Medela to Spectra Hack!! :D

YAY MY SPECTRA IS HERE! I got it not too long ago and decided to do a video on how to make your Medela parts work on it. It’s pretty easy! If you need a larger size flange I really advise you just doing this instead of shelling out so much money on new stuff. Tonight or tomorrow I’m going to try to do a comparision of the three pumps I’ve used since I’ve started pumping.

Thanks for reading!

Hey Bobby was outside to play for the first time ever! He was so happy! Have a good day guys, happy pumping!

Nipple care: Nipple butter! What is it all about?

So I know I wanted to do another wednesday woman post but life got in the way and some people didn’t get their questions done. Bobby had his PT appotiment and it went… well, they’re worried about some stuff but over all he’s alright. Anyway….

WHAT DO WE PUT ON OUR NIPPLES?!

Okay first you should know we’re going to go over four kinds of things to lube up and care for you nipples with. Second, if you’re not putting anything on your nipples directly before you pump, start now. Trust me – your life will be a lot better.

Okay here’s our first one:

Oil:

Standard ol’ oil. You can use coconut or olive. It gets the job done but personally I didn’t really like them. It stains your clothes a bit.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic Nipple Butter:

I love it!! It’s organic, semi affordable, and lasts a good bit. One jar lasts me about 2 months. It’s pretty sensitive to heat, it doesn’t feel the same if it gets too hot. It runs $9-12 on amazon.

What’s inside:

• Olea europaea (organic olive) oil,
• Theobroma cacao (organic cocoa) seed butter,
• Butyrospermumparkii (organic shea) butter,
• Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax,
• Mangifera indica (mango) butter,
• Calendula officinalis (organic calendula) flower extract

As you can see, it’s always UDSA certed organic, and lanolin free!

Medela Tender Care Lanolin:

This is the first thing I used. My hospital gave me a shit ton of it. It was kinda goopy, I didn’t like the smell and it didn’t work super well, but like I’ve said before it gets the job done. Totally take what the hospital gives you!!! The 2oz tube runs $8-10

What’s inside:

• lanolin,
• caprylic/capric triglycerides
• oat beta glucan

Try it – especially if it’s free.

The First Years Lanolin Free Nipple Butter:

This stuff isn’t bad for the price at all! I found it at Walmart for $6 in the baby isle. I’ve recently started using it and it works just as well as the Earth Mama brand. Mind you not certed organic but sometimes you can’t pay three more bucks, you know?

What’s inside:

• Butyrospermum Parkii (shea butter),
• Helianthus Annuus (sunflower) seed oil,
• beeswax, tocopherol,
• theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter,
• soybean glycerides,
• persea gratissima (avocado) oil,
• olea europaea (olive) fruit oil,
• glycine soja (soybean) oil,
• ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin c palmitate),
• whey protein (lactis proteinum)

There you have it… well it’s late.

Hey guys!! If you’d like to tell your EP story please let me know!!!!!!

Freemies! And the reasons to love them!!

I got so very, VERY lucky to get my set of freemies. A kind person, actually a stranger sent me some because I was asking in a facebook group where was the best place to get them for under $70 (they generally run about $70) and she told me she wasn’t super fond of hers and sent me them.

I AM IN LOVE. Have you ever had to hold your baby while pumping, pump in the car, or do anything that kind of involves being in front of you while you pump? It’s shitty, no? Freemies are great for that! I have to feed my son upright in a sitting position due to aspiration/reflux issues and feeding him with the standard bulky pump stuff in front of me sucks! I’m really excited to use these in the car too! His doctors are an hour away so I have to pump at least twice while I’m out there.

Freemie also makes their own pump, but I have no idea how well it works. The pictures you see do not do the size justice at all!

They also make your boobs look crazy amazing apparently, also yes, those are my boobies. 😉 They fit really well in my nursing bra and under a shirt! I have the ones that connect to the medela pumps (BTW the duckbill valves for the freemies fit on the parts for the medela valves but I’ll talk about that in a different post) I’ve seen the same output as using the parts made for my pump.

