(warning this posting will border on 'TMI' for most)
Today was my first day without pumping in over nine months. That's right, I have decided to stop pumping and been cutting back since the girls' nine month birthday on March 11th. First a little history. When the girls were born, they were so small and premature that they were fed with a NG tube for at least a week so nursing wasn't an option. Once they were done with the tube their milk had to be fortified therefore nursing was not an option again. Eventually when nursing finally became an option, the girls had grown a huge preference to a bottle and treated nursing as a nice appetizer. As I was trying to feed three kids, this meant that after I nursed everyone I then had to go and pump in order to keep up my supply. Once I had completed pumping, I usually had to then nurse again - it was nonstop. Eventually I just gave up on nursing in lieu of sanity but continued pumping.
For the first three months, I pumped for four hours a day (30 min x 8 times) and the girls each got 5/6 milk and 1/6 formula (we kept them always with at least one formula feeding a day to maintain a tolerance to the taste, etc). Months 4 and 5 I was able to pump for 3 hours a day (30 min x 6 times) while still maintaining the same level of milk for everyone. Then in November I thought I was going to quit and got down to pumping one hour a day (20 min x 3 times). The girls were getting half fresh milk, one feeding of frozen milk and two feedings of formula - but I was getting much more sleep (and sanity - probably closely related). I was able to maintain pumping three times a day (thanks to the new establishment of naps) up until I stopped. Remember, I am home by myself with the girls weekdays, so before naps (which started at about six months) I had to keep three babies happy while pumping several times a day, not an easy task to juggle. So for the first nine months, the girls got at least half milk - which I consider a huge accomplishment. I estimate to have pumped in total ~16,500 oz, phew that makes me tired. To put some perspective on it, that is enough to fill up a car 12 times!
So now I am in the painful process of stopping. I suppose they don't tell you how bad 'stopping' is when the child doesn't ween naturally, probably for fear that people would decide never to pump at all. It was worth it for me. The kids got a good start which was important to me given that they were born so early.
Besides getting the time from pumping back into my day, I also get another good hour just from washing/preparing bottles. Time is precious and rare these days so I am still trying to figure out what to do with myself. I am trying NOT to eat as much as I have grown accustomed to in the past 18 months. I look back fondly on those days of sitting down with some Ben & Jerry's and not worrying about the quantity consumed. Of course this also meant 18 months of no caffeine, pain/cold medicine and limiting myself on alcoholic consumption (none while pregnant and an occasional glass when pumping).
Who knows what final form my body will take it has been through a lot. Who knows if 'everything' will go back to where it should be - or if I will have new built in knee pads (I guess I could take up volleyball again?) Honestly, it really doesn't matter. I have a wonderful family and that is the most important thing to me.
(What I do know, is that now I can drink caffeine, alcohol and take medicine as needed. Pardon me, gotta run - I have a hang nail...where is that pain medicine at?)
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