How many times do you pump at work?

giglamesh · March 2014

I went back on Tuesday and I'm trying to pump but so far it's been a huge pain. I've been pumping three times during the day and once at night before bed. Ahhhh. I want to make sure I still produce enough milk for DD but this seems like overkill.

RDK24 · March 2014

I've read that the average pumping output is 2 oz per breast per session. So on average, that would be 4 oz a session. Are you needing to pump 4x/day to get enough for your DD when you're apart? As much as it stinks to pump that much, it sounds relatively normal to me. At first, I had to pump 3-4x a day to get enough for daycare. With time and the right pump, I was able to get what I needed in 2-3 sessions.

RDK24 · March 2014

If you only just started pumping during the day (rather than nursing) on Tuesday, you might also need to give your body time to adjust to the fact that, during the day, it's pumping ONLY -- no LO to do the work. After my first week back at work, things adjusted a bit and I had more output.

cinderin · March 2014

The important thing is to pump as much as LO eats. I pump 4 or 5 times at work and once before bed.

bumpuser3155624 · March 2014

I pump 3x at work and once in the morning off the side she doesn't eat from.

BabyBrooks5516 · March 2014

I wake up 2 hours before she wakes up and pump, and 3 times at work. I hate pumping!! I nurse 3 times a day. On weekends I still do the early morning pump. I have an Ameda pump, which I think is not as great but I'd be really upset if I bought a Mendela and had the same output. I also send 14-15 ounces to daycare though.

VitaLuna · March 2014

I'm at work 13hrs and I pump 4x. I also pump before work and 2-3x/day on my days off on the side she didn't nurse on. I only get 2.5oz per pump at work, so I need the extra ones on my days off to cover her.

lindseyb624 · March 2014

I pump first thing in the morning on one side and she eats from the other. Then I pump twice at work (work 9:00 - 6:00) then nurse the evening and depending on her will pump a little before bed so I don't leak through the night. I probably should pump 3 times at work but honestly it's such an inconvenience I can only manage twice. I seem to be pumping enough for DD but every once on a while we gave to get a bag from the freezer.

88sharonlee · March 2014

I pump twice at work. I am lucky that I usually get 10 ounces the first pump and 7-8 the second.

Just this week I started having daycare replace 1 bottle a day with formula.

Could I try to pump in the MOTN or add in another session to avoid any formula- probably, but I have found peace and balance with this arrangement.

It means that if I get less than usual from a pumping session, or have to skip one, or want to keep a couple for date night etc., I don't have to panic and when I'm home I'm relaxing and enjoying my LO.

hope you get into a routine that works for you, give it another week and it won't seem so overwhelming.

Unknown · March 2014

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73jewels · March 2014

88sharonlee said:

I pump twice at work. I am lucky that I usually get 10 ounces the first pump and 7-8 the second. Just this week I started having daycare replace 1 bottle a day with formula. Could I try to pump in the MOTN or add in another session to avoid any formula- probably, but I have found peace and balance with this arrangement.

Question @88sharonlee - if you are pumping 18 ounces a day, how much is your baby eating at day care that you have to supplement formula? How long are you gone for?

giglamesh · March 2014

Thanks everyone! This is super helpful. Adjusting to back to work has been hard. I think 3 times a day should be fine. Whether its 3 at work and none at night or 2 at work and 1 at night. But DD has been eating around 10 or 11pm lately when she didn't used to. So it makes me nervous to pump at 9pm cuz I'm worried there won't be enough milk for her.

88sharonlee · March 2014

@73jewels‌ I thought someone might ask and yes my LO does eat a lot at DC- typically 19 or 20 ounces!

I have talked to my DCP and we are working to make sure she isn't overfeeding but I also said if she is hungry feed her. She nurses in the am before 7am and I don't get home to nurse her again until 7 at the earliest.

Some days she wakes up hungry at 5am and isn't hungry when I get home until 8...

Anyways, yes 17 ounces is just shy of her daycare bottles but I decided to replace one with formula so I will have some extra backup BM, can use some for weekend date night etc. and less stress if I miss a pump or get less one day.

Also I don't know how long I'll chose to pump at work so this way the transition will be more gradual and my stash will extend the time she gets some BM beyond when I stop.

That's my thinking anyways.

