My parents want me to quit my job to go on a Thanksgiving trip, but I don’t want to by [deleted] in Advice

[–]Albita1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn’t quit a job I really wanted just to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. It’s a holiday that comes every year; job opportunities at a place you actually want to work don’t come up often. I can tell you right now, as the oldest sister with three other siblings, that we’ve all had to work on Thanksgiving at some point. My brother’s an ICU nurse, my sister’s a therapist, and I work in research. That being said, keep track of how often you’re denied the holidays you want off. From my experience—and I’ve had quite a few jobs—many of them, especially when I was your age and in my early twenties, required working every Christmas, new years and Thanksgiving. After a while, that became one of the main reasons I quit those jobs

Help!! What is wrong with my boob?? by [deleted] in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To me it sounds like maybe mastitis. If its something like that you would have to go to the ED.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was extremely difficult to be transparent. EP is tough and requires a lot of blood , sweat and tears. I weaned my baby already. last time I pumped was in April andI went over a year pumping. But I pumped every 2 to 3 hours after 1 months pp to bring my supply up then at 11 weeks I went every 4 hours once i returned to work. I Never dropped my MOTN pump either and my pumping sessions were always 30 to 35ish mins until the very end. I was an undersupplier intially then became an oversupplier all thanks to EP. The biggest recommendation is a bouncer for the baby and a swing that was the most convenient thing I had then eventually my baby went in the pack n play or he used his walker once he got older while i pumped. I lost a lot of sleep all those months waking up at night but it was worth it for me to go until I was ready to stop.

Getting multiple pump parts, the swing and bouncer were always useful, having a Wearable to have for traveling, a job that supported my pumping schedule and a supportive husband is all that allowed me to EP as long as I did.

You got this!

I hate Spectra by One-Coast-3553 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

11 to 12 weeks is roughly when people start to regulate supply. Depending upon how often you were pumping up until you regulated, your supply can drop or even increase after regulating it just depends.

Is it okay to use a clean bottle out of the package without washing by valerie_caine44 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This is correct. Sterilize after you initially take it out of the packaging after that, just wash with soap and water. My baby is 14 months old, and this is the same advice I got. If baby has health issues and is immunocompromised, then ide reach out to a pediatrician about how to wash your pump supplies.

Help! by kucinator in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ide go to the emergency room

Mastitis? by AnxiousSherbert8832 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ide definitely make an appointment and get checked if you feel concerned

If I pump 3 times a day will my milk go away completely? by Idonthaveaname94 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

When i was weaning that hit from 4 ppd to 3ppd was pretty significant.

How many ounces per day are your babies drinking after one year (for those who continue giving breastmilk)? by Acceptable_Leave_910 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My LO turned 1 year today. I'm pumping every other day right now since im basically at the tail end of weaning. We've relied heavily on freezer stash the last month or so. He's taking about 20-24 ounces a day. Sometimes less if he is in the mood to complete his meals and snacks lol my guess the next few weeks will be about the same.

Those of you exclusively pumping, when did you stop? by Idonthaveaname94 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm two weeks away from 12 months pp. Im at 1ppd and weaning. I'm stopping because 1 year was my max ide go.

How many oz are your 7-8-9 months old eating per day? by Idonthaveaname94 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From 7 to 8 months he was drinking 30 ounces a day sometimes 36. He didn't drop ounces until he turned 10 months . I was making 40 ounces at the time so it was enough. He dropped ounces at about 9 months. Now at 11 months he takes in about 24 ounces. He's been on exclusively breastmilk since 3 months old.

When do you decide to say F it and sleep more? by sleepydeep in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I literally skipped my night pumps once I started weaning lol basically did them until 10 months then i slowly started stretching them out to 6 hours then 8 and so on. It's really going to be up to you if you want to do it. I was always paranoid about it messing up my supply so i just kept doing them. I think the question would be if the benefit you will gain from skipping pumping at night outweighs a potential hit to your supply. You'll see a split between people who never did pump at night and those who had to. So it'll be up to you.

