Pumping is a BEEYOTCH!!

I have nothing but total admiration, respect and awe for those mommies out there who are pumping their breast milk or have pumped their breast milk in the past. I am just trying to pump enough to make little breast milk ice cubes to mix in with some rice cereal for Mariele. About 20 minutes of pumping this morning yielded me about 3.5 ounces!! The milk was coming, but very slowly. I am using a handheld single Avent pump. Anyway, the milk I pumped this morning filled 6 ice cube tray compartments (they are supposed to be 1 ounce servings per compartment). I am going to pump a little every morning to try to get used to it. There is definitely a technique to using those little manual pumps.

So I guess I should have said first that I am planning to start Mariele on rice cereal within the next few days. Her ped gave us the go ahead at her 4 month appointment, but he said it would be fine to wait until 6 months since she is thriving so well on my breast milk alone (chubby thighs hee hee)! Well, lately she is so interested when we are eating. She is grabbing at our food and salivating even more profusely than she normally does. I guess I'm starting to feel bad that we are all eating in front of her. So I will try a little rice cereal with her (no more than once per day for awhile).