I have a problem, a wonderful problem. One month after reporting back to work, the small ref that I'm using exclusively for my stored breastmilk looks like this:
Before I tell you how I solved this "problem", let me tell you how I ended up with it in the first place.
Prior to giving birth to my third child, I made a decision to breastfeed him exclusively for, hopefully, at least a year. I was able to breastfeed his older sister, albeit not exclusively, for 2 years despite working full time. This I did with the help of the Avent Isis Manual Pump. I thought that with a good dual electric pump, I could improve my record.
I checked the internet if there's an electric pump out there that is as effective but not as pricey as the leading brands (Medela and Avent). And sure enough, Babymama, a local online store, is offering a number of reasonably-priced electric pumps.
Three weeks after giving birth, I became a proud owner of the Unimom Forte, a dual electric breastpump that costs, would you believe, Php7,000 only!
After a couple of times of using this not-complicated-at-all pump, I was easily expressing 4 ounces for every session. And unlike the Avent, there are fewer parts to clean and assemble, a big relief for this working mom who personally washes, sterilizes and assembles her pump.
It's bulky. It's heavy. It's not too pretty. But this toaster look-alike dual electric breastpump (9"x4.5"x6.5") makes it possible for me to express, on the average, 24 ounces of milk (3 sessions, 4-hour interval). Since I usually pump 4 times a day (the last one upon arriving home), I have about 27 to as high as 34 ounces per-day yield, truly more than enough for my 4-month old Basti.
(My small conference table has become my official pumping station.)
As they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. For this mom, the Unimom Forte is one beautiful pump!
You know what, this is my ultimate dream: build this much stash! I have been exclusively giving breast milk to my 8-month old, kaya lang, I pump in subsistence. Usually, I am able to pump enough milk for her next day feed :( I work full-time just I like you, but with the demands of desk work, I can only pump once while at the office (yielding 7oz from my two breasts) and once when I arrive home at 9PM (just around 3-4oz, as I let my baby feed on one breast while I save the other breast for expressing milk). Ang hirap din. Haay...
ReplyDeleteI know it's hard and we can only do our best. :)
ReplyDeleteChristine, you might be interested to know that nursing employees are entitled to lactation periods. I discussed it in my post "Give Me A (Pumping) Break!"