Breastfeeding
michellelcl
member
Anyone got pressure to stop breastfeeding/ pumping earlier than their goal?
michellelcl
member
My DH has asked me to start weaning because he said breast feeding/ pumping is putting a lot of stress on us. It does cause me to be sleepy and it's really difficult for me to concerate at work. We are also tie to house or any trip within 3 hour time frame so I can pump. LO usually only nurse one side so I would need to pump the other side. If I don't pump, I would not have anything for day care. And no frozen stash for me.
I also have low supply issue. 20 oz a day max. LO(4.5 months) eats about 25 oz a day. We already need to supplement. And plugged duct last week didn't help either. All of these are making DH to ask me stop breastfeeding even though my original goal was one year.
I tried so hard to be where I am now so I feed very sad to deviate from my original plan but maybe it is really too hard for me. I feel breast milk is some luxury I can't afford to give to my LO.
I haven't decided yet. Thank you for listening. I would like to hear others' experiences.
I also have low supply issue. 20 oz a day max. LO(4.5 months) eats about 25 oz a day. We already need to supplement. And plugged duct last week didn't help either. All of these are making DH to ask me stop breastfeeding even though my original goal was one year.
I tried so hard to be where I am now so I feed very sad to deviate from my original plan but maybe it is really too hard for me. I feel breast milk is some luxury I can't afford to give to my LO.
I haven't decided yet. Thank you for listening. I would like to hear others' experiences.
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Re: Anyone got pressure to stop breastfeeding/ pumping earlier than their goal?
1) You said your baby takes 25 oz a day, but you only make 20. Is that 25 oz in the whole day? You said you are nursing and pumping. The baby is far more efficient than the pump so you can't measure baby's nursing intake based on your pumping output. Supplementing is a slippery slope because when you supplement, you're telling your body that it needs to make less milk, further complicating the issue.
2) You don't need to pump or nurse both sides. Even if you're pumping both sides at work it's perfectly acceptable to only nurse one side, offering the not nursed side at the next feeding. There is no reason for you to be tied to the house. If you are nursing baby while out, you do not need to pump.
3) Pumping is a big pain, but there are ways to decrease the work. Have extra pump parts so you can have enough sets to have one clean while the others are in the dishwasher or being washed. I had a set for every weekday, this way I could wash only in the weekend if it came down to it. It never did, we just threw the parts in the dishwasher every time we ran it. You can use 1 pumping setup for the whole day, I just kept mine in a Ziploc in the cooler.
4) Formula and bottle feeding is certainly not easier, nor will it help you gain time and sleep. There will be bottles to prep and wash and you still have to sit and give baby the bottle.
5) While I took my DHs thoughts and concerns into consideration, and he did have some, this has always been ultimately up to me and I felt strongly about making my year goal. We've since me that goal and are 2 months into extended breastfeeding. Good luck and hang in there!!
edit for spelling and to make paragraphs
Most of the working moms on here, who aren't exclusive pumpers, are nursing baby directly when they are together (ie: before work, in the evening after work/before bed) and then on demand on the weekends or other days off) and then pumping during the work day, every 2-3 hours as needed to get the amount of milk baby would take. Most moms seem to pump about 3 times a day in a regular workday.
25 oz would be the average intake for a baby receiving only pumped milk and no nursing. Normal pumping output is on average an ounce per hour. For me that was around 9 oz per day. Since my baby took about 12 oz per day at daycare (in addition to nursing when we were together), I pumped the opposite side she nursed, first thing in the morning because she only took one side then.
Have you considered combo feeding? I know it's not for everyone but it really has worked well for our family. I find it less stressful for both myself and my husband. Learning the ins and outs of parenting can be challenging enough. Breastfeeding and pumping is a lot of work and time consuming (although some will tell you it's not). Formula feeding is too. Heck, parenting is a TON of work.
It's really okay if you need to change things up. Breast milk isn't a luxury. It's food. Find something that works for you and go with it. Your baby will be just fine.
Others have given great advice (and I'm a little confused about the schedule too) so I just wanted to chime in and offer hugs. You're doing a great job mama. Tell your DH that rather than trying to "fix the problem", his support in whatever you decide is the most important thing for you.
How much of a stash are you aiming for? I never had much more than a day or two's worth, and we did fine. I wouldn't stress about that so much.
I also question if DC is overfeeding your LO.
2:41am breast feed-R 10 mins.
2:52am breast feed-L 14 mins.
6:56am pump 21 mins. 4 oz + 7 ml
9:59am pump 25 mins. 88 ml
12:33pm pump 17 mins. 59 ml
3:04pm pump 15 mins. 68 ml
6:36pm pump 15 mins. 82 ml
7:04pm breast feed-L 25 mins.
7:32pm breast feed-R 4 mins.
9:47pm breast feed-R 5 mins.
9:52pm breast feed-L 19 mins.
11:30pm pump 15 mins. 55 ml
Total 477 ml=16.17 oz
I see. So you're away from LO for about 12 hrs? You couldn't add in another nursing session before you leave for work?
Some of those pumping sessions might be a little too short. I usually had to pump more than 20 min to get a second let-down.
Formula feeding isn't exactly easy either and formula is expensive, expect to shell out $200+ per month on the stuff. If you want to keep BF, then keep doing it. If you want to wean then do that, but make sure that's what you want because it's a tough decision to reverse.
Also, invest in a cheap manual pump so you can take it with you and pump when you're out and about.
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