Pumping

Bobbi - posted on 10/06/2010

I work fulltime and pump/nurse fulltime. I read this book while in maternity leave and it has helped tremendiously. Nursing Mother, Working Mother: The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding Your Baby Before and After You Return to Work.

Renee - posted on 04/13/2009

I dont' have much advice but I am going thru the same thing. I work 3 days per week. My baby seems satisfied with nursing, but when I work I pump 3-4 oz at a time. I put that in a bottle and at daycare, she wants MORE and they have to give her a bottle of formula after that. Now that she's started solids, it has helped some. The ONLY way I've been able to get enough is after she goes to bed, I pump before I go to bed and I might get an additional 1-3 oz that I can use for her daycare bottles.  So when she's at daycare even though I'm only pumping 3-4 oz she's getting 5 oz bottles. I also pump in the morning right after her first feeding of the day (usually when I'm on my way to work lol) and that gives me a little more oz too.

Get a good electric double pump. Drink LOTS of water.

Amelia - posted on 04/12/2009

What kind of pump do you have? having a good one makes all he difference. Medela is great! i pump at work for 5 or 6 minutes and i'm empty, with about 4 ounces each breast.

Teresa - posted on 04/11/2009

Yes. Most vitamin stores have it. Apparently you should take enough to smell like maple syrup but I don't and still do just fine. Our lactation consultant also recommended Mother Love More Milk Plus to increase supply if needed. Good luck with the pumping though. That's really what'll help the most.

Amanda - posted on 04/11/2009

Thanks for your help!  The fenugreek...?  Is it an herb supplement that you buy over the counter? 

Melanie - posted on 04/10/2009

It helps to pump first thing in morning when breasts are most full. Drink a ton of fluids and when pumping don't stress. Just try to relax and focus on baby. Freeze what you can for now and you'll have to pump at work for next days bottles. I had daycare start topping off breastmilk bottles w/small amount of formula b/c was hard to keep up after awhile. But I got through first few months thanks to freezer supply.

Teresa - posted on 04/10/2009

I had a similar problem before I went back to work in that Ben was nursing everything I had and there wasn't much surplus. For a few weeks before I went back to work though I began pumping during (Ben on one while I pumped the other - tricky, but do-able) and then again after his feedings at breast. That helped a bit to increase production, but I still wasn't getting much for the freezer. I started pumping just before bed while my husband bottle fed Ben a bottle of formula so I could freeze that feeding's milk and eventually added fenugreek into the mix to increase overall production. With lots of pumping and the fenugreek I can now cut all formula out of Ben's diet and just give him milk. Our cycle of things now is that I pump the following days milk while at work and can sometimes have enough to put into the freezer for later. Good luck!