Functional Fourth Trimester
Functional fourth trimester is a podcast series for new parents- covering common postpartum challenges, practical strategies, and featuring conversations with parents and healthcare professionals.
Functional Fourth Trimester
Exclusively Pumping: The Reality, the Challenges, and the Wins
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Exclusively pumping isn’t just a feeding method, it’s a demanding routine filled with unexpected challenges. In this episode, occupational therapist and mom Cassidy shares her personal journey, from navigating triple feeds to committing to exclusive pumping, along with the tools, logistics, and systems that helped her along the way. Whether you’re in the thick of it or simply want to understand the reality behind the schedule, this conversation offers honest insight, practical tips, and encouragement for every stage of the journey.
Blog post: https://www.functionalfourthtrimester.com/blog
Welcome to Functional Fourth Trimester, a podcast created to support new parents as they return to daily life after having a baby.
SPEAKER_00Each episode will talk through common postpartum challenges, share practical education and strategies, and hear from real parents and healthcare professionals along the way.
SPEAKER_02Whether you're listening during a feeding, a walk, or a quiet moment, this space is for you. I'm Lauren.
SPEAKER_00And I'm Melissa, and we're excited to jump right into today's topic.
SPEAKER_02Exclusively pumping is more than just a feeding choice. It's a full-time commitment that often presents unexpected challenges. In this episode, we are going to talk all about the reality behind the schedules, the struggles, and the small wins that keep it all going. If you're living in it or just want to understand it better, this episode is for you.
SPEAKER_00I'm so happy to introduce our guest speaker today, Cassidy. She's an occupational therapist who works in a skilled nursing facility. She's also a mom to one son and has experienced exclusively pumping. So welcome, Cassidy. We're so glad to have you here today. Thank you so much for having me.
SPEAKER_02Yes, welcome. We're thrilled that you decided to join us today and are excited to hear about your experience. I would love to start with just if you want to walk us through your experience postpartum with exclusively pumping, like how did that start? Kind of what what led you to choose that feeding method?
SPEAKER_01So I'll start off by saying that one month after my son was born, I started my OT program, which was a bridge program. So I was gonna be out of town one to two weekends a month. So I knew that I was gonna have to pump a little bit. At the beginning, I did not know what that was going to look like. Um, the first week after my son was born, I really tried to nurse him. However, that turned into like triple feeds, which is where you try to feed the baby, and then I was pumping, and then I was giving him a bottle. And I did that every like two hours, and it was exhausting. Um, I remember I went to his, I think his one-week pediatrician appointment, and his pediatrician was like, he's really not gaining much weight, like we might want to, you know, consider like supplementing with formula at that point, and I was like, no, like that's not an option for me. Like, I'm gonna see what my body can do to try to make it work. So from about like two weeks um old, I pretty much decided I was going to figure out how to exclusively pump. Because at that point, I really didn't, I was pumping maybe a few times a day, but not enough to like really know much about it. And so I started watching a ton of like TikTok videos and doing my own research of like how to actually make it work because when you get a new pump, it gives you like the basic instructions, like what each setting does, um, type of thing, but it doesn't really tell you how to use the pump. And so I watched a lot of videos and what worked with some people. Um, so I just it when you first start, it's kind of like trial and error. You kind of figure out what works best for you. And so I at the beginning, I pumped every three hours. And when you are pumping, you have to go off of when you start pumping and not like when you end the pumping session. And so it was every three hours around the clock. So that included multiple times throughout the night as well. And so that was very, very exhausting. Um, and I was only, I only stayed home for maternity leave for six weeks, and then I had to go back to work and then starting school. So it it turned into a full-time job. I was doing it every three hours. I was measuring how much I made for on each side. I used an app called Huckleberry, which that is a lifesaver. Um, it tracks, it pretty much tracks everything. It tracks like when I would feed my son a bottle, how much he would eat, if I ever tried to nurse, um, how much I pumped, what time I pumped. Um, and so it kept track of everything. And so I used that because without that, I would not have remembered when I last pumped, how much I pumped, how much my son ate. And so at the beginning, I really used it to kind of compare how much I was making versus how much he needed to eat or was eating at the time. Um, and so I used that the whole like year and a half, almost a year and a half um that I exclusively pumped. Um I did it, I think it was like 16 and a half months. And so since I was doing it every three hours around the clock, and I did it for um the whole 30 minutes. So a pump will pump for 30 minutes straight. A lot of people they'll not do the whole 30 minutes or just do like 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there. I wanted to do the whole 30 minutes at the beginning to tell my body that it needed to produce more milk. And then it turned into I actually really enjoyed pumping. So then the farther along I got, I would still do it the 30 minutes because I wanted to be able to produce as much milk that my body would make. Every three hours around the clock, probably for the first like four months that he was alive, I think. And so even at nighttime, I would wake up and pump. Even if my son didn't wake up, I would still wake up and pump and tell my body that I need to produce more milk. And then if he woke up in between my feeds, I would obviously wake up and feed him, go back to sleep, and then wake up again to pump. So I was waking up several times a night. And my husband would help every once in a while, um, but he works out of town a lot. So a lot of the time I was by myself. And so even though it probably would have been easier to kind of get my body on the same schedule as my son, he wasn't waking up every three hours. So I wanted to tell my body to keep producing as much milk as possible because when I was out of town Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for school, I didn't want him to have to use formula. And so I was very blessed to say that he did not ever take formula. And so it was a very long, exhausting journey, but it was so worth it.