Pros:

• OMG true hands free
• No undressing
• No extra bottles
• The collection holds 8oz on each side
• Pretty easy to wash
• More space in front of you, SO MUCH MORE ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES!
• Girl, you wanna pump with your battery mobile pump while grocery shopping, you can do that! Or even just use a manual!
• You can lean back with out fear!
• Have I mentioned duckbill valves?

Cons:

• Kind of bulky
• It does make you look like you got a screwed up boob job, wear a hoodie over it in public if you care
• My tubing is really short, get longer ones. I just cut an extra set I had for my medela because it just uses simple tubing no special connectors.
• You can’t see what you’re pumping. This makes the neurotic in me go crazy.

That’s about it! I love this product and I say every EP mom should at least have one set. I saw the same amount of output each time I used it compared to the regular medela parts.

Pump on ladies! 🙂

Wednesday Women! (and the reason they pump!)

So I want to start a weekly thing where I spotlight moms who EP instead of nurse. A woman who’s story is very close to mine kindly accepted to be the first. She’s great and a real strong mamma! I’m having all the moms write their story in their own words. This is Catherine and Easton’s story!

Baby Easton!

What lead me to pump:

• When Easton was born at 28 weeks, not being able to nurse really wasn’t my first thought considering the situation I had been thrown into just hours earlier. But I all become real when a nurse entered my recovery room with a pump and hooked me up. “Well how else is your baby going to eat” was her reply when I asked what was going on. And that’s how my journey began, a nurse holding me up and pretty much pumping for me.

How we still bond:

• I’m a stay at home mom, so thankfully I have tons of bonding time. We still get great cuddle and play time. Even though he’s not a breast we have a special bond, the NICU kind of does that to you. I think it is the whole, being so little and never knowing what could happen.

Pumping logistics:

• I recently dropped to 5 pumps per day and I’m pumping for about 40 minutes of that. I spend 5 or so minutes hand expressing to help me empty more efficient. I really don’t mind pumping. I wouldn’t say it’s a bond, because there are some days I want to throw that piece of crap out the window and never look back. But I refrain, mostly because it’s a rental. I thankfully have four full sets for my Medela, so I only do dishes twice a day. But up until recently I was washing every three hours. I plan on starting to wean around 10 months adjusted. So I’m hoping to pump for about 15 months.

Struggles:

• The struggle is real! Now that my son is awake more and needing more attention I find it hard to get everything done that I want. I recently have had to reach out for help. Which was one thing I didn’t want to go.
  I’m also a under producer/ just enough producer, but I’m to scared to take supplements due to the LC at our NICU saying they weren’t good for preemies. I do drink an occasionally beer. It helps me relax and increases production. It’s a win win.

As you can see you can still have the good bond a nursing mother has, even if you give it through a bottle! 🙂 ❤

Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother’s Milk vs. Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic Milkmaid Tea

WARNING: Both of these products contain Fenugreek, as stated in previous posts Fenugreek should not be consumed if you have thyroid issues.

So everyone I know that EPs loves to use tea to boost supply. There’s two main ones you’ll come across. One is Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother’s Milk the other is Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic Milkmaid Tea.

We’ll start with Earth Mama Angel Baby Organic Milkmaid Tea.

Let’s talk about the price, I found this at Toys ‘r’ Us for $8. On the official website for it it’s only $6.19 (but think about shipping) for 16 tea bags. Kind of expensive for something you’re supposed to drink 3-4 times a day.

What’s on the inside:

• Trigonella foenum-graecum (organic fenugreek) seed,
• Foeniculum vulgare (organic fennel) seed,
• Rubus idaeus (organic red raspberry) leaf,
• Urtica dioica (organic stinging nettle) leaf,
• Silybum marianum (organic milk thistle) seed,
• Citrus sinensis (organic orange) peel,
• Pempinella anisum (organic anise) seed,
• Carum carvi (organic caraway) seed,
• Medicago sativa (organic alfalfa) leaf

Most of those things are known to help supply. I used it until the box was gone and did see a small increase of maybe 1/2oz.

Let’s talk about the taste….uhhhh…. guys let’s not mess around here, it’s BAD. I recommend putting in 2 other tea bags of something you like and letting it steep for awhile. I liked using orange tea or sleepy time. It smells as bad as it tastes.

