do you find time to pump?

The answer you make time, you multitask!

You feed babies and pump at the same time.

How? 

Here's a little video showing you how I do it.

Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG1umYdTRhA

Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJWbcq_6knM

Here are some photos of me pumping and feeding both babies at the same time. A true time saver.

9 month Pumping Update

*need to edit

I have been Exclusively Pumping for the Twins for 9 months and counting. Sliver boobies with gold nips!   EP means I only pump for the twins I do not breastfeed. But not because of lack of wanting  or trying. But because breastfeeding did not work for me and  my preemies in the end pumping did.

With the babies being born prematurely breastfeeding wasn't even an opinion but pumping was! The babies were born with no suck, swallow, breathe reflex and had to be fed my breast milk through a feeding tube. After they were discharged from the hospital, weight gain and knowing how much they were taking at a feeding was so important -- so I took the doctor and LC's advice to hold off on nursing while the twins gained weight.

A couple of weeks passed and I was “allowed” (I am generally a rule follower) to nurse the babies. They had latch issues and were used to the bottle so I had to wear nipple shields. They were able to nurse but it was so much harder for them.  Nursing took them about 20 minutes to drink 30cc or 1 oz when they needed to drink 2oz. They would get tired and quit and then about 30 minutes later I would have to nurse or bottle feed again. I was also only “allowed” to nurse them once a day while the doctors monitored their weight gain. In the end as a frizzled new mom I pumped and bottle fed. At 3 months I was told I could nurse… at this point the twins had no interest and I was returning to work… and they had teeth poking through the gums.

I felt the twins need to gain weight was more important than my desire to nurse so I pumped as a comprised. I was able to feed them all breast milk and had a nice freezer stash when I went back to work. Going back to work and not having the time to pump is when things got hard.

 I have had to supplement with formula and the twins now get formula on a regular basis. They get about half breast milk and half formula.

I really started struggling with EP around 6 months (I went back to work at 4 months) at this time my extra freezer stash was used up and I was not making enough for the twins and noticed a real drop in my supply which caused a lot of stress in my life! ...Come to find out my pump was broken… I got a new pump and I started producing more and my supply was back up, but it still wasn’t enough to keep up with the twins demand. If I had a more flexible work schedule I may have been able to keep up with the demand. I only have one real time a day I can pump at work.

At around 7 months I dropped a pump from 5 pumps a day to 4 pumps a day (return from winter break). At 8 months I dropped to 4 pumps a day. When the twins hit 9 months two weeks ago I dropped down to 3 pumps.

It takes a while for the dropped pumps to affect your supply but with each dropped supply you produce a little less.

Now two weeks after dropping down to 3 pumps and add being sick with the stomach bug for 48 hours… I am only pumping twice a day. Morning and Night, and it has been ranging from 16-24 ounces total. I am not sure how long I will be able to maintain that supply at only two pumps a day. I have been thinking about adding the 3rd pump back in to help me make it to year mark but I don’t know if I will. I have already been through the process of re-establishing my supply, it takes a lot of time and work, and in the end I will still have to supplement. 

So right now my twins are still getting 2 bottles of breast milk a day. The rest formula. It’s not what I originally wanted for them. But now that I am okay with this… my life is so much easier in so many ways.

I am probably repeating what I have already said about this in other pumping posts but pumping is an emotional thing for me. So accepting dropping pumps was not easy.

My pediatrician made me feel good about my efforts. By saying they are getting “the best of both worlds,” like all the iron and other vitamins from the formula that I may not be able to give them from my breast milk alone.

Add in two other important health factors that have led to my pump weaning.

1.      I have had my menstrual cycle every month since July and that effects your production. Leading to two weeks (ovulation week and menstrual week) where I was not producing as much.

2.      My hypothyroidism leads to low production. Pumping also makes it hard for me to get healthy. My Endo suggested that I wean sooner than later because the sooner I do the easier my levels will be able to control. I need to be completely done by 1 year. So I can start getting myself healthy for these babies!