SPEAKER_00That's amazing that you did all of this like research and figuring it out and just the sheer determination and going back to work and school and travel and just being a new mom in general. I like that would be so exhausting. So like kudos to you for figuring that out and having that determination and the even like getting up to pump and then getting up to feed him, and like that's a lot to balance. So I'm honestly impressed. I would love to hear more about like even that like what things did you learn that you feel would be helpful for moms, or like how do you how did you kind of transition through the process?
SPEAKER_01I know, like for um when I went to that pediatrician appointment and they were saying that like he wasn't getting enough milk. I pretty much asked them, I was like, Well, my milk is you know still new, like what kind of foods can I eat that are going to help me produce the milk or like the type of milk that he needs. And so they recommended eating a lot of like avocados, oats, um, like nutrient bars, um, peanut butter, any like protein type of um food. And so immediately I went to the store and bought all of the things that she recommended. Um, and really I just stuck to that schedule. Um, and I feel like that really helped me. Um it took me a while to kind of figure out because with the pumps, there's different flange sides, sizes to it, and that really mattered at the beginning. Um, towards the end of my pumping um journey, it didn't really matter as much. But when your body's first getting to know and how to do it, especially with your nipples, you need to figure out what size fits you the best. That took me a while, like because the um the doctor or the nurse at the hospital recommended me a size, but then when I got home, like it worked for a little bit, but then it really like I felt like it stopped working as well. And so I just kind of switched to a different one and kind of did trial and error to kind of figure out what worked best for me. Um, but I definitely think sticking to the every three hours, um, using that app was a complete lifesaver. And then figuring out how to manage the pumping schedule and also remembering when I needed to bag the milk and freeze the milk. Um, because breast milk can only stay good in the fridge for four days. And so there was multiple times where I'd be like, oh my goodness, like how long has the milk been in the fridge? And so um instead of dumping it, I would still go ahead and bag it, but then just put it aside and use that for my son's like baths or whatever he needed it for instead of feeding it to him.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I bet. I mean, there's so many steps to it. I would love to hear more about like the like once you pumped it, like the bagging and storing routine. Like, is there anything you found particularly challenging about that part or anything that you did that was really helpful? Because I know especially that can be really hard to keep track of. Like you said, like I don't know what day it is since last been in the fridge. So um anything you did that was helpful for that.
SPEAKER_01Um, so at first I was just putting like putting the bottles in the fridge, and I was like, at that point, I was producing so much that I was like, I don't have enough bottles to um do it that way. So I bought a big pitcher that kept track of like how many ounces were in there, but with the app I was using, I could kind of keep track of how much I was producing versus how much he was eating and kind of guesstimate how much was in there. And then when I started bagging it, so I would try to bag it on the third day so that way it doesn't sit in there for um like that fourth day, which some people recommend keeping like your the old milk away from like the new milk that you just pump, the like the milk that's been in the fridge versus like the one that you just pumped. I just mixed it all together and my son was he dealt with that really well, so I didn't separate it, but I know some people do separate um and label their own milk like a p.m. I was already doing too much at that point, so I didn't go, I didn't separate it. I know some people do, um, but I would just mix it all together and then bag it on that third day. Um, and I would try to do like between like four and six ounces. Um, and there's different, a ton of different um like breast milk bags. Um, some are a lot more flimsy than others. So I found a brand that I really liked that was a little bit like stronger. Um, so that way like if he needed um like a frozen bag, he it wouldn't spill. Um, because some of the other ones, they're a little bit thinner that I had more of a hard time kind of pouring it out of it. But um then I would freeze it and then the freezer, it can stay good for six months um in just like a regular freezer that you're opening um like throughout the day or um weekly, but then in a deep freeze, it can stay good for up to a year or over. And at that year mark, they say that it loses its like nutritional value, but at that point I didn't he didn't need it milk at that point because I was still producing it. So he didn't really drink a lot of the frozen milk. And so um actually I found a mom that was local that was having a hard time with pumping and breastfeeding, so I would sell like a monthly supply to another mom because I was producing over double what my son needed because I was pumping.
