[Fruitcake]

Okay so i received my breast pump yesterday and was very eager to get started! 

I found it so difficult to get the cups to stay. I kept losing suction, tried all the methods ie lie down bend forwards etc. The only thing that worked is pumping one breast at a time and keep hold of the cup. It did gradually get easier but boy was it a struggle! Also when i tried pumping both at the same time i wasnt feeling any suction hence doing it individually.

Managed 15 mins each breast no massage before had although i did drink water before and during. I did end up with some unexpected pleasant swelling which has gone from everywhere else but has stayed at the underboob of my smaller breast!! A bit quick for results to last but im not complaining!! This is like 15 hours later! I dont know what to expect this early into the programme but i noticed that my breasts looked wider after pumping. Im currently a loose 32A using medium domes which i think was the right choice. Cant wait to pump again tonight but will try doing it for longer.
Noogleberry has become my new guilty pleasure!
Hope it works!!

[Fruitcake]

Also, ive had a dull ache all day in my breasts..

[solome]

hi fruitcake  ..the aching sounds normal. i remember the very first time i used the breast pumps, afterward, i swore i could feel all my internal breast anatomy stretched outwards. it was really weird. that was the only time i felt it, though. now, i just have to be careful not to overdo it. i mean, really, it is possible to do some damage if you pump too much and so i've read from others, it isn't necessary cuz, as i've read, your body tissue will still move ..or grow ..toward the direction of relief into the negative pressure.

[Fruitcake]

Thanks for that solame- i dont think i overdo it and as i have read with other pumper my breasts dont turn purple.

One of the reasons i dont overdo it is because i have just recommenced birth control pills and my breasts are already aching with that. Im using them to lighten my periods not for anything else so i cannot think to put extra pressure in my breasts.they still seem to swell though. Does bcp hinder progress at all? Ive been on cilest on and off for past 14 yrs and my breasts never grew with taking them but now im experiencingpains similar to growing pains even before i started noogleberry.

How do keep the cups on without losing suction? I cant get them to sit properly. My breasts fill about 3/4 of thr medium domes so i dont think i should have gone for a smaller size.

Any advice?

[solome]

there are others on this board who know much more than the mere general sense that i have but i can only tell you how i feel about birth control like cilest as an example. you probably already know this but i’m just going to repeat it …there are people in high places who care much more about their income and their shareholders than they do about customers like you and me. 

the steroids that our own bodies make can’t be patented but if a biologically estrogen or progesterone molecule can be altered a tiny bit then it becomes something else ..in the case of cilest, estradiol becomes ethinyl estradiol and progesterone become norgestimate which can now be owned exclusively. ethinyl estradiol is an incredibly powerful version of the real thing but on a cellular level, when it combines with a receptor, a lot of things happen and then other things happen and then other things and on and on ..there is a molecular cascade of downstream products just like there would be in our bodies with the bio-identical stuff but with the altered molecule, there are differences in the cascade and not all good. for instance, with ethinyl estradiol, symptomatically, there’s a much higher incidence of dvt, deep vein thrombosis cuz a lot of the downstream products are different than they would be, otherwise. in general, i think the whole idea of birth control through mucking with your homones just sucks.

anyway, those things worry me. lotus knows much more about this. i know a lot of us take this and there aren't widespread issues ..at least, not that would take it off the market, i'm just the type of person who shy's away from junk and processed foods and the emulsifiers, stabilizers, preservatives, coloring agents and on and on and lab rat cleaning products, and sugary drinks and all that so, i guess i may be overly cautious. i wouldn't pump if my breasts were swollen, either. maybe, lotus will chime in.

as far as the domes seating, you just have to practice, you know, it gets easier. find a nice massage oil. for me, once i get them seated and pumped up, i can't move around much or mine will unseat. also, if you're just starting, 15 minutes may be a bit much, i suppose, unless you're not taking too much air out of the domes and not putting your breasts under too much tension.

[bettie32]

Hi again Fruitcake, regarding the suction, like Solome said oil helps a lot. 
I've started using cocoa butter and I can tell the cups seal much better than when I don't use anything at all. 

Do you put the cups on sitting or lying down? I noticed it's easier to get them to stay lying down or propped on a couple of pillows.

[Thematrix]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm anticipating the noogleberry any day so it's great to hear of others experiences. How did it go after the first night?

[PrettyPunky]

You have to use a lot of oil to get them to stay suctioned! I pour about a quarter sized amount of apricot or avocado oil in my hand, rub my hands together and then spread it all over both breasts before pumping. Then the domes stay, but if i move my arms or do anything besides sit at the computer they come undone. 
Birth control is so bad for us. I used to have really (really) bad cramps and took it for that when I was young. Now I know there are plenty of reasons for bad cramps, like a mineral or magnesium deficiency, and a change in nutrition can greatly improve your cramp situation. Do not trust doctors on this topic. All western doctors have a conflict of interest while the drug companies bribe them with gifts and stock their shelves with free samples.

[Fruitcake]

I do prop myself on pillows as that is the only way i can get them to seat. I will try putting extra oil or maybe try the cocoa butter and see how that is tonight. I think for me the issue is i wait till my kids are asleep so that i am not disturbed but by that time im sleepy myself after a long day at work! But i want to persist with this. I did half an hour each breast last night and swelling remains for a few hours. Even after the swelling has gone my smaller breast doesnt seem as smaller as the onther one. its still early days but im hopeful.

The nipple covers dont remain stuck on so will try tape next time. I already have big nipples and quite like the size of them however dont want them getting any bigger!

With regards to BCP i agree with the comments however in the 14 years that i took them on and off i didnt have any problems. It is a last resort for me as my periods are so damn heavy. tried so many medication,next step for me would be endometrial ablation but i just want to wait until i hit menapause. I am not going to be taking them long term just a couple of months break from the dreaded period. 

I am taking pictures and when there is some permanent change might post them!

[bettie32]

I've read about some ladies heating up their breasts prior to pumping with a heating pad so I've started doing that too, to get the blood circulating even more.
I've also read about how wetness can help with the sealing/suction. So a warm wet cloth on the breasts to make them slippery before applying the cups. I'm going to try this out myself.

To be honest, I'm quite happy with the swelling, since I've started - even if temporary. I also have a hard time staying awake but we really need to be consistent! Might share pics one day too  Keep up posted!