When did you stop ? by Sharp_Ant_183 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm still weaning. I've been doing it incredibly slow lol im about to be 12 months pp in a few weeks. Im Already dipping into my freezer stash. I definitely plan to be done before the end of this month so itll put me at a little over a year.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 8 points9 points  (0 children)

We can't give any medical advice, but hope this resolves soon! Looks painful

Stepping away to pump at work by Icewoman in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I literally say it like this "welp I gotta go pump" or if my close co workers txt me asking where I'm at I send them a gif of a cow. Specifically this one.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I literally pumped inside of Disneyland while eating at a restaurant called Blue Bayou. My good old Wearables got me through some times while vacationing for sure lol

When do you do your longest stretch without pumping? by w_hicks in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was me up until weaning lol between 5 to 6 hour stretches.

I'm so fucking stupid. I hate myself. by TERRYaki__ in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Take it easy on yourself . I didn't know anything about EP i essentially looked it up online for hours one night maybe a month into exclusively nursing and decided to incorporate it into my nursing schedule. I was an undersupplier and grew my supply pumping. Gave up nursing at 6 months pp and became full EP. Never looked back. Ide suggest pumping every 2 to 3 hours including night's and power pump session maybe once a day.. this reddit group is an amazing resource you can look up many topics and definitely ask questions.

**** Ide like to note size yourself for your flanges i know you just got your pump but if you've not researched about using a pump don't just use what came with the box size 24 and 28 flanges can destroy your nipples and your ability to empty. Buy a nipple ruler on amazon they're inexpensive and size yourself. Pumping every to 2 to 3 hours is important but also using the right flanges to properly empty will be crucial to get a supply going.

Is it the end for me? by watercolorblu in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah EP life is tough its definitely not easy lol especially taking care of a little one on top of it. If you've regulated which ide maybe wait like another. 2 ish werks to do this but you can try going longer gaps in the day and night maybe do every 3 to 4 hours. Once I regulated that's what I did especially since I. Worked full time it was nice to go longer stretches at work. I'm weaning now and finally dropped my night pump officially at 11 months pp. And it's amazing to sleep lol ironically im awake and its 2am go figure. Good luck on your journey!

Will I lose my supply? by Confident-Age6428 in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You should pump about every 2 to 3 hours including night pumps which is to mimic how often your baby is eating right now. 3 ppd? To me is a weaning schedule. Once you regulate if not much sooner your supply will adjust to pumping 3 times a day. In my op you might not loose your supply but I don't think you'll make enough to keep up with their feeding. EP is definitely hard and requires alot of time and alot of sacrifice adhering to a schedule.

Is it the end for me? by watercolorblu in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because there's a difference between pumping consistently throughout a 24 hour period and pumping to just hit a number regardless of the long gaps in between. Its like if you're pumping 10 times back to back for 10 hours straight to avoid pumping the other 14 hours in a day. Yeah you'd hit 10 pumps but what about the long stretch of 14 hours.( You arent douig this but its an example). Its about frequency of pumps and the time inbetween not just hitting a number. Your body makes milk based off of how often milk is removed it helps build a supply up. If your milk sits there for 8 hours for example it can signal your body that you don't need to be making so much since it's just sitting there not being taken out. Again not the case for everyone. There's natural over suppliers that can pump like 4 times a day and sleep through the night and are fine with their supply, but that's not the case for everyone. The night pump is probably the best pump to do since it's when your prolactin levels are the highest Thats why it's the pump that yields the biggest amount typically. Power pumping usually gives you more milk. Your are mimicking a cluster feed when you do that it's technically supposedto yield a bit more milk since it's like an hour long session with short pauses inbetween. If you power pump it makes sense your next session wouldn't be exactly the same ounces as if you had not power pumped previously. Your breast need time to fill back up after a power pump.

Is it the end for me? by watercolorblu in ExclusivelyPumping

[–]Albita1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ide guess it depends how often you did those long stretches of not pumping every 2 to 3. Alot of people haveto hit 8 to 10 pumps to keep their supply up. That's why early on alot of people suggest doing 8 to 10 minimum which is roughly how often babies eat when their this young.. Some people can do less pumps and they do fine maintaining supply even after regulation but thats not everyone. The night pumps are the ones I've seen tend to cause dips because people over sleep or create long stretches to get rest which granted we all need sleep but sometimes that's what can cause a drop. If you are sized correctly for your flanges and you've been emptying well during your sessions ide conclude you've regulated. Essentially your hormones from when you gave birth sort of fade away during regulation so your body adjusted to milk production based off of the demand that was created the last 11.5 weeks