Pumping Moms

jenkar01 · December 2016

Okay all you moms who are back to work and pumping, how often are you pumping? On a typical day I nurse him before work and pump because I'm usually engorged in the morning. Then I pump four hours from the time I pump then about 3-4 hours after that pumping. Usually try to let my boobs tell me when to pump. I try to pump when I feel the letdown happening. I nurse him after work when he is hungry and pump before bed. Is this normal? Am I over thinking this whole thing?

Sbrown721 · December 2016

That sounds good to me! I don't think I'm pumping enough...this is my first week back and I am trying to figure it out still. I feed LO around 7 and then we leave for daycare. Daycare feeds him 3.5 oz every 2 hours...I only pump at 10 and 2. I only get about 6 oz when I pump so I am having trouble keeping up with daycare. Yesterday he drank 14 oz and I only pumped 9 total. I am going to visit him on my lunch break today. I'll only have about 15-20 minutes to spend with him, but will let him breastfeed if he wants to. I think I need to start pumping in the morning and when he goes to bed as well. He is sleeping so well now that he's in daycare (8pm-4am).

jenkar01 · December 2016

Wow 3.5 oz every two hours. My LO takes about 3 oz every 3 hours when his grandparents watch him. That would be hard to keep up with.

Sbrown721 · December 2016

I know! I hate to tell his daycare that he shouldn't eat so much...If he's eating it all then he must need it, but wow! It's a lot! He's not napping as well there as he does at home so that may have to do with it. Maybe he'll get more used to daycare and nap more and eat a little less. We'll see!

rock1cherry · December 2016

My LC said at least every three hours while I'm at work and nurse all other times.

jenkar01 · December 2016

Okay so I'm doing good then. I just worry too much. I'm an over thinker and analyze every time way more than I need too. I nurse him once I'm home except at bed time. He gets a bottle and then I pump because that is what we have been doing since he was 4 weeks old with occasionally nursing him for bedtime instead. It is the only time daddy gets to feed him so I don't want to take that from him.

Sbrown721 · December 2016

How much is everyone getting out of each pump session? I know it varies but just wondering on average...

jenkar01 · December 2016

You really want to know lol?! Usually between 6-14 oz depending on when I pump. It is ridiculous how much I produce. And until this week I only pumped twice a day. X will be drinking breast milk forever lol. May have to eventually donate if he doesn't start to eat more.

jellybiehn · December 2016

So lucky! I figured out I make about 1-1.5 ounces per hour, that's both breasts combined. So basically I make just enough to feed LO. Which is why I have to get up and pump at 2am every night to get an extra stash, I seem to make more at that time. Sucks cause LO sleeps through the night but I don't...

rock1cherry · December 2016

I pump twice during the day. Once in the morning after her initial feed and usual get 6-7oz then again in the early afternoon after a feeding. I only get 3-4oz then. Those two pump sessions go to the freezer. Then I pump around dinner for a bottle and get about 4oz. Sometimes more depending when I last fed her.

hejo2016 · December 2016

I work 10hr shifts. I feed LO just before I leave and pump 3x at work. I also pump before I go to bed. We've got a good freezer stash going, but with my other two kiddos I mixed it in with whole milk long after they had weaned. So I know it'll get used! I've also donated in the past.

jenkar01 · December 2016

Good to hear @hejo2016. I work 8hr shifts and pump twice while at work. I also pump after feeding him before I leave and before bed. So it is nice hearing a mom of three saying she is doing pretty much what I do.

drabong88 · December 2016

@jenkar01 I'm jealous of how much you get when pumping! Is it painful when you are that full where you get 14oz or not really? I get the most is the morning and that is around 4-5 oz. Then I pump at least at bedtime where I usually get around 3 and am trying to throw an evening pump in to try and up my production.

jenkar01 · December 2016

@drabong88 no they really aren't sore. I can just tell they are super full. I have pretty large breasts and swear they are full of milk ducts. I don't think he empties me when he eats because I produce so much.

Sbrown721 · December 2016

Wow! I am so jealous! I added in an extra pumping session this morning and got 5 oz after LO ate. He is sleeping through the night now (10:40-5:00) and I am just too dang tired to get up in the middle of the night to pump now that I'm working...He slept 5 straight hours at daycare yesterday too. I dk if I should be worried about his sleeping or not. He's 9 weeks

jenkar01 · December 2016

I'm so anal about making sure he eats every 3 hours during the day and he is 13 weeks. I'm probably insane but with him being a bit early and on the smaller size I want him to catch up with weight. He has the length down but is still on the smaller size for weight. He is taking more bottles now that I'm at work and has been taking 3 oz every 2-3 hours during the day and he wakes himself up for those. Have any of you noticed when you get home that even if your LO just ate they want to nurse whenever you get home? X always acts hungry after I get home and he wakes up from his nap even if he just ate an hour ago.

