Need pumping advice...

RedMar

I've scoured the pumping thread and am interested in your opinions...

I'm headed back to work in a couple weeks and am trying to decide if I can get away with exclusively pumping 4x per day without killing my supply. I plan to incorporate formula here and there if LO is demanding more to eat.
Also, it is important that I keep my period away for as long as possible as I have a history of endometriosis.
I know everyone's different. but I'm wondering what are your thoughts and/or experiences with this?

Taymiller

I pump 4 times a day and struggle with supply every so often. 4 times a day has worked for me so far. This far into the game our supplies are pretty well regulated so I would say you should be ok.

lest12

I'm in the same exact situation and hoping that 3 30-minute pumping sessions during the 9 hours I'm away from LO will yield enough to cover it (I'll still nurse when I'm home).

I get a little anxious because, you know, only time will tell and I can't control or even predict the sitiation.


I'm wonderimg if I'll get my period when I start pumping more. I'm on the other side, though, I'd like to start TTC but am not ovulating yet. I'm looking at the possibility of ovulating as the silver lining of going back to work. Kind of sad, right?

twistsandturnsto2

kaysa2 said:

Four times a day led to an increase in supply for me.  Three times a day finally decreased it.

Interesting! I have noticed a change in my boobs and pumping output lately(I'm an EPer) and have wondered how/when/if I could start cutting out pumps without hurting my supply. I am also prone to clogs so I am a bit wary of cutting out pumps

OP- good luck!

RedMar

@twistsandturnsto2‌ - I'm also prone to clogs (have had mastitis 3x in the past 4 mos, yuck!). Do any of you find that pumping (vs nursing) makes your ducts more likely to clog?

meritsamomma

I'm down to 4X a day (EPing) and have seen a 3-6 oz bump in supply. Attempted cutting down to 3X a day yesterday and it dulled a bit so I'm thinking I'll stick to 4.
I try to make sure I completely drain every session which sometimes means 40-50 min sessions but it's how I keep the clogs away.

Stevens627

I pump 4 times a day but they are not evenly spaced out.  i go about 10 hours at night without pumping and every 4 hours or so during the day.  When i started pumping i pumped 8 times a day and have been able to slowly cut out pumps without too much of a loss in supply.  I tried to go down to 3 pumps and my supply goes way down. I made like 10 oz less a day.  

How many times do you pump or bf a day now?  If its 7 or 8 times a day i would slowly start dropping pumps every week until you get where you want to be.

Stevens627

njbabymama  You should try pumping longer and pressing the let down button on your pump if you have one.  i can usually get a couple more let downs after the initial one.  After the first let down milk wont come out for a few minutes & then it will start spraying again.  

jacksoha

I'm gone from LO about 7 1/2 hours and I only pump twice. I noticed my supply was dropping so I've added a third pumping session at 5am before she wakes up. It sucks but my supply has defintely increased and I'm getting more than enough to feed her when I'm gone.

irenewslee

I pump 5 times a day and twice at work.  I'm usually away from LO for about 9 hours during the week.  I want to cut it down to 4 but I'm too afraid that it will hurt my supply.  My supply has gone down for quite a bit (about 5oz per day) since I went back to work.  LO gets formula bottles 2-3 times a day, mostly at night. 

I press the let-down button at least once during each pumping session.  Usually 7-10 minutes into my session.

Stevens627

mullenem said:

njbabymama said:

@stevens627 thanks for the tip! I'll try that when I pump next.  How long do you typically wait before pushing the letdown button again?  I've only been pumping for a few weeks so I'm still figuring it all out.  I should really read that pumping thread, it's just intimidating since it's so long now

 

 

 

***Stuck in the quote box***

I'm not stevens but I push the letdown button around 7-8 minutes in and do breast compressions and can usually get another letdown and pump until I hit 15 minutes.

I do the same as this but i pump for 30 minutes.  I squeeze my boobs like lemons.

irenewslee

Stevens627 said:

mullenem said:

njbabymama said:

@stevens627 thanks for the tip! I'll try that when I pump next.  How long do you typically wait before pushing the letdown button again?  I've only been pumping for a few weeks so I'm still figuring it all out.  I should really read that pumping thread, it's just intimidating since it's so long now

 

 

 

***Stuck in the quote box***

I'm not stevens but I push the letdown button around 7-8 minutes in and do breast compressions and can usually get another letdown and pump until I hit 15 minutes.

