- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
North Carolina Babies
BFing questions
I have more BFing questions. 
I pump 3 times at work (10a, 12:30pm, 2:30pm). I can't pump any later than 2:30pm because of my job. I get home at 7--we eat dinner and then I nurse Nate at 7:30pm. Most of the time he nurses well on both sides but at least 2 times during the work week he does not nurse well on both sides--he'll nurse on one side and be done. I realize that's fine for him calorie intake wise but I usually then pump on the side he didn't nurse on. WWYD? I think going from 2:30pm to 7 am (when he nurses in the morning) is too long to go??
On the weekends, we EBF and I don't pump if he doesn't nurse well at night but he's usually nursed at 4 or 5 pm before that.
On a separate note, I'd like to drop some pumping sessions and I'd like some opinions on what order to do them in. Nate is starting to drop a daytime feeding so I'd like to get down to only 2 pumps per day at work (10 and 2:30pm). I also want to drop the morning pump (I pump one side while he nurses on the other at the 7am feed). I have about 1000 ounces in the freezer and think by 8 or 9 mos of age I won't need to keep adding to the stash. ?
I'm thinking of dropping the daytime pump first and then working toward dropping the morning pump in a month or two. I'm thinking that dropping the morning pump will have more of an effect on my supply so I should hold on to it longer. Thoughts?
Sorry so long and thanks for the help!
Kim
This discussion has been closed.
Re: BFing questions
***Baby #3: BFP Mother
I don't understand the first question. " I realize that's fine for him calorie intake wise but I usually then pump on the side he didn't nurse on. WWYD? I think going from 2:30pm to 7 am (when he nurses in the morning) is too long to go??"
as for dropping pumping sessions, I would think that if you drop your afternoon pump session you should be good. as for the morning session, which do you produce more the 7am or 10am? Are you hoping to drop the 7am? I was not as dedicated and I never pumped after his early morning nursing session. I would probably drop the 7am pump. GL and your stash is admirable.
Photo/Family Blog
I will just say be VERY careful about dropping pumps. It can really affect your supply, moreso than just the few ounces you would have gotten in that session. And it can take weeks. So you might think you're fine and then BAM! all of a sudden your supply tanks. Just my piece of advice
However, the rule is pump when you miss a feeding right? So I would just make sure you're pumping at least one side with every bottle he takes. And I would try to time it around the same time if you can. Just try to imagine how he would eat if you weren't working (which side and how often) and try to mimick that.
If you were at home, then one side would go from 2:30 till 7 am right?
Sorry, I'm not being very clear...I mean I'm not worried about his intake/weight gain. I'm more worried about maintaining my supply and not getting clogs, etc. He doesn't go from 2:30pm until 7am without getting milk but one of my boobs would go that long if I didn't pump on the side he refuses to nurse on at the last feeding of the night (7:30pm). So I'm thinking I should pump if he refuses one side at the last feeding. I was just asking if others agree that I should continue with that.
No, if I were home, he'd nurse around 4 or 5 pm and then again at 7:30pm. So one side might go from 4 or 5 pm until 7am. It's just because of my job that I can't pump later than 2:30pm. So I can't truly mimic his bottle feeds.
I know, I'm scared to start dropping pumps too quickly! At the same time I have a good stash and I think he's dropping a daytime feed. So maybe I'll work on slowly dropping one pump during the day (probably the 12:30pm one) and see how it goes. Then if supply is still maintaining, work on dropping the morning pump (the one where he feeds on one side and I pump on the other) somewhere around 9 or 10 mos.
If you can't pump around that time, I'd still make sure you at least have the same number of pumping sessions as the number of bottles he takes. What time do you get home from work? I know there's alot to do when you get home (trust me, I know), but can you take 10 mins to pump right when you walk in the door? Can you pump in the car when you leave work? Anything between 2 and 7? I just wouldn't be comfortable going that long during the day without doing something.
I do pump as often as DD eats, and about the same schedule, and I still don't pump enough. So that's why I probably sound over cautious. I used to have extra though so it was a huge deal when suddenly I couldn't pump enough, no matter what I did. Personally, I wouldn't go more than 4 hours without pumping or nursing during the day, however that works out for you.
But you should be able to get away with dropping the morning pump. There really is no reason you need to pump that other side, other than it's a good milk producer. But it shouldn't hurt your supply since you're doing something with at least one boob during that time. If you were a SAHM and not pumping at all, that's how it would go.