I could have quit pumping when my supply dropped. I could have quit pumping when I had to start supplementing with formula. I could quit pumping now that my babies are only get two bottles of breast milk a day. But they still get the benefits of breast milk from those two bottles. I will pump and give them breast milk as close to a year as I can.

At 1 year if I am still producing on two pumps a day I will stop. So I can get my thyroid levels regulated.

Pumping as for sure been a crazy, stressful ride, but I am happy that I have been able to do it for my babies.

Darn it!

I forgot pump bottles. So I have my pump and everything, but I forgot bottles, so I don’t have anything to actually pump into. Gr. I didn't even realize until hours into the work day. This is the second time I have done something like this. Last time I went in to the “pumping room” set up everything and realized I had left my breast shields at home. I guess two days of forgetting pumping equipment out of 4+ months of pumping at work isn't too bad. But I am still beating myself up over forgetting the parts. I had also planned to run a few errands after work. But now I wouldn't be able to do them because: 1. I’ll probably be in pain. 2. I have to get home in pump so I don’t mess up my supply.

Many of my post are about the struggles of being a pumping Mom. It is not joke how hard/demanding it can be.

Pumping...Almost 8 months

 I feel like pumping controls my life. It is so physically, emotionally, and mental draining. With the babies growing and drinking more and more pumping and making enough for them while working a 40 hour a week job has gotten harder and harder. Before I went back to work I pumped every 3 hours and made more than enough for the babies. I had a giant freezer stash when I went back to work when the twins were 4 months old. Since then my freezer stash is down to 18 ounces (I am not quite sure why I haven’t used it yet). I almost completely lost my supply when my pump broke. I was able to build back up but it still isn’t enough and I still have to supplement with formula.

I have had my menstrual cycle every month since July… and having my menstrual changes how much milk I produce. So on the week I am ovulating I produce less milk and on the week I have my period I produce less. So there are two weeks out of the month where I am making less and my babies are getting more formula.

Also before working I pumped every 3 hours from 6am-9pm or midnight equally 6-7 pumps a day. Now that I am back to work full-time I can only pump 4 times a day. If I was able to pump the 6-7 times a day I know I would have a huge supply increase…. But here’s the thing I can’t do everything!

I am starting to understand that.

This is ovulation week. Yesterday my babies got 2 breast milk bottles and 3 formula bottles. I know some is better than none. But I am starting to question if all this effort is really worth it. I spent 2 hours of my day pumping yesterday and it wasn’t good enough.

I have done everything to increase my supply. I have tried every trick in the book. I know what works for me and what doesn’t. But it’s a cycle, an endless cycle.

Having a good two weeks of pumping… followed my two weeks of not so good pumping. I am blaming this on my menstrual cycle. Even in the good two weeks of pumping my twins still get 1 or 2 formula bottles a day because even in the good weeks I do not pump enough or make enough to feed them breast milk all day.

I had two weeks off of teaching during Winter Break. During these two weeks I was able to pump more and give the babies mostly all breast milk. It was a great feeling. But it made me realize that I can feed my babies. But I can’t feed my babies and work 40 hours a week.

I know this post is very scattered but that’s because my emotions and thoughts on pumping are always scattered.

One day I hate it and want to quit. One day I am never quitting! There’s always a reason that keeps me going.

My thoughts and emotions have become more complete since returning to work.

What is the point of pumping and stressing myself out about it to still give my babies formula? Sometimes 3 times a day? Would I be a happier mom if I can give up pumping and make the switch to formula?

 Feeding twins for 8 months is an accomplishment and I should be proud of myself. But of course I find a reason to keep doing it… flu season… stabilizing my thyroid… 9 months, 9 months, 1 more month, 1 more month. I can do it.

BLAH,

Heather

Night Pump

Well my supply is back up and I am so proud of myself for not quitting when I was having trouble. The hospital rental pump did the trick and my replaced for FREE Medela pump in style advanced has arrived and I have been using that at work and leaving the rental at home. The replacement pump is working wonderful too.

