This kid has taught me a lot, I’ve grown to understand what goes into being an exclusively breastfeeding mom [without being an exclusively breastfeeding mom]. Yea I know, it doesn’t make sense, but neither has our breastfeeding journey thus far.
Ma' Dude is now fifteen months old and has taken a real liking for nursing at the breast. When he was born he didn’t really care much for the boob but let me tell you, he’s making up for it. If you’ve read the previous month updates you’ll know we nurse during the night and bottle feed during the day. Well, he hasn’t quite thrown the bottles out but when I’m around he’s looking for direct access, straight from the tap. This kid even pulls my shirt down, hands digging, hungry eyes. Most times I give in, I know he’s not always hungry but more looking for a comforting snack and I’m not opposed to soothing.
In the seven years I’ve been breastfeeding I can honestly say I’ve never had a boob monster and I don’t hate it. However, it has proven to be a bit demanding for my liking, I’m just grateful he still likes bottles. Since most of his nursing is done at night, I haven’t slept in over a year and I’m starting to feel it. I’ll also add that my other singletons who’ve been my original night nursers all stopped at one year postpartum and my cycle started back up shortly after. This time around I’m fifteen months postpartum and with no cycle in sight, at least from what I’m able to tell. His night nursing has become pretty regular; kid's a fish out of water. Although, I’m well outside of the LAM method requirements, I can’t help but think that little dude's consistent night nursing has contributed to keeping Aunt Flo on her extended vacation.
What is LAM?
Let’s break it down quickly for those of you who may not be aware. The Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) is a temporary postpartum contraceptive method that leverages the natural infertility that accompanies exclusive breastfeeding. It's highly effective (98%) in the first six months postpartum if specific criteria are met. These criteria include the absence of menstrual periods, exclusive or nearly exclusive breastfeeding with frequent feedings, and the baby being under six months old.
So yea, I’m well outside of the time frame but I’m still keeping my hormones elevated, allowing my cycle to stay away. On the flip side, it's definitely possible to ovulate without Aunt Flo officially showing face, so I'm looking into options for tracking that more closely.
What’s our schedule look like? Well, it’s pretty straightforward pumping yet because my three year old still demands “Mama's milk”. That said, I’m pumping 4-5x a day and then nursing at night. My pump schedule looks a little like this: 7:30a, 10a, noon or 1p, 3p and then before bed around 8:30p. He’s still drinking around three bottles a day along with his regular meals. He’s gone full-bore during dinner time, he loves everything. He’s still sitting in his Momcozy high chair, now with the table top off so he’s stationed right up to the table with everyone else. When I moved him in with everyone my oldest daughter said, “Welcome to the family!” It was cute. He adores his siblings and is grown enough to be right in the action with them.
I had mentioned he nurses through the day on occasion, so you might be wondering how I work that in while pumping. It’s pretty simple, I just continue to pump on my schedule as usual while allowing him to nurse on demand when he wants. Again, these nursing sessions are not full sessions, at least not during the day. I am also 15mpp, at this point in my journey I will not be creating an oversupply. As of right now I am pumping about 30 ounces a day while allowing little dude to snack here and there. His main source of milk is still from a bottle during the day.
I'm still pumping with my fail-safe, good ol' trusty, BabyBuddha pump. I have been using this pump for every bit of seven years. And no, they didn't come for me. I bought the pump way back when... when my multiples were only three months old. When I was desperate for a more portable option. It didn't take long as a new mom, exclusively pumping for multiples, to realize how badly I needed to be able to pump while changing diapers, making bottles, or simply staying on the go. Cool thing is, fast forward to 2025, the latest BabyBuddha 2.0 is updated with a trackpad and is even better than the OG pump I first ordered. Read more about my review on it here! Looking to get yourself a more flexible primary (or secondary when paired with cups instead of flanges)? Use my link (or my code BEMYBREASTFRIEND for 10% off).
Beyond my tried and true BabyBuddha, two life-altering products I started using this time around and haven't looked back are the Momcozy Bottle Washer, Dryer and Sterilizer (Use stackable code at checkout selfcareBW for an extra 10% off) and the Eufy S1 Pro Mobile Pump. Coincidentally, both are new to market within the last two years. Perfect timing to make my life that much easier! Listen, it doesn't get much better than cleaning your pump stuff without all the manual labor (because seriously what mom needs more things to do???), and charging your pumps without plugging them into the wall (talk about really being able to be on the go!). Want to know more? Check out my product reviews on the Momcozy Washer and the Eufy S1 Pro.
There is one thing I started doing a little differently than normal at night and that’s not pumping before going to sleep. This only started about a month or so ago, not entirely sure how I feel about it, if I’m being honest. I’m really just trying to trust my body at this point, cue *TrUST FaLL*. Since he’s eating more “meals” at night or at least before he zonks for the night, I haven’t bothered much with pumping before I go to sleep. I do worry this could hurt my supply and potentially cause clogs. It absolutely would if he didn’t feed during the night. Thankfully due to him eating throughout the night my supply is being used up and able to replenish, and also keep me comfortable. So no engorged boobs for me. I’m really trying not to overthink it, especially at 15mpp!
Kristen, how long do you plan on pumping? To that I’d redirect the question to the little dude, and quite possibly my 3yo since she’s very demanding. I have no end in sight... until I dry up, lose my supply suddenly overnight or my kids have a change of heart for my milk, I’ll keep plugging along!
