BFing/pumping at work, 6 months in

nemRN · December 2015

Hey ladies just wanted to see who else out there was working and pumping at work and BF at home, how is it going ? Almost 6 months in here and I've definitely seen my supply drop ! I can't pump enough at work usually can only pump every 4-5 hours and also LO had ear infection and cold and between the two I feel like BF is getting harder and the supply is dropping . How often are you guys pumping at work ? Do you pump before you go to bed at night ? Is LO still taking breast easily ? I feel like my LO prefers bottle more now sometimes :-(

mamaklemond · December 2015

Hi! I am not BF anymore, have been only pumping since he was 4-5 weeks old. I pump every 3-4 hours at work, so usually twice. I pump before I leave the house (around 7am), pump between 10-11am, then again between 2-3pm, leave work at 4 and pump at home between 6-7 then one last time at 10pm. I usually pump 15-18 oz the first morning session then a total of 12-15 oz the two times at work then maybe 10oz the last 2 times combined at home. Drink tons of water, eat oatmeal at least once a day and have taken fenugreek in the past. Some days I want to throw in the towel but I've kept going this long (he will be 5 months in 2 days) so I'm gonna shoot for 6 months now. Small goals!!!

lindseystans · December 2015

I was BF and pumping up until 4 1/2 months, my lo then only wanted bottles. I would try and BF her and she would not take it. I now only pump. When I first started work (lo was 3 months) I would pump 4-5 times a day, but now I only do twice a day. My supply dropped when I went back to work then even more when I stopped BF at home. My goal is 6 months which she'll be in 2 weeks. It's hard work but I'm glad I've gotten this far! I remember thinking how am I ever going to even get to 2 weeks, 4 weeks etc.

erinkaydonnell · December 2015

Tmi I am actually pumping at work right now. I work 12 hour shifts so I bf before I go to work at 4 then pump at 8, 1230 and 330. He does both bottle and bf when I'm home. He acts to busy to eat in the middle of the day but prefers bf at night. I am Only pumping about 15 oz a day.

gmk1784 · December 2015

Lol I'm actually pumping at work right now too! I do feel like I've moved to more pumping than nursing now that I'm back at work. I still try to BF DS at home, but he usually falls asleep after 5 mins and then I have to pump anyways

I work 8:30-5 and I take 2 breaks during the day, at 10:30 and 3. I also pump before bed around 10 and then get up at 2:30 am to pump every night. I would love to stop that but I get clogs really bad if I go too long without pumping.

I think I have a really good supply and I haven't noticed a change so far. My goal is to EBF until 6 months and then introduce solids. I'm going to keep pumping/BF as long as I can because best for DS and it's free. An extra hour's worth of break time at work isn't too bad either ;-)

katedewberry · December 2015

I am doing both. My schedule - 6:00am / if he wakes up, I nurse/ if not I pump. 9:00am pump at work, 12:00 pump at work. 3:00pm pump at work. 5:30 nurse when I get home. 8:00 bottle for bed. My little one is a lazy nurser, so I give him a bottle of breast milk for bed to ensure he has enough to last him the night. I only nurse during the weekends except the bottle before bed. My supply did drop a little when I went back to work, but it was more due to my not drinking enough water during the day. Immediately went almost to normal when I started drinking water again.

klirwin82 · December 2015

We'll be 6 months old Jan 3rd so it looks like we'll hit our EBF goal! I pump MOTN at around 3am, then at 8am, 11:30 and 3pm and nurse around 2 times before going to bed. Supply had gotten dismal but taking Motherlove capsules plus 9 fenugreek & 9 blessed thistle daily fixed things.

My main problem is LO has gotten so distracted while nursing and gets upset that my letdown is isn't as fast as it used to be.

