Pump, Pump, Pump IT UP!

Originally written on May 23, 2006 . . .

Yesterday I was feeling discouraged because the nurses in the NICU told me that I brought in "too much milk." I'm pumping about 24-32 bottles a day (3-6 bottles at each session and I pump about 8x per day). They showed me my storage supply and it fills up 2 shelves in their freezer. They told me they have "never" seen a mother of a premature baby pump so much milk and that I have enough milk there to feed the entire nursery for 3 months. They started suggesting that I donate some of my milk to a milk bank. So they said that I could not bring in any more breast milk and I had to take home some of the milk I had stored there. My freezer is full, my mother's freezer is full, and we don't have a deep freezer so where is this milk going to go? They also told me that they could only supply me with 8-10 bottles a day, so now we have to go out and buy some of the plastic milk storage bags (which aren't as good as the bottles). I guess I'm sensitive now, so I just came home and cried. I felt reject and criticized. Then to make matters worse, they tried to imply that my milk was making the baby gassy. When I do my 5am pumping my milk supply is highest so I'm able to pump enough milk to feed the baby for 2 days (6 bottles, they can only use 3 so I have to freeze 3). Eric takes this milk into the hospital by 6am each morning so the baby is now getting fresh milk each day instead of frozen milk that has been thawed. So now I have to be the "gas" police. Any tips on eliminating gas producing foods? I'm willing to do whatever it takes so that Ayinde can have fresh milk (I've read it's better for him and that my body is constantly updating my milk with antibodies. So as I go to visit him in the NICU, my body is producing antibodies to the germs in the NICU and I can pass this protection on to my son via the breast milk. A woman's body is AWESOME!!!)