I do the same as this but i pump for 30 minutes.  I squeeze my boobs like lemons.

Same here! I think my thumbs are permanently sore from all that massaging / squeezing.  That's the only way I can most of the milk out.  The hands free bra is not all that useful since I can't do anything else when pumping. 

Stevens627

irenewslee said:

Stevens627 said:

mullenem said:

njbabymama said:

@stevens627 thanks for the tip! I'll try that when I pump next.  How long do you typically wait before pushing the letdown button again?  I've only been pumping for a few weeks so I'm still figuring it all out.  I should really read that pumping thread, it's just intimidating since it's so long now

 

 

 

***Stuck in the quote box***

I'm not stevens but I push the letdown button around 7-8 minutes in and do breast compressions and can usually get another letdown and pump until I hit 15 minutes.

I do the same as this but i pump for 30 minutes.  I squeeze my boobs like lemons.

Same here! I think my thumbs are permanently sore from all that massaging / squeezing.  That's the only way I can most of the milk out.  The hands free bra is not all that useful since I can't do anything else when pumping. 

I bought a hands free bra and I hated it.  It was too constricting and couldn't get my hands in it. I use a sports bra that i cut holes into.  It's way more comfortable.

RedMar

@Stevens627‌ Exactly what I did! Works wonders!
To answer your question, I feed LO about 5x per day. In the morning I offer only one boob to him and pump the other bc I'm so engorged! I usually get 4+ oz.

tbmadeamistake

Granted it's been Twp years, but when I ep'd C, I pumped five times a day. When I woke up, three times at work, and right before bed. I had over supply, so that allowed me to meet her needs and freeze an extra bottle each day.

MrsRahl

This is a weird question but does anyone else find that one breast squirts more streams of milk than the other? My right breast has many streams and my left only 2...

augustusgoose

MrsRahl said:

This is a weird question but does anyone else find that one breast squirts more streams of milk than the other? My right breast has many streams and my left only 2...

Mine does the same thing, except it's my left is the squirter.

Does your LO spit up after BF? Mine does when BF and BM bottles, but not with formula.

RedMar

Yes he spits up after each feeding. Not sure about formula yet...

frenchchocolate611

MrsRahl said:

This is a weird question but does anyone else find that one breast squirts more streams of milk than the other? My right breast has many streams and my left only 2...

I was going to ask the same thing!! My right side always ends up filling up so much faster haha. I am glad I am not the only one who noticed that....

frenchchocolate611

Stevens627 said:

mullenem said:

njbabymama said:

@stevens627 thanks for the tip! I'll try that when I pump next.  How long do you typically wait before pushing the letdown button again?  I've only been pumping for a few weeks so I'm still figuring it all out.  I should really read that pumping thread, it's just intimidating since it's so long now

 

 

 

***Stuck in the quote box***

I'm not stevens but I push the letdown button around 7-8 minutes in and do breast compressions and can usually get another letdown and pump until I hit 15 minutes.

I do the same as this but i pump for 30 minutes.  I squeeze my boobs like lemons.

Me too - I think this really helps a lot but it is killing the skin on my boobs. They are so dry and the skin is starting to flake off because I have been squeezing/massaging so much. It is kind of gross.

izzetoot

Loving this thread…

Ive just noticed over the last few days that my supply has greatly decreased and I thought it was bc I was drying up.  I pump 4 x a day for 20 m and BF for MOTN  and we supplement with formula so we are about 75/25 milk/formula.  I started my period last month and produced practically nothing for 3 days but then it came back.  I started eating oatmeal every mooring and that also helped with my supply.  Last night and this morning combined I only got 3 oz TOTAL and cried.  Im on my period again so Im hoping all goes back to normal in a few days.  

I also noticed that when I BF for MOTN he falls asleep at the boob and wakes back up within an hour wanting more milk.  But if I give him a 4 oz bottle, he sucks it down and sleeps longer.  Anyone else dealing with these issues?

lest12

@izzetoot‌ - I'm ebf-ing right now but have noticed that LO dozes off during that last feeding and I think that's part of him waking up, too.

I should just give him a bottle but pumping at night for me is brutal.