Babies: 3 - 6 Months

Thanks for entertaining me, but (BF related)

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.

BFP #1 6/3/10 | EDD 2/5/11 | Noelle born 1/28/11
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)
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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.

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  • Is your oversupply bothering you? I think it's great that you're able to pump that much! It's always good to have extra just in case, like if you have an injury or something and need to take meds that can't be used while BFing. Worst case scenario, the milk in your freezer will go bad before you use it and in that case you could just donate it, there are tons of moms out there in need of breastmilk.
    Anneliese Olive 11/5/09
    Hazel Dianna 1/8/11
    Luna Valentine 4/25/13


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  • I would keep on pumping and get a freezer and/or look into donation.
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  • 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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  • imageJJsMom211:

    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.

    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 #1 6/3/10 | EDD 2/5/11 | Noelle born 1/28/11
    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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  • imageTicketTuesday:
    No idea, but could you please send some oversupply vibes to me?

    Vibes sent.

    Did it work?

    BFP #1 6/3/10 | EDD 2/5/11 | Noelle born 1/28/11
    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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  • imageRachelG83:

    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.

    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 #1 6/3/10 | EDD 2/5/11 | Noelle born 1/28/11
    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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  • FWIW, I was pumping 4 times a day the first 3wks to keep up with J. I have now reduced it to 3 times a day and I can still pump the same amount. Maybe test 1-2 days of only pumping twice, if your boobs can handle it. That's probably a horrible recommendation, but it's worth a shot.
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  • imageBrittKav:
    Is your oversupply bothering you? I think it's great that you're able to pump that much! It's always good to have extra just in case, like if you have an injury or something and need to take meds that can't be used while BFing. Worst case scenario, the milk in your freezer will go bad before you use it and in that case you could just donate it, there are tons of moms out there in need of breastmilk.

    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 #1 6/3/10 | EDD 2/5/11 | Noelle born 1/28/11
    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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  • Bump hiccup

    BFP #1 6/3/10 | EDD 2/5/11 | Noelle born 1/28/11
    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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  • imageJJsMom211:
    FWIW, I was pumping 4 times a day the first 3wks to keep up with J. I have now reduced it to 3 times a day and I can still pump the same amount. Maybe test 1-2 days of only pumping twice, if your boobs can handle it. That's probably a horrible recommendation, but it's worth a shot.

    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 #1 6/3/10 | EDD 2/5/11 | Noelle born 1/28/11
    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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  • imagejolynn326:

    imageJJsMom211:
    FWIW, I was pumping 4 times a day the first 3wks to keep up with J. I have now reduced it to 3 times a day and I can still pump the same amount. Maybe test 1-2 days of only pumping twice, if your boobs can handle it. That's probably a horrible recommendation, but it's worth a shot.

    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.

    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!

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  • Hmm. I think rather than dropping to 2 sessions, it might be a better idea to cut the 3 sessions down a bit, so you don't completely empty your breast. The reason I say this is because since you still want to BF on the weekends, if your body is only used to making milk 2 times during the day it might really mess you up when it comes time to nurse your baby. Since output is based on demand, maybe if you "demanded" less when you pump, eventually you wouldn't make as much?
    Anneliese Olive 11/5/09
    Hazel Dianna 1/8/11
    Luna Valentine 4/25/13


  • imageJJsMom211:
    imagejolynn326:

    imageJJsMom211:
    FWIW, I was pumping 4 times a day the first 3wks to keep up with J. I have now reduced it to 3 times a day and I can still pump the same amount. Maybe test 1-2 days of only pumping twice, if your boobs can handle it. That's probably a horrible recommendation, but it's worth a shot.

    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.

    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 #1 6/3/10 | EDD 2/5/11 | Noelle born 1/28/11
    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."
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    My Ovulation Chart | My Baby Name List
  • imageBrittKav:
    Hmm. I think rather than dropping to 2 sessions, it might be a better idea to cut the 3 sessions down a bit, so you don't completely empty your breast. The reason I say this is because since you still want to BF on the weekends, if your body is only used to making milk 2 times during the day it might really mess you up when it comes time to nurse your baby. Since output is based on demand, maybe if you "demanded" less when you pump, eventually you wouldn't make as much?

    That's an intersting thought.

    BFP #1 6/3/10 | EDD 2/5/11 | Noelle born 1/28/11
    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."
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    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. 

  • I pumped at work with DS until he was 15 months old. I always had an oversupply as well, but it never caused problems (never had major engorgement, etc) just a huge freezer stash and the annoyance of pumping 3 times/day. I would definitely NOT recommend dropping to 2 times/day quite yet. Once DS was maybe 8 or 9 months old, then I decided to drop to 2 times/day and that plus the addition of my period coming back at 10 months really put a dent in my supply from that point forward. At that point, I was far enough along and had a huge enough freezer stash that it didn't really hurt my attempt to BF DS for at least a year, but if I would have done that a few months earlier I never would have had a big enough freezer stash to meet his needs. I agree with the other posters, keep pumping at 3 times/day but just lower your time to maybe 10 or 12 min each session. GL!
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  • 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!

  • Edit- I would be wary of cutting your sessions shorter, because the milk would be lacking in hindmilk which has most of the nutrients. That's not good.
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