How much to pump?

nightwitch · March 2016

I'm lucky enough that I'll get 6-8 weeks of short term disability and one week's paid vacation from my job, but after that we can't afford for me to stay home on unpaid FMLA. I'm hoping to be able to breastfeed and was just wondering if any of you STMs could chime in and give me any clue as to how much breastmilk I need to have bottled for an 8 to 11 hour workday. Thanks for any advice!

Bee112309 · March 2016

For all things breastfeeding/pumping, my first go-to resource is a website called KellyMom. It has SO much great information on those topics. If I remember correctly, that site estimates that most babies will take in about 1oz per hour away from you. When I was gone for 8 hours, I'd leave three 3oz bottles, and always at least two bags of milk in the freezer for the inevitable growth spurt days where they needed more than I left.

alylove11 · March 2016

I was gone about 10 hours a day, and she drank around 3 bags of 3-4 oz. If you can on your on leave, try to get a stash going. My milk didn't come in for 5 days, but I created an oversupply due to pumping after nursing, so I had a good stash ready for daycare. Like PP said, check out kellymom, that website was my go-to.

Lyette1206 · March 2016

I'll third the kellymom site - it has everything you need to know. They also have a section about how to bottle feed a breastfed baby that could be helpful for you care provider

nightwitch · March 2016

Thank you ladies!

NicknShan · March 2016

I started by sending 4, 4oz bottles and usually only three were drank. One was "backup" for spills or a really hungry kid (our DC won't store any frozen milk). There was a time he went up to 4, 6oz bottles a day, but my body adjusted as he ate more. I always sent what I pumped the day prior. Except for Friday's. On Fridays, I froze what I pumped, and then pulled from my freezer stash on Monday when I went back to work. It kept the freezer stash rotating.

NLewis1 · March 2016

I was gone 9 hours and my hungry guy always took 4, 4 ounce bottles. I also leave several bags frozen in the freezer for extra hungry days. I would start pumping about week 2 and pump enough for one full bottle a day. That will give you a nice little stash for when you go back to work

RNMegan0711 · March 2016

This is great info! Thanks to OP for posting and responses from PP. I was wondering the same things since I'll be going back to work rather quickly. I'll be checking the KellyMom site out today!

Rosehip15 · March 2016

All good advice thus far - especially Kellymom. It's nice to have a bit of a freezer stash going before you go back to work if possible. Perhaps for the last couple weeks of leave, I'd try to pump once daily & put that in the freezer.

Other keys to making this work (I work f/t out of the house, and didn't use any formula) are nursing as close to when you leave in the morning as possible & having the baby hungry when you walk back in the door. It made me crazy if they gave a bottle when they knew I'd be home any minute. Then I'm engorged, baby's not hungry, etc., etc. Of course, this takes some coordination & buy-in from your care providers, but well worth it. Also, I think I would dole out very small portions - maybe 2 ounces, to avoid that liquid gold being tossed. My son was always terrible at taking bottles, so that happened, and believe me it's heartbreaking when you hear your milk is going down the drain.

NLewis1 · March 2016

Rosehip15 is so right about throwing away breastmilk. It's like so heartbreaking! I went to Houston for a week when my son was 6 months old for work and I shipped 80 ounces of milk home in a cooler with ice because there was no way I was tossing all of that or dragging it through airport security! $250 in overnight shipping was something I didn't even bat an eye at, though my husbands eyes were the size of saucers when he asked how much it cost! Haha

Rosehip15 · March 2016

NLewis1 said:

Rosehip15 is so right about throwing away breastmilk. It's like so heartbreaking! I went to Houston for a week when my son was 6 months old for work and I shipped 80 ounces of milk home in a cooler with ice because there was no way I was tossing all of that or dragging it through airport security! $250 in overnight shipping was something I didn't even bat an eye at, though my husbands eyes were the size of saucers when he asked how much it cost! Haha

But when you think of what you didn't pay in formula over all that time...tell hubby you're saving money! I would absolutely have done the same.

nightwitch · March 2016

Thanks so much on all the timing advice too! It helps me to have some clue of how to get the timing all right. I currently work until 11pm, as does DH. I moved my dementia-addled parents in with me last year in order to take care of them, and I am totally freaking out about exactly who the hell is going to be my child's caregiver since nighttime daycare pretty much doesn't exist. It helps calm me by having some practical advice about the details for things I've never had to do before.

