How to Fall in Love with Pumping

During the Month of Love, Here’s a List of Ways to Fall More in Love with Your Breast Pump

Pumping seems to be a one sided relationship. You put in time, energy, and money and it seems like so little comes out in return. So it’s natural to sometimes fall out of love a bit with the whole routine. In this post, we’re helping you fall back in love with pumping and with your breast pump so that you can continue working towards meeting your goals and showering your little one with ounces and ounces of liquid gold. 

BeauGen’s Tips to Help You Fall More in Love with Expressing Breast Milk

With February being the month of love, we want you to love what you’re doing. Below you’ll find a list of tips that can help make the experience more enjoyable, and give you more time with your little one. 

Visualize Your Valentine

Breast pumps are designed with a “let down” setting or mode that is designed to signal to your body that it’s time to express milk. You can work with your pump and help your body achieve a let down a bit easier by looking at photos or videos of your little one.

You’ve heard about moms leaking when they hear a baby crying? This happens for a reason! Your body is designed to meet your baby’s needs. So when your baby cries, your body goes into letdown mode naturally. If you are having trouble experiencing a letdown with your breast pump, try recording a few of your baby’s cries. For example when they’re hungry and when they are upset, their cry will be a little bit different. If you don’t have your phone handy, or prefer not to hear your baby crying, cute pictures work really well too!

Positive Affirmations 

Do you ever catch yourself psyching yourself up to do something big? Pumping is something big Mama! Along with photos and video of your little one, positive affirmations about your abilities as a mother and your decision to embark on this pumping journey can make a big difference. You can learn more about positive affirmations by clicking here.

Cover Your Bottles

Managing expectations versus reality is a major part of the transition into parenthood. And pumping is definitely one of these areas where expectations can lead to a big let down…emotionally not physically. One way to relax a little bit during each pumping session is to cover your bottles. This is helpful for moms who have actual bottles that attach to the flanges, which sit outside of your pumping bra more than it is for moms with wearables. 

Piping is like running on a treadmill. If you sit there and stare at the numbers it can cause stress or anxiety and make you feel like you aren’t getting anywhere. When it comes to pumping, even if there are no milk droplets falling into that bottle, you are still helping your body make more milk. 

Add Some Comfort

It’s difficult to love an uncomfortable situation. If pumping is uncomfortable, you aren’t stuck in a bad relationship. You can add in a bit of comfort with our Breast Pump Cushions! Made from soft stretchy plastic, with no latex, adding our cushions to your flange is like stealing a bit of cupid’s cloud for your pumping session. Add in a bit of food safe lubricant like coconut oil and it makes pumping even more comfortable. 

Love Notes

Write yourself and your little one a little love note with each breast milk storage bag you fill. Bust out some sharpies, draw some hearts, and add some notes of encouragement to your breast milk storage bag before you fill it. When you take the bag out at a later point in time to make a bottle, you’ll receive your sweet little love note!

The Boob Tube

Find a TV show that you really like and reserve watching an episode for when you pump. Episodes tend to be just long enough that you can watch an episode or two during a pump session. By limiting your enjoyment of this program to the times when you pump, you can start to look forward to pumping. Grab some water and a good snack, curl up and enjoy. 

Take a Few Moments to Take Care of Their Needs Before Hooking Up

Your bundle of joy can turn into a bundle of tears pretty quickly if they’re hungry, need a diaper change, or a good snuggle. Taking a few minutes to make sure they’re taken care of can minimize your interruptions and make pumping a bit more peaceful. 

Express Yourself

Sometimes the right clothing and accessories can make all the difference in how you feel. Some of our favorites for falling in love with pumping are the right bag, a solid bra, and mugs or water bottles. Every time you use one of these they can brighten your day just a little bit. 

Pump bag and storage options 

Lugging around all of the gear that you need for pumping is a chore in itself. Most bags are purely utilitarian, and often those that come with the pump aren’t that pretty. We find that being able to express yourself makes pumping more enjoyable. One of our absolute hands down favorite brands for pump bags that work and look great are Sarah Wells Breast Pump Bags. These babies look like designer handbags, feature built-in cold storage, and have pockets for days. Did we mention that they come in beautiful prints, colors, and solids? 

Better Bras and Clothing 

Stripping half naked and hoping no one interrupts you while you get set up isn’t the best experience. The right bras and clothing can make a huge difference in your pumping experience. 

Larken’s bras are designed to be a comfortable bra that you’ll love wearing all day. It looks great under your clothing and it doubles as a supportive pumping bra - meaning you don’t have to bare all in your office anymore. 

Feeling cute makes you feel like you can tackle anything. Breastfeeding and pumping clothing options have come a long way! Investing in some fashionable staples is a great way to give yourself a lift and help you fall in love with pumping.

We Heart Mugs

Lactation teas are a staple for many pumping mamas. Having a cute heart shaped mug makes this part of pumping pure bliss. Enjoy a hot beverage while you boost your supply, stay hydrated, or just treat yourself for making it another day. 

Water Bottle

We’re huge fans of fun water bottles here at BeauGen…so much so that we designed our own! If you are a pumping mom, staying hydrated is a must. When drinking enough water starts to feel like a chore, a pretty bottle can spice things up a notch. 

Add a Bit of Bling

Our last tip for falling in love with your pump is to actually make your pump look better! Some moms will use rhinestones to their pump to add a bit of frosting to their pumps. Others let their older kids add their favorite stickers. You can use nail art pens to doodle on your pump for a bit of colorful flair - there are so many great ways to add a bit of bling to your breast pump. 

Commemorate Your Journey

A great gift for yourself or a breastfeeding mom in your life is breast milk jewelry. You can send your milk away to be turned into beautiful custom jewelry, or get a kit to make your own at home! This sweet gift makes beautiful jewelry that carries a huge meaning for mom and baby!