250 yds BFL on a drop spindle. It’s so pretty and I’m so proud of myself! This is my first spin that I’m going to knit into something instead of giving it to my mom who weaves and can use my “art yarn” spins.
Definitely still some thick-and-thin spots, and I think what I’m looking at is that it’s a bit overspun/underplied. I would love feedback from folks who know more than me about how I can improve on the next spin. :)
I dunno, there’s just something kind of funny that even in crisis, life goes on and pumping still has to happen. I’m okay, my house is likely going to be okay, but it’s been a weird 24 hours.
Transitioning back to work has been harder than I expected. I think I spend more time with my pump than with my baby. I’m always worried about my supply because I’m undersupplying now, even though I used to make more than enough. I am physically and mentally exhausted all of the time. I have no energy to connect with my friends, and even if I had energy for it, I don’t know when I would find the time for it since I pump six times per day, so all I do is work, pump, and sleep. I don’t even feel the same rapport with my coworkers that I used to, since I have to spend all of my breaks pumping. When I was on leave pumping was kind of annoying, but it didn’t feel so completely isolating the way it does now that I’m back at work.
I’ve only been back a few weeks, and I know that sometimes it just takes time to settle into a new routine, so I’m giving it some time. If things still feel this off in another few weeks, I’ll start thinking about whether it’s time to wean a bit. I just wanted to take a minute to sit here and feel sad about things with people who get it.
Hi folks,
My new BabyBuddha pump arrived yesterday (my other pump is Lansinoh, but I wanted an extra I could keep at work). I’m confused about a couple of things:
- The flange is part of a bigger piece of the pump. This is so different than what I’m used to. Is there a way to use this with a pumping bra, or am I just going to have to hold the flanges in place?
- What replacement parts are compatible? I was looking at MayMom parts, but none of the sets I see listed say they are compatible with bb when they list pumps they are compatible with. And the parts that are intended for Spectra replacement or whatever look really different than the parts that came with the bb. What should I look for? Is it true that anything compatible with Spectra is cross compatible with bb even though the parts look really different?
Thanks in advance! Y’all are the best.
I’m starting back at work and am considering buying another pump so I can have a pump at work and at home and not have to cart one pump back and forth (I’m EPing because my baby is not successful at breast feeding.)
What I currently have: Lansinoh Smartpump 3.0 and Lansinoh Discreet Duo
Smartpump 3.0:
- battery power is nice so I’m not hooked into a wall
-seems to do a decent job of draining me, although it takes a while and I wonder whether a different pump might be able to do it faster
-The smallest flange size I can get from Lansinoh is 21 mm. This is what I’ve been using, but I suspect it still may be too big for me. Since Lansinoh isn’t one of the main pump brands, I have not found other manufacturers offering flanges that are compatible with my pump
-very easy to assemble and clean, not too many parts to fuss with
-finding the right setting is easy, and it automatically starts in stimulation mode and works its way up to the previous session’s setting in expression mode.
Discreet duo:
- I think maybe wearables just aren’t for me? My output with these seems to usually be about half of what I would get with my other pump. I only use these when I really have to (need to give the baby a bottle while pumping, etc.)
- I have very large breasts (Somewhere around a 36 H the last time I measured, which was before pregnancy). I wonder if something about the wearables just doesn’t work with the amount of breast tissue I have. I also wonder if there are pumps that are better/worse for larger breasts.
Pumps I’m considering: Spectra and BabyBuddha, as they both seem very highly recommended around here.
Spectra:
Pros: might empty me faster? Might be easier to try smaller flanges and see if those work better for me?
Cons: looks like the interface is very fussy and has complicated settings that you have to change several times during a pump session, also I read a post about the battery degrading if you leave it plugged in too long, so I might not be able to leave it plugged in to charge at work overnight. Although I suppose I could get the one that only plugs in and doesn’t have the battery.
BabyBuddha:
Pros: small and light, would be very easy to carry to and from the lactation room at work.
Cons: might have the same issue finding small-enough flanges that I have with Lansinoh, since there seem to be fewer third party parts for this brand.
Is there another brand I should be considering, given what I’m looking for? Other things I should be considering here?
Thanks in advance! 🐄
I still have a lot to learn, but I’m so pleased with how much my third mini-skein (right) has improved compared to my first two. I’m having so much fun with this, and spindling is the perfect thing for filling spare time on maternity leave without taxing my sleepy brain too much. And a bonus is that my baby is totally fascinated by watching the spindle spin.