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Starting new job, would like to decrease pump sessions

JJ_13JJ_13 member
in Working Moms

Just looking for some advice/input. I am starting a new job in mid-September. My LO will be 9 months old. I currently pump 3x/day to get about 12 ounces. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. LO takes 10 -12 oz/day while we're apart. She is on the low end of consumption in terms of volume, I realize, but it's fine for her - her growth is great and she seems satisfied. She also eats about 4 - 10 oz of solids/day in three meals, depending on the day and her hunger level. Anyway, I want to stop pumping around the 12 month mark. In some ways, I wish I could stop when starting the new job, but I'm over that - I definitely want her to have breastmilk during the day for the first year so I will have to keep pumping. It's fine. That said, I am considering going down to two pump sessions a day when I start the new job. My concern is just thinking about providing enough for her during the day - at what stage/age do you feel it is appropriate to start cutting down on breastmilk (and, I would guess, increasing solids). Is 9 months too early? Should I wait another month or two? I was thinking if I cut down to 2 sessions at the 9 month mark, I would keep that until 11 months and then cut down to 1 session and then cut out work day pumping completely around 12-13 months (gradually replacing the bm with WCM). Of course, I also want to do what's best for her and won't be too difficult for her. I plan to keep nursing in morning, evening, bedtime and occasionally MOTN as long as she wants it.

Thoughts? TIA.

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Re: Starting new job, would like to decrease pump sessions

  • jf198400jf198400 member
    I changed jobs when DS was 8months and went from pumping twice to once a day. I did supplement with formula but I was okay with that. I just didn't want pumping to be this huge time consuming thing when I was trying to settle into a new role. It worked out fine for us and I quit pumping when DS was about 11months.
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  • CarrieB.CarrieB. member
    edited August 2013
    At 9 mos, I started a new job and dropped to 2 pumping sessions at that time. We had to supplement with formula, but it was fine. My supply started dropping around that time anyway since she was sleeping through the night. i completely quit pumping at about 11 mos, but I continued to nurse at night and in the morning until 14 mos when we completely weaned.

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  • jnnfrrose6jnnfrrose6 member
    You won't be able to replace reduced BM with just solid foods, which sounds like one of your questions here.  LO will still need some sort of liquid, even if it's water with the solids (maybe a good time to introduce a sippy if you haven't yet).  I don't know what your schedule is like, but unless you want to supplement with formula and/or water, then you'll probably need to keep your 3rd session, just do it in the evenings.  When I haven't gotten enough in a day for the next, I pump about 2 hours after LO last nursing session to top off.  


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  • JJ_13JJ_13 member

    Thanks everyone. Excellent tips. It sounds like some people are able to maintain the same amount with dropping a session and some people are not. I guess I can go to 2 sessions and just see what happens. I'd rather not supplement with formula but I'm not super-strongly opposed to it. We have introduced a sippy but she's less than interested... :-) We could have the nanny start pushing it more though. And, as some of you point out, I could do a 3rd session in the evening. I hate pumping more than anything and would hate to have to do it at home, but it would be theoretically possible. I do have a freezer stash, but it's definitely not big enough to last a long time. Unfortunately I also have excess lipase so I can't just - for example - use milk that wasn't used one day on the next day. It has to be used up that next day or immediately scalded and then frozen.

    Anyway, it sounds like I can drop to two pump sessions, possibly get enough from those or, if not, supplement with either an evening pump or formula or water or, closer to the 1 year mark, WCM.

    Thanks for the tips!

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