We have made it to one year exclusively breastfeeding and I couldn’t be any more proud of myself and my little one for making it this far. Exclusively breastfeeding means that the baby is fed nothing but breast milk for a duration of time, whether it is directly from the breast or through pumped milk. And don’t worry, even if you had or have to supplement with formula or fortify your breast milk, you still rock, too, and I am so proud of you. In this post I will be going over all that I have learned while breastfeeding this past year. As a disclaimer, I am not a lactation consultant, nor a medical professional. Everything I say in this post is my own words, honest thoughts, and opinions I gained through experience, trial and error, etc. A lot of what I have learned, I originally found out through online research, videos, and on my own.
Before you dive into this blog post, I encourage you to read the previous blog post, All About Breastfeeding – What I Have Learned As a First-Time Breastfeeding Mom. In that post, I go over all the things I learned in the first six months of my breastfeeding journey; there may be things and subjects covered in that post, that won’t be covered in this one.
Why I Chose to Breastfeed
Breastfeeding was something I always knew I would want to try if I were to ever become a mother, and it became even more important to me after my taumatic birthing experience with my son. Breastfeeding my son has helped me tremendously heal emotionally from my emergency c-section and all the trauma my psyche endured during the upsetting situation. For further context I will proceed to share my story as I openly share this on my socials so trigger warning for the next paragraph – if you do not wish to read about my birthing story, please skip ahead to the 3rd paragraph of this section.
I was talked into being induced. Having the OBGYN that has been seeing me for the past 9 months deliver my baby for sure, sounded nice. Wouldn’t any mom want that to be the case? At the hospital I was using, they have on-call OBGYN’s, so the day I could have gone into labor would have been a game of chance. Whoever was on-call would delier the baby, and it may not have been the OBGYN that I had been seeing who was overseeing our prenatal care. This was the big reason I agreed to opt for an induction. I enjoyed seeing my OBGYN and didn’t want to chance not having him deliver my son. I was also considered to have a high-risk pregnancy, another reason for induction I was given and agreed to. The day came, and we went in and it all started with the foley balloon. Sometimes I feel that I jinxed my c-section because as they placed the foley balloon, I was in so much pain I screamed, “okay, what about a c-section”, I was joking to cope with the pain. I would not wish the foley balloon on anyone, not even my worst “enemy”. They let the foley balloon do it’s thing throughout the night, then the next morning they started the pitocin. The pitocin wasn’t too bad for me. I opted for morphine as a pain reducer and that helped a lot when it came to the back labor pains I was expereincing. I didn’t really feel pain from the cramps in my uterus, like I did the cramps my back was feeling/experiencing. At about noon, they broke my water, which I didn’t really feel other than the pressure from the hand and tools being used to break it. I was still going good and trying all the positions to find relief, afterall, I had planned to go without the epidural as I wanted to experience everything. I also had planned to watch my son being born with the mirror on the ceiling. Unfortunatly that didn’t happen as my blood pressure started to spike and the baby’s heart rate also spiked along with mine. They strongly suggested the epidural, so I felt pressured to get it. I was 7 cm dilated. After they inserted the epidural, I stopped dilating. No more progress was being made. My son’s heartrate started to slowly drop. An hour goes by and the doctor, my OBGYN, comes in and told me that with no progression and the baby’s heart rate dropping like it was, it was in his professional opinion that we go with a c-section. At that point, it was then emergent. They rolled me into the OR, and I never felt so defeated, stressed, angry, dissapointed, and scared in my entire life. The rug I had made got pulled right out from under me. I felt like I failed. Then as they were cutting through each layer, announcing layer after layer as they were cutting, I couldn’t help but almost pass out from the anxiety I felt and the shock I was in. I felt dehumanized while laying on the table, as they were cutting to get the baby out safely. I was not only scared for my life, but my baby’s life. I wanted us to both come out, alive. Thankfully, we did. I wouldn’t be here writing about it, of course, if the latter had happened. I didn’t get the kangaroo care I wanted, no baby on my chest. I had to also be wheeled into a recovery room, alone. God, I couldn’t thank the nurses enough for being with me during that time. I was cold, couldn’t stop shivering, alone in a room with nothing but four walls, the bed I was in, and my thoughts… I also, couldn’t believe I was finally a mom to a living soul. I remember my husband finally getting to join me in the room. He offered to show me pictures of our beautiful boy. I viewed one photo, then told him I’d rather see him in person before seeing anymore photos of him. I felt robbed. I wanted to be the first to hold my son, and I didn’t get that. But that is okay because what I got instead was to breastfeed my son. And I have done so, for one full year. At first they asked if I was breastfeeding or if they should give formula, I told them I would opt for donor milk, and feed him myself. So every three hours after recovery, I would feed him. I didn’t really feel a “bond” though until leaving the hospital, approx. postpartum week four. Seeing what my body was doing for my son’s body… that feeling was so magical, surreal. I was also the only one who could do this, making the bond feel much more stronger for me. Was it pride? Maybe. But mothers are allowed to be proud, and loud about their accomplishments, especially when it comes to breastfeeding.
