don't think i can do the pumping thing anymore :(

rylee1

its getting harder and harder at work to pump.  i travel around to 27 different school districts evaluating kids so i don't have a place to pump besides my car.  its hard to schedule it in because i'm somewhere different everyday and times vary when i can fit pumping in. plus now with winter here i'm all bundled up in sweaters and coats and have to whip my boobs out in the freezing cold.  i was hoping to make it to 6 months but i think i'm done.  do i just start eliminating pumping sessions every couple days to wean?  any help in stopping would be great.

sara1104

I too travel for work, am in a different location & time each day & had to pump at various times.  It wasn't easy & I think it would be hard in the winter.  What kept me going was very small goals. I would just say, I'll make it one more week, etc,etc.  But, if its time for you to stop, then its time - you have done a great job!  I weaned very slowly, so I dropped a pumping session every 2 weeks & then just nursed AM & PM for quite some time.  But yes, you can just drop one every few days to let your body adjust.

mrshutch

Good work on making it this far! Don't feel bad. It's so hard when you don't have a set, comfortable space. And a cold car sounds miserable. I agree w/ PP- if you want to try a little longer, make small goals. But I also agree that if you're ready to be done, then feel good about going this long and just start cutting out a session or two. GL!

trigirl30

It isn't easy to pump "on the go".  Congrats for making it this long.  To wean just start eliminating pumping sessions and decreasing the amount of time you still pump.  I think it took me about 2.5 weeks to wean.  At the end I was only pumping for like 5 minutes every other day.  

flyer23

Oh, I know firsthand how tough it is to have an irregular schedule. You've done awesome to make it this far!

Yep, if you want to stop, just eliminate a pumping session every 4 days or so. You might also shift the times you pump a bit. For example, if you work 8-5 and pump at 9, noon, and 3 right now, and you want to eliminate the 3pm session, you might move it to 4pm, then 4:30pm, and then it'll be fairly natural for you to drop the session completely and just nurse as soon as you get home.

If you don't want to be done completely, you could keep one or two sessions, and supplement with formula for whatever you don't pump. Or even stop pumping completely during the day but still nurse before and after work. I've been doing AM/PM nursing since I weaned off the pump almost six months ago and I love it! No stressing about pumping, but I still get to enjoy having a nursing relationship and DD gets the benefits of breastmilk.

Good luck, and no matter what you end up doing, give yourself a huge pat on the back