Preparing to return to work - advice appreciated

lolob45 · December 2013

I return to work on 1/16 and aside from being emotional about missing my LO, I am stressed about messing with my supply and not pumping enough for DD to get what she needs. So, i'm looking for advice....right now I nurse 8x per day so based on the kellymom calculations I should have 3oz prepared for each nursing session that I miss while working. My plan is to nurse DD before I leave for work, she will take a bottle of 3oz every 2 hours while i'm gone (my hours vary but I can be gone for up to 10hrs) & during this time i'll pump every 3 hours at work (max I can get in with my job), i'll nurse her when I get home and then again when I put her down at night around 8:30/9pm (it is part of our nighttime routine).

My sister told me that I shouldn't schedule in an additional pump session (i.e. on my drive to work so approx 30-45min after my AM nursing or after I nurse DD to sleep) because I could create an oversupply. But i'm worried about the what if's of stress at work, not having a quick enough let down, etc, etc.

I have 100oz of a freezer stash but was hoping to keep that for date nights, weekends away, etc. She said I had plenty and to not teach my body to need to supply for an additional "unnecessary" pump session. What are your recommendations?

I'd also appreciate any advice you may have about pump parts, cleaning, etc for my return. I have a very high stress/high demand job and want to try to keep my breastfeeding relationship as consistent and successful as possible after I go back.

Thank you!

benmichele · December 2013

I think you'll just have to see how much you pump in those sessions at work. If you don't need additional sessions to meet her needs, don't stress about them. I pumped more than LO needed in my 2 work pumps for a long time. Once I started to fall short I drank more water and pumped a little longer during my 2 sessions to bring it back up. You can add in that driving session later if you need it. Also, I appreciate wanting to have back up freezer milk for date nights, but I pumped when I returned home from date night, otherwise I'd be super engorged by morning.

Store your pump in a ziplock in the fridge between pumps at work so you don't have to wash every time.

Good luck!

cwhitloc · December 2013

Zip lock bag to hold parts between sessions Is a great time saver which can alleviate some stress. I would bring a picture of your babe to look at as well as an article of clothing that smells like her. Both of these things helped me with let down when I was working.

I've also heard of video taping a nursing session to watch while pumping. Never tried that myself.

Preparing to return to work - advice appreciated

Re: Preparing to return to work - advice appreciated

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