Success from reducing pumping 3 times a day to 2?

chaser61

Hello from September 2015 moms,

Sorry to cross over here but I am looking for advice from moms who have been back to work a little longer and have been breastfeeding / pumping. I returned to work three weeks ago and LO is 16 weeks. I pump about 5 ounces during each of my three sessions (away from LO about 9 hours). LO eats 9 to 11 ounces everyday so I freeze anywhere from 6 to 4 ounces everyday. I am thinking about reducing my pumping sessions from 3 to 2 but I am afraid to tank my supply or maybe he will want to eat more? Le Leche leaders recommended another week (month of pumping) to make sure I get through the 4 month growth spurt. Have any of you successfully cut out a pumping session and kept up supply? Did you get the same amount or a little less? By how much?

Knottie1459358632

I haven't dropped my pumping so I'm not much help, but any that I have frozen (about 150 oz) goes to daycare or I use it to make his baby food! I don't know if you plan on making any food for your babe (it's surprisingly super easy cheap and quick) but if you do, it's a good way to make sure he's still getting that important milk in his food when he cuts down on nursing sessions in leui of replacing it with solids

chaser61

Great tip! I would hate to throw away all of that milk.

Knottie1459358632

Or you can always donate it to a milk bank for preemies

chaser61

I was looking into that the other day!

princesslockness

I would be very careful with changing anything in your pumping schedule. I just tried to change the times of one of my pumps, and my supply dropped. As in, it became non existant.