SPEAKER_00I was feeding two babies.
SPEAKER_01I was so nervous that I was gonna be away at school and he wasn't gonna have milk. And so I was like, I'm gonna do whatever I have to do. And then at the point, I think it was like three or four months, I was like, I have so much frozen milk, and he has not even touched it. Like, I don't know what to do with it. And then I started looking into different like Facebook groups, and there were so many moms in need of it, and so I um there was one mom that was like, I would love to like get a monthly supply, and I was like, that's what I wanted. Like, I didn't want not that I didn't want to go from like different moms, like I'd rather find one mom and just consistently like build that relationship with her and provide milk for her baby.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's so awesome. I love that you started with that first appointment with the pediatrician. Like, I don't know, you're they're kind of losing weight. We might have to consider formula. And so you were like, okay, let me do everything I can. And then you went all the way to producing way more than he even needed. So I think that's so amazing that you committed to it like that.
SPEAKER_00So, did you have tricks too um that you used for freezing the milk? Because I know some like laying it flat is helpful. Did you do different things for like freezing and storage that you felt were really helpful?
SPEAKER_01I think I laid them flat for like the first day until they got hard. And then I would um I got these like containers that you can kind of put them in. And so I put them all in a container like that. Um, and then at my house, I don't have a lot of storage space with the freezers, and so eventually I would put them in gallon-sized bags and write how many ounces were in a bag. And then my brother, he has a big standing deep freezer, so he was very generous and let me spore a lot of my milk over there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I love how organized you were. I'm sure that made the rest of the process so much easier.
SPEAKER_01Um, and I know we've it definitely took me a while to kind of figure that out. But yeah.
SPEAKER_02I bet. I feel like you're talking a lot about just like trial and error and like once you find the thing that works, sticking to it. Um, and I know we've talked a like a little bit about some things like this, but I'm curious what in particular were some of the biggest challenges you faced, whether that was like the physical like routine of things, the physical act of pumping, or even just like the emotional side of it as well.
SPEAKER_01I would say the biggest part that I struggled, struggled with, and a lot of my friends who have tried um pumping have struggled with is the middle of the night pumps. Because waking up, and for me, I wanted to do the full 30 minutes just so that way my body was recognizing that I needed more milk was very hard because I depending on what time I went to bed, I was waking up two, maybe three times a night and staying awake for 30 minutes to pump. And so that part was very, very mentally exhausting. The pumping itself, I really enjoyed. I enjoyed keeping track of how many ounces I was making um and like seeing like day to day, like, okay, like I didn't make that much this day. Like, what did I do different? Um, and was like, was it, you know, my hydration? Like, was I not drinking enough water or did I eat something, that kind of thing. And then whenever I got sick when I was pumping, that really took a toll on um my supply. And so then the mental aspect of, oh my gosh, now I need to build that back up. So there was a point where I got to, I was pumping like maybe every like four or five hours, and I got sick, and I remember like freaking out because we were going, um, I was going out of town in like two weeks or something. I was like, I have to build my supply back up. And so I went back to that every three hours to build my supply up. So just kind of going back and forth between like, okay, can I stretch it? Um, and so that was very, very exhausting. Like I remember going to work or like doing schoolwork, and I like felt like I was a zombie because I was in like just survival mode at that point because it was very, very mentally exhausting.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I can imagine so. And I'm curious too, like, if uh if like a new mom's listening and is like, well, what if what what if I do the pumping but just like skip the nighttime feeds? I'm curious, like, is there a particular reason that that the three-hour kind of interval consistently is beneficial? Like, what would kind of be the reason behind doing that?
