End of Day 1

I pumped four times today, 15 minutes each time. I just finished the last pumping session. I should've pumped around 5ish, but we had to get ready for church. So I decided to just wait until we got home and the kids were in bed.

At the end of day one, I can tell that something is happening. By the time we got back home this evening, I felt like my boobs were swollen or sore feeling. And when I pumped just now, something came out of the left one. That nipple seems to be hurting a lot more. And it's red and swollen after pumping. The right nipple isn't like that. 

Anyway, the left nipple was wet after pumping. My husband asked if it was sweat. LOL I said if it was, then I don't know why the right one wasn't sweating, as well. There wasn't anything in the bottle, but there was definitely something coming out. 

I'm anxious to see how tomorrow will go! 

So the project begins..

I received a free pump from a friend two days ago, and now the project can begin. It is an Evenflo Simply Go double electric breast pump. The instruction booklet says it is not recommended for exclusive pumping, but I will still make a go of it.

I used a single Evenflo pump the first few months I exclusively pumped for my son. It worked just fine, and I never had supply issues (it handled my oversupply just fine). The pump was loud, but that was four years ago. I hoped that this newer Evenflo pump would be much quieter. It is not AS loud, but it still is not a quiet pump.

Last night, I dreamed that I got a half ounce the first time I pumped. That did not happen. I just pumped for the first time for 15 minutes. The funny thing is that I kept waiting for letdown, even though I knew it wasn't going to happen. On a side note, I feel the need to mention that Aunt Flo showed up last night. So I'm not sure how, if at all, this will affect the beginning process.

I have decided to forego the supplements for now and just see how things go with pumping. I plan to pump every 2-3 hours during the day. And even though I know night pumping will really help boost supply, I haven't decided yet if I will start doing that.

I already miss my hands-free pumping bra. I couldn't surf the Web while holding both pump horns in place.

Right now, I plan to update in the mornings and at night. Of course, if there is any progress in between in the following days, that will warrant another update.

I am not looking forward to the nipple pain that is to come. I wonder if baltic amber helps with that? ;-)

The "no update" update

There really isn't anything new to update so far.
I'm still taking the prenatals, Vitamin C and drinking lots of water.
I still don't have a pump. Two friends have offered pumps. One friend said I could borrow her Avent Isis. And another friend offered a double Evenflo electric.
I've never used an Avent, but I've read good things about them. I have used a single Evenflo. In fact, four years ago, that's what I started off with. My sister gave it to me. She has used it when her daughter was in NICU 9 months before. I was single pumping for my son for a few months before I got an Ameda pump. But I've never used the double, and I'm sure it's been updated some in the past five years.
So once I get a pump, I'll start torturing my nipples. ;-) Fun times..

The Relactation Project

I call this blog The Relactation Project. It will serve as a historian to the days, weeks and probably months of trying to induce (re)lacation. You could call it an experiment.

A little back story.. I have two children and exclusively pumped for both of them. As an overproducer, I pumped at most 60 ounces a day. I have been milk-free for around seven months now. During my pumping months, I was able to enjoy the benefits of a smaller waisteline and a huge appetite. It was a win-win situation, right?

Of course, in the months since I weaned, the weight has returned. And well, it sucks. I've made jokes about using my weight loss machine again - the breast pump. And then I started to think "well, why not?" I could donate milk again. It is a selfish motive on my part, but somebody else could benefit from it, as well.

And so I brought the idea up to my closest friends, thinking that someone would surely tell me this is a ridiculous idea. Nope, not the case. They were encouraging. I think they are curious to see how it works out. My husband laughed and said it wasn't possible. I explained that even adopting moms can lactate without ever having done so. That made me want to prove to him that it is possible. I decided to just go for it.

The pros:

* Weight loss

* Being able to eat whatever I want (well, healthy stuff), whenever I want and however much I want

* No pressure. My child is not depending on me to keep up a supply to sustain her life.

* Bigger boobs (who doesn't want that?)

* My cycle could possibly stop for a short period of time.
* Breast feeding reduces the risk for breast cancer.

The cons:

* Engorgement

* Sore nipples

* Hormones 

So, here is how the process will go. I have started back on prenatal vitamins again, as well as chewable Vitamin C. Lots more drinking of water has been added to my day.

I've thought about trying supplements, but still haven't decided on that. I've read Fenugreek can lower blood sugar. I have reactive hypoglycemia, so I really am not interested in dealing with low(er) blood sugar. Pumping will already cause me to use more energy/calories than normal, which I will spend all day replenishing.

I will probably start with pumping first to see what kind of results that yields. If need be (or if supplements are just thrown into my lap at no cost LOL), I may try supplements.

Since it's been 7-8 months since I weaned, I am curious to see how it will go. Keeping a supply has never been a problem for me. So it will be interesting to see if relactating comes easy or if it will be work. I will put an honest effort into making it work, but I won't stress about how much milk is pumped each day.