Breastfeeding: Three years and counting

    I literally have been breastfeeding on and off since 2009. My first son was breastfed for just about 1year. He was bottle fed most of the time since I was going to school. My second son was conceived exactly after I stopped breastfeeding my first son and he was exclusively breastfed until he turned 5 months old. I didn't stop breastfeeding him until he was about 1 1/2 yrs. Needless to say after I stopped with him here came baby number 3 and of course she is being breastfed now also. Does anyone else see a pattern here?

    All of my children latched on great and didn't give me any problems nursing them which was a huge blessing. It just took me 3 times to get pregnant to realize that I got pregnant as soon as I stopped breastfeeding! Now I am not saying that breastfeeding is birth control but if that is how my body operates then baby girl will be breastfed til she's 10. Okay, maybe not 10 but at least 5 yrs old.  And NO, not by nursing but by pumping.
   Pumping your milk is a great way to bounce back after having a baby. You don't have to feel trapped in the house with the baby blues and you will give your husband a way to have a relationship with the baby. Breastfed babies are so clingy because of the skin to skin contact and the additional hormones you produce and give to them from nursing that makes you love them more.

Ways to pump

1. Manual - Some mothers prefer to use a single or double manual pump. Mothers who use this generally just use it for extra milk in case of emergency or they may be stay at home mothers who don't need to pump as much. In my experience with using this form it does get the job done but it also can hurt really bad.
2. Automatic (recommended)- Working mothers or mothers with multiple children prefer to use automatic pumps. This method works best for me and is the most time efficient. Double breast pumps are the best but the single will for sure work better than a manual pump.

How often to Pump?

•  When I used a single pump (manual or automatic) I used to pump after feedings on the opposite breast that the baby had nursed on. This will prevent enlargement of one breast over the other especially since you are supposed to alternate breasts with each feeding or you can let the baby nurse off of both.
• While currently using a double breast pump I pump every morning and twice in the afternoon then breastfeed during the night. For me and my milk supply it takes at the most 10mins at the most 6mins to express milk.

How much milk do you get?
In the beginning I would only get about 2oz per breast. This was great at first for the new baby and I had extra milk stored. Gradually as your baby appetite increases and they nurse often then so will your milk supply. My supply went from 2oz to 4oz per pump per breast and my baby started drinking 4-5oz in one feeding.

Pumping is a great way to monitor how much your baby is eating. It is also a great alternative for mothers who find it difficult to get their baby breastfeed.

This post is based solely upon my personal experience and I hope it helps you all. Be on the look out because I will post how to store your breast milk soon!