Pump up the jam...

Pump it up
While your feet are stompin'
And the jam is pumpin'
Look at here the crowd is jumpin'...

That's the song that plays in my head when I pump.  That's right!  I'm pumping now!  I started last week with the intention of building up a stash of breastmilk so that Billy can start bottlefeeding Desmond while I'm at school.

Ideally, I would pump with an electric pump.  But those things are EXPENSIVE.  They run the gamut from about 200-300 bucks and come with a carrying case and all sorts of parts.  Since during my pregnancy I was on the student insurance at the U, I got limited benefits and the insurance company wouldn't cover any prescriptions (screw you, GM Southwest).  The fact that other insurance companies (Select Health, Blue Cross) paid for electric pumps if you have a prescription for them means that I've decided to switch.  I applied to Select Health and they denied me for a pre-existing condition.  God, I get so mad when I think about how screwed up our healthcare system is.  Rachael (my friend who lives in Canada), you're so damn lucky.  Billy and I have contemplated moving to Europe or Canada for the birth of our second kid (if there is one, mind you) strictly for the healthcare benefits.  I know that there are some drawbacks over there, but I consider $5,000 for a birth and currently being uninsured because of a preexisting condition a HUGE setback.

Thankfully, since Billy owns a business, he's able to get me on as his "domestic partner" without any preexisting condition exclusion.  It is about 140 dollars/month more expensive than I would have paid, but I don't have another choice.  Since open enrollment is in November, I am uninsured until then.

Once I do get insurance, though, I'm going to get that prescription and get me an electric pump.  Until then, I'm doing the manual pump.  And you know what?  It's not that bad.  It's not ideal and it takes some work, but it works well.  Christy had given me her old pump (an Avent manual pump), which is totally OK because you can take each part apart and wash it.  I wouldn't recommend using a hand-me-down electric pump, since you can't wash all the parts and there may be some contamination.  (Christy, feel free to correct me or add to this very limited explanation).

Funny thing: my left breast makes way more milk than my right.  I think.  I consistently get about 2 oz per pumping on my left and have only gotten about 1 oz per pumping on my right.  On my left, I can position the pump without a problem and go at it, but on my right, I constantly have to reposition it or else I get hickie marks around my nipple.  No joke.

Anyhow, I currently have about 6 oz frozen, of which I am very, very proud.  And yes, I have tasted it (so what?  It's not like I drink a cup of it, just a finger dip) and yes, it is very sweet.  I would say it's similar to vanilla soy milk. 

About 2.5 oz of breastmilk.  By the end of next month, I'll be sure to post a picture of my huge forearms.