Oversupply, Engorgement and Green Poop

The first week of pumping breast milk I became a pompous ass. I just wanted to show off how much I was able to produce and pump. Not to anyone in particular, at home there’s only me, the babies, hubby and parents. I just wanted to prove nothing to no one. There was so much milk I leaked constantly, going through breast pads and bras and t-shirts all day.

Anyway, I was pumping between 6-8 ounces every 2-3 hours. So much pride. The fridge was filled with bottles of breast milk. I thought, no way will the baby be able to drink all this… I thought about donating. I bought storage bags.

And then my left breast became engorged.

It was hard and full, and the pain was intense. I couldn’t walk without cringing. I got the chills and was constantly cold, even in our tropical weather and a sweater. So I pumped one ounce every two hours, took a long warm shower and expressed and massaged. By the next morning I was better.

Googled engorgement. Found out it’s a result of oversupply. Realized I was over-pumping. Started pumping less. Much less.

Baby pooped green.

Googled green poop. Found out the baby was drinking too much low-calorie foremilk and not enough awesome hind milk. So I pumped one ounce from each breast, threw that away, then continued pumping and fed that to baby.

Yellow poop!

Baby drank more than I could pump. All the milk in the fridge finished. Had to supplement with formula a couple times. Milk suddenly decreased dramatically. Started to cry due to former pompous ass of self. Found out that part of breast pump was broken. Replaced part. All good. Pump and drink. Pump and drink. Happy mama happy baby.

The end.