SPEAKER_01All I remember is uh when I had my son, they were so concerned about okay, you have to feed him every three hours, every three hours. And with uh my sister-in-law, she has two babies and she was unable to breastfeed, so she always did formula. And like her I want to say her babies were able to stretch it to like three or four hours. But I was told with breastfeeding, uh, since you don't necessarily know how much your baby's getting, like if you're nursing, you need to be doing it every three hours. And so that just kind of stuck with me. Um, and then especially since I knew I was gonna be going out of town so much that I wanted to just stick with that schedule just so my body would produce. And then I kind of just got stuck in that routine. I probably could have stretched it, and there was some nights that I would kind of stretch it to like four or five hours, but at the very beginning, I would wake up and I remember I was so engorged that it hurt. Like there was times where I would wake up and feel it, where I would like roll on my stomach and I'm like, okay, yep, nope, it's time to get up and pump. Um, and so like there came a point where at the beginning I was setting an alarm to wake up, and then that really only lasted a few weeks, probably, and then my body was naturally waking up to tell me I had to pump. And so I think a lot of people probably could stretch it, but at that point, I think because I was doing it every three hours, my body was already used to it, and it was telling me, like, okay, you gotta get up and pump.
SPEAKER_00I I uh I think we've talked a lot about all that has gone into like your planning and you're waking up in the milk storage and keeping track of like when does it need to be frozen and traveling and all of that? What about the pump? Like, how did you manage that aspect too? Because that's a whole other thing. Like all the parts of the pump and cleaning the pump, and what uh like what pump did you use that you or did you use multiple different pumps?
SPEAKER_01So I had two different pumps. I did the spectra, I think one, um, which is the one that you have to plug into the wall. I know they have the second version that you can it's kind of portable. Um, but I use that one mostly at night. And at the beginning, that was the only one I used um until I was close to that six-week mark, and I knew I was going back to work. So then I had to teach myself how to use that wearable one. And I used the mom cozy, I think it was the S12 one. Before I even um like started my pumping journey, I like did a lot of research to figure out which one was good with the good reviews, and there was quite a few that had really good reviews, so I was kind of torn. Um, but brush uh breast pumps are very expensive, like I never realized how expensive they were, and so I wanted to get one that wasn't gonna break the bank. And the mom cozy ones are a little bit cheaper, but they still had really good reviews, and so I was like, I'm gonna give it a try. And so that's the one I mostly used when I was at work, especially, and then when I was in the car. Um, and then the weekends that I was at school, I if I was in the hotel room, I would use the spectra one. And a lot of people said, like they would say that the um the ones that you would plug into the wall that produce like that gives you the most output. But I think I don't know if it was just because I was producing so much that I kind of had this similar um output on both my spectra and my mom cozy one. But with the mom cozy one, it did take me a while to kind of make sure that the pump was in the right position. It was harder to kind of be able to tell. Whereas the spectra one, you're able it's a little bit easier to tell if it's on. So that kind of took me a while to get used to it. Cause I remember I was at work and I did almost did like my 30 minute pumping session, and I didn't have that much milk that came out. And I was like, well, that's weird because usually I I get a pretty decent amount, and I realized that it was not on my nipple all the way, and so I didn't get as much, and so I had to pump again for a few minutes to just get some. Of that relief. And so that part kind of took a while to get used to. But I really enjoyed those two. And I'll um once I have another baby, I'll probably use those two again just because they worked so good for me the first time.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's awesome. And I have heard of people talking about that sometimes insurances will cover a breast pump. I'm curious if you found like that scenario.
SPEAKER_01When I I don't remember, so I when I was at my OBGYN, I asked them about that. And I think they gave me it was either a number or a um like flyer with like a website on. And so I went on there and uploaded a picture of my insurance card and I was able to get a free pump. And so that was the one that I got with my spectra. There are some insurances that will give out um free um breast milk bags monthly as well. I did not get that. I don't know if I just didn't sign up for it the correct way. Um, but I do know that you're able to get those ones as well. There are a bunch of other breast pumps and accessories on the website that you go to when you go to login and search for um like a free breast pump, but they're um like the spectra one that I was able to get for free because that one plugs into the wall. If I wanted the Spectra 2, I would have to pay a certain amount of money because it was like the upgraded version. And so I just wanted the free one because I was like, I don't know what my journey is gonna look like. I don't know if I'm gonna, you know, make as much. So I was like, I'll just get a free one just to see like how it works. And that comes with everything that you need the pump, the different the bottles, the um flange sizes, and the wire that attaches to it.
