Poll: Working BF Mommies w/ LO's on solids

agytay · November 2013

I may be starting a new job soon, and will be transitioning from SAHM to WM. I currently EBF and started introducing solids to my now 7.5 month old last month. I plan to pump while at work and am just trying to get an idea of how much milk to leave. Can you please tell me:

How old is your LO?
How many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work?
What are the hours you are away from LO?
How many times do you pump a day?
When did you start solids with LO?
How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal?

I know all babies are different, but I am just trying to get an idea of what others are doing.

ETA: Also, if you have any tips for building up a stash, please let me know. LO is STILL not STTN (wakes up twice), so it has been hard to find time to pump.

agytay · November 2013

Pinkie78 said:

Sorry I just noticed you asked for breast feeders!!

No problem! Thanks for the response. I highly doubt I would be able to pump 24oz. That's a lot of milk

watermellens · November 2013

How old is your LO? 8 months old - he has been at daycare full time since 6 months old
How many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work? 12 oz
What are the hours you are away from LO? I drop him off at 745 and see him at home at 5
How many times do you pump a day? 3 times
When did you start solids with LO? fairly early - 5 months I think? He's a good eater; eats 3 meals a day
How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal? 3 meals a day, no idea how many ounces; we do a combo on purees and BLW. For example, breakfast might be some fruit purees (2 ice cubes? mixed with cereal) and a yogurt; dinner tonight was a piece of toast with butter and jelly, some "real" oatmeal and some bananas

I pumped almost every morning for several months from 2ish months until 6 months to build a stash. I found it best to pump one side before he woke up and fed him on the other side. Most mamas will have more milk first thing in the morning. With my older DS, I pumped every night at 10 before going to bed and banked 3 ounces a day.

At this point, my freezer stash is almost gone; I pump 3 times a day but don't always get the 12 ounces so have been dipping in my stash. I think supplementing might be happening in the next month. I'm already nervous he's not getting enough milk and too many solids. I know he drinks 12 oz at daycare, but I don't know how much he's getting total b/c I don't know how much he's getting when he's nursing. He sleeps well at night and isn't waking up starving, so I guess he's getting enough? I nurse around 630 am, pump 3 times, nurse at 5 pm, 645 before bed and usually once overnight.

poppyc8 · November 2013

How old is your LO? 8 1/2 monthsHow many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work? 12 ozWhat are the hours you are away from LO? 8am-5:30pm. I nurse him at around 6am or 7am depending on when he wakes up. I nurse him as soon as i get home once at 5:45pm and then again right before he goes to bed at 7pm and then usually once more at 2am. On the weekends i exclusively nurse every 2 1/2-3 hours. When i first went back to work i added one extra pump session on the weekend in addition to exclusively nursing in order to make sure my supply didn't drop. This also helped build a small freezer stash.
How many times do you pump a day? I pump 3 times a day at work (9am, 12pm, 3:30pm) If i am super busy i have pumped 2 times a day (11am, 3pm) and had the same results. When did you start solids with LO? 5 monthsHow many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal? Two meals a day. 1-2 ounces per meal. Breakfast at 9am (oatmeal w/ fruit), lunch (fruit and veggie) at 1pm. He still isn't consistently interested in food. I don't have much of a freezer stash either...i think only 12oz. There has been a few days where i pumped 12 oz and he wanted 14 oz so i supplemented with formula to cover the difference.

MrsG071809 · November 2013

How old is your LO? 8 1/2 months
How many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work? 12 oz (3 bottles, 4 oz each)
What are the hours you are away from LO? 7:30am - 5:30pm
How many times do you pump a day? 2 1/2 - on my way to work I pump the side she didn't nurse on that morning, and then twice at work I pump both sides.
When did you start solids with LO? just after 6 months
How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal? we do BLW, she eats dinner with us about every night and for now that's it. She doesn't "eat" a whole lot still, but usually has 3-4 pieces of fruit or veggie, sometimes both, and a few bites of whatever we are having. On the weekends she eats breakfast &/or lunch with us as well.

