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Morning pumping question

Juliebird8307Juliebird8307 member
edited May 2014 in Breastfeeding
Most of te time, DD is going about 11 hours overnight without eating. I wake up pretty engourged, but it's not painful. I have been pumping one side while she eats on the other side and I get about 5oz. This is the only pump that I get 'extra' milk from. Now that my weekend away from her is over and she is 8.5 months, I feel like I don't need to be concerned about building so much freezer stash, but I would still like to add to it a little. If I don't do this pump every morning (maybe like 4 days a week) will my supply drop quickly? I will end up with one huge breast for an extra 3-4 hours though! Or would it be better to just continue with this pump? The only other times I pump is when I'm replacing a feeding

One other things is that I have been concerned about my supply lately. So I'm not sure if cutting this session is good because it will leave more milk in the other breast for later, or bad because it will tell my body to not make that milk.
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Re: Morning pumping question

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    Juliebird8307Juliebird8307 member
    I have about 350oz in my freezer stash, which was kind of disappointing when I counted it. I thought I would have enough to make it through a month if I had to stop BFing, but that will only last a couple weeks. I guess since I realized I can't suppliment for a long time with my stash, I'm not as concerned with it.

    My work schedule usually only keeps me away from DD from about 9-3 or 4. So I feed her around 7am and pump. Then I pump during her 11am feed and her 3pm feed. So I only need to pump to replace bottles twice a day. I don't feel like I can cut one of those put because they are already pretty spaced out.

    I really want to make it to a year with BFing, so I will not cut this morni pump if it will make my supply drop. My pumps later in the day have been very inconsistent. Sometimes I get 3oz, sometimes I get 5. Since DD only eats 5 times a day, she gets 5oz bottles so 3oz is not enough. So it I don't pump in the morning, there's a good chance I will not pump enough durning the day to replace bottles.

    I really just don't like doing the morning pump. Obviously, I'll suck it up and continue it if that the best thing to do, but I just hate pumping while DD plays by herself (DH is at work). I would much rather be able to play with her during this time. The other pumps are when she isn't with me, so it just feels different.
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    Juliebird8307Juliebird8307 member
    theresat858 said:
    If you're still nursing in the morning, can you just pump while you nurse? I did that until DD was 10 months old, and only stopped then because we moved. Once we moved, I just pumped both sides during my commute (getting a lot more out of the one DD didn't just nurse from). 

    Nursing only 5 times a day is likely to lead to supply issues, even at 8.5 months old...I would be cautious of not pumping before 11am. But you could pump when you first get to work instead of when you are at home with the baby.
    Do you think it would be better to pump both sides maybe an hour after DD eats in the morning and then again at 11:00?
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    Juliebird8307Juliebird8307 member
    edited May 2014
    casey78 said:
    350 ounces is a great freezer stash! You are still going strong at this point, so it's highly unlikely that you'll just stop. Think of it this way ... You have 70 servings of bm in the freezer. assuming you work 5 day weeks, that means you could (not that you WANT to) supplement one 5oz bottle a day for 14 weeks. That alone would put you at a year, and that's assuming LO doesn't need a little less as she takes more solids closer to a year.  Not advocating that you do it -- just seems like you've worked hard and have a very strong safety net. 
    Thanks!  That's a good point.  I guess my struggle is not knowing when/how to supplement, if I need to.  My supply drops throughout the day, which I know is normal, so I feel like if anything DD may need a bottle at night time.  So, it looks like I'm going to continue with my morning pump, and if I can keep it going until she's 11 months, then I'll consider dropping it. 

    BTW, your daughter is adorable!  I am usually on mobile and never get to see signatures.
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