My pumping honeymoon is over. I no longer get “just enough” for her daily while I’m pumping at work. She’s moved from 12 ounces in four bottle feeds to 12 ounces in three bottle feeds daily. So we’ve dumped her second morning breakfast (just a cuddle and some play time before we leave her in the arms of her care providers) and cutting down drop off time by about 30 minutes. Dumping the second breakfast means she’ll take 16 ounces from a bottle during her “day” though I can’t consistently yet get that pumping during the day at work.

To that end, I’m adding in a post-day post-baby pumping session about 10 or 11pm, upping my oatmeal (we’ve experimented and determined Fenugreek gives me migraines), and punting with formula when necessary. Other options I’m thinking about include renting a hosptial grade pump for daytime pumping, which could give me enough margin if extra night time pumping just starts to fail to cut it.

What I’m using is the older-style Medela Pump In Style, with size 30mm horns and Personal Fit Connectors. I tried 33s in the hospital (the wonderful lactation consultants gave me a pair of 33mms based on my cup size, but I’m a bit tubular; I think that may be why they didn’t work as well for me) before my milk was in, and leaked badly (which I used to do with the 24 and 27s, as well). I’ve not tried them recently, though I do still have them.

I wouldn’t have even thought about trying the 33mm again if not for the reading and research I’m doing for a friend; she is struggling with her supply and stress and life as well. I’m tempted to try the soft ones, but I don’t know if I should. Has anyone used these, the SoftFit connectors? I’ve been reluctant because they only come in 24mm size, and I’ve read that too small a horn can be damaging.

But looking at the bigger picture … I’m not that worried about it. So I get “just enough” or almost just enough. It really took a lot out of me to provide for Wolfie (who started private care at 16 ounces and just kept going up) and even then, I still ended up supplementing when I realized I just could not, for my sanity, get up at 3am for an extra pumping session, in addition to pumping to and from work, around meetings, instead of lunch, up to six or seven times a day, and still not, even with fenugreek, get an appreciable increase. The summer isn’t that far off, then we’ll start fruits and veggies, which will help her there, too. She drinks a huge slug at 5:00am, a huge slug when we get home, and I sleep nights. It could always be worse, I suppose. It’s just hard to let go when you see messages of extremism from both sides.

But we’re getting there, and she’s happy and thriving. Maybe I’ll just settle for that, and save the more extreme options if I end up needing to pump much past this time next year.