As for building a stash...when I was on maternity leave I pumped every morning after DD ate (she only eats from one side per feeding so I would just pump the opposite side). Most days she took a bottle from DH later with that milk, but if she didn't I would freeze it. I would pump after she went to bed often too for my stash. Now, though, I only have 4oz left in my stash because I haven't added to it really since going back to work (maybe 4oz here and there) and have had to dip into it a lot lately. I am trying to add a pumping session at work, and keep meaning to start pumping on the weekends but last weekend I completely forgot. If you are still at home for a while, I would recommend pumping in the morning to get the most, if LO only nurses one side then just pump the other side after they eat and freeze that. If you do that every day, you'll build up a decent stash pretty quickly. You really don't NEED a huge stash, just enough for the first day, and then some extra to dip into in case you are short one day.

emmy236 · November 2013

I'm an EPer and my son is with my mom during the day.

How old is your LO? 6 months

How many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work?
- he usually has a 5oz bottle then 1oz mixed into fruit and oatmeal then two more 6oz bottles so 18oz total.

What are the hours you are away from LO?
- I work from home most of the time so hours aren't set but my mom usually has him from 830-430.

How many times do you pump a day?
- 5 times throughout the whole day. When I wake up, twice during work, right when DS goes to bed and then before I go to sleep.

When did you start solids with LO?
- we started at 4.5 months.

How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal?
- two meals, one ounce at each meal mixed with his oatmeal

For building a stash I'd say is pump right before you go to bed and then again in the morning after also eats. You may not get a ton but it will slowly build up

suzanrc · November 2013

Our daughter is 6months and takes 3-4oz bottles a day. She is on cereal and fruit once a day. We started that this month.She is with the sitter from 7:30 to 4:00. I am a teacher. I pump 2x per day.

She is ebf. My advice for building a good supply would be to get a good pump. Don't waste your time with cheap products that are not efficient and will cause tissue damage. Next, pump in the morning when your supply is the greatest. Don't be discouraged if you don't get much milk the first few times you pump. It will take a while for your body to adjust and respond to the pump. Start pumping now well in advance so you can build your supply. Once you get the hang of pumping you should be able to pump enough for the next day no problems.

Last piece of advice I have is don't be surprised if your baby reverse cycles once you go back to work. I was home all summer with our daughter and she was sleeping 6 hours at 3 months. Once I went back to work she reverse cycled and is up 3 or 4 times per night to nurse.

Good luck mama!!!

MrsWindyCity · November 2013

DS2 is 8 months old. He takes 3 (5 oz.) bottles at daycare. He nurses around 6:30 and then gets bottles roughly at 9:30, 12:30, and 3:30 and I also pump at those times usually, though I plan on dropping down to 2 sessions soon. He's at daycare for roughly 10 hours. We started solids a little before 6 months. He doesn't get a ton, and now he's on 2 "meals" a day but they are by no means big (2-3 oz. of puree and maybe a couple bites of food). Solids did not affect his BM intake.

Ajax22113 · November 2013

How old is your LO? 9 months
How many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work? 12 to 18 oz of milk/formula. He usually gets 1 bottle of formula and 1 bottle of breastmilk. Sometimes 1 more small bottle of breast milk to tide him over if he's hungry at end of day. I had to start supplementing with formula after a couple of months of pumping.
What are the hours you are away from LO? 8am-6pm
How many times do you pump a day? 2-3, usually 2
When did you start solids with LO? 6 months
How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal? 3 meals per day. ~5 oz of purees and some finger foods

My LO still wakes up 1-2 times to eat also. I actually think it helps me keep breastfeeding because he eats less during the day. To build a stash I also pump between feedings on the weekends (usually I only get 2 oz but it adds up slowly); it also helps just to stimulate supply since the pumping really damages my supply during the week.

pinottoparenthood · November 2013

What are the hours you are away from LO?
How many times do you pump a day?
When did you start solids with LO?
How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal?

DS is seven months and change.

He is with the nanny from 8 AM until 3 or 4 PM and he drinks 13 oz of breastmilk during that time - three 4-oz bottles, and I also send a small 1-oz bottle to tide him over. I nurse him around 5 AM before I leave for work as well.

I pump 3 times at work. I nurse around 5 AM. I pump at 8 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:45 PM (roughly).

We started solids about a month ago, a few days after he hit 6 months. we usually just do solids once a day at dinnertime. We do a combo of homemade purees and BLW, so I don't know exactly how much he eats... but he will typically eat 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of puree and also chew on/play with some meat or veggies. we have JUST started sending a pouch to the nanny on some days for him to eat during the day.

