I am going back to work for the first day tomorrow. I am starting slowly with one day a week but I am still nervous/stressed about my supply. We have been exclusively BF. I have a great freezer stash but still..
I know I am stressed, and when I feel like this I have a hard time letting down for the pump. Any suggestions? Also how often should I pump? Can you share your schedule?
Re: Pumpers- help with let down...
pump how often your child eats. simply as that.
as for help with letdown. there are several tips i can share.
bring something that smells like your child. or baby powder works.
have a picture
heat- have a hot water bottle to place on your breasts before you pump. heat helps to have a faster letdown.
you need to drink a lot of water. will help with a faster flow.
when pumping I use a heating pad to help get more and faster let downs. ?After the initial milk comes out (I use compression during), I put the heating pad on my breasts while still pumping and then I can feel the 2nd let down coming and then I take the heating pad off and go back to compression during that let down. ?I usually get 3 let downs in a 30 min pump. ?When I was doing 20 min pumps (but more frequently) I would get 2 let downs.
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I massage the girls a little before pumping. I also rub my nips. It sounds weird, but it works every time for me (and usually instantly). I get a second let down after pumping for about 8 minutes, and the third let down around 15 mins. I stop pumping after the third let down.
I have to pump 3x's a day at work to get enough for two bottles.