MynaBird · March 2016

Rosehip15 said:

NLewis1 said:

Rosehip15 is so right about throwing away breastmilk. It's like so heartbreaking! I went to Houston for a week when my son was 6 months old for work and I shipped 80 ounces of milk home in a cooler with ice because there was no way I was tossing all of that or dragging it through airport security! $250 in overnight shipping was something I didn't even bat an eye at, though my husbands eyes were the size of saucers when he asked how much it cost! Haha

But when you think of what you didn't pay in formula over all that time...tell hubby you're saving money! I would absolutely have done the same.

Eh, even the fancy organic formula we used worked out to about 50 cents an ounce after being mixed, so you couldn't really claim a cost savings... But if I'd ever been able to pump 80 ounces, it definite would have been worth $250 to me to keep from having to throw it away!

Rosehip15 · March 2016

MynaBird said:

Rosehip15 said:

NLewis1 said:

Rosehip15 is so right about throwing away breastmilk. It's like so heartbreaking! I went to Houston for a week when my son was 6 months old for work and I shipped 80 ounces of milk home in a cooler with ice because there was no way I was tossing all of that or dragging it through airport security! $250 in overnight shipping was something I didn't even bat an eye at, though my husbands eyes were the size of saucers when he asked how much it cost! Haha

But when you think of what you didn't pay in formula over all that time...tell hubby you're saving money! I would absolutely have done the same.

Eh, even the fancy organic formula we used worked out to about 50 cents an ounce after being mixed, so you couldn't really claim a cost savings... But if I'd ever been able to pump 80 ounces, it definite would have been worth $250 to me to keep from having to throw it away!

I was thinking more of the cost of formula over the entire course of time you BF/pump, but agree...I would probably pay a courier to personally drive the milk across the country if need be... I found out my au pair had been dumping. every. bottle. for. weeks. when my son starting refusing to take any expressed milk - would only take water. And DIDN'T TELL ME, kept pouring it down the drain every day. She's lucky she got away with her life.

newbabymakes4 · March 2016

I think KellyMom and La Leche League are good resources to use, but you'll have a better idea of how much you'll need once you start nursing about see how much/often your LO will eat. When I went back to work at 14 weeks, DS was taking 3 6-8oz bottles while I was out. I think it's definitely a good idea to try to build up a stash while you're home on leave, and then you can see how it all works out once you get back to work. Just read up on timing of pumping so you don't wind up with an oversupply issue, I think they suggest pumping directly after nursing but it's been a little while since I've done this...

Also, a suggestion: When you freeze bags of milk, freeze them laying down flat so they're thinner. They freeze faster that way, making it easier to store, and faster to thaw out. I personally did not like freezing milk in bottles, I found that it took longer to thaw in the center. (Also, don't freak out if you see the milk separate or change color slightly when it's frozen, or even sitting in the fridge for a while. Totally normal. When it thaws and you mix it back up it goes back to the way it was when you pumped it.)

MynaBird · March 2016

@Rosehip15 WUT. I'm not sure if I would have cried or punched her or just punched through the tears.

NLewis1 · March 2016

MynaBird said:

@Rosehip15 WUT. I'm not sure if I would have cried or punched her or just punched through the tears.

I would have lost my ever loving mind in this bitch. Clearly she's never pumped before or she would have understood what a huge pain in the ass and time suck it is.

hollywoodave531 · March 2016

Hey ladies, I really like this thread. Any STM's etc that commented already: suggestions on what you found worked best for milk storage bags? It seems like there are a lot of mixed reviews online. Thanks in advance.

NLewis1 · March 2016

hollywoodave531 said:

Hey ladies, I really like this thread. Any STM's etc that commented already: suggestions on what you found worked best for milk storage bags? It seems like there are a lot of mixed reviews online. Thanks in advance.

I used Lansinoh and never ever had problems with them leaking or anything. The ounces on the bag aren't 100% accurate so I always measured out the ounces in the bottles I pumped into and then wrote on the bag the date and ounces and then poured the milk into the bag

newbabymakes4 · March 2016

NLewis1 said:

hollywoodave531 said:

Hey ladies, I really like this thread. Any STM's etc that commented already: suggestions on what you found worked best for milk storage bags? It seems like there are a lot of mixed reviews online. Thanks in advance.

I used Lansinoh and never ever had problems with them leaking or anything. The ounces on the bag aren't 100% accurate so I always measured out the ounces in the bottles I pumped into and then wrote on the bag the date and ounces and then poured the milk into the bag

Agree with @NLewis1 , I used Lansinoh bags and never had any issues with leaking. I pumped into bottles and used those measurements, since I also noticed that the lines on the bags didn't really match up.

Perhaps other ladies would disagree with me, but it's a PITA to clean pump parts (that's not what they'd disagree with haha). When I was pumping 3x/day at work, I found that if you leave them (bagged in a ziplock) in the fridge in between uses, it's OK to use the same parts multiple times without washing in between each time. That way you just have to wash the parts each evening. And I would suggest buying at least one extra set of tubes and phalanges.