There are other reasons that I chose to breastfeed as well. Such as all the benefits this journey comes with aside from the bond with my baby. For example, breastfeeding reduces, and I emphasize the word, “reduce”, the chance of cancers (mainly breast cancer) in mom and childhood cancers in baby (SOURCE). If you’re nursing, your baby’s body tells the mother’s body what nutrients they need, so therefore the milk will grow with the baby based on their nutritional needs! Which is why many breastfed babies won’t need more ounces of milk as they grow. I always bag 4 ounces of milk when I bag my milk because of this. But you know your baby better than anyone and if you need to give more than 4 ounces of breastmilk, then do so. But not many people know that, I didn’t until I reached about 6-7 months into my journey.
What Helped Me During My Journey
A breastfeeding mom, has to be her own biggest cheerleader because in America, nobody really cares that you breastfeed and it isn’t seen as some amazing thing. Unless, of course, you’re apart of a comunity that embraces it, and let’s you know it is. During the first month of my journey, I wanted to quit so bad. But, I knew if I quit, my mental health would have stayed not well and I would have gone into a depression. I knew myself, and what I could handle so I kept up with it. It also helped to have an aunt that breastfed, and was there to help me and advise me. TikTok, also helped me out tremendously because I learned more through researching myself, than I did from the lactation consultants from the hospital. They helped of course with positioning and etc, but I had no idea about pumping, and flange nipple types and sizing! There was so much more to breastmilk than breastfeeding, and pumping was something they didn’t really go over with me on. I learned all that I know from my own research, my aunt, and TikTok. There’s a breastfeeding/pumping mom community on there that helped me out so much. Not only did they help me with knowledge, but they helped me stay motivated. I have been on breastfeedingtok ever since. I now make my own “pump and pour” videos, and even post pump reviews! Pumping has helped me with this journey as well, since I had to go back to work after six weeks. Though I worked from home, I still couldn’t be around my baby during the work hours (production job) so I had to pump during his feeding times. My previous blog post goes over this in more detail. Below I have listed several other things that have helped me during my journey. This list is my breastfeeding non-negotiable list. You’ll want to have these, especially in the beginning of your journey.
- My Breastfriend Pillow – This pillow is amazing. I used it to nurse my son all the time until he outgrew it. It is perfect for the newborn phase.
- Portable/Wearable/Hands-Free Pumps – Having to pump at work, it makes it much more easier to just throw on some wearable pumps during those times, helped me stay consistant and I didn’t have to be forced to stay plugged to the wall when I needed to pump.
- Silicone Pumps – Pumps that you can use to catch let-downs while nursing on one side are very useful for collecting and not wasting any milk you produce. I prefer either the Haaka brand, the Nuliie brand, or the Munchkin brand of these pumps. They’re called pumps, but in my experience, they’re more like let-downs catchers/collection cups. But you can pump them, to create more of a suction and extract more milk along with the let-down.
- Water, LOTS OF WATER – You need to stay hydrated, supply will tank when you’re not hydrated enough.
- Food – Eating the reccomended calories and oats help me so much when it comes to producing milk!
- The Pitcher Method – This is a stress-relieving method of storing, and bagging your expressed/pumped milk. Check my TikTok page for a video explaining the method.
- A Consistant Feeding/Pumping Schedule – The more milk you efficiently remove, the more milk you will make. There are no special pills, recipes, foods, etc. that will increase your supply. Stress is also the number one killer of milk supply, so try not to stress. I stopped measuring my output at six months postpartum, and I saw a significant difference in my output! Also, keep in mind that a baby will pull more milk out than any pump will, so you cannot determine your supply based on your pumped output 100%.