For the last week I have added in a middle of the night pump. This just happened naturally as I am waking due to discomfort. When I returned to work I discussed with my LC my fears of supply lost due to not having enough time to pump during the working day. Her suggestion was to add a night pump to my schedule so that I wasnt going two 6-8 hour periods without pumping. I thought she was crazy. I thought,  "I need my sleep to  get through the day to work and to be a mom when I get home."

But the night pump does do wonders to your supply.

The night pump is a bonus 12+ ounces to my supply, which is a bottle for each baby. Then in the morning I am pumping another 16-18 ounces.

The night pump has only been taking about 15 minutes as once the bottles are full I do not change them…. I go back to bed. I could probably get more if I changed out the bottles.

It sounds crazy, but it hasn’t been bad. I am not setting an alarm. I waking up on my own. Pumping for about 15 minutes (about how long it has been taking to fill the bottles) then going back to bed and falling asleep immediately.

3 weeks ago I was only pumping 12 ounces a day! Again I am so glad I didn’t quit. I am so glad I took the time to find the source of the problem and regain my supply, which I gained primary by increasing the demand… which resulted in having a larger supply.

I did get try Reglan that I got from my OB. It helped but it only helped a few hours after I took it… and it was not a huge supply change. And the warning labels on the pills scared me.

I have never really put a goal on how long I would pump for the babies… as thinking about the longevity tended to stress me out.

I would say... as long as I can, 6 months, past cold and flu season, etc, etc.

But looking back on how good I feel about not quitting during a very stressful time of supply decrease. I am now aiming for a year, hoping that my own health issues do not interfere; I will take it one day at a time. But I am going for the GOLD boobies!

-          Heather

Pump Update!

My rented Medela Symphony has been working great and it will be mine until 12/28/12. Saturday Mike and I dropped the babies off at his parents house so we could do some baby free Christmas shopping. We knew we were going to be out most of the day. So I decided I would bring my Medela Pump In Style with us so I could pump on the go since it is portable and the Symphony not so much. Yes I thought this pump was broken but I did trouble shout with Medela via phone and was told everything was fine except for my cracked/chipped yellow valve, which I replaced. So I thought I would give it a try since it so much easier to carry around than the rental. As soon as I turned on the pump... it didn't sound right. I am now use to how the Symphony sounds... about 10 minutes into the pump session I had less than an ounce from each breast. I knew something was wrong!

I turned the pump off and showed Mike what they told me to do when I called the help hotline. I took the face plate off to re-snap it because I was told if it wasn't down all the way (in all three spots) it would leak air... which is what it sounded like was happening (comparing sounds to the symphony).

I took the front plate off and continued to explain to Mike the trouble shooting I did on the phone. I told him that they explained to me that the center round circle moves in and out and that is the only thing that could cause the pump to break. I told him they told me to look to see if it was ripped. Which I thought it wasn't. And they told me that, that was the only thing on the pump that could cause it to break. If it was a loss of suction it could be the replaceable parts. I replaced all the parts and I still had a loss of suction/broken pump.

So as I am explaining this to Mike he says "look, it is ripped looked right here!" It was ripped on the seem and I didn't see it or notice it until Mike pointed it out! Ugh! I was so mad! Why didn't I see that the the first time?!?

All the stress I went through thinking my milk had dried up and really my pump broke in 6 months time!

And then the $90 and headache I went through to rent a pump!

I immediately called Medela. It was Saturday and they were closed for the day. So I didn't get to call until today after work.

Thankfully it was an easy phone call. I explained everything... and they are shipping me a BRAND NEW PUMP!

It will be here by Wednesday.

Medela has amazing costumer service and stands by their warranties. I recommend Medela brand for this reason.

Below are pictures of the part that was broke as you can see it is hard to tell that there is a hole there. Luckily my husband has a good eye!

Hope this helps someone!
Heather

What it looks like without press on it... normal to me... why I didn't notice the rip.

When you touch it! You can easily see the rip.

Pumping... Emotional Break Down

Emotional Break Down

The last couple of weeks I feel like I have been walking around two seconds away from a break down. My plate is so full. There are so many things I feel like I have to be or am supposed to be… and I like to be great or at least good at what I do. These feelings can be and can get very overwhelming.

There is so much going on the little things can make me snap.