He's also now bitten me a few times so I'm just going with the flow and we will see what happens. If he is now sleeping 9pm - 5am I kind of want to drop the MOTN pump and just sleep. But formula is expensive and we are about to start daycare which is almost as much as our mortgage payment, so I'm inclined to keep going for awhile longer. It's free!

emfolstad · December 2015

I am still doing both too. I've been supplementing with formula since I went back to work because I just don't produce enough milk but am doing the best I can. I made the mistake of getting into the habit of pumping in the middle of the night with my 3 year old so am not doing that (and really this LO is up all night anyway so I wouldn't have the chance!) but I pump in the morning if she's still sleeping (around 6:30) and then I try to pump 3 times while I'm at work, and nurse her at least twice in the evening. I don't usually pump at all on the weekends. I'm planning on keeping this up until she is 7 months and then slowly transitioning away from breastfeeding/pumping. Hopefully she'll be well on her way to eating solids by then and we will use formula the rest of the time.

ashleytiff · December 2015

I EBF but have been trying to pump lately so I can leave LO with my husband and get some me time occasionally. Even if it's just going to the store but I can't seem to pump very much. it took me 3 days to pump 2 ounces. I'm hoping it's just that the pump isn't efficient enough and it's not my supply

mbilbrey00 · December 2015

I had to start supplementing with formula when ds was 5 months. I got my period and my supply dropped drastically. I tried everything to get it back but was using up my freezer stash. Nothing worked. Now he takes half and half bottles at daycare but I bf when at home. Ds prefers the boob, haha. I can barely get him to take a bottle.

krissyberb · December 2015

I'm doing both. I pump at work at 9:30, 12, and 2:30. I BF in the evenings and weekends. I only pump evenings and weekends if I'm extra full. I hope to drop one pump after we start solids. My supply is still good, but it's getting harder to get a let down with the pump. I have to do breast compressions to keep the flow going. LO prefers breast but will take a bottle when I'm at work

nemRN · December 2015

It looks like we all have a similar schedule , I pump on drive in from 7-8 then again at 11 and 3pm , I nurse when I get home but lately she doesn't want to and I've skipped pumping either, then nurse before bed and babe is still nursing 2 times at night! But she is so distracted lately and frustrated waiting for let down, I think that's screwing my supply up bc sometimes she gets too mad and pulls off just as let down comes and just doesn't want it at all then - ugh. My goal was EBF 1 year, haven't started solids yet either, - I hardly drink any water during the day( work as a nurse and we forget!) I hope if I'm better about that my supply will increase bc I went from 26oz day at work to 15oz :-( good luck ladies and thanks for the help !

krissyberb · December 2015

@nemRN Do you work an 8 hour shift? If so, I think 15 oz a day is good! 26 seems like a lot and your oversupply may have naturally regulated. I usually pump 15-18 ounces over 3 pumps. If your LO is eating more than 15 ounces while you're at work (again assuming you're working 8 hours) talk to your caregiver about paced bottle feeding. Kellymom.com has good suggestions. https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/
I have a big guy who likes his food, and my husband really has to work at the paced feeding. My LO would eat anything that's offered and I would have a hard time keeping up!

kristyn831 · December 2015

I pump on my way to work and then 3 times during a 12 hour shift. I nurse him before I leave in the morning. LO is definitely dipping into my extra in the freezer. I'm hoping that he will start liking solids and I can keep up with him.

When I'm home, he's breastfed. I tried giving him a bottle the other day but he won't take it from me! I was hoping to wean him off the breast at one year by giving pumped milk but he's not having it as of now.

I pump between 4-8 oz of milk each time, averaging 5 oz.

mcb0110 · December 2015

My LO typically only eats off one side, so I pump the other side while she's eating before I go to work (around 6), pump around 11, then around 4. I'm a teacher and it's super hard to find time to pump. After I pick her up she normally eats about 6 (I don't pump for that feeding), but will pump when she eats before bed. If I pump all that I get about 20 oz that gives her enough for daycare the next day plus a little extra just in case. We also started rice cereal, so I do pump after she eats that. So far we haven't had to supplement. My goal is at least 6 months (January 13th), but am going to try and go longer if I can.

I do hate pumping! Right now we're on winter break and it's so nice to not have to worry about pumping! I just feed on demand.

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