I’m currently in the midst of breastfeeding my third baby. Danny is just over three months old and exclusively breastfed by choice. And while I am 100% happy with my choice, leaving a breastfed baby in the care of someone else can be tricky especially when pumping milk is a daunting experience. But after three babies I have finally figured out the one sure stress-free way to make sure I have enough of that liquid gold stored and ready to go.
In August, papa, me, Georgie and James will be making our way to Spain for a wedding. For one whole week. Danny won’t be attending because I can barely deal with the idea of travelling with a toddler let alone a baby too. So ever since he was born I have had to plan ahead aka pump as much milk as I can to ensure his caretakers have enough to feed him for seven days.
After trying and testing a variety of ways to fill those little Medela milk bags I finally figured out how to pump 150ml AND an additional 120-130ml for his evening bottle-feed in ONE GO.
Here’s how I do that: Danny wakes up to nurse two-three times a night.
When he does I only nurse from one breast.
The other one has a let-down every time he feeds and while it can be uncomfortable and by the morning I definitely look like I belong in a freakshow with one boob noticeably larger than the other, I now have plenty of milk to pump.
Honestly, I have no idea how conventional or unconventional this method is but it works for me. With three kids, two of which are under two, I don’t have time to meticulously plan my pumping sessions throughout the day so getting it over and done with in the morning has been a lifesaver.
Other tips for pumping and storing efficiently:
- Get yourself a good pump. Contact Medela Cyprus to rent one. I rented this one for three months and it was a complete game-changer.
- Again from Medela, I found the Pump and Save storage bags to be ideal. You can find them at most baby stores and pharmacies.
Do you have any tips for pumping and storing breastmilk? Please share.
