A week with my Pumpin' Pals

momtolenny

Well, it hasn't been quite a week, but I have come to the conclusion that these flanges are GREAT! If you have any issues with the old style flanges from Medela, these might be your ticket to pain free pumping.

I got them last Saturday, and my nipples were swollen, sore, cracked, and rubbed raw. I put the pumpin pals directly in my medela connector and the moment I turned on the pump, I felt relief. I had read that it can take your breasts a little while to adjust to the way the work, and it is quite different than the regular flanges in that A LOT more of my breast is pulled into the tube, but it didn't hurt like just the nipple being pulled. AHHHHH!  I had also read that it can take up to a week for your output to get back to where it was, but it only took me about 3 days, and I was back to normal, and today I have actually pumped a little more.

My nipples are already looking better as the cracks have almost healed completely and aren't as swollen when I finish pumping. I have used both the large and medium with pretty much equal results, but the XL are just too big - OMG they are huge! I guess if you can't find a big enough medela flange, these would be fantastic. It seems weird, but I have actually turned my suction down some and getting a better flow, even though so much more areola is getting sucked on. I was playing around and turned it way up and it still didn't hurt, but my nipple was getting pulled too far into the tube and didn't really get that much more milk. They also work perfectly with my simple wishes bra and I don't need to lean forward at all.

Anyway, I am just giddy and I couldn't wait to share. I was literally ready to throw in the towel, but now I can see myself going a full year.