I am in complete awe of those who can exclusively pump. I hate pumping. I definitely thought I'd be ready to be done at 12 months but I will likely keep going.
@elolin I pumped before returning to work for a stash and I hated it. If I get home from work and my DD is asleep sometimes I think to myself "how full am I. Is it REALLY necessary to pump "haha
@josie12367 damn, 10 months exclusively pumping?!? Good for you! I had supply issues and tried everything to get it back up but nothing worked. We had to supplement with formula at first because DS wasn’t gaining enough weight and then just went all formula because I couldn’t keep up. I wish people prepared you for how difficult BFing can be. It was such a huge source of stress and I was so let down when I couldn’t do it.
I pumped for 6 months, that was enough for me. We had size issues so it was a mix of formula and BM but I was never able to produce enough and DS never figured out latch. Here’s hoping out next isn’t IUGR.
I've bf the whole time. I only ever planned for 6-8m and hoped to build a stash. I got a stash but decided to just keep going to 1yr so I gave it all away. The next week the dr told me due to allergies and medication issues I have to go until 18m. So now I'm pumping for a new stash and expect to bf 1-2x a day until 18m. I hate pumping.
@josie12367 I'm so impressed with the 10m ep! You rock it girl! How many times/day do you feed your lo? How much milk do they get apart from you? Jyst trying to get real # instead of expected 'ranges.'
@LeahNicole I'm still bfing, but got my cycle back around 5m pp. The only difference I've noted is a slight drop in milk production the week around af. This cycle was really freaking wierd for me and my supply plummeted. But I'm getting it back up there, so you can recover.
@Mylitta hmm...I hope I give you the answer your searching for...I'm a bit tired, so I might be interpreting it wrong...lol. So DD2 nurses 3x a day right now. I really have no idea how much she gets as she's been EBF since about 4 months. I only feed her off one side, as the other boob quit on me and dried up at 9 months. I pumped for a short time with her in the beginning, but haven't in months. She drinks almond milk, and drinks about 12-16oz of that a day plus another 6 oz of water normally. She wouldn't drink cow's milk, and I didn't push it.
DD1 was the one I EP for. We nursed as well as pumped for a few months and then I had to switch to pumping as she preferred the bottle to the breast. My milk dried up at 10 months but I had enough of a freezer stash to last till 14 months with her. After she transitioned to cow's milk, I think she got a total of 16oz of milk per day. I didn't really track it to be honest, but I remember her drinking at least two cups worth, and she had 8oz cups. I just let her tell me how much she wanted to be honest.
Did that answer your question? Feel free to ask more if it didn't!
@leahnicole my period just came back at almost 18 months post partum. I hope your period returns earlier than mine did! Ultimately I didn't reduce nursing or even night wean for that to happen. To be honest, I didn't want to TTC sooner than 12 months because there is a chance that pregnancy can cause you to lose your supply and end your breastfeeding relationship sooner than you plan. Night weaning can potentially do the same. Ultimately it is your decision, but that's something to keep in mind. I definitely know the struggle of wanting another child and being afraid of having to choose between that and breastfeeding. I know some women do have to totally wean to get pregnant, but I think that is a small percentage. Only time will tell! I'm sorry that isn't more helpful, because I know how frustrating it is, believe me!
Re: TFAS 10/30
HX
DSD: 17
DS: 4(Nov'14)
MMC:8/17
MMC: 1/18
BFP: 2/7/19 EDD:10/16/19
Tickers
@josie12367 I'm so impressed with the 10m ep! You rock it girl! How many times/day do you feed your lo? How much milk do they get apart from you? Jyst trying to get real # instead of expected 'ranges.'
@LeahNicole I'm still bfing, but got my cycle back around 5m pp. The only difference I've noted is a slight drop in milk production the week around af. This cycle was really freaking wierd for me and my supply plummeted. But I'm getting it back up there, so you can recover.
DD1 was the one I EP for. We nursed as well as pumped for a few months and then I had to switch to pumping as she preferred the bottle to the breast. My milk dried up at 10 months but I had enough of a freezer stash to last till 14 months with her. After she transitioned to cow's milk, I think she got a total of 16oz of milk per day. I didn't really track it to be honest, but I remember her drinking at least two cups worth, and she had 8oz cups. I just let her tell me how much she wanted to be honest.
Did that answer your question?