SPEAKER_02Nice, yeah. That's awesome.
SPEAKER_01Um, I think they come with different like breast um wipes too that you can like wipe that um after you pump, you can like sanitize it that way. And they're they come with different bags too. Like I think you can like put water in or something and it cleans it for you. Um, and so I was very like that was very cool because I had no idea that that was even an option.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's awesome. I'm curious, kind of like looking back on your whole experience with pumping, if there was like somebody listening who's like just about to start pumping or in the middle of figuring out kind of what's maybe some one one key piece of advice you would give them.
SPEAKER_01I would say don't give up. There's I have had a lot of friends who it wasn't successful with for them. But I will say if you are determined and you have that mindset that I want to make this work, that sticking with a schedule, kind of figuring out what works for you can make a big difference. Um, whether that's using an app to track, you know, how much you're pumping versus how much your baby's making, or track what you're eating, do the middle of the night pumps, because I know that's a big thing that people don't want to do. I mean, I I did not want to do it. Like that, I love my sleep, and I that was something I was dreading doing, but I think that truly made the big difference for me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I was just gonna say you were very consistent in that determination to do something that you really wanted to do. Um, like you said, like it might not work for everyone, but giving that, not giving up right away and seeing if you can figure out is it a different pump I need, or is it, you know, is it on correctly to where it's actually doing what it's supposed to do? Am I eating foods that are beneficial? Like there's all those different aspects you can think of, and even going and getting support, you know, talking with a lactation consultant or somebody if you need to, and you know, making the best of it, but then remembering at the same time that if it doesn't work, you did knowing that you did everything that you could could to make it possible, and that in the end, a fed baby is the best baby, right? And having people like you in their life that are able to create so much milk that you can feed two babies, which is amazing. So, knowing that those are options as well, that you can reach out and you know, a mom that has extra breast milk, that that can be a backup plan as well. So that I love the not giving up, but also giving yourself grace too. I think it's so important. And I I think that you gave yourself a lot of grace, like you were able to make this pumping thing work, but you were balancing a lot of different things, and so you you made this work, but you had to adapt in different areas as well. So this is honestly I'm sitting here listening to you and just thinking, like, wow, like I know pumping is a lot, and I know cleaning the bottles and cleaning the pump parts and storing your milk, like all those things are a lot, and then working and going to school, like you were balancing a lot, and like that took a lot of determination. And I would say if there are moms that who that are going through what you went through, would they be able to reach out to you? Like, are you on Instagram or something so they could reach out and you could just maybe provide your you bits of advice or support to kind of help them navigate this journey?
SPEAKER_01Oh, 100%. I would love to connect to either moms that are just beginning their journey or having a hard time with their journey or even just have questions about it for in the future. I would love to talk to them because I did a lot of research, so I feel like I was able to help some of my friends that have kind of gone through it and kind of just give them that like if it's not working for you, then it it's okay to accept that. And you don't have to keep pushing through, you know, the mental health aspect of it, because I know a lot of my friends have dealt with that, and so I would love to connect with anyone that has any questions.
SPEAKER_00Awesome. We'll add your contact info in the description. But I think that's great because there are moms who want to take this journey like you did, but they don't know where to start. But then also, like you said, knowing that it's okay, like you're doing as long as you're doing your best, that's really all that matters.
SPEAKER_02So I want to thank our guest speaker, Cassidy, today, for joining us and sharing all about her experience, exclusively pumping. In the description to this episode, I will attach the link to our blog post, which will have more information about pump parts, routines with pumping, Cassidy's contact information, and more information about the logistics of pumping. We hope you feel encouraged and equipped to start your own pumping journey or to try some different things if you're in the midst of a pumping journey. Thank you all so much for joining us. We can't wait to talk with you next time.
SPEAKER_00I hope today's conversation gave you something practical to take into your day or simply remind you that what you're experiencing is normal. Returning to daily life after birth is a process and support matters.
SPEAKER_02However, your day continues from here, be gentle with yourself. You're doing important work. Thanks for listening. We'll meet you back here next time.