Here in Canada, we are extremely fortunate to receive a year of maternity leave. For me, that meant that breastfeeding Little Oats until her first birthday wasn’t something I thought twice about; I had a year at home with her, we had a great breastfeeding relationship, and since she hated purees (and most solid food) until well over 12 months, it was the only way of getting nutrients into her. Plus, Little Oats would never take a bottle, and because we didn’t need to use a bottle often, we never really stressed about it. I had a single electric pump, but it was used maybe 10 times total over the 17 months that I nursed Little Oats.

Nursing Baby Oats has been a bit trickier (GERD, projectile vomiting, dairy allergy), but once again, I assumed I would nurse him right up until I went back to work, then wean during the day and just nurse in the morning and evening. It had worked well with Little Oats, and I didn’t see why Baby Oats needed anything different.

Then, when Baby Oats was about 5.5 months old, I was offered a full time position that I really couldn’t turn down. While yes, technically, I was entitled to a full year away from my job, if I wanted this brand new position, I would need to return to work in June (when Baby Oats is 9 months). Immediately, panic set in. I knew that, at nine months, he would still need milk during the day. Dairy-free formula gets expensive, and if my whole salary was going to be eaten up by daycare and formula, going back wouldn’t be worth it! So that left me with one real option (to start): build up a freezer stash.

After reading a few blog posts and crowdsourcing some information from the boards, I decided to start pumping right before I went to bed; about 3 hours from the time Baby Oats nursed last. I pulled out the dusty single Avent pump I bought when Little Oats was born, and set to work. Between both sides, over half an hour, I was able to pump barely one ounce. Discouraged, I decided to try again in the morning, when I knew my supply was highest. And even in the morning, with Baby Oats nursing on one side and my pump on the other, I still barely managed to pump an ounce. I cried, and told Mr O that I couldn’t do it, and sobbed out a bunch of stuff about Baby Oats having a failure for a mother, etc etc.

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Luckily, Mr. O talked me down. I refocused, and put a plan in place. First, I needed to increase my pumping output. Then, I needed to build a freezer stash (my chances to pump during the day while at work are going to be basically non-existent).

Step One: Increasing Pumping Output

The first thing I did was chat with my naturopath about supplements to take that could help increase my supply. I was producing enough for Baby Oats to eat, but every time I pumped, Baby Oats got really fussy and angry. It honestly seemed like there just wasn’t enough milk to go around. Because I didn’t start pumping until about 6 months postpartum, my supply had pretty much regulated itself, and it was hard to change. I started taking fenugreek supplements three times daily, and drank two mugs of Mother’s Milk tea in the evening to help boost supply. I also needed to drastically step up my water intake; I was drinking maybe 24oz a day, and that is nowhere near enough for anyone, let alone a breastfeeding mom.

Galactagogues are foods, herbs, etc. that aid in milk production. Other galactagogues that I added into my diet were oats, flax, brewer’s yeast, fennel, hops, cumin, ginger, garlic and chickpeas. The effect of these foods is mostly anecdotal, but I was willing to try just about anything.

After about three days of supplements, tea and foods, I definitely noticed an increase in my milk supply, but I was really struggling with pumping. The most I ever pumped in one shot was 2 ounces, even when I was away from Baby Oats and missed a feeding. After more furious Googling, I realized that maybe my pump was the problem. It was nearly three years old, it only had two options for suction strength, and it seemed to be ineffective. I debated renting a hospital grade pump, but at $80/month plus $50 in parts, I was better off buying one. Thankfully, I found a brand-new (sealed in the box!) Medela PISA for half the retail price on our local moms Facebook page, and I jumped at the chance.

NIGHT. AND. DAY. Honestly, the difference between my old pump and my new one was incredible. The first time I sat down to pump with the PISA, I pumped close to 5 ounces. That’s FIVE TIMES the output I was getting with my old pump. I nearly cried with relief. As I set my newly-full milk storage bag in the freezer, I celebrated – there was enough for at least one full bottle while I was away.

Step Two: Pumping on a Schedule

Now that I was finally able to produce something while pumping (was it just the pump? The supplements? The foods? All of the above?), I needed to create a schedule for myself to start pumping regularly. Thankfully, Baby Oats started sleeping through the night around 5 months, which meant that I was able to pump at least once without worrying that there wouldn’t be enough milk for him (yes, my body would have adjusted, but I was still anxious). I started adding in a nightly pumping session around 10:30pm, just before I went to bed. Then, when Baby Oats woke in the morning around 6:30, I would pump one side while he ate from the other. Each session seems to yield between 3-5 ounces, varying depending on the day, time of the month, or whether I’ve had enough water.

I’ve been at this now since April 1; its been nearly 3 weeks, and here’s the breakdown:

April 1: 20 oz in the freezer. 2 sessions = 3oz total

April 2: Fenugreek supplements 3x, 2 cups of Mother’s Milk tea. 2 sessions = 2oz total

April 3: Fenugreek supplements x3, 2 cups of Mother’s Milk tea. New pump. 2 sessions = 6 oz total

April 4: Fenugreek supplements x3, 2 cups of Mother’s Milk tea. 2 sessions = 8 oz total

April 5: Left the kids for 24 hours. Baby Oats ate 24oz, and I pumped 20oz.

April 6: No supplements, lots of water. 1 session = 6oz total

April 7: No supplements, 2 sessions = 6oz total

One week later: I’m back at work 1 day per week. On those days, I can pump 10-12oz. On days I’m home, I can pump around 6oz.

We’ve been out on several dates, away for 24 hours, and I work once per week, which eats into the stash I have built up, a little. But as of this writing, I have 84oz in my freezer, and the stash keeps growing!

If you had to build up a stash, how did you do it? Any tips for a pumping newbie like me?