Here’s what happened...
We had a family emergency, so our 15 month-old stayed overnight with my mom. After only a few hours of separation, my breasts started to fill up. The next day my skin was so tight, my cleavage felt like it was going to split in half.
I didn’t even know I could produce that much milk (especially for a one year-old).
Anyway, I was super excited to try a hospital-grade pump from a well known brand.
I’ve heard such great things about these machines. Mainly that their suck has a gravitational pull comparable to a commercial vacuum (and I love our commercial vacuum).
Here are some of its benefits, it's allegedly …
Powerful
Efficient
Comfortable
Quiet
Faster Milk Ejection
Double pumping
FDA approved for multiple users
My expectations were quite high on how much milk it would extract from my nearly engorged breasts. I was anticipating a magical experience that would effortlessly relieve me of the built-up pressure in my chest.
A nurse gladly lent me the hospital pump. She wheeled in the device and had the attachments in a separate sealed packaged ready for first-time use.
This was the third pump I had used in my lifetime as a breastfeeding mom. So I was familiar with all the parts and how to hook myself up.
Breast pump technology has definitely improved over the years, but this machine was super loud and its motor sounded like it was working super hard.
It took nearly 20 minutes to get a whopping ... 7 ounces.... from both breasts.
Furthermore, my breasts were still quite heavy and sore. I also had a few clogged ducts, and no way to clean the equipment or store the milk.
I settled on filling a bucket of ice and placing the milk bottles in them.
If pumping was a part of my daily routine, I definitely would have a system for the gear, but this experience made me extremely grateful to be a stay-at-home mom, who’s free to let my children nurse-on-demand and self-wean.
While I enjoyed a day’s break, my breasts would not allow me to sleep comfortably, especially since they are used to having our little one nurse through the night.
When I finally returned to our children, my breasts were so painfully sensitive I couldn’t hug them. Instead, I immediately took the baby and latched her on. We both were super excited to see each other. It gave deeper meaning to our codependent relationship.
And while I’m super grateful to have had the opportunity to use one of these fabulous machines, our little one is way more efficient and does a way better job emptying the breast -- even with her eyes closed. If you're curious to know which machine I used, you can check it out here.
What‘s the most expensive breast tech you’ve used? Have you tried a hospital-grade pump? What was your experience? What’s on your breastfeeding bucket list?
Until next time...
Love The Journey,
