Working moms or mom's with weird schedules - bf'ing question...

kjr

I breastfed my son while I was on maternity leave, and then when I went back to work I nursed him in the morning and in the evenings.  Other than that, he took a bottle.  And that only lasted for a few weeks after I went back to work and then he was bottle fed.
I couldn't pump consistently at work because my schedule is always different.  I am an attorney and in court a lot.  Some days I don't make it back into the office until late in the afternoon, some days I am back by 10:30 am.  And if I am in trial, I may not be in the office at all the whole week.

Did any of you have a weird schedule like that and still manage to bf? 
I would like to try with this baby, but I am not going to stress out about it.  I would just like to give it a try.  Is there a way that I could still bf him at night and early in the morning without pumping during the day? 

Thanks!

Fluffy

I have a completely unpredictable schedule.  I pumped in bathrooms, in the car, wherever I could for as long as I could - not always as long as I wanted, but so be it.  And I pumped at night as well.  And when I was with my son I BFed as much as possible.  It was fine and not any more stressful than it would have been with a more predictable schedule, I think.

kjr

Fluffy:

I have a completely unpredictable schedule.  I pumped in bathrooms, in the car, wherever I could for as long as I could - not always as long as I wanted, but so be it.  And I pumped at night as well.  And when I was with my son I BFed as much as possible.  It was fine and not any more stressful than it would have been with a more predictable schedule, I think.

Thanks for sharing!  That is reassuring.

Did you just keep a cooler bag with you to store the milk in? 

GreenEggs&Ham

my schedule is crazy too.  and like above I have pumped in a variety of places. bathrooms, airplane bathrooms, in the car while i was driving (if you are on a highway, this isn't as hard as it sounds).

 

as long as you can pump most everyday, an occassional day or two of NOT being able to won't kill your supply.

 

for my first - i was also out of town at least 3 nights/month - just adding to the complexity of it all. Yes, I carried a cooler bag (black, looked like a purse) and always requested a fridge in my hotel room.

 

i EBF for 12+ months each of my babies. to me, it was worth the rigamorall!

kjr

Well this is all good to hear!  With my first my attitude was just "I can't do it" but this time around I am really thinking I can!  Or at least I want to try harder. 

marrymemylove

I was an attorney though not a litigator. After 3-4 months you should only have to pump every 3-4 hours. Surely you can go to the bathroom that often if you need to so you should get to pump instead (note I'm not saying pump IN the bathroom). Most courts I know of have private rooms you can use with permission, I'd just seek out a friendly bailiff and work something out.

Yes it is a pain ?to lug all the stuff around.

Also you might need domperidone to keep your supply up.?