Sbrown721 · December 2016

@jenkar01 Like I said, my 9 week old is sleeping a ton at daycare, but by the time he gets home he is hungry! Even if he just had a bottle at daycare. I think it has to do with bonding with mom more than eating for our LOs. I kinda thought that he was too young to even really realize that I was gone during the day, but I'm seeing a lot of signs that he does really know and does really care. It breaks my heart. I am happy to feed him as long as he wants once we get home! My pumping didn't go so well today. I pumped at 10 and 2 and only got 3.5 ounces each time. Ugh. Hopefully I can play catch up this weekend. Being back at work is hard!!

jenkar01 · December 2016

@Sbrown721 yes it is. I didn't thinkit would be this hard. They say the first two weeks are the worst. So one week down and one to go. I hope it gets more tolerable. Probably won't get easier but hopefully less heart wrenching soon.

drabong88 · December 2016

@jenkar01 my LO just did that When my mom was watching him. She had just fed him 15 minutes before I got there and was happy as could be until I was holding him and he started crying wanting to nurse. I agree that I think it's just a bonding thing because he seemed to comfort nurse more than eat.

jenkar01 · December 2016

@drabong88 I totally agree. He nurses for like 20-30 mins then passed out on me for two hours. I didn't put two and two together butnhe has pretty much done that every time I get home. Makes me feel better that he does seem to miss me because it seemed like he could care less when I go home. Daddy however gets big smiles when he gets home.

BabyBoyH92016 · December 2016

I average 4oz a pump session.

I wanted to know exactly how much I was producing so I exclusively pumped for 24hrs (my husband then bottle fed) and I totaled 29 ounces.

Im annoyed that my left boob produces significantly less then righty. Anyone else have a weaker side?

rock1cherry · December 2016

I think that's common @BabyBoyH92016

hejo2016 · December 2016

Haha! Yup! The "milk dud" and the "milk stud"

jln27 · December 2016

I'm only getting 1-2 oz when I pump, and I have to hand express afterward because my pump can't seem to get it all. This is, however, after breastfeeding, so I have no idea how much I could get if I only pumped and didn't feed beforehand. Sylvia is finally getting enough from me, so she's obviously much better than my pump, lol.

The most I ever got was 4oz total after skipping two feeds in a row, and that was about a month ago.

And yes, my left boob makes waaaaaaay more than the right. But righty is smaller and easier to feed with, so Sylvia prefers that side.

jellybiehn · December 2016

Yup. After pumping for a bit I noticed that righty makes 1/2 the amount lefty does consistently.

jenkar01 · December 2016

My left produces more and let's down faster than my right. X prefers that boob as well since the faster letdown. Left side is done emptying while pumping usually about 3-5 mins before the right side. It is bizarre because it is my smaller breast.

rock1cherry · December 2016

Baby is much more efficient at getting milk out than the pump is so it's somewhat normal to that that issue @jln27

I'm not sure if one breast is better for me. I feed Molly from both sides before pumping so I know it starts uneven.

Molly slept from 9:30-5:30 for the first time ever and I woke up sooo engorged and u comfortable. I fed her from both breasts and still pumped 8 oz after that. Such relief when I was done!!

jenkar01 · December 2016

@rock1cherry that is how it was for me when Xavier first started sleeping that long. Now they get engorged but not really uncomfortable. I will easily pump 10oz after he nurses on both sides in the morning.

ab920 · December 2016

I nurse around 7AM and then pump at 9:30, 12:30, and 3:30. Then I nurse when I'm home around 5:30-6.

The day I retire this pump...will be a good day.

jensou · December 2016

Does anyone else have a "second wind" while pumping? I start out with milk flow pretty fast for about 5 minutes and then it slows down to a steady trickle. Then about 10 min afterward I'll get another bump of milk. I need to keep at it long enough to get that other milk and it's annoying because I'm stuck in the milking parlor at work just thinking about all the work that is piling up while I'm waiting on this milk to get flowing.

I pump anywhere frim 4 - 10oz at a time depending on how long I've waited.

jellybiehn · December 2016

That is the second letdown. Apparently there can sometimes be a third but I've never hung in here long enough to find out.

jenkar01 · December 2016

I will only pump for 15 mins. If I go longer then my second letdown happens and nobody has time for that.

jensou · December 2016

Thanks! I hadn't heard of that before.

rock1cherry · December 2016

Yeah it's a second letdown. My lactation consultant told me to pump 10-15 mins so I don't go past that. Just my routine.

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