How long did you do it? Did you then exclusively pump? How long did you do that? My girls are only three weeks old and breastfeeding is going well, but when I go back to work, I want to be realistic and prepared. Any advice? Thanks!
My boys had a hard time latching on, so I pumped for 7 months. I never made enough to EP, so I had to mix it with formula. Stay hydrated, and pump often!
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Mine never latched well despite hours of effort and I went back to working 80 hour weeks at 7 weeks PP. So I EP'ed. I EP'ed for 10.5 months and would have gone longer if my supply didn't finally dwindle to nothing at the end. I'd have gladly gone for at least a year and beyond.
You can do it. Just keep short term goals in mind and the time flies by.
I work PT and nursed until 17 months. The boys never got formula but at a year I stopped pumping and they got cows milk when I didn't nurse them (was only nursing once or twice a day at that point anyway) The keys for me to stay up on my stash were that I would pump every morning after nursing. That way my body grew accustomed to making a ton of milk at night. (I think some women do a pumping session before bed instead) Also my job can be hectic and I never had time to pump as many times as i needed to during my work day so I would pump on the way to work and/or on the way home. I know it sounds crazy and you feel crazy doing it but it was 20 minutes of pumping time that didn't take away from babies or work or sleep. Worked well for me. Good luck.
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We're almost to 8 months and still BF. I went back to work full time when my girls were 4 months old. My DH stayed home with the girls until 6 months, and they never ate very much for him, so I was able to keep up with their demand with 3 pump sessions per day. They started eating more when they went to daycare, so I've been slowly using up my freezer stash. My big original goal was 6 months, but now I'd like to make it to a year. I'm not getting anywhere near as much with my pump anymore, so I don't know if that will be possible. I'm playing it by ear, and am very happy with how things have gone so far.
Re: If you breastfed...
Mine never latched well despite hours of effort and I went back to working 80 hour weeks at 7 weeks PP. So I EP'ed. I EP'ed for 10.5 months and would have gone longer if my supply didn't finally dwindle to nothing at the end. I'd have gladly gone for at least a year and beyond.
You can do it. Just keep short term goals in mind and the time flies by.
we are still breastfeeding. i have not worked full time though; i only work 3 days a week.
if you are going to pump while you're at work, just be sure to do it often, to keep up your supply and to keep yourself comfortable.
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