Working Moms-Pumping help!

Sgriff1 · June 2014

Hi there, I have started back to work full time and I am having trouble with my pumping schedule and hoping someone can give me some advice. My LO has been nursing typically at 4:30am and 7:30am before I leave to work (she typically eats every 3 hrs). I struggled with oversupply in the beginning and my LO still nurses on just one side most of the time, so when I'm at work I've been pumping from one side every 3 hrs and I get 4-5oz for each bottle. So I pump 10:30, 1:30 and 4:30 and expect her to eat again at 7:30 or around there. However I've been finding that my MIL is feeding LO all over the place and the past 2 days she has been out of milk by 6pm and my MIL has been pulling an extra bottle out of my freezer stash each day before I get home! I don't understand how were so off schedule.

I'm not sure how much she should typically eat, but I pump to empty each time which is 4-5oz's so I assumed that's what she's been eating when she's nursing. My MIL said that if the bottle has not been "full" she pulls from the other bottles in the fridge to top them off and then has to get a freezer supply by the end of day (I'm guessing shes filling them up to 5-6oz's? Whatever the bottle will hold). I am wondering if my LO should be eating more than I pump on one side and maybe I should start pumping both (although I'm afraid of having an oversupply/engorgement issue again) or if my MIL is overfeeding her. I could talk to her about pacing her bottle feeds if that's the case...but I want to be sure that's what's going on before I tell my MIL to not feed her anymore. Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

bethughknee · June 2014

I would definitely talk to your MIL about paced bottles. Did your DD take that much from a bottle before you went back to work? She may not need nearly as much as your MIL is giving her and that's a habit you need to nip NOW before DD gets used to it. I would have MIL watch videos of paced bottle feeding, and then give smaller bottles to DD and see how long she goes before giving more hunger cues. ETA: My DD takes 4oz bottles every 2-2.5 hours at daycare for example.

As far as pumping, my DD takes 4-5 bottles at daycare and I only pump 3x during the workday. I can't just pump one bottle out of a feeding and expect to get by. I would say double pumping might be your best bet or adding a pump in the car on the way to work. I used to pump on my way to work even though DD had eaten within the hour and I think because mornings were plentiful, I got a few extra oz. (I WFH now so it doesn't make sense to pump in the car anymore.) Honestly, efficiency wise, making one or all of your work pumps double pumps might get you what you need. If you pump over what she needs, freeze it and use it later!

sugarland726 · June 2014

Lots of thoughts.
The baby is more effective at pulling milk than the pump. Just because you pump 4-5 doesn't mean that's all she is taking when she nurses.

LO could be comfort eating at the change in the situation and the stress. MIL is (likely) overfeeding her. Does LO take a pacifier? She probably wants to comfort suck and MIL is mistaking that for hunger and feeding her instead.

MIL should not be combining BM bottles like that. You can heat and reheat once. Once you mix bottles, that milk has already been heated once as far as the milk is concerned. Does that make sense?

You can use this chart for a guide on how much to feed her: https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

It's going to take some playing around, but I would pre-make the bottles and tell MIL when they are finished to try a pacifier. If LO is still angry/showing hungry signs 30 minutes later, then feed her more, but not a full bottle more. Also, search for paced bottle feedings on Youtube to show your MIL how best to feed a breastfed baby.

Sgriff1 · June 2014

@tarajeannette‌ No, MIL is also new to feeding a bottle...and LO has not had a bottle in about a month. She used to eat 3 or 4 oz every 3hrs. I'm away about 9hrs and pump close to 15ozs while I'm gone...and MIL has been feeding her about 18-20ozs while I'm gone. (She's about 14lbs and 4mos) My MIL is also horrible and knowing when LO is tired and has not been putting her down for naps, I feel like she might be feeding LO instead of putting her down when she's fussy....but I can't be sure since I'm not there obviously.

mommygrams0730 · June 2014

Great advice from pp's!

My only question is how is she getting the freezer milk thawed out so fast that your LO can drink it? When I dethaw I put the bag of milk in a cup in the fridge and it would take all night to thaw. Just wanting to make sure she's not microwaving it...

Sgriff1 · June 2014

@sugarland726‌ thank you for the chart! I've been looking for something like that! I had the bottles premade for her...but then noticed that she has been thawing out a bag of frozen milk daily and wondering WTH she she doing (plus she's pulling from my emergency supply and I don't want that all being used). And yes, LO has always been a huge comfort nurser and always want to suck, especially when she's tired...so I bet that's what she's doing.

sugarland726 · June 2014

Sgriff1 said:

@sugarland726‌ thank you for the chart! I've been looking for something like that! I had the bottles premade for her...but then noticed that she has been thawing out a bag of frozen milk daily and wondering WTH she she doing (plus she's pulling from my emergency supply and I don't want that all being used). And yes, LO has always been a huge comfort nurser and always want to suck, especially when she's tired...so I bet that's what she's doing.

Ok that, coupled with MIL not doing naps properly make me think the problem is resting squarely on your MIL and not on your or your abilities to pump. Babies can only be awake for 1.5-2 hours at a time before starting to get tired again. So if DD wakes at 9am, start the clock. This includes changing her diaper, feeding her, or anything else. If she follows that schedule, DD won't be overtired and won't be as difficult to put down. Give her a pacifier if she is a comfort nurser. Also, maybe consider making bottles of different sizes. DS takes a 5.5, then a 5, then a 4.5, and lastly a 3 ounce bottle. He loads up in the morning because he STTN and therefore hasn't eaten since 7pm usually.

versed · June 2014

@mommy grams‌ - while a slow fridge thaw is ideal, you can thaw frozen milk under running water. That allows frozen milk to be used as back-up.

mommygrams0730 · June 2014

NextVerseUnknown said:
@mommy grams‌ - while a slow fridge thaw is ideal, you can thaw frozen milk under running water. That allows frozen milk to be used as back-up.

Very true with the running under hot water, glad you pointed that out! ...just wanted to make sure they weren't microwaving.

ashleywiz · June 2014

I should show DH this... He tells me this AM that he gave her the 5oz I pumped before I left for work... Then 45 min later gave her another 4oz because she only stopped crying when she saw the bottle. Then, go figure, she was cranky all day. Duh. 9 oz in less than 2 hours is major overkill. I try to show him things and tell him, but he swears she's still hungry.

. Maybe she is, but I find it hard to believe she sucks that much out of me at once.

What I did when my folks and MIL were here was do a journal. I did this about a week before they came and documented every feeding, nap and diaper so they could see our routine. If it wasn't for that, both my parents and MIL said they would have fed her more if they hadn't read the prior notes and notice that she got fussy around normal nap times and that she never had a bottle more than 4oz in one sitting and ~2.5 hours between. Good luck, I hope you find a solution to put your mind at ease, it sounds like you pump plenty. I'll also echo double pumping- it'll save time and it shouldn't confuse the bubbies.

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