My health issues, have been extreme recently, and have added to the emotional wackiness.

But the main thing that made me tick… having issues with my breast milk supply.

Since I can remember I always said I would breastfeed my children. Then the news of twins and I was still determined that I would breastfeed. It was actually one of the first questions I asked when I found out I was having twins… “Will I be able to breastfeed both of them?”

I was told from that 8 week ultrasound appointment that I could breastfeed twins but it would be hard and a lot of work. NO KIDDING.

Then the twins were born 7 weeks early. They had no suck and swallow reflex, they had to be feed through a feeding tube and we had to know exactly how much they were taking in at each feed to make sure they were getting enough and growing properly… so no breastfeeding.

So began my relationship with breast pumping. I pumped the first night they were born.

I wasn’t even allowed to try to breastfeed until they were 8 weeks old. At this time I had to use a nipple shield because of nipple confusion. The twins did not understand how the breast did not give them milk as fast as the bottle. They got frustrated and would scream in my face. Or they would eat for about 10 minutes… breastfeeding is so much harder on the baby, they got tired quicker… and then a hour later were crying because they didn’t get enough and were still hungry.

So when I breastfeed all I was doing was trying to feed two screaming babies around the clock without help. This just did NOT work for our family. So I continued to pump and bottle feed.

Lactation consultations (in my experience) really push you to breastfeed vs pump and bottle feed. But with me going back to work full time and the twins getting such a late start I knew it wasn’t a real opinion for me.

I have been pumping at work for 2 months now and last week the strangest thing happened. I got up to pump one morning and only pumped about 4 ounces a normal morning pump on average is about 16 ounces. This was strange. The day continued and I had very small pumps. Confused I read everything and did everything to try to increase my supply (except for Fenugreek because it supposed to bad for my thyroid issues)… and a long story short nothing worked.

            I read that this instant sudden/strange change could mean I was pregnant. Well I knew that was very unlikely. Then I read it could have been because on my menstrual cycle which was on track to start. Many women do not have their menstrual cycle when breastfeeding or pumping. But I have had my cycle every 28 days like clockwork since July. I have always been a 28 day on the dot girl. In the past months my cycle hasn’t affected my supply.

So I thought my milk was leaving me. I was depressed. Pumping for the twins is a very emotional experience for me. I think it’s a NICU thing. My babies were in the NICU/PCN for 23 days. Pumping milk for my babies was the only thing that I could do for the babies that the nurses could not. It was the only thing I could do to feel like I was a mom, to feel like I was their mom!

So after a week of having supply issues…. Tuesday night I took the Fenugreek, I woke up Wed morning and my breasts were hard and full of milk. I sat down to pump and only pumped 3 ounces. I busted into tears.

I kept thinking I couldn’t stay pregnant long enough and now I can’t pump long enough.

To sum up this story since I started it last week and haven’t yet to finish due to ongoing efforts to solve the problem.

Here’s the update… my pump broke/was broke/ important piece was broke, caused supply drop. After searching to rent a hospital grade pump and having little luck due to the affordable care act breast pump rentals are covered under most insurance plans and will be covered under all starting Jan 1. (Mine won’t cover it until Jan 1.) The pharmacist informed me because of this they are having a hard time keeping them in stock. GREAT! Since they are free rentals why would you spend $300+ on one when you can rent a much nicer $2000 one for free.

Finally I got in touch with the lactation consultation at our predication office. They had pumps for rent! However since they are having the same issues (trouble keeping them in stock) they are guarding them. When I explained that I thought something was wrong with my pump she informed me that my pump is under warranty and that MEDELA needed to fix it ASAP. She told me that they have really good customer service and that they would send someone out to my house to fix it if necessary.

So I called Medela… they were friendly, but they made me trouble shoot, take my pump apart, and basically told me there was nothing wrong with my pump except that the yellow value was cracked. They said thats what was causing the lack of suction. So I went to the store bought new ones and extra ones… changed them out and it still didn’t work!