- A Support System – I believe it is crucial to have some kind of support system. Whether that is your husband, a family member, your friend, a Facebook group, the breastfeeding mom community on TikTok, etc. Find someone you can connect with, to help keep you motivated, someone you can sometimes vent to as well. You will feel so much frustration during your journey, eberyone does. Anyone that tells you they were never frustrated, is a liar! And it is OKAY to feel frustrated. Breastfeeding is hard, just know you are not alone and there are resources. Please read my previous blog post for more on those resources – I linked that post in the introduction, second paragraph.
Milk Supply and Pumping
In this section, let’s go over all that I’ve learned when it comes to pumping, and milk supply! If you truly have concerns about your milk supply, it’s always a good idea to consult with an actual lactation consultant.
Beware of Fenugreek and Other Gimicks
It is important that I mention this. Do not try products with fenugreek in them, as for some women, this causes them to either decrease in their milk supply, or deplete it all together. Some moms have great success with the herb, however, I personally wasn’t open to risking my supply to see if it would work for me. Many claim that fenugreek as well as colostrum supplements help their supply and while everyone’s different, and it may have helped them, it is possible it could have the opposite effect for you. I haven’t touched fenugreek nor colostrum pills and I have been able to increase and maintain my supply through other ways. I wouldn’t recommend risking your supply over them.
Power-Pumping and Cluster Pumping
I tried a week full of power-pumping, and another week I tried cluster-pumping.
When I tried power-pumping for a full week, there was an increase and not much stress to myself or my body by doing so. I would power-pump using the 30-30-30 method. You’ll want to choose to do this once or twice per day, and it could be morning or night, or both. I prefer mornings. You’ll pump for 30 minutes, rest for 30 minutes, and pump again for another 30 minutes. This helped a ton, and I definitely saw an increase in my supply. I do this often when I skip pumps on the weekends where I tend to exclusively nurse on Saturdays and Sundays. So usually I do this on Mondays and Tuesdays.
When I tried cluster-pumping for a full week, it was exhausting mentally and physically. I would only recommend this method (remember, I’m not an LC) for about a few days at most. Do not do a full week of this. Honestly, just doing this once a week will be fine. But cluster-pumping is basically mimicking a baby cluster-feeding. You’ll pump anywhere from 15-30 minutes every 1-2 hours during an 8 hour period, or for one full day. I only saw about 2-3 ounce difference/increase when I tried this for a week, so I’ll be only saving this method for when I need to emergently, increase my supply quicker.
Always consult with a lactation consultant though when it comes to “low” milk supply. Because there could be underlying causes that they can diagnose and help you with. But for most women, the only way to increase supply is to remove more milk, more often, and more efficiently. This is why picking wearable and wall-pumps are so important. You’ll want pumps that actually remove milk efficiently from you. Your anatomy plays a big part in what may work for you when it comes to pumping/expressing milk. Also, just because you’re “oversupplying” at postpartum week 6, doesn’t mean you’ll always have an oversupply. My milk didn’t regulate till I was 8 weeks old postpartum. I thought I had a mega oversupply, when my milk was just trying to regulate. So keep that in mind as well!
Pumping and Breast Pumps
I wanted to explore more into the puming realm of breastfeeding. Pumping, contrary to some, is still breastfeeding. If your baby is being fed breastmilk whether it is straight from the tap, or from a bottle or syringe, that is STILL BREASTFEEDING! Some moms even switch from nursing to exclusively pumping, and I applaud those moms so much. As a mom that does both, I feel being an exclusive pumper is so much harder, for so many reasons. Below, are a few articles that I suggest for you to read to get a better grasp of “pumping”:
When pumping, take into account your nipple type and size! I suggest now or prior to your baby’s birthdate, print off or purchase a nipple measurement kit and use your results to better prepare if you intend on not only nursing, but pumping as well. When I first had started pumping, I was using Spectra flanges with NO INSERTS AT ALL. It caused me to have cracked nipples, and was not able to maintain my mega oversupply as I was using the incorrect flange sizes. I was not efficiently removing milk from my breasts. When I learned more about flange inserts and sizes, I learned that my nipples are elastic, meaning long tunnel inserts/flanges and pumps work best for me, as well as that I was in between size 15-18mm flanges. I now use a 15mm or a 17mm depending on if my nipples are swollen or not. I use these inserts in my flanges for the Spectra, and other pumps, including many of my portable pumps as well. I always recommend Nuliie flange inserts as they’re affordable, and can be purchased through Amazon. Also when it comes to pumping, take people’s reviews on pumps and pump parts with consideration that what may work for some, may not work for others. This is why I always share my nipple anatomy with others when I am giving a review so they can make a more informed decision on the products I promote, or review for fun. Which, I have a blog post that goes over all the breast pumps I have tried, where I have reviewed them honestly. You can read that blog post by clicking here.
