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March 2015 Moms
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Pumping Help

babyh310babyh310 member
in March 2015 Moms
My LO is 3.5 weeks old and I want to start pumping and giving him one bottle per day so hubby can help with feedings and I can catch a little break, as well as so baby is okay with bottles and breast so he's okay when I go back to work in a few weeks. How do you all start pumping and stocking up? I really only want to be 1-2 bottles (3oz each) right now, I don't need a big stockpile. When do you pump? Right now baby is eating every 3 hours, about 20 mins per side.
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Re: Pumping Help

  • leibasleibas member
    Following this! I also wonder how to create the stockpile for returning to work in a few weeks. Is it possible to pump enough one day at work to have enough for the next day?
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  • adelemsadelems member
    For me I started as soon as my milk came in. In the morning my breasts were usually very full so I would let baby nurse to his content and then pump another ounce or two every morning. Eventually progressed to pumping after as many feedings as possible. Just an ounce , if that, until my supply started catching up and then an ounce became easy. I haven't even started bottles yet but I want to stock pile for later . So far baby is 2 weeks old and I already have 56 ounces frozen. That may not sound like a lot but for me that's a lot! Yay! I'm hoping to get up to freezing 8 ounces a day on top of exclusively bf. I have a history of low supply and heavy eating babies so having the stock pile really puts me at ease. :)

    So, long story short... Just start by pumping after feedings just a little and work your way up. It's not going to happen over night but your supply will increase steadily until you have plenty to make an extra bottle every day or more!
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  • adelemsadelems member
    leibas said:

    Following this! I also wonder how to create the stockpile for returning to work in a few weeks. Is it possible to pump enough one day at work to have enough for the next day?

    Yes of course! You just have to pump for every time your baby would nurse. So if she eats 3oz 8 times a day then you'll need to pump that much. You could cut down the frequency and pump more per session which is what I would do , but I don't have personal experience with pumping exclusively so hopefully some other moms will comment with more credentials ;)
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  • myjessesgirlmyjessesgirl member
    I started pumping at two weeks and just giving a bottle here and there to prepare my LO for future feedings. Since the beginning of this week (3 weeks), I have been trying to pump twice daily: once about an hour after her first feeding (usually helps to get a shower in because the heat helps) and then again I the afternoon or evening about an hour after one of those feedings. I'm trying to pump I addition to feeding her regularly rather than replacing a feeding with pumping because I'd like to build my supply. I have gotten up to about 5-6 oz per day. Once work starts at around 9 weeks, I'll hopefully have a lot of back up supply of frozen milk plus I'll be pumping to replace feedings. I'm hoping this will work for me, but it's my first time doing this, too. None of my friends returned to work, so I'm sort of doing this without any input. So any additional advice would be great! Thanks for posting this question. I'll keep following this board to see!
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  • cmcintoscmcintos member
    I pump in the morning after she feeds and at night before bed if I can. Can usually freeze about 5oz per day. If you pump at work just bring a cooler and save it for the next day!! Just be sure to pump enough to keep your supply up!
    Lilypie - Personal pictureLilypie Pregnancy tickers

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  • rmckennarmckenna member
    I started pumping randomly after feedings (or during - feed one side & pump the other) while I was on maternity leave. Since returning to work I pump 3 times a day during the work week, 9:00, 12:00 & 3:00.  I feed my daughter before leaving to drop her off at daycare & then when I get home from work she's usually ready for another feeding.  I definitely get the most from my morning pump - average 6-8 oz.  The afternoon pumps usually get between 3-4 oz each.  Thankfully I'm able, right now, to pump enough for the next day at daycare.  I also have a small stash in the freezer for when she hits a growth spurt, or decides that she wants bigger bottles.  Right now she's eating 3 oz every 2 hours, but I'm sure she'll go up here soon.  I do rotate the frozen milk with the fresh so the stuff in the freezer doesn't go bad.

    With my first I only pumped once a day at work, but I had a bigger freezer stash.  I was able to BF him until he was 10 months old, but it was stressful worrying about keeping up with his demands.  Stress & BF/pumping do not compliment each other. I feel much more comfortable this time around.  However, I've gone into it with the same thought plan as with my first - BF for as long as I can (hopefully a year) & if/when I can't I'll give her formula, because the most important thing is that she's eating, gaining weight, healthy & happy.
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