NLewis1 · March 2016

newbabymakes4 said:

NLewis1 said:

hollywoodave531 said:

Hey ladies, I really like this thread. Any STM's etc that commented already: suggestions on what you found worked best for milk storage bags? It seems like there are a lot of mixed reviews online. Thanks in advance.

I used Lansinoh and never ever had problems with them leaking or anything. The ounces on the bag aren't 100% accurate so I always measured out the ounces in the bottles I pumped into and then wrote on the bag the date and ounces and then poured the milk into the bag

Agree with @NLewis1 , I used Lansinoh bags and never had any issues with leaking. I pumped into bottles and used those measurements, since I also noticed that the lines on the bags didn't really match up.

Perhaps other ladies would disagree with me, but it's a PITA to clean pump parts (that's not what they'd disagree with haha). When I was pumping 3x/day at work, I found that if you leave them (bagged in a ziplock) in the fridge in between uses, it's OK to use the same parts multiple times without washing in between each time. That way you just have to wash the parts each evening. And I would suggest buying at least one extra set of tubes and phalanges.

I did this too. It's totally fine as long as the parts are stored in the fridge! Makes for a little jolt when you use it the next time though

this time I bought a $10 wet bag (yes the kind for dirty cloth diapers) to store the pump parts in, in the fridge at my office. Then I just wash and sanitize at the end of the day. I also always carry a spare set of pump parts just in case - and if you have the medela PISA, the little valve covers rip sometimes so I always had several of those stupid little things stashed in my bag.

mdargie · March 2016

Ditto to leaving your parts in the fridge, they are a pain to clean. I loooved the Medela quick steam bags also. I used lansinoh storage bags, they always worked well. I've heard bad reviews on the Medela ones. In intrigued by the Kiinde system, does anyone have any experience with that?

nightwitch · March 2016

That Kiinde is the one I've had my eye on, but the pump is still one of those "must haves" on my list. I might do some research this weekend.

Thanks for all the storage/extra parts advice! Never would have occurred to me to have spare parts on hand, but now I can forsee what a night mare it would be without an extra set at work

NLewis1 · March 2016

The only issue I see with the Kiinde is that it looks like it takes up a lot of freezer/fridge space and doesn't hold that many bags. To me, it just looks like a waste of money.

Also, since is hard to see exactly how many ounces you pumped when looking at the bag, I wouldn't want to pump directly into the bag - I want to measure my ounces in a bottle first.

Then an I lay my bags flat in the freezer and once they are frozen tilt them up on their side like a book and go oldest in front newest in back so I always grab the oldest bag first. If you spend any amount of time pumping you will build a freezer stash and I promise it will be bigger than how many bags the kiinde system lets you store.

Bee112309 · March 2016

I agree that Lansinoh bags are great. I pumped for 2 kids with those and never had a leak. As PPs have mentioned, though, it's much more accurate to pump into a bottle to see how many ounces you have, and then pour into the bag and label it. Freezing it flat is also really helpful for saving space.

What I did was get a small gift bag, cut a slit along the bottom of one of the short sides, and put my frozen bags in there, one on top of the other. That way, it kept my bags contained nicely, and I could just take the oldest milk out first through the slit, making sure I always used it oldest-to-newest.

Here's a link to pictures, in case my written description didn't help: https://greenlitebites.com/2011/06/breast-milk-storage/

dennyandlee · March 2016

Bee112309 said:

I agree that Lansinoh bags are great. I pumped for 2 kids with those and never had a leak. As PPs have mentioned, though, it's much more accurate to pump into a bottle to see how many ounces you have, and then pour into the bag and label it. Freezing it flat is also really helpful for saving space.

What I did was get a small gift bag, cut a slit along the bottom of one of the short sides, and put my frozen bags in there, one on top of the other. That way, it kept my bags contained nicely, and I could just take the oldest milk out first through the slit, making sure I always used it oldest-to-newest.

Here's a link to pictures, in case my written description didn't help: https://greenlitebites.com/2011/06/breast-milk-storage/

----------------------QBF-------------------------

Damn, stuck in the box again. GRR!!!
Your storage suggestion is awesome. I am trying that. Thanks!!

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How much to pump?

Re: How much to pump?

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

Mrs. H

Crohn's Dx: August 2008

Endometriosis Dx: May 2010

Married: 05/19/2012

TTC #1: June 2013

BFP: December 2013

DS: Born 08/29/2014

TTC #2: July 2015

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