My Marathon of Pumping

I have been pumping full-time now for almost 11 months. We are not talking once or twice a day, but enough times to establish a milk supply and provide enough milk to feed 2 babies for the first few months of their lives (about 7-8 times per day). I was hoping to get both babies breast feeding before leaving the hospital, but unfortunately Ashlyn was not able to orally feed until she was 6 months old. By that time, it was too late to introduce the breast and she would only take the bottle. And so the pumping continues! I made the decision early that I would provide breast milk for her as long as I was giving it to Caelan, because I want them both to have the same benefits that it provides. My views about pumping have changed dramitcally over the past few months though and I no longer hate it like I once did. It is, however, extremely time-consuming, especially since I can't feed the babies at the same time. My routine consists of feeding Caelan by breast, pumping for Ashlyn and then feeding her by bottle. I have been pumping so much that I have actually worn through the motor on my hospital-grade electric pump...I am sure not many people have done that! Luckily it was warrantied and I received a brand new pump. I plan on continuing this routine until they are at least one year old for their corrected age (December), but at least with the introduction of solids last month, I have been able to cut my pumping time in half. I think I am through the tough part and am pretty proud of myself for persevering.

One other note: For those of you that can't breastfeed...many people talk about the strong bond that mom and baby develop as a result of breast-feeding. I just want to say that I do not feel a stronger bond with my breast-fed baby than I do with the one that is bottle fed. The bond is the same and it makes no difference!