now I have a real baby related question, and no one on the BF board is responding:
I've been back to work for 6 complete weeks and have pumped using the 9:00, 12:00, and 3:00 schedule. I have an oversupply and frequently pump all that DD will eat the following day in my morning session alone. This morning I got 11.5 oz, and then at noon I got 5.5 oz. I haven't seen my supply diminish due to work yet; in fact, at first I suspected pumping both sides three times a day made my supply increase since during my leave I block fed.
I haven't had to use my freezer stash yet. She eats between 8-12 oz/day (I'm gone 10 hours), and she nurses frequently in the evening and through the night (reverse cycling a bit, I think).
I want to BF for at least a year, and she's only 3 months old; so I'd hate to do anything to risk losing my supply. WWYD?
Okay, back to fun and games now...
ETA: I am in the process of getting approved to send some excess to a milk bank.
Re: Thanks for entertaining me, but (BF related)
Are you only worried that you have too much BM? I usually pump more than what J will eat in a day while I'm at work. I'll freeze the extra and I suppose if I don't use it, I'll just throw it away. I will not reduce my pumping because I have an over-supply. So, I'm not really sure if I'm answering your question, or what your question is.
I used to have over supply issues and I still pump more than he eats in a day so I have a pretty good freezer stash. It came in handy a week ago when I had to get a CT scan and couldn't nurse him for 48 hours.
PLEASE don't just throw it away if you don't use it. There are a lot of places to donate - including FB groups that connect moms in need with moms who have milk to give.
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Eh, good point. I think I'm thinking that if I dropped a session, I could save money on the storage and sanitizer bags, slow the rate of increasing my freezer stash (I've increased it by about 200 oz in 6 weeks), and maybe be more comfortable on the weekends (since she never eats as much as I would have pumped on a week day).
BFP #2 12/20/11 | EDD 8/24/12 | Natural M/C 12/22/11
BFP #3 5/13/12 (Mother's Day!) | EDD 1/23/13 | Natural M/C 6/9/12 (blighted ovum discovered 6/7/12 at 7w1d)
"And to think when their little eyes opened, the first thing they saw was the face of Jesus."
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Vibes sent.
Did it work?
BFP #2 12/20/11 | EDD 8/24/12 | Natural M/C 12/22/11
BFP #3 5/13/12 (Mother's Day!) | EDD 1/23/13 | Natural M/C 6/9/12 (blighted ovum discovered 6/7/12 at 7w1d)
"And to think when their little eyes opened, the first thing they saw was the face of Jesus."
My Ovulation Chart | My Baby Name List
Definitely not going to throw any away. I just am getting so much more than she needs that I kinda thought I could drop a pumping and still build a stash, donate, and feed Noelle.
BFP #2 12/20/11 | EDD 8/24/12 | Natural M/C 12/22/11
BFP #3 5/13/12 (Mother's Day!) | EDD 1/23/13 | Natural M/C 6/9/12 (blighted ovum discovered 6/7/12 at 7w1d)
"And to think when their little eyes opened, the first thing they saw was the face of Jesus."
My Ovulation Chart | My Baby Name List
Before I started back to work, YES. It took us about 3-4 weeks to figure it out/get into a routine. Now, evenings and overnights are wonderful; but I think pumping both sides three times a day during the week makes the weekends much rougher (which also stinks since that's when we're out and about trying to do things). I really don't want to pump on the weekends/any time I'm with DD.
BFP #2 12/20/11 | EDD 8/24/12 | Natural M/C 12/22/11
BFP #3 5/13/12 (Mother's Day!) | EDD 1/23/13 | Natural M/C 6/9/12 (blighted ovum discovered 6/7/12 at 7w1d)
"And to think when their little eyes opened, the first thing they saw was the face of Jesus."
My Ovulation Chart | My Baby Name List
Bump hiccup
BFP #2 12/20/11 | EDD 8/24/12 | Natural M/C 12/22/11
BFP #3 5/13/12 (Mother's Day!) | EDD 1/23/13 | Natural M/C 6/9/12 (blighted ovum discovered 6/7/12 at 7w1d)
"And to think when their little eyes opened, the first thing they saw was the face of Jesus."
My Ovulation Chart | My Baby Name List
I was kinda thinking the same thing. Sometimes I end up pumping only twice anyway because of how the work day goes.
I just didn't know if it would be bad news for long term pumping.
BFP #2 12/20/11 | EDD 8/24/12 | Natural M/C 12/22/11
BFP #3 5/13/12 (Mother's Day!) | EDD 1/23/13 | Natural M/C 6/9/12 (blighted ovum discovered 6/7/12 at 7w1d)
"And to think when their little eyes opened, the first thing they saw was the face of Jesus."
My Ovulation Chart | My Baby Name List
I'm not sure. I'm thinking of going back to 4 times a day. I've noticed the last 2 days that my supply is going down a bit. I HATE pumping!! I wish I could just have J in the Moby all day so I could nurse him at my desk. That would be awesome!
Ugh. Sorry 'bout that.
I'm so excited. Absolutely everyone from my office will be out of town at a meeting next Friday, and DH has his last final, so... Noelle will be coming to work with me! I'm way excited.
BFP #2 12/20/11 | EDD 8/24/12 | Natural M/C 12/22/11
BFP #3 5/13/12 (Mother's Day!) | EDD 1/23/13 | Natural M/C 6/9/12 (blighted ovum discovered 6/7/12 at 7w1d)
"And to think when their little eyes opened, the first thing they saw was the face of Jesus."
My Ovulation Chart | My Baby Name List
That's an intersting thought.
BFP #2 12/20/11 | EDD 8/24/12 | Natural M/C 12/22/11
BFP #3 5/13/12 (Mother's Day!) | EDD 1/23/13 | Natural M/C 6/9/12 (blighted ovum discovered 6/7/12 at 7w1d)
"And to think when their little eyes opened, the first thing they saw was the face of Jesus."
My Ovulation Chart | My Baby Name List
A couple of things:
1) You can just pump less at each session but still pump the same number of times in the day. I pump twice a day and just pump 6 ounces at each session, regardless of how much milk I have in my breasts.
2) There is an Internet group called Human Milk 4 Human Babies that is pretty good about connecting people who have excess milk with people who need milk in your area, wherever your area is. I have been donating for a couple of months now and its going pretty well. There are always babies who need the milk.
3) Make sure and rotate your freezer stash if your LO isn't going through it. You can freeze milk up to 3 months in a regular freezer and up to 6 months in a deep freeze.
4) Many families will pay for shipping the milk if you are willing to package and ship it correctly. If you can get a stash or 400 or 500 ounces (or more), I'm sure you could find someone who would be willing to pay for shipping.
As long as LO isn't having any signs of trouble with oversupply/foremilk/hidmik issues I wouldn't worry about it. My coworker started with the same schedule (I'm using it too) but dropped the noon session after a while. If you aren't too uncomfortable, you could try that but I would give it a while longer. You never know when LO might have a growth spurt that you struggle to keep up with, or sleep longer at night and need more during the day, etc.
Enjoy the extra calorie burn for now!