This is what my yellow value looked like…

 

So make sure all your parts are in proper condition before trying to trouble shoot with Medela. Replacing them did NOT help me. But it is good to know to keep all parts in good condition to eliminate loss of suction problems. Check your manual, they also have this info online at their website if you have misplaced your manual.

This lead to the mental breakdown which resulted in a crying fest and me calling out from work because I could not function due to the overwhelming stress and guilt I was feeling for not being able to give my babies breast milk.

After much searching, I found a place that I could rent a Medela Sympathy from (they do not accept insurance = had it in stock). Rented it, came home and in the first 15 minutes of using it I pumped 13 ounces. So it was my pump that was not working!

I spent the last couple of days pumping as much as possible to get my supply back up and even got a prescription of Reglan from my OBGYN.

Pumping/Breast feeding is a very emotional and hard thing. It is very important and personal for me and I am so happy that I am able to do it for my children.

-         Heather

Pumping at Work.

Ok. There is no way around it… it is weird and a major inconvenience in my working day. It would be WAY easier to get and just give them formula. Most of their night time bottles are formula now. Since it is hard to leave the babies with enough breast milk each day… (I have to leave 36 ounces with the granny nannies a day) They don’t get formula bottles every night and I still have 60ish ounces in the freezer (which for some reason I am guarding with my life), but giving them a formula bottle at night helps to take some of the pressure off of me to over produce. I don’t want to say that I don’t make enough because that’s not really true. The main issue is the babies just jumped from drinking 4 ounce bottles to 6 ounce bottles. They don’t always finish all of the 6 ounces but sometimes they do. So there is more waste then there use to be. A problem with scheduled feeding is the baby may not always want as much! But 4 ounces wasn’t enough and sometimes 5 ounces isn’t enough! Sometimes 6 ounces is too much! Sometimes they drink all 6 ounces so fast you think do they need more?!

SO as I was saying… It would be WAY easier to just give them all formula. But it wouldn’t be easier for my financial goals or wallet, and it wouldn’t provide the babies with my immune system and natural nutrients which is what I believe my preemies deserve!

But I have accepted the fact that is okay for them to get formula when needed because I can’t do it all!

Pumping at work… yes I have had a supply decrease but that is mainly because I am not pumping every 3 hours I am a wake like I was when I was at home with the twins. The first week I had a major drop in production, but found a few things that helped in addition to things I had already done/tried to increase production.

They are as follows

1.      Eat oatmeal! It works like crazy. Eat a couple of bowls a day. I try to eat mine towards the end of the day and before bed. So that I have time to pump it out. No point eating it first thing in the morning when it will be 6 hours before I get to pump again.

2.      Baby pictures… look at pictures of your baby while you pump, it’s a weird emotional thing that results in a larger production

3.      Drink lots and lots of water!

See pervious blog about how to increase supply: http://www.mcmunnbabies.blogspot.com/2012/08/pumping-how-to-increase-milk-supply.html

 So you can do it! You just have to decide that it is what is best for you and your family, and remember some is better than none. So if you have to give one bottle a day of formula it’s not the end of the world! My doctor told me that is the best of both worlds so that is the way I look at it.

Side note: all babies will not adjust to formula or be able to switch from breast milk to formula. I am lucky my babies take both with no problem! Also there is nothing wrong with giving your baby formula it is my personal decision to pump for my babies and I have no judgment towards mothers who do not!

As always,

Hope this helps someone!

Heather

Pumping. How to Increase milk supply.

Pumping. I have mastered pumping. I have not mastered breast feeding. I have two preemie babies and breast feeding is still a work in progress. I return to work at the end of Sept. So pumping might me our way.

I logged on to baby center today, the first time in a long time that I actually had some time to browse the broads and postings. There were so many post and questions about pumping and how to increase your milk supply. Well I feel like I have been there and done that with those questions. I researched so much about increasing my milk supply and found what worked for me.

My babies were born at 33 weeks and spent 3 weeks in the NICU. I started pumping the night they were born. I knew from research that in order to get my supply in, keep my supply up, and increase my supply I had to pump regularly and for at least 15-20 minutes. So that night I started pumping every 2 hours around the clock. The nurses tried to tell me to get some sleep and not to worry so much about pumping around the clock but I didn’t listen. My babies got jibed out of 7 weeks in utero I was determined to do my part by providing them liquid gold!

