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Austin Babies
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another pumping s/o - SAHMs, what's your routine?
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So I've been trying to pump once a day (though it can be hard to get a chance). He gets a bottle randomly if I need a break, or yesterday when I had a hair appointment, but we don't really have an every day routine. Right now there is about 14 oz in there, so it's not much.
Should I be giving him a bottle every day? I worry that if I do that I won't be able to make milk at that time anymore, and then if I hadn't been able to pump that day for some reason and we didn't have anything in the freezer, we'd be SOL. Maybe that's over thinking things. Also, if I don't get into a routine of pumping at the same time every day, will I eventually not be able to pump anything at all?
Just curious about what others are doing 
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Re: another pumping s/o - SAHMs, what's your routine?
we didn't start doing a daily bottle until tommy was over 5 mos. That only lasted for about 6 weeks until he started solids. Now, he just gets a bottle 3-4 times a week if he needs a "top off" before bed (if i don't think he nursed well).
i do two pumping sessions now that tommy is sttn. tommy nurses at 7pm and then i pump before bed (10:30ish). he eats again around 7:30 am and i pump immediately after that. if i were a rock star, like rssn, i would continue getting up between 2-4 to pump since that is the last feeding time that he dropped.
i'm trying to remember, but i think that between 1-3 mos. i just pumped right before i went to bed.
Early on I tried to make a point to pump about 30 minutes after each feeding. I have always been a one-side nurser, so I would just pump the other side. Once I had a small stash built up in the freezer, I started to get really lazy and only pumped 1-2 times a day. My supply definitely regulated and I stopped "over-producing" milk. When I noticed that my freezer stash was dwindling down, I started panicking and resumed pumping as often as possible. My supply did come back (a little) and I've been slowly building my freezer stash back up. I'm probably back down to pumping 1-2 times a day again, but my supply is used to pumping at those times so I'm generally able to get at least 3 ounces. If you want to add a bottle as part of your daily routine, try and replace that bottle with a pumping session so you can keep your supply up.
Regardless of what you decide to do, just try to keep it as consistent as possible. If you skip a nursing session one day (because you give a bottle) or you don't pump at a time that you normally do, don't worry about it. Your supply won't regulate that quickly.
I recommend giving a bottle a day, just so your kid knows a bottle and will accept a bottle.
I would pump every night after I had put the baby down and when I was ready for bed -- around 10, 10:30pm. It seemed the baby always slept longest at that point so I was never worried about being empty for the night feedings, even when they were little.
and I built up quite a stash that way. Of course, I also threw out quite a stash. Julia hated bottles. refused bottles. only would nurse. SO. VERY. FRUSTRATING. That's why I recommend a bottle every day. (so says the woman who threw out hundreds of ounces of breastmilk.)
6-yr-old Elena and 4-yr-old Julia.
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this, I got lazy when DS was about 3 months old. He initially took a bottle just fine and then he got very efficient at nursing and it only took him 5 minutes. he only got one or two bottles for about 2 months and then wouldn't really take them anymore.
I don't know why but for some reason it didn't occur to me to pump at night, lol! I think I read somewhere that supply is highest in the morning, and in my mind that translated to "pumping must occur before noon." I think I'll start trying to do it when DH is home, after DS1 goes to bed - much easier!
Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm still not sure about a bottle every day, but I'll definitely make sure he's getting them fairly frequently. It would be so annoying if he suddenly stopped taking them!