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Breastfeeding
Pumping, working, and breastfeeding
I work a very weird schedule. I have 4 days on in a row, then 2 days off. Those 4 days are 12-15 hour shifts. During that time, I pump every 3-5 hours. However, when I'm home, I just breastfeed and pump usually once a day. This week, I had a clogged duct, so I didn't pump at all for 2 days. Today, I am back to work and pumping again, and my supply seems to have steeply decreased. Is this normal?
Should I worry? Should I be pumping on the same schedule, even when I'm off work?
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Re: Pumping, working, and breastfeeding
I see my supply going up and down when I go back to work after the weekend sometimes. Keep in mind your fluid intake. If I don't drink enough water, I notice a sharp decrease in my supply. Also, do you need that extra pumping session to get the ounces for your LO? Or is it just a bonus pumping session? I used to pump an extra one because I had to in order to get the 16 oz I needed for him while I was at work. But then J changed his eating habits and he only takes in 10 while I'm gone. So I dropped that pumping session and only pump on the weekend if I absoultely have to. I woudn't stress it too much. Just keep an eye on it this week. If it continues to stay down, you may need to add that pumping session back in. When I first went back to work, I was stressing my pumping output and started taking Fenugreek. I took it for a few weeks and it really boosted my supply. I wound up getting an oversupply and stopped taking it. I haven't had supply issues since. If your supply seems to stay down, you could try taking that supplement.
Good luck!