Hi all!
Just my own personal story regarding pumping.  When my little one, Ben, was
born last Aug., I anticipated no probs with BF, after all I'd done it once
with no probs, so...
Wrong!  Ben destroyed my nipples because he wouldn't take the nipples back
far enough in his mouth and he has a 'bubble' palate in the extreme (runs in
the family, though his is the worst).  Within one week left breast had
serious plugged ducts and the thought of putting him on that breast was
excrutiating.  I took him off that breast and tried pumping with a store
bought pump.  It was better than nothing, but not by much.  By the end of the
2nd week, the right nipple was so damaged that infection had set in.
 Needless to say when my OB saw my condition he was shocked.  All he could
say was, "Oh dear".  I was told not to put Ben back to breast because of the
extensive damage, to get in touch with an LC immediately and get a 'real'
pump  to use.  I was a wreck!  I found Karen Evon, who was also shocked by my
condition.  Left nipple was half gone, right nipple had a crater.  I was in
such bad shape that I could only use the hand pump by M_____ for a few
minutes at a time.  I soon developed bi-lateral mastitis that refused to go
away.  It lasted for, believe it, 5 months.  I took 3 different types of
antibiotics, alternately, took herbs to help my immune system, and pumed
every 2 hours daytime, and every 4 at night, to avoid abcessing.  I was very
sick, very tired and was taking forever to heal.  When I had healed to the
point that we thought we could put baby back to breast, we did.  Within 3
days I was a mess again.  More of the left nipple was gone, and the crater in
the right nipple was almost 3/8 in. deep.  More pumping. I hated it but had
no choice but to do it.  I wanted my baby to have breast milk, and though
everyone thought I was nuts, I wanted to be able to BF my kid!  I met with
Chele Marmet, and she figured out why Ben was doing so much damage.  Then
began the suck training, and finger feeding.  I was overwhelmed and a basket
case emotionally, but I still had to pump every 2 hrs etc. to avoid abcess.
 AARRGGHH!  Finally at the end of Oct. (This all started 1st wk of Sept.) I
was able to put Ben back on right breast.  Success!  With extreme caution and
awareness of positioning of Ben we were able to nurse, finally, with no pain
or trauma. (We were all afraid that Ben would not go back to breast because
he had been taking my milk in a bottle for 2 1/2 months .  Little fart had no
confusion!  He knew what he wanted!)  After 2 days, he refused the bottle of
milk I was giving him as a supplement to the BF.  But I was still having to
pump every 2 hrs on the left breast and nurse Ben frequently on the right
because I was still fighting the matitis. By the 17th of Dec.  I was able to
finally put Ben back on the left breast.  I was also able to get rid of that
pump!
The mastitis cleared up with in a week of having Ben nurse both breasts, go
figure.
While going through all this, I surprisingly had an incredible milk supply!
 Because of the frequent pumping that was necessary , I  had more milk than
Ben could have possibly used, and I ended up donating 1040 oz (that's 8 Gal.
2 cups) to the Milk Bank for research use.  (it had antibiotics in it so
couldn't be used for babies :(  )  I was able to pump very effectively and
would have 2-4 MER's at each pumping.  However, after Ben and I became a
successful BF couple, the pump's no longer worked as they had before.  When
Ben actually sleeps through the night, now, and I wake up extremely full, my
hand pump is almost useless.  I even tried an electric pump, and nothing.
 Thank goodness I can work at home and don't have to pump, or I'd be in
serious trouble!  Hand expression, for me, is a joke.  I've tried and tried,
but my breasts seem to say, "Yeah, right!  If you think we're letting
anything out of here, you're nuts!"
I'm sorry for being so long winded, (or fingered) but I can relate to people
who have a hard time with pumps and those who don't.  And those who don't
sometimes need to be reminded that everyone's situations are different, and
not everyone can do what they can.  Not everyone who goes through what I went
through could have made it.  I'm not sure I could do it a second time if put
in that position again.
This whole experience is what caused me to change directions in my life and
want to become an LC.  I want to be able to give women the support they need
to BF their kids.  And I'm sorry if I've gone on forever here and if I sound
like I'm feeling sorry for myself.  I really don't.  I look at this as a
learning experience, and boy did I learn a lot!.  This is the first time I've
been able to put this all down on 'paper' and it's really been very
thereputic.  As I sit here, I wonder if I should even send this out, but I
think I will, the tears tell me I should.  I guess I haven't really dealt
with this yet.  But this helps a lot.
Totally off the subject of simple pumping, but....
Thanks for listening.  There really isn't anyone here (as far as family and
friends) who can appreciate what I went through, and those who know what I
went through thinks I was nuts for being so adamant.  They are the family and
friends who keep telling me that BF isn't that big of a deal, and if you
can't BF, so what.  Formula is just as good... <sigh>  Poor ignorant fools.
Enough, Jay.  It's late and your nose is running.  :o Now hit that
flashsession button and get this out there!
Janet.
Learning the hard way is my way of living!