Pumping at work question

OKitty

Hi ladies! I'm headed back to work next week. EBF has been going great for us and I have a solid freezer stash built up! Yay!
My question is in regards to shift work: I'll be working 12 hr nights twice a week. As a nurse I'm not always guaranteed set pumping times, but do have 2 15 min breaks plus lunch break to pump during. Considering LO goes 4-5 hour stretches at night, those breaks should be enough, right? Also, would you pump both sides at each session even if LO only takes one side for our feeding sessions?
Boy, that's clear as mud, right?! LOL! TIA!

opheliainwaders

OK, so first of all, you should definitely be pumping both sides every time you pump - if you're working in a hospital, see if you can have access to a hospital-grade pump. If not, get a double-electric through your insurance.

For me personally, 15m breaks would NOT have been enough time enough to pump - to meet DD's needs, I needed to pump both sides for 20 minutes - add in 5 minutes at the beginning and end to get organized/put milk away, and each pumping break needed to be 30 mins. YMMV, but I think you probably need to discuss this with your supervisors - by law, they need to make reasonable accommodation for you to pump, so perhaps you can arrange to organize the pumping sessions around the times when you would otherwise take a break, but add the additional 15 min?

Also, I think it's OK if you don't have TOTALLY set times to take pumping breaks, but you are going to be uncomfortable if they aren't at roughly the same time each night. And, FWIW, I produced better for the pump when I could pump on a general schedule (as in, it didn't have to be AT 1:00, but it needed to be sometime between 1 and 2).

Hope that helps!

OKitty

Thanks ladies. You've given great advice! I had been wondering if I should get up and pump during the day, maybe right when I get home (or stop at the MILs and feed) and perhaps when I get up at 1. That would be a 5 hr stretch. I guess it'll be trial and error.
I hear from my other coworkers that going Part time helped keep their supply up, especially when you can get 7-8 day stretches off and EBF at home.
I guess I can always resume my extra AM pumping session on my days off and/or fenugreek, etc if I see a supply drop. I feel confident that we'll be able to keep going!

heathera1979

Following... When I go back it will be 3- 12th night shifts, so very similar issue

Kfran84

You can do it! My friend EP'd for her baby for 14 months! She's an L&D nurse who was working the same sched as you.

I have no advice because my work set up is so different than yours, but I just wanted to throw in my helpful anecdote there. 

opheliainwaders

Also, my other advice is - if you have any issues pumping (I never responded quite as well to the pump as to DD nursing), Then whenever you have the option of nursing vs. pumping, choose nursing!

OKitty

Thanks @quinncat‌! That's kinda my plan as well. I hate being behind on charting too! Working nights in a smaller hospital should help; there's only 6 on staff during the night. Unfortunately our pump room is off in BFE-spooky-dark radiology, so I'll pry just hijack a pt room and pump/chart.

Lena122

I work a 12 hour rotating shift as a police officer. I pump 3 times at night even if DD only eats once during that time period because the milk I pump at night goes to DC the next day. For the first month or so I'd wake up about 4 hours after going to sleep during the day to pump and then try to go back to sleep and then pump 4 hours later. That became really difficult for me because I wasn't getting enough rest so I dropped the middle of the day pump. Not I sleep about 7 hours during the day without pumping until I wake up. Thankfully it didn't affect my supply and my freezer stash has been enough to make up for a defecit.

OKitty

Reporting in to say the first night was a success. I was able to feed at 530 before leaving home. Had a chaotic shift and didn't have a chance again until 1030p. Then was quiet after so I got away again at 0130 and 0430. Good since LO is eating every 3 hrs at night! Pry will feed first thing at home around 0730 and sleep til 1200 or 1. We can do it guys!
Oh and our hospital has a Medela Symphony just for staff use in the lactation room! Sweet! Now I just need to get membranes for it so I can use it instead of my PISA!

opheliainwaders

Awesome! That sounds great - I'm  glad it went well. And I the Symphony - it's the BEST.