EPers

laurenmmc

Are there any EPers still at it?  I'm killing myself - I pump three times a day at work:  9 am, noon, 3 pm.  Then when I get home at 6 pm.  I wake up at midnight and 5 am to pump and then nurse for 10-15 minutes again at 6 am.  And my supply just keeps going down.  I went from getting 4-5 ounces at a pumping session to only 3 per session.  Meanwhile DD is upping her intake to 6 ounces a feeding.  I'm starting to wonder if its really worth the effort.  Is this just an inevitable side effect of EPing?  Or do some women successfully pump for 6 months to a year?  I'm going to post on the breastfeeding board too....

 Also, I've been back at work and doing this schedule for 6 weeks now... 

Cristin23

How much water are you drinking at work?

I'm still pumping, but not that much. I pump in the morning (8:30) then in the afternoon (2:00) then in the evenings before I go to bed.

For some reason my supply is always hit or miss. For example, LO ate right before I went to bed last night, so I didn't pump because I was just so exhausted. I pumped this morning and got more than 12 oz, then at 2 I got 7 oz. but when I pumped yesterday I got maybe 15 oz total. The more I think about it, yesterday I drank a TON of water which probably directly correlated to todays pumping.

 I also cannot diet-the moment I try to cut down on my food intake, my supply nosedives. I'm not gaining any weight, but I still have about 25 pp lbs I need to lose.

 I do get enough for LO to have 3-6 oz bottles a day.

LeeLee527

Mine has taken a nosedive, too. I'm pumping 4 times a day and getting maybe 16 oz. I'm also back on regular bc so I figure that has caused my supply to go down as well. I'm trying to up my water and calorie intake to get more milk, but I'll be supplementing soon if it doesn't work. I still have a few things of frozen milk I pumped a few weeks ago when my supply was up.

nkberg

I'm still going.  I pump at 6 a.m., 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.  I get about 18 oz total from my first morning pump and then 8-10 oz total each other pump session.  I notice my supply goes down if I don't drink enough water. 

Have you tried fenugreek yet?

dcivic33

I'm pumping every 4 hours and my supply is still good. I pump enough to freeze about 6-10 oz a day, but I haven't returned to work yet. I have contemplated cutting back on my pumping because I don't have any more room in my freezer for milk. I probably have about a month supply. So, I don't know how that will change once I go back in 2 weeks. GL!

moyolehuani

I've been pumping for 17 weeks. 4 weeks on the job.
My supply varies but I believe rest, water and calories help. I plan on going a full year. I'm rooting for you!

BeetleLinz1125

I'm still going...I am so effing determined to make it one year.  I did not plan on pumping, but I actually don't mind it.  Do you have any in your stash that could feed LO a nighttime feeding so  you could maybe get some rest?  I think maybe some stress is affecting your supply...try to get some rest and have your SO feed LO for at least one night...it might help more than you realize.

Good luck and keep at it! 

LynsiBHM

Not EPing, but I do nurse or pump every few hours. My supply has tanked over the last month.  I've tried all the common "tricks" and if I hear "supply and demand" or fenugreek one more time i'll vomit.

We supplement now, but I will keep pumping until there's nothing left.