Written by Danielle McGee

This past Saturday was my one year “Pumpiversary” for my twin girls who were born prematurely and had Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) stage 4. I’m happy to say they are not only survivors, but they are thriving!!My girls were born at 31 weeks and 2lbs 6oz, and 2lb 7oz.

We can’t handle the matching adorableness. #FedIsBest

They really are medical miracles, as they had a very slim chance of surviving the emergency laser ablasion surgery on my placenta and amino reduction at 26 weeks needed to maintain my pregnancy. For me, pumping for them was my way of knowing I could give them the fair shot that they deserved after such a difficult time during my pregnancy. With my hard work and consistent reminder of why I pumped, and a good supply, they have thrived on my milk.

Pumping for 2 babies this past year has yielded all different types of emotions for me:

• Happy because I have been an over-producer and donated many times to Prolacta (milk bank) and other preemie babies in the NICU. I’ve been able to give my girls the best shot I can despite their rough and early entrance into life and their 2-month-long NICU stay.
• Frustrating because it is the most inconvenient thing in the world. The middle of the night pumping, the screaming babies who want to be held but can’t because mommy is hooked up to her pump, and me traveling everywhere with a pump and always having to whip it out or leave somewhere early, just to keep my supply going.

I could go on and on about how hard and rewarding pumping has been, but I do know it was all worth it, feeding my preemie girls breast milk as breast milk was the best thing I could do for them. I am currently slowly weaning from the pump and I am down to two pumpings a day because I’m dropping ounces by the day. What used to be 90ish ounces daily is now closer to 30 ounces.

In my case, I chose to pump because even though my babies latched, I had too much milk and too strong of a flow for them. I couldn’t nurse them without them choking, and nursing never felt natural for me. But I never allowed myself to feel guilty for not nursing at breast. My girl’s health is totally worth the sweat and tears of pumping for (according to my app) a total of 23 days, 19 hours, and 15 minutes! 

For you moms who are new, seasoned, or on the brink of giving up with their feeding plan, I encourage you to do what works best for you!  It has by far been one of the hardest journeys I’ve ever been on but as it’s coming to an end, I am SO GLAD I just stuck with it and made it to my one-year goal.  I want to give a shout out, to all of the ladies who have helped me along in this journey in my exclusively pumping Facebook support group.  I swear some of their kind words got me through some of my darkest times.  PUMP ON MAMAS!

Danielle McGee is owner at TwinDaisy Designs and is the proud mama of two beautiful girls, who together are celebrating their “Pumpiversary” this month. Per Danielle, the girls are developmentally on track or ahead of all milestones to the delight of their pediatrician!