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After exclusively pumping for 6 months with my first-born child, I chose to wean from the breast pump for the last time! There were many reasons why I was exclusively breast pumping in the first place which I explain thoroughly in Why I Chose to Formula Feed My Second Child. However, I will quickly explain why getting rid of the pump once and for all was best for my family.
Why I Weaned From the Breast Pump
1) More Sleep
For 6 months I hooked myself up to my Medela pump and pumped for 20 minutes every 3 hours. That meant doing this through the night even when my son was sleeping. Every time I tried to sleep longer than that, my milk supply quickly plummeted.
I had put in so much time and effort to get my son that milk that I did not want to sacrifice my supply for anything, even sleep.
Weaning from the breast pump and grabbing a can of formula meant more sleep. (Which we all need as new moms).
2) More Freedom
Freedom? What even is that you may ask? If you are a new mom, you may feel like for the last year or more, you have given up your mind, body, and time for your baby, and you have. For me, weaning from the pump meant just a tad more freedom. It was one less bag that I had to lug around and one less thing I needed to do every 3 hours.
However, if you are just starting our pumping journey, you can get a pumping bag like this one that has a ton of storage, quick access for easy pumping, and places to put bottles of pumped milk. You can even upgrade your breast pump order through Aeroflow Breastpumps to get a bag with your pump. I talk about Aeroflow breast pumps in a little bit.
3) Less Anxiety
The stresses of feeding my baby sparked a postpartum depression I never thought I would experience. Those feelings are no joke and I do not wish them on anyone. Getting rid of the pump was one less stressor in my new-mom life.
Not only was I stressing about the last time I pumped, but I also worried about:
- Did I have enough milk?
- Do I have enough storage bags?
- Will I have a fridge or freezer to put my bags in?
- Is there somewhere for me to pump in private?
- Will I be able to wash my pump parts?
- Have I even sanitized my parts today?
So many stresses around a single pump session, I could not even stand it anymore.
These are just some of the reasons why I wanted to wean from the breast pump and if you are still reading this, you probably understand exactly what I am talking about.
However, if you are still pumping or breastfeeding, GOOD FOR YOU! It is a feat that not all are built for! You can read more on some items I used to make Feeding Baby Easier here!
I remember laying in the hospital bed, here in this picture, wondering how this journey would go. This is my second child. She actually latched but never nursed effectively leading to engorgement and pain. I knew I had to start pumping but did not want to exclusively pump. Continue to find out how I weaned from the breast pump painlessly.
How I Painlessly Weaned from the Breast Pump
When I decided to wean from the breast pump, I researched the best ways to do it. I did not want to add mastitis and clogged milk ducts to the already stressful life of breast pumping. I spoke with Lactation Consultants and other moms in my life for advice. There were a few things I needed to make this process easier
1) Breast Pump
Obviously, if you are reading this, you already have a breast pump. Or maybe you are just starting your breastfeeding/pumping journey and that is okay. The breast pump I started with was the Medela Pump In Style Advanced. It worked for a while and then it stopped emptying my breasts completely. This left my breasts still full and my stash lacking.
I ended up having to rent a hospital-grade Medela pump. This ended up being an expense. It was around $90/month to rent one of these. It worked phenomenally, but as I said, it was an expense.
If you do not have a breast pump and you are expecting, head over to Aeroflow Breast Pumps to get your free breast pump through insurance! I talk more about this in the Best Baby Items For Feeding Baby. You just need to provide some information and your insurance takes care of the rest.
One tip I received for weaning without the engorgement is to drop pumping sessions. I went from pumping every 3 hours to spreading my pumping sessions out more. This extended to pumping every 4-5 hours for a few days then eventually increased to 6 hours or so. If you have discomfort, don’t cut sessions as quickly. It could take a week to adjust if you have already established a good supply.
Another important lesson on weaning from the breast pump is to pump less at each session. I usually pumped for 20 minutes. I then shortened this to 10-15 minutes. This time decreased as my supply decreased. Eventually, I was only pumping for 5 minutes on both sides. It was just enough to take the fullness away.
The idea is that your mammary glands will produce as much milk as your brain signals them to produce. If you pump less, you will produce less because your brain is sending signals that your baby does not need that much. You may remember that I mentioned that if I did not pump every 3 hours, my supply tanked, and this is why.
2) Sunflower Lectin
When I began to wean from the breast pump, I did a lot of research. I heard about Sunflower Lectin. I actually had seen this before when I was taking supplements to boost my supply. There is a great company called Legendairy Milk that has a ton of breastfeeding and pumping resources.
Sunflower lectin works to make your milk less sticky to prevent blocked ducts, engorged breasts, and eventually mastitis. It is a fat emulsifier, to put it in fancy terms.
Another great thing about this company is that they do not use fenugreek. Yes, this herb helps milk supply but holy heck did it mess with my little one’s tummy. I remember him screaming and refusing his bottles and I couldn’t figure out why. This was until I once again researched what I was taking for my milk supply boost.
With the sunflower lectin, you will boost your breast’s ability to excrete milk without creating blockages in milk ducts. I highly recommend this and I highly recommend Legendairy Milk for all of your breast milk needs.
3) Ice Packs
These ice packs worked well right after pumping to help bring down any swelling I was beginning to feel. Since I wasn’t fully emptying as I was decreasing my pump time and spreading out my pump session, my breasts had the opportunity to swell. These ice packs prevented that. I would put them right in my bra for 20 minutes after a pump. Make sure you put them right back into the freezer after you are done so they are cold for the next use.
4) Cabbage Leaves
I never used cabbage leaves but a fellow blogger explains how to use them for mastitis, clogged ducts, and weaning from the breast pump. She explains cabbage leaf use in step-by-step instructions on using them for breast discomfort that may benefit you! She is a certified lactation consultant, so she has a lot of experience. You can read more about how cabbage leaves can help with the weaning process should discomfort arise.
The idea is that you just put a cabbage leaf into the cup of your bra. If you leave them in the refrigerator, they will also act as a cool pack.
5) Peppermint EO
When I needed to wean from the breast pump, I went right to my essential oil collection and grabbed my YL Peppermint EO. I put 10 drops in a rollerball stick along with a carrier oil. I always use coconut oil for carrier oil and I do use Young Living as it has a Seed-To-Seal guarantee. Knowing exactly what I was putting on my skin was important to me.
There are other oils to use for breast tenderness including lavender oil, clary sage oil, evening primrose oil, frankincense oil, geranium oil, palmarosa oil, roman chamomile blossom oil, black current seed oil, and rosemary oil. So if you have any of these in an essential oil collection anywhere, you can always put in a rollerball with a carrier oil and apply it to your breasts.
6) No More Milk Tea
If you are looking for another natural way to decrease your supply to wean from the breast pump, you could try No More Milk Tea. I hate the taste of this and I am a tea person. Even though the taste was quite strong, it did help to decrease my supply and dry me up! So, if you are all about the teas, this blend may help you pack away that pump for good. It is made of peppermint, parsley, hibiscus, and sage which help to dry out your milk.
This tea has over a thousand 4+ star reviews with women having great results, so it is worth a shot!
Ending Your Breast Pumping Journey
For some, ending this chapter in one’s life can be extremely saddening. Whether you have been breastfeeding or pumping for a short time or almost a year, this is still a huge chapter to close. The last thing you need while you are trying to wean is to have engorgement, clogged milk ducts, and mastitis.
The best advice I can give you is to go slow. Unless there is a medical reason to wean quick, I highly recommend dropping pumping sessions slowly. This is the key to making this process as painless as possible.