Milk Machine!

So I can't breastfeed baby Aric but I can pump milk for him. Since he is in NICU they bring me a Breast Pump to my room to start pumping right away. They tell me to pump every 3 hours and I can go 4 hours overnight. As long as I pump 8 to 10 times a day. So the first night I pump every 3 hours. This is all I can do for my son so I am determined to do it! Every time I pump I only get 1mL or less. I pump like clockwork every 3 hours between trips to the NICU to visit my son. I don't get a lot of sleep because if I'm not visiting him I'm pumping or getting my vitals checked by all the nurses. I am drinking a ton of water but by Saturday before I leave I get up to an all time high of 15mL then to a full 30mL or 1/2 oz!

I'm still very depressed about this, the thing is I told myself that my baby would never have formula and that is exactly what is happening! I talk to a lactation consultant and she lets me know that it is completely normal not to get that much and that I will not really start producing milk till 3 - 5 days after birth, closer to 5 since this is my first child.

The Lactation Consultant also recommends that I rent a Breast Pump because I will not have a child at home to stimulate milk production. So I rent one of the hospital pumps, the same one I had been using while I was there and they are the only pumps designed to stimulate milk production. They really do work because by the end of the day Sunday (I was discharged Saturday) I am pumping a full 2.3 oz! At least I can do something good for my son when I can't be the one to care for him all the time.

~Breianna~
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." - Albert Einstein