back to work. vent.

kelli&dave

so. here goes. i've recently gone back to work :0(  kind of sad about it, but unfortunately it's absolutely necessary. so far, things have been going pretty smoothly. i've been nursing my son right before dropping him off with my parents or mother in law, then going home to pump right before leaving for work.  i know that by law i have to be given pumping breaks, but i am a waitress and taking multiple long breaks during my shift is proving to be difficult. both for me and my employer.

i haven't really had any issues until today because most days i work very short shifts. 4 hours or so. after about 3 hours of being there i am "cut" and no longer being assigned any more tables. i finish up taking care of the guests i am responsible for, then take 20 minutes or so to pump before starting my "sidework" (basic cleaning/stocking duties that are required to be done before the end of the shift.) the sidework usually takes less than and hour, then i head home to my little guy. however, today was different... i was due in at 3:30 instead of the usual 6:00 start time because of the holiday. i fed him at 2, took him to my parents' house then pumped around three. it was SO busy tonight and i didn't get time to take a break until 9:00. i pumped for 15 minutes and just was not getting anywhere. less than 1 oz after 6 hours. i was discouraged but had to get back to work. finally finished up around 11 and got the little one home. dad said he went to sleep around 8 and he didn't wake up on the way home. i didn't want to wake him to nurse, so i just put him right back to bed and pumped and pumped and pumped.

i've never gone this long without nursing or pumping. i have a single electric pump so i pumped 15 minutes, then switched sides. i did this for an hour and expressed about 7 oz. my breasts still feel so full but i was just not pumping anymore so i stopped. i pumped nearly as much as he ate while i was away (he had almost 10 oz, i pumped about 9 all together)

i guess my question is, how often does this need to happen before it starts screwing with my milk supply? i'm so nervous it will happen again. possibly tomorrow. and i do not want to stress about it like i did tonight. i was a wreck.

sorry this was so long and all over the place. 9 hours away from my boy was just awful and i'm kind of a mess worrying about this.

kelli&dave

i have asked other servers to take over in the past. usually it is not a problem, but last night was new years eve. my coworkers were just as busy as i was. it's not like i didn't try.

even though this isn't a regular occurrence, i'm still curious as to why i was only pumping drops after 6 hours. i've never gone that long between feeding/pumping. i was expecting niagara falls. was it really just because i was stressed? i always do my best to try to relax (deep breaths, thinking of my son or looking at pictures or videos, massaging while pumping etc), but usually it just seems that when i'm pumping at work, i can't get out of the "work" mindset. even on less stressful shifts, my output doesn't seem to be as much as it should be. does anyone have any tips?

VitaLuna

I'd really try to get a double electric. If money is an issue, you can probably find a brand new one on craigslist (I think a lot of people are getting them with insurance and selling them).

When I'm stressed about pumping, I have a lot of trouble with letdown. Try covering yourself with a blanket so you're not watching and stressing more about what is/isn't coming out.

kelli&dave

i actually just found out that my insurance WILL cover a double pump. which is very exciting :0)  i never thought something like this would be covered, but a friend recently told me to check. called my doc's office yesterday for a prescription, getting the ball rolling on getting a better pump. i'm hoping that helps me.

& as of right now, pumping is very much a hands on experience for me. lol. but when i do start using a double pump i will definitely start using a pumping bra. 

also, covering with a blanket DOES really help. i figured this out for myself, accidentally. i would usually just stare at the pump and keep checking the markings on the side of the bottle. it made me so anxious. but one day i was pumping at home and the pump was just kind of covered with the sweater i was wearing and i payed no attention to it. i pumped 4 oz in 7 or 8 minutes, which is unheard of for me.

surpriseaddition

This may seem rediculous, but I close my eyes and try to visualize water flowing....like a waterfall, or water moving through an hourglass and that helps me turn off work in my mind, and I can letdown. I'm a teacher and also have to go a good 4 1/2 hours from when I finish nursing my LO in the morning to when I can pump....and it's a short timeframe before I have to get my students again. Pumping in a stressful, limited time situation is tough, but it can be done! So glad to hear about your insurance covering your pump! Mine did too, and the double electric is really key when you have limited time. Also, I don't use a hands free pumping bra....just my normal nursing one, and for me, I do get good output without the bra. I just sit and hold the bottles.