Milk production = need a freezer!

Today was a milestone day! I made the decision to switch to exclusively pumping when Daniel was two months old. We upgraded from my single pump to my beloved (or sometimes despised) Pump-in-Style pump (Medela, do we get residuals for this post now??).

The milestone is that, we finally got to a point where the excess milk no longer fits in our double-door. Daniel is still eating about 4oz per feeding--about 7 times a day--but, bringing honor to my COW status, I'm able to put away between 4 and 12oz a day. We've now almost reached the 1 month supply mark and so we made a necessary purchase: a chest freezer! We're already made a dent in filling it up:


Seeing this freezer filling up makes me quite proud, given the struggles I've had with supply, mastitis, nursing, ad nauseum! My original goal was to nurse 6 months, and at points, 6 weeks seemed a lofty goal. When I learned about exclusively pumping, it seemed the best fit for us. Daniel still gets the good stuff, and I don't spend an hour every feeding trying to get him to nurse. With the new pump, I get what I need in ten minutes!

My revised goal is to be able to give Daniel breast milk exclusively (no formula) for the first 12 months, when his body can handle cow's milk. My supply still varies, depending on how I'm feeling, how much sleep I get (or don't, as the case may be), what I eat, etc. but it looks like I'm on track to have two months in the freezer right around October 9, when Daniel is 10 months. At that point, I'll start to wean from the pump, and believe me, that will be a happy day!

A little pumping math: formula would cost us about $1,300/year. Our pump cost $270. That's over $1,000 saved by pumping! Or a little less, when you factor in our new little freezer, but Niels had been eyeing one for a while for burgers, pork chops and pizza! So, when I'm tired of pumping every 3 hours, I remind myself of the savings and tell myself I'm turning into a good little Dutch wife!