 Within 2 days my milk came in. I was pumping several ounces and had much more than my babies needed. Each day I took a supply of breast milk to the hospital and froze some.

When my babies came home I had so much milk in the freezer we were able to make 24 hours of bottles in advance which was crucial to surviving the first few days.

After the babies came home life got busier and I was not pumping as regular and my milk supply greatly decreased. I was relying on my freezer stash to get us through the days and before long that stash was gone and I was not producing enough to feed both babies. So we started supplementing with formula. That was a huge mistake because I had it in my mind I did not have to make as much breast milk because they were having some bottles of formula.

I was frustrated I didn’t understand how all of a sudden when my babies came home my milk supply decreased. Well after researching this… it was easy to see, I wasn’t getting enough sleep, and I wasnt pumping as regularly.

So I tried to start pumping on a more regular basis and slowly my milk supply increased. But it wasn’t enough.

I wanted to quit. But I felt I owed it to the babies to give them breast milk at least until they were considered term. On a selfish note I didn’t want to quit because I didn’t want to spend the money on formula! They are on the preemie formula and it is super expensive!

So I spent most of my free time trying to figure out how to increase my supply.

I read a lot.  A lot of findings said, most women think they don’t have enough milk but that is rarely the case. I started drinking Mother’s Milk tea it helped. I took Fenugreek it helped. But it makes your pee smell really bad and it’s not something you want to take forever.

But what really helped was my Simplest Wishes hands free pumping bra. It made pumping more enjoyable because It gave me time to do other things like use the computer. Most of the time I am pumping and bottle feeding a baby at the same time. So the bra is a time saver and allows me to have free time. Which makes pumping a more enjoyable experience.

The bra also helped me to increase my supply because it holds the pump firmly in place on the breast.

I no longer take the Mothers Milk or Fenugreek because I do not need to for my supply. But in my research found it is good to use if you need to build a stash of milk before departing from your baby, or undergoing surgery or something when you will not be able to provide your baby with fresh breast milk.

So here are my tips for increasing your breast milk supply and for happy pumping.

1.      MUST have a hands free pumping bra… I recommend the Simple Wishes one

http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Wishes-Hands-Free-Breastpump-XS/dp/B00295MQLU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345565255&sr=8-1&keywords=simple+wishes+hands-free+breastpump+bra

2.      Drink plenty of water

3.      Drink an Ensure daily. This helps your body not feel so drained from pumping. I drink mine first thing in the morning.

4.      You must pump regularly. I pump every 3 hours during the day. I do not pump at night. You also need to pump 15-30 minutes (how long will depend on you and or time of day) to empty the breast to signal the body to make more.

5.      To create a milk stash and get supply up use Mother’s Milk tea of Fenugreek. It is important to know that some babies stomachs may not be able to handle it. Mine did fine.

 http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Mothers-Milk-Tea-Bags/dp/B0009Y8AGI/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1345565429&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=mothers+milk+tea

http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Way-Fenugreek-Capsules-180ea/dp/B0009ETA6W/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1345565492&sr=1-1&key

6.      Buy a nice pump I have the MEDELA PUMP IN STYLE

http://www.amazon.com/Medela-Pump-Style-Advanced-Breast/dp/B004HWXCJS/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1345565354&sr=1-1&keywords=pump+in+style+advanced

7.      Have some nipple cream handy. Your nipples will hurt in the beginning and from time to time so the cream helps. Over time your nipples get used to it and it no longer hurts.

http://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-Lanolin-Breastfeeding-Mothers-Grams/dp/B005MI648C/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1345565394&sr=1-2&keywords=nipple+cream

8.      DO NOT supplement this tricks your mind and body into thinking you do not need more. I read one article that said think milk, lots and lots of milk.

9.      DO NOT GIVE UP IT WILL GET BETTER J it’s the best for you, your baby, and your wallet!

P.S. I am pumping right now.

Hope this Helps!
Heather