Question for BFing moms

Camiejae · June 2009

I have yet to leave DD alone. I go back to work on the 6th (DH will be home for all of July and Aug. with her). This week, while we have some overlap we are going to do some practice runs so DH can give DD a full feeding or two. I know that when I go back to work for a full day that I will need to pump a few times but what do you do when you are just going out for a little bit? Do you have to pump every time you might miss a feeding? Or can you just skip it and it won't affect your supply? Thanks.

MrsSmith81 · June 2009

depends how long you are going to be gone but the general rule would be that if LO is getting a bottle, you should pump to keep up your supply. With that being said, i'm not sure one feeding missed would decrease your supply dramatically, especially since your LO is so young and you probably haven't had your supply regulated yet. but pumping would at least give you enough to replenish the milk you took from the stash for the bottle.

lkstor · June 2009

no personal experience yet...

but i have had lots of friends go back to work and have problems with supply. the stress of returning to work combined with the fact that a pump is never as effective as your LO...

i would err on the side of pumping too much early on, even if you are not away long.

i'm interested to see what the other girls say!

jnealet · June 2009

When we were doing some test runs on daycare before I went back, I would just skip the feeding. Usually when EC and I get home, she wants to nurse no matter what time it is or how long it's been since her last feeding, making me not worry too much about not being right on time with things.

So, if you are not fighting a low supply and you won't engorge and leak if you miss a feeding, then I would skip it.

dr.girlfriend · June 2009

Usually I pump when the baby gets a bottle, but once or twice I have pushed it to 6 - 8 hours (instead of 4 hours) with no supply changes. Just once or twice, though, like at weddings, and if it's longer I take my pump, even if I pump and dump. Definitely start practicing with the bottle ahead of time, but don't despair...Kiran looked like he wasn't going to take it, but when he got hungry enough he took it fine.

cluiss1 · June 2009

When Jacob was 2 months old, I would either nurse or pump every 2 hours. Jacob has never had any problems going between bottles and my boobs. As the time between feedings increased, I also increased my time between pumping. By the time I went back to work at 12 weeks, I could go 4 hours between pumpings. When I know I'm going to be out of the house, I pump before I leave regardless of the last time I pumped just in case I'm out more than 4 hrs. As for affecting your supply - it depends on your situation. For me, I have had problems with blocked ducts, so I have to pump/nurse every 4 hrs. But I have friends that can go hours and pump when they feel engorged and they are just fine. From what I understand, the amount you produce depends on supply and demand, so the more you nurse/pump the more your body will produce.

pumpkinhead06 · June 2009

I never did the "dry run" thing. Before I went back to work, I would pump at night to build up a small freezer stash. If I wanted dh to feed the baby, I would have him use one of the frozen bags of milk, then I would pump for the missed feeding a bit later, and then add that back to the freezer.

I was VERY regimented in my pumping while I was at work. I pumped 3x a day everyday. If I missed one of my "normal" pumping times, I had another teacher cover my class and I would then pump in an empty room attached to the nurses office. I never had an issue with my supply, and I never ran out.

On the random days that I did miss a normal feeding time, or the weekends, I recognized that my next pumping session produced a bit more, but I never really saw a drop. If you miss the same time everyday, then yes, your body will stop producing milk during that time.

My personal feeling... BM is too much like gold to actively miss a feeding/pumping session. I just think of that lost milk that could be used to build up a freezer supply.

good luck. speaking from experience it's very hard to stay committed and not stress about the amount milk pumped or if you have enough.

Stellar1 · June 2009

If I'm only going to miss one feeding I don't worry about. There have been 3 occasions where I was out for longer and once my boobs started to feel full I pumped.

ll3414 · June 2009

I always try to pump when I miss a feeding. If I know I won't be able to pump at that time, I change my pumping times earlier that day so I never go more than 4 hrs without nursing or pumping (except at night when I usually go about 11 - 12 hrs).

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