I hate my breast pump.
I hate it a lot. It sucks {or
doesn’t which is the issue}. I can not
wait until I can attack it with a hammer Office Space style. {The Mister is all about saving it for number
two, but I’m getting a new one.
PERIOD} For some reason the damn
thing has just stopped working.
I called the company thinking that maybe it was my pump that was dying and I just needed a new
one. It was still under warranty so I
gave Ameda a call one day at work and they shipped me out a new motor the next
day. I was very impressed by their quick
response and general attitude of wanting to help me.
The new motor came and I hooked up my tubes and then
attached everything to myself; and nothing.
The boobs were full, I could tell they were, but no milk was coming
out. So I’m sitting in the boob closet
at work having to manually assist my double electric breast pump. The breast pump that says it’s for working
moms and has a bunch of quality assurance ratings and all this other please buy
me I’m awesome crap.
I use to get four ounces at every pumping session during my
work day. {Sometimes more depending on
if E ate at 5 am or 4 am.} Now I’m
barely squeezing out 2 ounces a session.
I know it’s not my boobs either, because I’m able to feed E at home with
no issues. I can feel that my boobs are
still full even after pumping.
I hate pumping so much.
Pumping is ruining breastfeeding for me.
I love breastfeeding and it’s awesome.
Saturday and Sunday are great days because the breast pump stays in the
bag and I don’t have to look at it or think about it. E is fed, happy, and has her fill of boob
juice from the source. Monday rolls around
and I’m barely able to squeak out one feeding after two pumping sessions!
I’m thankful to have a very generous freezer stash, but I’m
afraid that this lack of being able to get the milk out during the day is going
to ruin my supply. I’m so close to the
one year mark. I really want to make it
a year. I have enough milk in the deep
freezer to last these last two months, but I really want to be the one feeding her. I do not want a crappy breast pump to be the
reason that I have to stop breastfeeding.
Posts
Try putting up pictures of your baby while you pump. It helped me :)
My Ameda pretty much quit, too. When mine broke they were awesome about getting me a new one in just a few days, but that one barely worked. I called them and they sent me another new one and that one wasn't any better. I honestly think they changed something with their design - it just isn't as strong.
I'm now using a Medela PISA and don't really love it, but it's working a little better than my Ameda was (the newer crappier one). I'm still not getting anywhere near what I got a few months ago, though.
I'm jealous that you have a freezer stash to fall back on. Andrew refused to drink any of my frozen milk so I wasted 100 oz or so.
No real advice, but I wanted to say good luck and I hope things turn around for you!
I also hate, despise, and cannot wait to go office space on my ameda.
it's lack of suck really really sucks.
I'll also say you're lucky with your stash. Between some childcare mishaps and my complete hatred of pumping, I literally have enough in my freezer for TWO days.
And I was also getting 4 oz or more during pumping sessions and am suddenly only getting 1.5-3. I think this is part the crappy pump's fault and part the fact that my kid just needs more solids. The consistency of your milk can chance so that while they're getting less, it could be just as full of everything they need.
GL :)
Would it be possible for you to rent a hospital grade pump to use for the time you have remaining until E hits a year?
I used a Medela Pump in Style. I had a problem where the suction would sometimes drop and Medela overnighted a brand new pump to me. I never had any further problems.
My daughter never drank frozen milk so I was glad I pumped to one year. I ended up donating almost 750 ounces once I stopped pumping because she absolutely refused to drink it. Even though I've been done pumping and she is drinking whole milk, I still nurse her any chance I get.
Hope you can figure something out to make it work!
This is why I hand express. I don't work, but I express in the mornings and get about 3.5 ounces. I have the Medela single deluxe pump and have never been able to get more than 2 oz. And it's so slow and uncomfortable. You could try hand expressing at the end of your pumping sessions to see if you can get more out that way.
I know this is weird and makes me seem like a bigger hippie than I really am, but I hate that stupid pump. Hand expression is awesome. You can walk around and do it, it doesn't hurt, it's faster than the pump, you don't have to clean anything, and for me, it's more effective. But I didn't get one of those fancy double pumps.
My body seems to respond better to the natural touch of my hand than the plastic suction of the pump.
That must be so frustrating! How about a Dyson?
@ Andrea - I laughed out loud. Dyson should make a breastpump except I imagine it will just suck a nipple off.
@ everyone! - Thank you so much for your comments. It's really nice and encouraging to hear that I am not alone. I hope we all make our breastfeeding goals.
I hear ya mama. I hate hate hate pumping too! I hated it with my first but even more so with my second. I have had huge output supply issues with pumping. No problems with my actual supply though as N has plenty of milk during the weekend. We are almost at the 1 year mark though! I am sad N will be a year but will be so ready to put my pump away. Next time around you should get the Medela Freestyle...I love it even though I hate it. It's light weight and has good suction. Since she is eating more table food can you cut back on how much milk you have to supply for the daycare provider? I have been able to cut back one 4 oz bottle and it has made my life much easier. I now pump every 4 to 4 1/2 hours (vs 2 1/2 to 3) and actually make a bit more milk this way. When do you plan to cut back on pumping since you have a freezer stash? I hope to gradually around 10 1/2 months and by 11 months be pretty much done with pumping depending on my freezer stash. Good luck!