Okay on to the next tea!

Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother’s Milk

This one is also UDSA organic and GMO free! It’s pretty much the same as the one above. I got six boxes for $18.54 on amazon, with free shipping because I have prime. There’s also 16 bags per box, so it’s the better deal all around since you should drink 3-4 cups a day.

What’s inside:

• Sweet fennel seed,
• anise seed,
• coriander seed,
• spearmint leaf,
• lemongrass leaf,
• lemon verbena leaf,
• althea root,
• blessed thistle herb,
• fenugreek seed.

A few less than the Earth Mama brand but that might not be a bad thing. This tea tastes a little bit worse than the other but honestly they both taste like poop. I hate black licorice and it’s not a taste I’m fond of. The increase was the same too about 1/2oz.

I’d choose the Traditional Medicinals brand for the price since they’re basically the same thing.

Happy pumping!!

Fenugreek – the pill that my husband says makes me smell like an old pancake factory.

WARNING: I found out the hard way you should not take Fenugreek if you have an under active thyroid!!!! I do and it kind of made me feel wonky, it took awhile for me to realize this was the cause.

Now that we’re past the health warning, lets do this! I bought two bottles of this on amazon for under $6 each.

I really like Fenugreek, it’s easy to get and for most people it works. Before using it I’d get 1-1.5oz every two hours, after taking it I’d get 2-3oz every two hours! Please try this before acquiring a prescription for something like Reglan. You can take 3-4 capsules 3 times a day. You know it’s working when you get the smell! (and the increase)

Pros:

• You see results in 1-4 days, for me it was 1 day.
• Non-prescription.
• Cheap.
• It actually works.

Cons:

• Dude, the smell. It means it’s working but really, you’ll smell like you rolled in syrup.
• For me it made me really greasy and break out also.
• For some people it doesn’t work or actually hurts supply.
• It gave me gas, it can also give your baby gas too.
• If you have a thryoid issue it will make you feel really sluggish and crappy. Do not take it if you know you have thyroid issues!!

Obligatory introductory first post!

Hi there! This is a blog I’m starting for all things pump and all things baby. When I was 28 weeks pregnant I gave birth via emergency c-section under general anesthesia to an amazing baby boy. He spent 71 days in the NICU. He was unable to take any food by mouth until he was 7 weeks old. Due to this my plans for breastfeeding obviously didn’t work out. A lot – and I mean it a lot of preemie mothers are able to breast feed, but a lot can’t.

I got so, so, so lucky to be in a hospital that was so breast feeding friendly. They knew from my chart that I indended to breast feed. They had a hospital grade pump waiting in my room before I was even out of recovery! The LC and nurses were amazing and supportive, my nurse woke me every two hours so I could pump, she helped me stay sitting when it was too painful to sit up to pump. They were great, and I am forever thankful to them.

My son – Bobby, is home now. He’s 18 weeks actual, 6 weeks adjusted. He has a form of chronic lung disease called Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. This requires him to be on home oxygen. He also retains fluid in many places but one being his lungs, they also are inflamed. He’s on both a diuretic and a steroid for this. His health makes it nearly impossible to nurse. He tried his hardest, and so did I but I eventually came to the decision to only pump. For his health it’s better this way. He also has congenital heart disease, some deafness, and suspected seizure activity. When I decided this I told some of my son’s nurses in the NICU. They told me it will be hard but they were overjoyed that I wanted to continue by any way necessary.

Due to the nature of his birth and my health my supply is low, I’ve tried many things (so I have many things to review for you, too) and I would love to help others on their journey by offering support as well as reviews. I believe breast milk is the best medicine in the world. When he was in the hospital the only thing I felt I could do for him was pump. It is rewarding knowing you’re able to give something so specific for you baby to them. My son’s lowest weight was 2lbs 7oz, he’s now 11lbs 3oz and I do not believe he would have gained and grew so well if I hadn’t given him my milk.

Thanks for reading my first post! A review of something will be up very soon! Let me know of anything you would like to see, be done different, or anything on the layout of the blog, navigation, look, ease of use, etc. that could be changed.