Working Mom's still BFing

Mrs.DToBe · November 2008

Just curious to know how long some of you working moms breastfed/ pumped. My son is almost 6 months and I am struggling to keep up with pumping at work. Thanks

rylee1 · November 2008

i just began weening this week becuase the pumping at work was sooo tough. we don't have a place to pump and i travel alot so i'm always pumping in my car. its hard and cold now that its winter. my goal was six months but i'm falling short. i do have some freezer supply to last us for awhile. good luck!

jenbowman · November 2008

I am still going strong. I pump before work, twice at work, when I get home, and before I go to bed. My supply is really getting stretched since she now takes 7 ounces every three hours at daycare. It is a hassle pumping all the time but it is so worth it!

tosababy · November 2008

I pumped full time until DS was a year. Then I started dropping sessions. I finished pumping at about 13 months and he was finally weaned by a little after 14 months.

Right around six months was our most challenging time. That's when the babies need the most milk (since they're growing a lot but aren't eating too much food yet). I also had some colds around then, and it was tough. I switched to pumping 4x/day for a week or two. I also made to sure to nurse as much as possible when I was with DS. Also, even if you don't have a big supply issue, try the mother's milk tea, oatmeal and/or fenugreek. Your supply will increase and his need will go down as he eats more food.

Good luck to you and hang in there. Every day you BF your child is great for him. Pumping at work is really hard, but it's such a great accomplishment.

Angela814 · November 2008

I stopped pumping at work when DD was 12 months. She stopped getting breastmilk in a cup at daycare around 13 months. I still nursed her on my lunch hour. I went on a cruise with girlfriends for a week when DD was 15 months, and I had enough freezer stash left for her to have breastmilk a couple times a day while I was gone. She's still nursing now at 2 1/2 years.

I did go through times where I felt like I was barely able to pump enough and had to use some of my freezer stash. It was probably right around the 6-7 month mark. One factor was that I got my period back when DD was 7 months old, and my supply dips the week before. She was also taking 5-6oz bottles at 6 months. As we started solids the bottles went back to 4-5oz. Sometimes I would just end up giving her whatever I was able to pump (but at least 4oz per bottle) since I knew I would be nursing her at lunch and that she would get solids. Things that helped my supply were eating oatmeal (the real kind) for breakfast and drinking more water. I bought some fenugreek too but never figured out the right amount to take to really make a difference.

Just take things one day at a time.

MKE6115 · November 2008

I weaned DS between 13 months and 14 months. For the first 5 months after my maternity leave I worked part time 4 days a week then I got a promotion and still worked 4 days a week but longer hours. Luckily I am a NICU nurse so we have a pumping room right in our unit so that worked out well. But other times I would bring my own pump and pump in my office during dinner and then again when I got home from work. Luckily I had a great supply and since I worked evenings I would only miss 2 or 3 feedings. I made small goals for myself. Once I got to 6 months I would say ok I can get to 9 months and from there I was determined to get to a year. It was hard at times.

What is your work schedule like with working pumpings into it?

jennie13 · November 2008

I still pumping at 6 mo. I pump once before work, then 2x at work. My supply is going down a bit, but I'm able to keep up without stressing out and dipping into the freezer stash by pumping once in the morning on the weekends.

madhatter2003 · November 2008

I pumped until 12 months and weaned at 14 months. But remember, it's not an all or nothing thing. If pumping at work is too tough on you think about formula during the day and nursing when you are home, etc.

MrsAmers · November 2008

I pumped until 11.5 months and am letting DD self wean. We're down to one nursing session a day at almost 22 months.

There were definitely some times that the pumping was rough and I had to supplement after 7months when I traveled for work because my freezer stash wasn't big enough. But I have no regrets and I occassionally miss the "me" time each day at work to play solitaire or read magazines while I pump. :-)

azuremama · November 2008

I'm still doing pretty well. My freezer stash is very low, but most of the time I don't have to use it and I'm usually able to add about a bag a week to it. I have my own office, so pumping is not really a problem for me except when I get busy or forget to plan ahead. I usually pump 3x a day at work (right when I get here and two other times). We've added solid foods, but I don't think that bite or two of cereal that he manages to swallow is really helping much!

shannm · November 2008

Until last week, I was pumping 4-5X a day (3 at work) to keep up. My freezer stash is almost gone. All of the time pumping was really cutting into my work so this week I cut down to pumping only 2x at work and now send two breastmilk bottles and one formula bottle. It is working out well. Now I am not so stressed out about making enough each day.

HawaiiBrideGrm · November 2008

I am still BF-ing. At 12 mos, she nursed in AM and PM (to bed) and I pumped at work 3 times. At 13.5 mos, I decreased the pumping to twice at work, at 14 mos, pumped once at work, and last week I stopped pumping at work. So, I nurse her upon awakening, when I get home and when she goes to sleep. On weekends (I'm off 3 days a week), I nurse on demand. GL!