Pumping

On the day that Gabriella was born, I was brought to my postpartum room and there was a breast pump waiting for me with a note from the hospital's lactation consultant.  The note told me that the very best thing I could do for our baby was to begin pumping.  Micropreemies have such sensitive and underdeveloped organs that they can only tolerate human milk.  If I wasn't able or willing to pump, our baby would receive donor milk until she could tolerate formula.  I was already planning on breastfeeding but knowing that the only thing that our daughter could digest was human milk was all the motivation I needed to start using that pump. 

I started that first day, pumping every 3 hours for 15-20 minutes.  At first, all that came was small drops of colostrum that we would bring down to the NICU in tiny syringes. While small in volume, that "liquid gold" was still so important.  We would swab the inside of Gabriella's mouth with a cotton swab dipped in colostrum. Colostrum is viewed by many as a baby's first "vaccine"- the naturally occurring enzymes allow the milk to be easily digested and helps protect fragile babies from many devastating infections.

Pumping became easier and easier and soon became part of my regular daily routine. I am proud of the fact that I have been pumping for almost 5 months- I love seeing her weight gain and knowing that I helped get her there.  She is still getting 100% breastmilk that we add a small amount of Enfacare to in order to boost the calories.

Some things that helped me along the way:
-Get a support network.  Gianni was and continues to be an amazing cheerleader for me.  At the beginning, he would get so excited over every milliliter I would pump and on days when I am so sick of pumping, he encourages me to keep at it.  Our family and friends are also very supportive, always asking how it is going.

-Eat well and stay hydrated.  Especially if you are pumping for a baby in the hospital.  You need the calories and fluid to have a good supply!

-Pump next to your baby.  At the CCMC NICU, we had screens that we could put up around the baby's isolette or crib and pump right at the bedside.  It was nicer than leaving Gabriella to go to a room.

-Use your baby as motivation to keep going!  Every ounce she gains makes it all worth it :) Look at these chubby cheeks!

Here are a few more fun photos for your Wednesday! Al Roker hinted at warmer weather for next week so our fingers are crossed that some sunshine is headed our way!

xo,
Mary