Pumping moms I need help re:quitting pumping but BF

tigger1800

Any advice would be appreciated

I've been having worse and worse luck with pumping since I came back to work ~2 months ago.  I was getting 14oz in an 8 hour day and I'm down to 7-8oz.  I've tried everything, and nothing is working.  I'm still giving DD the 8oz, but of course supplementing as well as needed.  Its starting to get really frustrating because I"m putting so much time (that I really really dont' have at the moment to spare) into 4 pumping sessions and geting barely 1.5oz total each session.  As I said I've tried everything (except Reglan which I tried with DS and made me really anxious) and nothing is helping ever since I got AF back. 

So I have two options as I see it.  I'm just getting too frustrated and its making me an unhappy mommy and getting down on myself.  I want to be done with it by Christmas for sure when I'm travelling, because my other problem is that now that DD is used to having bottles all day while I"m working, she doens't like to nurse except for in the morning before I go to work, and last thing in the evening (she STTN basically, 9-5).  I can just totally stop, and go to formula, or I wondered if I can try dropping the pumping during the day at work (6am-3pm) but trying to nurse as much as possible when I'm home.  I'd hate to lose the ability to have the morning and evening nursing, especially the morning, cause I love pulling her into bed with me and snuggling while she nurses before I have to get up and go to work. 

So has anyone tried that, does it work?  Will my body keep producing milk if I'm not pumping during the day, or if I only pump once or twice?  I really hoped to make it until 6 months or longer this time, but its getting so frustrating.  I'd be happy to keep pumping for a while, but I"d really like to wean down to be done by the time I have to travel a lot at the holidays, because I don't want to have to worry about hauling my pump around on an airplane in case she wont' nurse. 

I'm just so torn about the whole thing.  I was really hoping to have better luck with pumping this time around, but I feel down on myself everytime I get such a pathetic amount of milk when I pump. 

buffalo_buckeye

Same thing happened to me; 14 oz in the beginning...dwindled down to about 8 (but I only pumped 2x's...4 you are a superhero!).  If I were in your situation I would try to pump 1x a day and then nurse when needed and suplement the rest.  Your body will adjust..especially with nursing.  If you want to drop the pumping all together you can probably do that too..just see how 1x a day feels.  I know it was such a relief to stop pumping at work. It really wears on you. 

BTW if you hadn't tried everything I would have given you the oatmeal, extra water, mothers milk capsule speel..but I figure you have been there done that so I think it's time to give yourself a break

tigger1800

Thanks..just writing that out was therapeutic and your response helped even more.

 I have tried oatmeal (I'm going to puke if I eat anymore I think lol), water, fenugreek, etc. Nothing seems to help and AF makes it even worse! 

 I think I might keep the morning pumping session, cause I usually get half of my 8oz in that one session.  The rest of the day its just useless when i'm getting a half ounce from each side!

 

 

isabella22

If you want to keep pumping I highly recommend domparidon (sp?) it helped me SOOOOOO much!

I went about 3 months of just nursing DD at night (after 1 yr when I was trying to wean her) and my milk supply was enough for her then.

Good luck.  Pumping at work is super hard.