How many times?

altow1310 · January 2016

Working moms,
How many times a day do you pump while at work? I have been on a 3x a day schedule since returning to work when baby was 12 weeks. He is 15 weeks now, and I'm wondering if I can cut down to 2x a day. I had one day last week where I could only pump twice due to scheduling conflicts, and I got the same amount from two pumping sessions that I do from three. I HATE pumping and would love to be able to cut out a session if possible, but I don't want to damage my supply. When is your supply considered to be "established"?

sarapagan · January 2016

I'm not sure about supply being established..as far as I knew your body continually adjusts to meet the demands of the baby/pump. I have been back to work for 6 weeks so far and I have been nursing her before I leave at 630am, then pumping at 930am and 1230pm and then I am home by 330 to nurse again. I'm consistently getting anywhere from 10-12oz per day. Are you nursing when you are home or do you EP?

altow1310 · January 2016

I'm nursing when home. Right now I am nursing LO before I leave around 6:15-6:30 and pumping at 9, 12, and 3. I am returning home to LO around 4:30 though, so I'm thinking this 3x a day schedule is a bit excessive, especially if it's not yielding more milk than pumping twice a day. I might switch to pumping at 10 and 2.

cbolton19 · January 2016

I'm doing the same as the previous poster. I pump twice a day and get between 8-12 oz. I was trying 3 times and I just couldn't get three in. I feed around 6:30 before work and then pick her up and feed her around 4. I pump at work and nurse her at home.

tracij12 · January 2016

How many times does LO eat while you are away? I have been trying to match pumping sessions to her feeding schedule. I am away from 7a to 6p so pumping 3x. I hate it too!!!

sarapagan · January 2016

@jadi1215 I think thats a great idea...even starting at the half hour marks (930 and 1230) and then gradually extending to 10 and 2 would make sense if that might help your body adjust. Does your baby nurse every 3 hours? That's my girl's pattern right now. So on weekends and stuff she nurses every 3 hours which helps keep the supply the same! Good luck

cbolton19 · January 2016

@jadi1215 I was like you and barely getting anything in a 3rd pumping session. My little one nurses almost constantly when we get home. She is eating a daycare (6-9 oz) but I think she has figured that if she eats just enough, she can nurse a lot when she gets home. So I'm not too worried about supply only pumping twice. I did find that looking at pics and videos of her helped a ton for pumping. I didn't believe it, but it totally helps. Also, like @sarapagan said, my little one eats about every 3-4 hours (from around 6 am to 4 pm). She has always nursed more in the evening though.

sarapagan · January 2016

Same here @cbolton19 !! Violet nurses more like every 2 hours starting at around 6--I think she is filling her belly for sleeping through the night. Plus I like to think she wants to nurse so much because she missed me all day lol

altow1310 · January 2016

@tracij12, he is eating about three times while I'm away, which is why I've tried to pump three times. I'm just not seeing the point though if two pumping sessions will get me just as much milk. When I do three sessions, I feel like my morning session is great and the other two are just average. It really puts a damper on my work schedule to have to get up from my desk, go to the room I pump in, put everything together, etc. three times a day. Plus, pumping at 3 and getting back to LO around 4:30 seems silly. He is always ready to nurse right away, and sometimes I feel like he gets frustrated because the milk isn't flowing fast enough. I think I am going to do 9:30 and 1:30 and see how that goes. I am only in the office three days a week, so I don't think my supply will suffer. Plus, we are going through some minor sleep regression and have now implemented MOTN nursing sessions, so I think supply will be fine.

Thank you so much, ladies, for the input and guidance! I love being a part of this birth month group. I feel like I always get the support I need.

sarapagan · January 2016

I love being a part of it too! So great to be surrounded by you ladies who all have babies born around the same time!

cbolton19 · January 2016

@sarapagan Yes! I think so too! And the first nursing session when we get home is anywhere from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours! She doesn't actively nurse the entire time but nurses/comfort sucks/naps in my arms. I love it. It makes me relax a little after work and get some quality cuddles in.

waltersmom83 · January 2016

I was pumping every three hours at work, but cut out the lunch time one recently and just pump at 10 and 2. I felt like I wasn't getting much at lunch time. I try to just pump as much as she's eating at home so we keep a supply. Maybe it's bc work is stressful, but I never get more than 2oz a session. If I wait, I get a little more.

danniellemichelle · January 2016

@jadi1215 I don't work but I do exclusively pump. I don't have much knowledge about milk supply or anything other than basic research I've done but I noticed that I personally get the same amount of milk now no matter how many times I pump.

I used to pump 5-6x a day for 15-20 min religiously. Starting about four weeks ago I got lazy and would do 4 pumps then went to 3. I still fluctuate between 3-4 pumps and day but no matter how many times I pump I still get 48-50oz a day. However it does take me longer to pump now .. About 30-40min for each session but I have 3-4 let downs so it's kind of the same amount of time pumping just less sessions in total.

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