Going Back to Work and Pumping

TeachR24

Hi Ladies,

 

I am heading back to work this coming Monday and my DD just turned 4 months old.  She went to daycare for two 'trial' days last week and while she was there I pumped at the times I will be pumping at work.  The first day I got 13 oz total and the second day I got about 12.5 oz total.  The two days she went to daycare I sent 3 bottles with 4 oz in each of them (she eats every 3 hours and she's away from me from 7AM - 4:30 PM).  The second day that I picked her up our daycare provider asked if I could put another oz in each bottle because she was still acting a bit hungry after each bottle.  I did leave her extra frozen milk in case she needed it but she said she wasn't that hungry that she had to give her any of the frozen but that she could use another oz in each bottle.  I'm worried because I'm not pumping 15 oz during the day when away from her.  Is my pumping output lower than most Moms?  Should I add another oz or is that too much for bottles?  If I should add another oz to each bottle should I pump at night after she goes to bed in order to make up the rest since I'm not pumping 15 oz during the day?  Sorry for all the rambling questions - I'm just worried about how this is all going to work out!  Thanks for any help!

blu-eyedwife

This happened to me right when I started back at work.  Chances are what you're pumping is what she eats from you/what she needs from daycare.

It's VERY easy to overfeed a baby using a bottle.  It takes so much longer to eat from the breast, that it gives the baby's stomach time to send a message to the brain that it's full.  Eating from a bottle doesn't give the stomach time to send the message, and babies often act "hungry" after finishing if they're not fed slowly.  I would talk with daycare about how they're feeding your daughter (bottle horizontal, frequent breaks, switching sides, etc.)  It should take them almost as long to feed her from the bottle as it does for you to nurse.

Krystal6826

LO was taking 5oz bottles every 2.5-3 hours from 4 months on.  So an extra ounce is not out of the question. However, daycare is new to LO so she could just be adjusting.  The extra oz may only be for a bit.

 Your output was similar to mine while pumping at work.  Like PP said, add an additional pumping session each day (or maybe over the weekend) to make up the difference.  Good luck!

atrinh11

Have you taken a breastfeeding for working moms class? Or do you have a LC you have worked with? You could add a pumping session as others suggest, but I would be careful when the daycare asks for more milk. They often want to feed the baby closer to what a formula fed baby eats, but that will never add up. You just don't want to get into a situation where they are feeding her more than you can pump, because you will quickly not be able to keep up. I discussed this with my pedi today at our 4 mo appt (she is a LC). She told me she will write a letter to the daycare explaining why I will not send extra milk if I want her too. My DC isn't asking for more milk yet, but they do make comments about how he will start to eat more soon since he is a growing boy. They just don't understand that he won't get more milk, because he gets what I make. Anyway, I would strongly suggest discussing with your pedi and/or LC before you agree to send more milk.

 

opaque1997

I find I pump three bottles but send four. I pump right before bed during the week and right before bed and after the second morning feed on the weekends. Sometimes she takes the four bottles but sometimes only three. She took four more commonly when I first went back and I was scared. .. but it's leveled out and between weekend pumps and nightly pump though I onlyget an ounce some nights is worked out that I actually have more than I need. .. so relax a little and see if it regulates

lisac1017

I'm still stuck on the sentence where the DC told you she wasn't hungry enough to use the frozen which you had sent with her in the event she was still hungry, yet they want you to just magically add another ounce to each bottle.  We can't just will our bodies to make more milk and right now, your body is making what your DD is consuming. 

I was a little paranoid about not supplying enough milk and while I've never had supply issues, I started taking mother's milk tea a few months ago just because I find it helps me get another .5 - 1oz per day extra (I only pump 2x a day now that DS is 13 months) and it was good for my confidence. I would stress too much if I thought I wasn't pumping enough.  So I don't know if you want to try supplementing or not.  But the bigger issue is making sure that the DC understands whether your DD is really hungry and needs more milk, or if what you are sending is just fine.