For those who exclusively pump(ed)

[Koala]

Can you tell me a bit about what your daily schedule is/was like?
Was this your plan from the beginning?  
Any specific advice?  

I don't have a strong desire to breast feed, but I'd like the babies to get the benefit of breast milk.  I know it will be hard.  I anticipate needing to supplement with formula, but I'm also looking forward to DH being able to help me feed the babies and get that extra bonding time with them.  

Thanks for the help!

[linz]

I had no desire to nurse, but wanted to try EPing to save money. Mine were in the NICU for a month and I would pump each time they ate - every 3 hours. My supply right away took off. They would sleep 3-4 hours at night once home and I would just pump when they ate so was usually pumping 7 times a day.  I also pump for 15-20 minutes.

I'm not going to lie, it's HARD. I barely survived maternity leave and so many times wanted to stop but I pushed thru and at almost 7 months I still haven't given them a bottle of formula. The one nice thing is if someone is there to help you feed you can pump while feeding a baby. Some people have trouble with this but I think it's easy. Hands free bra is your best investment. I hook up to pump and put a baby on a pillow on my lap. I can feed both babies and pump at the same time now (one on lap, one in boppy next to me). When they were little I always pumped after they ate and it sucked but they were so small and needed extra attention while feeding. I keep my pump in the living room so if I need to pump while they are on the floor playing I can move it around.

My routine has always been pump when/after they eat, fill next bottles (any extra put in fridge to freeze later), and leave them on our kitchen counter for next feed. I've never warmed a bottle. Even when they started sleeping longer stretches at night I would pump at 9 pm before bed and they wouldn't eat till 2/3 am and the milk would be fine. When on maternity leave I was able to create a nice freezer stash of any extra milk each day since they weren't eating a ton then.

My daily pump schedule now is:

2:30 am (I get 12 oz so sadly can't STTN even though my babies do)

5:30 am

9 am & 1 pm if at work

8, 11 & 2 pm if at home (when they eat)

5 pm

9 pm

My biggest advice if you are lucky enough to not have NICU babies is get them on a 3 hr schedule during the day, and the same schedule. I know some moms feed one at a time but I couldn't do that.

Sorry this was a novel, if you have more questions feel free to ask.

[Koala]

linz, thank you so much!  This is definitely helpful.  
It is nice to know I'm not the only one without a desire to nurse.  
I've got quite a bit of time before they arrive, but I'm trying to gather as much information as I can ahead of time.  I'm sure I will probably have more questions for you when it gets closer.  

[linz]

That's fine! I did no research before hand but the LC helped me a ton.

[Narwhal]

I exclusively pumped from 3 months old until 14 months old. It's hard and there were times that I wanted to light the pump on fire, but I was determined to make it to their adjusted year old birthday, and I did .

I really wanted to nurse, but when they came home from the NICU they weren't great nursers and it was too overwhelming to have preemies, being a first time mom and twins. Haha. But I really wanted them to get breast milk so I pumped. I was pumping 6x a day during the NICU and nursing each boy once a night. I was also working during this time so I think the schedule was 6, 8, 11, 3, 10, and whenever I would wake up motn (usually about 2), along with nursing at 7 and 8. I'm a teacher so I tried to cluster more at night because I couldn't take any breaks at work other than the 11 lunch.

When they came home I pumped at 6, 9, 12, 3, 6, 10 and whenever they would wake up motn. I would pump for 20 min each time. I would pump while I was giving them bottles during the day and right after they fell asleep motn. Ditto on the hands free bra, that was key. Also try to get a hospital grade pump if you can. I was the same linz with leaving the milk out and pumping for the next bottle. Breast milk stays fresh for a long time. My boys didn't mind cold milk either, so I would also just stick it in the fridge and just warn it up a bit before the next feeding. Buy a few sets of pumping parts. That way you don't have to wash as often. I would also put the parts in a ziplock and in the fridge between pumping sessions. That way I would wash parts every other night.

Once they hit 4 months they were out eating what I could produce. They were each taking 30+ oz though, so they were big eaters. I was so, so, so sad to give them formula but it really was fine. So, if you have to supplement, it is ok and it really is what it is. But if you can produce enough for both, I'm jealous and that's awesome! Good luck! It's not the most fun thing I've ever done, but it wasn't the worst either.

[breezy8407]

I tried my hardest to make nursing happen, but I was also overwhelmed and it got too stressful. I EP'd for about 15 weeks. The vague schedule when I was on maternity leave was I would pump after feeding them for the next feeding. We had to do about 2 bottles of formula a day because I didn't make enough for both. I pretty much pumped every time they ate for the first few weeks.

When I went back to work, I pumped when I woke up, 2x at work, and then another in the evening before bed.

[patches31709]

I've been EPing for 3 months now. I was planning on breast feeding, but DD was born 8 weeks early and was in the NICU so I had to pump. While she was in the hospital, I pumped 7x a day. Now that she's home, I try and get 8 sessions in, and usually do. This usually involves waking up at least once in the middle of the night, sometimes twice, but I have been pumping around 40-45 oz a day and am building quite a freezer stash, so I don't mind too much. My goal is to begin to taper off the pumping in November, and then switch her over to our freezer stash for when I go back to work in January.

[Deleted]

Koala, I didn't EP (I nursed and pumped while at work) but I'd definitely recommend a hospital grade pump, like renting a Symphony. It can make a big difference especially if you are EP for twins.