BootsOrHearts · March 2014

I pump every 2 hours at work and during the day in general. I do that so I can go longer stretches at night (6-7 hours) and still get in 8 or 9 pumping sessions a day to keep my supply up. I very rarely nurse.

RootBeer29 · March 2014

I came back to work when DD2 was 11 weeks, I pumped 3 times a day. Because I had an oversupply, this was causing me to freeze 7-10 oz over what she was eating away from me. So at 5 months I dropped to 2 pumps a day and still froze 4-7oz a day. So at 10 months I dropped to 1 pump a day and I make up the difference from my stash.

eggmankate · March 2014

RDK24 said:

I've read that the average pumping output is 2 oz per breast per session. So on average, that would be 4 oz a session. Are you needing to pump 4x/day to get enough for your DD when you're apart? As much as it stinks to pump that much, it sounds relatively normal to me. At first, I had to pump 3-4x a day to get enough for daycare. With time and the right pump, I was able to get what I needed in 2-3 sessions.

Just out of curiosity--what happened that allowed you to drop a pump session at work? I returned to work 3 weeks ago and pretty much pump the same amount (give or take an ounce each session). How do you get yourself to pump more milk at work? Does nursing on the evenings and weekends help boost supply once LO starts eating more?

Stephanie2167 · March 2014

I pump twice at work. I pump at 5-5:30am, 9-9:30am, 1-2pm, 7pm and usually around 1-2am. Last night I didn't wak eup for the MOTN pump and did fine output wise at work.

eggmankate · March 2014

RootBeer29 said:

I came back to work when DD2 was 11 weeks, I pumped 3 times a day. Because I had an oversupply, this was causing me to freeze 7-10 oz over what she was eating away from me. So at 5 months I dropped to 2 pumps a day and still froze 4-7oz a day. So at 10 months I dropped to 1 pump a day and I make up the difference from my stash.

Are you nursing at all? I'm wondering what happens when you drop a pump session at work--does that cause any problems when its the weekend and you're nursing her more frequently than you would pump at work?

eggmankate · March 2014

I returned to work 3 weeks ago. Starting at 8 weeks PP I would pump after the morning feed. When I returned to work this caused me to pump plenty of milk in the morning. We send 3-3.25 ounce bottles to daycare. I am only nursing on the right side now so all of the pumped milk is from one boob. On the weekends I continue to pump after the morning feed to keep my milk output consistent during my morning pumps during the work week.

I find that I typically pump this:

9am: 6-7 ounces

12noon: 5 ounces

3pm: 4 ounces

I'm going to keep trying this for awhile, but I'm becoming a bit of a hoarder and will run out of deep freezer space in a few months if I keep this up. I want to see what happens as DD gets older, nurses less frequently and/or takes in more milk per session.

RootBeer29 · March 2014

eggmankate said:

RootBeer29 said:

I came back to work when DD2 was 11 weeks, I pumped 3 times a day. Because I had an oversupply, this was causing me to freeze 7-10 oz over what she was eating away from me. So at 5 months I dropped to 2 pumps a day and still froze 4-7oz a day. So at 10 months I dropped to 1 pump a day and I make up the difference from my stash.

Are you nursing at all? I'm wondering what happens when you drop a pump session at work--does that cause any problems when its the weekend and you're nursing her more frequently than you would pump at work?

I only nurse her morning and night, even on the weekend. She doesn't ask to nurse during the day when I'm home and will take a bottle, so it's not an issue for us. My supply tends to overreact when she nurses a lot or just for comfort, I've struggled to get it to drop to the point it's at now so I've chosen to just pump once in the middle of the day even when I'm with her. It just works better for our family.

CNYBride05 · March 2014

I'm away from my girls 7-9 hrs and pump 2-3x during that time, about every 2.5-3hrs.

amy11401 · March 2014

I am away from my LO 9-10 hours. I pump both sides 2 times a day at work. I nurse him in the morning somewhere between 5:30-6:30. Then I pump at 11:20 and 2:30. I wish I was able to pump 1 more time at work, earlier than my first pump but I am not able to. I send 4 bottles that are between 4 and 4.5 oz to daycare....he used to usually drink all 4 but now he usually drinks 3. If I am short for the next day I will pump one side at night.

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