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Hawaii Babies
SanHawaii08
member
vanilla15, and other pumping, working moms
SanHawaii08
member
i went back to work last week and have been struggling with pumping
1. how often do you pump? when? how much do you get each session?
2. are you pumping enough each day to keep up with your LO, or do you supplement from stash? or are you able to increase your stash?
3. if you pumped before going back to work too, have you noticed a change in output?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: vanilla15, and other pumping, working moms
3x/day - twice at work, and once in the evening after E is in bed. I get 4-6oz each session at work, and maybe 3oz at night
if I pump right after nursing, i get like, 0.5-1.5 oz. which according to kellymom, is normal, but seems like so much effort for not much milk! so I don't bother pumping in the morning after the first feed...
i tried pumping after every nursing session last saturday, and got a grand total of about 4 oz that day
2. are you pumping enough each day to keep up with your LO, or do you supplement from stash? or are you able to increase your stash?
i'm *barely* keeping up. E takes 2 6oz bottles during the day. he was taking 3 bottles a few days, but we've got my schedule worked out now so he only needs 2
3. if you pumped before going back to work too, have you noticed a change in output?
i've been pumping at night for several weeks now. on the days where i'm home/nursing all day and not pumping during the day, i get 5-7oz in the evening. when i work and pump twice during the day, i only get 3oz in the evening. WTF? any idea why this is? I don't see why I shouldn't still get the 5-7oz at night, even if i pump during the day. if i did, i'd be much less stressed about my supply!
I am completely guessing here but maybe E is not emptying your breast completely, but the pump is so you get more when you are home with him all day b/c you are never really empty like you are when pumping all day.
1. how often do you pump? when? how much do you get each session?
until very recently 4x/day. Now just 3x/day. When I pumped 4x it was 1st - after 1st morning feeding - during the week around 5am - (usually I didn't get too much at this one, maybe around 2oz, but some mornings it was hardly an oz and other mornings it was close to 4oz) *this is 1st a.m. pumping session I just dropped*. 2nd -while driving on the way to work around 8am (I usually get between 4 - 5 oz). 3rd - while at work around noon (usually around 6 - 7 oz). 4th - while at work around 3pm (usually get around 5 oz)
except for maybe a 1st morning pumping on Sunday, I don't pump at all on the weekends. The girls need a break!
2. are you pumping enough each day to keep up with your LO, or do you supplement from stash? or are you able to increase your stash? I do pump enough each day. She goes to daycare with 3 5oz bottles. Often she won't drink all 5oz but it is there if she wants it & they just toss whatever she won't drink. I also send her with 1 1oz bottle for them to mix with cereal. And I have enough from that day or the previous day to have 1oz for cereal at home.
When LO was on antibiotics and I was mixing the meds with 1oz of milk, I was needing to use my freezer stash some of the time. With the antibiotics bottle & some for cereal, I was needing 4oz more than her 3 5oz bottle and that was too much for me to keep up with.
3. if you pumped before going back to work too, have you noticed a change in output? I didn't pump nearly as much while on leave as I do now so I really can't tell if there is a difference overall. It did seem like I used to get a lot everytime after that 1st morning feeding (the only time I pumped while on leave), but that kind of tapered off after being back at work for awhile (probably from sleep depravation!)(which is what also helped me decide to drop that session all together)
Just fyi about my supply, I did notice a dip when I was taking the minipill. I only took it for about 2 weeks and it was the first time since I was at work that I was struggling to keep up. I got off and almost immediately my supply rebounded. I also drink a TON of water. At least 2 liters a day and that is not including at meals. When I first went back to work I was drinking the mother's milk tea everyday. I have stopped drinking it and haven't really noticed a difference in supply. I know everyone is different, but this is just what worked/didn't work for me.
I had oversupply issues and could get 8-12 oz. double pumping for 5-6 minutes. I know this is SO not the norm, so don't take my experience as what should be expected. And with my lipase issue and Libby never taking to the bottle, she only ever took 3-4 oz. while I was at work. She became a reverse cycler and I came home or J would bring her to my office at lunchtime so I could nurse her.
I did want to say that if/when I felt my supply was dipping, I'd eat a cup of oatmeal for breakfast and drink a cup of Mother's Milk Tea (Yogi Brand) around 6 a.m. and by 9 a.m. I had plenty of milk to pump.
Also, make sure you're getting enough water throughout the day. And I've read that you should pump a few minutes past when you're getting any milk...to prompt the breasts to know that they need to put out more the next time. Dunno if that's a myth or not though. I've also heard other mamas say that they felt their pump's suction was better/stronger using the plug adapter rather than batteries, so you might check into that as well. And make sure your shield fit properly so they simulate E's latch as much as possible.
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My LC said to always pump for at least 15 minutes. She said a lot of women have their 2nd letdown between 10 - 15 min. I try to do 20 min everytime (except after that very 1st morning pumping) & have noticed sometimes I get a lot more milk after 10 min has already gone by.