Milking It: The Untold Labor of Love
As women, we’re told from the beginning that our bodies are meant to produce milk to nurse a baby one day. But nobody tells you how, why, and that feeding your baby is one of the hardest jobs you’ll ever have to do in your lifetime.
Just like certain career paths, exclusively breastfeeding is not for everyone. It requires a level of sacrifice that you might not be able to give, or the baby literally doesn’t latch and that’s okay. Babies need happy and healthy mothers. That’s it. Your mindset matters. Everyone says that but I can’t stress that enough if your goal is to build a milk supply.
There’s different ways you can feed your baby so it’s important to know there are options, and that again, you don’t have to do it all. I do recommend trying to set yourself a realistic goal ahead of starting and if you exceed expectations - great. If you don’t, that’s totally fine too. All of these options have their own pros/cons and you might go through a few of them to get to what is best for you and your baby.
A guide for all the ways you can feed your baby.
For my first child, my goal was to provide breast milk for my baby until 6 months old. I went through FOUR of these styles (2-5) to finally reach my end goal of combo feeding - meaning my milk supply was established enough to provide only breast milk. I also had a lactation consultant come to my house the first few weeks which was a game-changer. Highly recommend asking your OB for a referral and billing it through your insurance if you can. Also, to relieve pressure from the very beginning - research which formula you’d want to give your baby and bring it with you to the hospital just in case.
I wasn’t able to establish a good milk supply until 3 months in (right as I had to go back to work) and by the time I was at the 6-month mark, my professional life got stressful and I slowly weaned off. In the end, I made it for 7 months, and am very proud of myself and my body for sticking to it - even through the initial postpartum anxiety every first time mom has!
During this time, I came across several products that made it easier for me to increase milk supply, be comfortable with nursing, and just overall embrace this new chapter of motherhood.
Spectra S1 electric breast pump (blue)
This was my primary pump. The golden rule here is any time your baby needs to eat, you’re either breastfeeding or pumping. It signals to your body to produce more. Simple supply & demand model. Check your insurance to get this for a better price.
They are light, racerback, and maintain a good structure. Bonus: you can use your wearable breast pump with these.
I’ve tried a lot and I’m not a fan of the multiple layered bras or ones too tight on the ribcage. These fit just right.
I have the S12 pro! I found this best used in the car or when I needed to be hands-free.
Make sure you measure the nipple size and get an insert so the pump parts fit you right.
Baby Brezza sterilizer & dryer
After washing, this helped with drying and sanitizing the bottles and pump parts. I prefer to hand-wash with Dapple baby soap but there are ones that wash & dry together as well.
This is great for milk storage on the go after you pump. It keeps the milk cold for 24 hours and easy to pour right into a bottle or freezer bags.
Maternity tank top with built-in bra
I loved this tank and still wear postpartum!
Here’s to a true production - and sharing this untold labor of love with everyone!