Typical Pumping Day

Now that I’m back at work, it’s been a whole new adjustment with pumping. I used to love to pump when I was at home, it gave me a break from breastfeeding and it gave Chad a chance to bond with Grady. Now that I’m pumping at least 3 times a day, it’s a totally different pain level. Some days I feel like my nips are going to fall right on off. And date nights, those are out the window. I’m so over pumping during the week that on the weekends you can’t pay me enough to pump.

So here goes my day of a pumping momma.

Before I left to go on Maternity leave, I set up my pumping times for 8:30, 11, and 2:30 so while I was at home we worked really hard to get Grady on the same schedule as my pumping schedule. I did not want him to eat more than 3 times at daycare and expressed this to the daycare; it’s all about supply and demand. 8:30 is when I’ll get the most so sometimes I’ll go more than 30 minutes, I normally get a second let down around 20-25 minutes so I’ll stay on until it’s finished. I use a pumping bra while I’m pumping simply because my arms get tired if I’m holding them for 30+ minutes. After I’m done, I’ll put 5 oz(this is how much he eats in one setting) in a bag at a time. I normally pump around 8 ounces in the morning so I’ll put 5 in a bag and then put 3 in the extra bottle that I packed. I then pump 4-5 ounces in the afternoon sessions so I’ll combine the 3 ounces from the morning with my 4-5 ounces from my afternoon sessions to make up the 5 oz bag.* By the end of the day I average 17 ounces. 3 bags and 1 bottle with 2 ounces, I like to put the additional 2 ounces in ice cube trays so that if the daycare needs an extra ounce or 2 they can just pop a cube in a bottle instead of opening another bag.

I do not clean my pump parts after every single time. I put them in a Ziploc bag and keep them in the fridge with my milk until the end of the day. I will either use the quick-clean bags or I’ll take them home and clean them. I also have 2 sets of parts so I’ll always have one set drying and the other one packed, it makes the mornings a little less hectic.

*I made the mistake to mix cold milk with fresh expressed milk once and then was reading and read that you are not supposed to do that. Only mix cold with cold and fresh the fresh. 

Grady's 2 months!

Our baby boy is 2 months old!! Where did the time go?!? I’ll be going back to work next week so I’ve been trying to wake up earlier to get my body use it little sleep. This past weekend Grady slept almost 7 hours straight!! Probably just a one time thing but hey we’re getting there. This past month he had so many great milestones and is growing into such a strong happy baby.

Follows head with sound

Loves his playmat

Fights bedtime

Love to stand and look around

Laughs and smiles @ mommy, daddy, and Karl

Starting to grab items

Starting to sleep a lot better and finally liking his pack n play

Started to suck his thumb

2nd month favorites

Time has seriously flown by. I cannot believe that our little man is 2 months old already. Although it gets easier by the second month, the below items have helped us survive.

• Sleepers – I LOVE these sleepers. I love that they zip and are super easy for diaper changes in the middle of the night. I love that they are light weight so our little man doesn’t sweat while he sleeps, and I love that they have mittens (P.S. hurry, they're on sale right now)
• Swaddlers – You seriously cannot have enough swaddlers.
•  Play mat – Our little man LOVES his play mat. And I love that I can lay him down and keep an eye on him while getting ready, cleaning, cooking, etc.
• Gripe Water – Our little man gets gas bad and this has helped him sleep so much better at night. We give it to him right before his last feeding and it has worked wonders on his little tummy
• Tubby Todd – I love this all natural brand of baby soaps and lotions. We have the lavender one and absolutely love it
• Wubbanub – This has been my favorite pacifier yet. The toy is super cute and it also serves as a security for little man.
•  Monitor – The only way little man can sleep is if he’s on his stomach (it helps him pass gas easier) and this monitor has helped this momma sleep at night especially since they discourage babies to sleep on their stomachs.
•  Rattle – Little man has learn to grab, this rattle/toy is his absolute favorite right now. I love that he can grab and hold onto it.  

Nursing mama

I’m going to try and start a new series of registry must haves. First up on the list is for the Nursing Mama.

•  Nipple cream – I have tried 3 different kinds and my favorites are the Lansinoh brand and the Earth Mama. The Lansinoh goes on thick but it really keeps soothing, the medela brand goes on smoother but doesn’t soothe as well as the Lansinoh. The Earth Mama is a natural option, it’s a little grainy but works really well
•  Nursing pads – My favorites are the Lily pads. They are pretty expensive but they last forever. I would recommend buying 2 sets because they can start to smell. I once had 2 sets until Karl ate one pair. So now I use the Lansinoh disposable pads while I’m washing my lily pads.
• Nursing bras – I first bought these bras to wear at the hospital. I recommend buying cheap nursing bras for the first few days, your breasts will change in size so I would wait until at least 5-7 days postpartum to buy any nice nursing bras. My favorite are these.
•   Boppy – This pillow is a life saver. I love that you can sit them in it or nurse with it. Etsy also has some really cute covers.
•  Nursing cover – I haven’t gotten comfortable nursing in public but I have my eye on this nursing cover. I love the functionality, just waiting for a good sale!
•  Burb cloths – Cloth diapers are the best burb cloths to have hands down. 

My absolute favorite place to register is on Amazon. If you are an amazon prime member you will receive 15% for a completion discount and you can find everything you would ever need on Amazon. It's super easy for people purchasing presents for you and they track a "thank you" list with the individuals name and address'. Makes it super nice and easy when sending out thank you cards.