Good luck! Pumping at work is tough, but it's worth it.

hatroopes · November 2013

How old is your LO? 7+ months, she'll turn 8 months in about a week
How many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work? 24oz
What are the hours you are away from LO? I leave the house at 6 because I have a long commute, but DH drops her off at daycare at 9 and I pick her up between 4:30 - 5
How many times do you pump a day? 3 times
When did you start solids with LO? 5 months
How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal? She takes four 6oz bottles at daycare along with 3-4 oz of purees and 3-4 oz of oatmeal. I'm usually able to get the 24 oz for the next day in my 3 pumping sessions, but if not I'll pump once again at night after she goes to sleep. She STTN so that helps as well.

As far as building a stash, I would advice you start now before you start your job. Try pumping after LO eats or pump on one side while he nurses from the other. Good luck! Pumping at work definitely takes a commitment but I'm glad I stuck with it and hope we can make it to a year.

pinottoparenthood · November 2013

hatroopes said:

How old is your LO? 7+ months, she'll turn 8 months in about a week
How many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work? 24oz
What are the hours you are away from LO? I leave the house at 6 because I have a long commute, but DH drops her off at daycare at 9 and I pick her up between 4:30 - 5
How many times do you pump a day? 3 times
When did you start solids with LO? 5 months
How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal? She takes four 6oz bottles at daycare along with 3-4 oz of purees and 3-4 oz of oatmeal. I'm usually able to get the 24 oz for the next day in my 3 pumping sessions, but if not I'll pump once again at night after she goes to sleep. She STTN so that helps as well.
As far as building a stash, I would advice you start now before you start your job. Try pumping after LO eats or pump on one side while he nurses from the other. Good luck! Pumping at work definitely takes a commitment but I'm glad I stuck with it and hope we can make it to a year.

@hatroopes Holy shit! 24 oz?! I do NOT envy you!

hatroopes · November 2013

pinottoparenthood said:

hatroopes said:

How old is your LO? 7+ months, she'll turn 8 months in about a week
How many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work? 24oz
What are the hours you are away from LO? I leave the house at 6 because I have a long commute, but DH drops her off at daycare at 9 and I pick her up between 4:30 - 5
How many times do you pump a day? 3 times
When did you start solids with LO? 5 months
How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal? She takes four 6oz bottles at daycare along with 3-4 oz of purees and 3-4 oz of oatmeal. I'm usually able to get the 24 oz for the next day in my 3 pumping sessions, but if not I'll pump once again at night after she goes to sleep. She STTN so that helps as well.
As far as building a stash, I would advice you start now before you start your job. Try pumping after LO eats or pump on one side while he nurses from the other. Good luck! Pumping at work definitely takes a commitment but I'm glad I stuck with it and hope we can make it to a year.

@hatroopes Holy shit! 24 oz?! I do NOT envy you!

Yea, and she still nurses when we get home and again at bedtime so I'm guessing she takes about 30oz of BM in addition to solids. I'm not sure where she puts it all - she's 50% for height and weight. She's a super active little girl though and like her teacher says "she's always busy"

rm2013 · November 2013

How old is your LO? 8 months
How many ounces of BM does your LO's take during the day while you are at work? 22 oz. 2 5oz bottles in the morning and 2 6oz bottles in the afternoon
What are the hours you are away from LO? 7:30am-5pm, but due to a long commute we leave home at 6:45am and get home at 5:45/6pm
How many times do you pump a day? 4. Religiously!
When did you start solids with LO? 6 months
How many meals does LO eat daily, and how many ounces at each meal? for milk, BF 6am, bottles 9, 11, 2, 4:30, BF 7pm, plus 3 meals per day, we do BLW - 8am, 11:30am, 2:30pm

I went back to work at 3 months, luckily LO was STTN then so what I do to build my stash is pump before bed every night. That and pumping 3x day at work come hell or high water has allowed me to keep up with her. I pump 9am, 12pm, 3pm. I keep my stash fresh by every Monday giving her all frozen BM - the oldest. Then each day, one bottle is from frozen, again the oldest. The Friday 4 pumping sessions and Sat & Sun bedtime pumping sessions all go to the frozen stash, as well as the bedtime session each night during te week

Using this method my stash always ranges from 2 months old to the present, and I have about 180oz. Seems like a lot but LO drinks about 36 oz total a day, even with eating solids, so that's not even a weeks supply. My LO is like hatroopes LO, she's just very active and has a high metabolism. She is only 39th percentile for weight.

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