Win a $25 Walmart Gift Card

Christmas is coming and we thought it would be a great idea to help you moms out there by giving away a gift card from the place where most moms end up.

HOW TO ENTER: + leave a comment on GotBreastPump’s facebook fan page by answering the following question:

How old is your baby and what is your favorite thing about this age?

Thank you for all of your support… ♥

A winner will be randomly drawn from the comments left for this question. You have until Wednesday at midnight, December 16, to enter.  Good Luck!

Many of us don’t have the option of deciding when to stop breast pumping.  We worry, stress and have anxiety as we watch our breast milk slowly fill up those baby bottles; each day sadly noticing that the level of breast milk is lower each pumping session.

However, there are some moms who have done so extremely well with breast pumping that they have been able to fill up their freezer for the next few months.  Now these moms might be wondering, “How do I stop pumping; I still have so much milk?”  Well, most of moms of this lucky dilemma are asking because they are becoming engorged and no longer want to be in the pain that the extra milk is causing.  Many moms know that if they just stop, then an engorged breast will be unbearable.

It may take some time to quit breast pumping in the least painful way.  Any mom who is ready to quit breast pumping needs to make sure not to stop cold turkey; take the time to do it in a methodical way so as not to cause pain during the process.

Instead of breast pumping on a certain schedule as you have in the past, you can now begin to breast pump when you are feeling a little pressure (pressure that you may feel just prior to becoming pain).  You should go ahead and breast pump at this time.  However, instead of pumping for your usual time, until your breast is empty, cut the time in half.  You’ll want to continue this process for a few days, and you should notice that your breast milk supply is decreasing dramatically.  By this time, you still will have breast milk, but you should no longer have any engorgement, nor should you need to breast pump.

Just make sure that instead of looking at a clock or the amount of breast milk in you bottle, you should listen to your body.  As you listen to your body, you will be able to decrease your supply without feeling the terrible pains of engorgement.

There are many choices out there when it comes to increasing breast milk supply. And because of my neurotic personality I have used a few of them.  One of my favorites is Fenugreek.

This worked for me the very day that I began using it. Once I began taking Fenugreek, I was able to pump about 1\3 more each session than previously.

You take about 3 pills with a glass of water 3 times a day. And remember to drink plenty of water all throughout the day. A side effect is that when you sweat, you will smell like maple syrup. I did find that I would urinate, there was an odor of maple syrup, so I felt like I was probably taking enough.

Once your supply increases, you can stop taking the Fenugreek and your supply should stay the same. I found this to be true. So, you should not have to keep purchasing bottle after bottle. If you find that your breast milk supply has not gone up after about 3 days, then you may want to look for another alternative in breast milk supply boosters.

You can purchase Fenugreek in our store right now.

All right, being new to this breast pumping venture, you may feel like all you do is pump, feed, change diapers, and start all over again. You need some efficiency so that you have a few extra minutes to relax and just enjoy watching this newborn sleep, HOPEFULLY!

I actually take a few extra steps to attempt to keep as little breast milk from being wasted and stock up on my breast milk supply. I have two sets of bottles in my refrigerator on any given day.

One set on one side of the refrigerator is my breast milk from my pumping sessions – let’s call this my “pump stock.” The other set is on the other side of the refrigerator consisting of (8) 3 oz. bottles that my baby uses throughout a 24 hour period. (These bottles are different depending on how much your baby drinks through a 24 hour period.) We will call this my “baby stock.”

First we will go through the process of my “pump stock.” Throughout the day, pump your breast milk into bottles. (I purchased six extra small baby bottles – about $1.00 each, and found that any bottle will fit into the breast shields.) When you have completed a pumping session, take one of the bottles and fill to the top of the neck of the bottle with the second bottle of this pumping session. Place a top on the bottle and place in the refrigerator. If there is extra in the second bottle, place a top on it and place in the refrigerator. After your next session, fill the bottles in the same manner as the last session. You should now have two full bottles and a bottle being filled with extra breast milk. (It is fine to mix refrigerated milk with fresh milk that you just pumped.) Continue to do this throughout a 24 hour period.

In the evenings before my first round of sleep, I will take about 15 minutes to prepare my “baby stock” for the next day. During your preparation time, take all the bottles from the “pump stock” and prepare your “baby stock” bottles for the next day. (For my baby, it is the (8) 3 oz. bottles.) Place the “baby stock” back into the refrigerator. If you have extra breast milk from your “pump stock”, place this milk in a good breast milk storeage tray, Slim Lines Milk Trays. Place this in your freezer. In the early phase of breast pumping, hopefully, you will be pumping extra milk. This is the breast milk that you will freeze for future use.

On those days that you are preparing your “baby stock” and you do not have enough milk, this is when you can go into your frozen stock of breast milk. If you have not been able to stock up on frozen milk, you can certainly supplement with some formula. Any breast milk that your baby is getting is CERTAINLY better than not getting any breast milk at all.

Many moms who are true Ameda breast pump fans really enjoy these breast milk bags.  That is why it is rated number 4 out 6 on the 6 most popular bags.  It is very different from the other bags in that it is not have a zipper seal at the top.  It used, as some moms say, a more time-consuming method of clipping the top and rolling down to get all of the air out.  So, though, it is more time-consuming, it is much more effective of keeping air out of the bag.

Another great point about this breast milk bag is that it easily attaches to the breast pump shield while you are breast pumping instead of using a bottle at any point.  Also because of this method of closure, there seems to be no complaints of leaks or breakage of the milk bag.

A box of 20 pre-sterilized bags can cost between $9.95 and $11.99.

This bag:

• holds 6 oz. of milk
• is pre-sterilized
• is self-standing design keep the bags from tipping over
• contains twist ties to easily use with the breast pump

These are not re-useable, therefore can get somewhat costly.  Some moms have complained that the ounces on the bag are not easy to be read once you fold down the bag to close it.

Next, we will discuss Gerber Seal N Go Breastmilk Storage Bag.

Many moms who are true Ameda breast pump fans really enjoy these breast milk bags.  That is why it is rated number 4 out 6 on the 6 most popular bags.  It is very different from the other bags in that it is not have a zipper seal at the top.  It used, as some moms say, a more time-consuming method of clipping the top and rolling down to get all of the air out.  So, though, it is more time-consuming, it is much more effective of keeping air out of the bag.

Another great point about this breast milk bag is that it easily attaches to the breast pump shield while you are breast pumping instead of using a bottle at any point.  Also because of this method of closure, there seems to be no complaints of leaks or breakage of the milk bag.

A box of 20 pre-sterilized bags can cost between $9.95 and $11.99.

This bag:

• holds 6 oz. of milk
• is pre-sterilized
• is self-standing design keep the bags from tipping over
• contains twist ties to easily use with the breast pump

These are not re-useable, therefore can get somewhat costly.  Some moms have complained that the ounces on the bag are not easy to be read once you fold down the bag to close it.

Next, we will discuss Gerber Seal N Go Breastmilk Storage Bag.

Dr. Andrew Weil, well known for his practice of naturalistic medicine is producing a line of baby feeding products.  Currently, his products consist of baby bottles and training cups.  The bottles are developed under the guidance of Dr. Andrew Weil, which as an expert in natural medicine gives credence to the product.  His products feature a venting system that eliminates bubbles, resulting in less colic and spit-up.

In 2010, Dr. Weil will be introducing a line of breast pumps.  It will be nice to see some more competitors in the breast pumping community.  We’ll see what kind of features he introduces to help busy moms breast pump and comfortably and quickly as possible.