Protect Your Peace as a Breastfeeding Mom
Beware of oversupply video content and fat plug content on social media. A lot of people who have a major oversupply, have the genetics that cause it, or they may have something else going on to produce so much. The average milk output that is pumped after a nusring session is 0.5-2 ounces. Without a nursing session but in replacement of one the average milk output is, 2-4 ounces. If you are getting less, it could be something with your pumps, or you can consult with a lactation consultant to better help you. But the reason why I say to beware and cautious about oversuppliers on social media is because it can ruin your mental health and potentially, your breastfeeding journey. Getting miore than 20 ounces on almost every pump is NOT normal, and I feel this content can have a harm on our psyche and also make us think we are not producing “enough” when we are. If you feel that it won’t have an affect on your journey, of course, feel free to consume that content, but I personally prefer the slight oversuppliers, and the normal suppliers, so that is what I do, and it has helped to keep me motivated during my journey. I also create content surrounding breastmilk, if you want to check my TikTok out, definitetly do so! I will link all my relevant socials at the end of this post.
You may have also read, “fat plugs” in the previous paragraph and may be thinking to yourself, “what is a fat plug?” They are essentially where you have a very thick creamy layer at the top (from fat separation) of your milk that is stored in bottles, jars, etc. With these, you can turn the container upside down (like a Dairyqueen worker with your blizzard) and it could possibly stay put – that’s a fat plug. If you don’t get a fat plug, I didn’t until I was around five months postpartum, don’t feel bad. They do not indicate how nuritious your milk is, they’re moreso just something that is crazy to see and sometimes it is fun to see them. If you want to try to get one, I suggest storing pumped milk in a thin container, and feeling it to the tippy top and sealing it tight. Wait about 3-4 days before you bag it (CDC in U.S. reccomends four days in the fridge MAX).
A few more words of wisdom…
Feed your baby before your freezer! If you are nursing and want to build a stash because you are going back to work, or for whatever reason really, make sure you feed your baby first. Feed baby, then pump. But be warned, that can cause an oversupply, and with an oversupply can come some complications. You can read more about that by clicking here.
Don’t stress, I am sure you will, and or are doing amazing!
Final Thoughts and Products I Want to Reccomend for Pumping Moms:
Overall, breastfeeding has been hard, but so rewarding for me. Since I have been doing so for one year, I am now considering my weaning options. I plan to offer my son breastmilk until he turns two years of age. So, I will be planning on switching to exclusively pumping soon, I am just unsure when. I will be sure though, to document my weaning journey when that time comes, so make sure you’re following my socials if you would like to follow along! I also post other mom content as well.
I also want to provide some recommendations on some products that have helped me when it comes to pumping.
- My Breastfriend Nursing Pillow (as listed above)
- Pumpin’ Pal Silicone Flanges – these help so much and can be used with not only the Spectra pumps, but some wearable ones as well.
- Springhope 586 Wearable Breastpumps – My all-time favourite handsfree wearable pumps. They’re also affordable.
- MomCozy Reusable Nursing Pads – really good for the beginning of the journey. Sometimes I’ll also put a non-reusable nursing pad with it and use them as removable nursing pads to make it easier to stay dry and insert as well as take out of the bras (hope that makes sense)
You should also read my blog post on rating all the breast pumps I have tried! Upcoming Blog Post: Munchkin Product Review, so subscribe to the blog and stay tuned! Thank you so much for reading this vulnerable, emotional, and hopefully, informational blog post. Probably one of the most vulnerable pieces of written work I have created to date. I feel that sharing stories can help others in many ways. Hopefully my journey and findings, can help you and other moms alike.
Life With Caitie 
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