Benefits of Pumping
The benefits of pumping are numerous. My most favorite was the alone time with the middle of the night pumps. I would get a good snack, water, and my pumps. This was my me time, with the slightly annoying pumping sound in the background.
The next is having a schedule. I was still in my everything had to be perfect era. I later learned that was not always the way it would work out, but at the time the schedule brought me some peace.
I loved knowing how much he ate for the day. That was one of the biggest anxieties in the beginning. Knowing what he ate and when really calmed me in those first few months.
The most important thing is they all get the same benefits as if they were breastfed. It was comforting to know that they were getting the nutrients. Although they were not on the boob my milk still changed for their needs. Kissing their foreheads will send the same messages to your milk. That was one of the cool facts I learned through all of my research.
This next one is kind of person to person whether it happens or not, but for me I always lost weight. Every time I started breastfeeding I would lose a decent amount of weight which was always nice. Oh and not to mention I got to eat or drink whatever and however much I wanted. It truly didn't matter what I ate. I never gained weight I just kept losing. Now I think that partially had a lot to do with how much milk I was making, but hey you were not going to hear me complain about it... that is for sure.
I loved my journey with pumping in the end and chose to do it again with my second baby. I think that it challenged me and pushed me further than I ever thought possible. It taught me a lot about what I am capable of.
