Pumping and Work? Help!

Tammy - posted on 12/14/2009

hey everyone, thanks heaps for your replies. I feel alot better now!

Kelly - posted on 12/13/2009

when you nurse your baby on one breast as you nurse take your pump and pump the breast that is not being nursed on while you nurse when you baby is done nursing take your pump and pump the breast the baby was just on this way you are completely empting your breast then i would wait till you nurse again and this way you will be full but you baby on the breast that you pumped lastime to nurse and pump the other breast and just repeat this once you start doing this your breast will start to produce more milk cuz you are taking more from it after you notice that you are able to pump a good amount i would pump half way between nursings and again your breast will realize there is more demand and you will produce more now about 2 weeks before you go to work starting nursing at the same time and pumping at the same time everyday this way you put your breast on a schedule and you will know when you need to pump and you can let your employer know that at these times you need to go pump they normally understand and will let you now in the meantime all this milk you are pumping you need to go and get the lanisol storage bags they are in a purple box and you can get them at walmart they say MY MOMMY"S MILK on the bags it has a double seal and you can mark the oz right on the bag anyhow but the milk you pumped in the bags and remove the air its easy by the way then but your milk in the freezer this way you are now getting a supply of milk ready for when you go to work just remember to use the oldest date first so basically use the old and store the new. this way you now have breastmilk on hand for the childcare provider and still can enjoy nursing in the evening and when you pump at work you can still freeze that milk cuz you will have a nice supply alreaady built up

Tiffany - posted on 12/09/2009

I've been working full time for 2 months now (my son is 5 months). I pump every 3 hours- which is 3 times a day. Then at home we just breastfeed, with NO pumping. I usually get 4-6 ounces per pumping session. When he goes to the sitters, I bring frozen bags of breastmilk for the times that he will eat there (3 bags) and he just started eating ceral/veggies with his luchtime feeding. My lactation consultant told me to pump everytime he would be feeding, and make it at least 3 times a day to keep the milk supply up. To get started I pumped at night-even though baby was sleeping through- that way I had a supply started in the freezer when I went back to work. And I am still going strong, with no decrease in my supply.

Jamie - posted on 12/09/2009

i've been working & pumping since my daughter was 8 weeks old. it's hard! but you have to stay with it or your supply can drop. i pump every 3 hours at work, which is 3 times and i get a total of 15-20 oz. this is roughly the same amount she will drink while im gone. so far i've been doing it for a month and have not had any drop in my supply.

Becky - posted on 12/09/2009

Also, start pumping now and freeze it, so that you are ahead of the game. I have been working full time (3 12 hour night shifts a week) since my son was 3 months old...he's now a year, and so far so good. I have made sure to only breastfeed while I'm not working to keep up the supply. I did notice a significant drop off when he started eating solids, though (fyi.) I did try the lactation blend suppluments for a while, but they didn't seem to do much for me. The lactation consultant at my work told me to pump as times as he would eat while I'm not at home.

April - posted on 12/09/2009

If possible, try and pump as often as your little one breastfeeds. As long as he keeps breastfeeding when you're at home your supply should stay solid. If you're not able to pump as often as he breastfeeds, I'd recommend every 3-4 hours max. The general rule is to send 1-1.5 ounces per every hour you'll be away, so if you're gone 6 hours, give the caretaker 6-9 ounces.

Katie - posted on 12/07/2009

I had to pump for my brothers wedding because I wanted bottle on hand just in case. so i would pump my oppisite breast after every feeding and i also pumped after he had gone to sleep for the night.

Andrea - posted on 12/07/2009

yeah that is a problem for me too, because you never have enough time to pump because when your milk comes in again, the baby wants to eat!!! so i say the next time the baby wants to eat again,feed them formula and then pump!!! and then store it.

Katie - posted on 12/07/2009

every 4 hours at least id say. i would pump a few bottles and see how much he eats during one feeding then depending on how often he eats send double what he needs.

Tammy - posted on 12/07/2009

Quoting Tammy:

Pumping and Work? Help!

I am starting a new job when my son is six months old. I will be working from 9am to 3pm, 2-3 days per week. How often should I pump and how much milk should I send to daycare? Generally at the moment I can pump about 2 ounces every two hours. I am really worried that my supply will decrease, switching from pumping at work and then at home bf for the other 4-5 days.

Oh I was working one four hour shift at night each week, but for two of those hours my son had gone to bed so i havent worried about it until now, cos i would just pump halfway through my shift.