Exclusive Pumpers? ...I Have a Question?

Hi Amy,

I think you've received some great advice already. My advice is to cut out the middle of the night session and see if Dad can help out with the bedtime routine. You're doing great! Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise! :)

Are you married, can your husband take over the four year old's bedtime routine?

sorry! I meant to say I pump for 30 min. each session :)

When dd started at daycare (at 9weeks old), I was pumping during the day at work and nursing in the morning & evening at home. I was very fortunate to have a HUGE supply ;) (In the end, I even donated about 1,000 oz!)
By 4 months our schedule was something like this:
6am nurse (at home)--sometimes followed by a pump
10am pump (at work)
2pm pump (at work)
6pm nurse (at home)--followed by a pump
8/9pm bedtime nurse
Sometimes another nursing session between 12-3am.

My pump sessions would be at least 10 min (usually around 20) and I'd get 8-10oz. If the nurse session was short, I'd also try to pump after that (for 5-10min). My right was always the better producer, so I'd pump most from that one and try to get dd to nurse on the left.
Of course, she was my first, so I didn't have to deal with chasing another kiddo around!
I'd say you can skip the 3am pump, but maybe do the morning one before the toddler wakes (maybe 6am). I suppose you have a reason for not nursing (rather than pumping), but maybe that would be an option? That way you can just do it on HER schedule and even when you're out-and-about? Just a few more months and you'll be supplementing her diet with cereal & solids! Hang in there mama!

Hi I also brestfeed my baby for 16 almost 17 monyhs but I recommend putting some cereal in your Baby milk so u won't be exhausted all the time..and insted of waking at three in the morning wait til the morning you'll have plenty of milk by then

I always pumped while reading stories... have you tried that? My big pumps were at night and early morning so I only pumped maybe 3 times during the day and then once right before bed at around 11...once at 4am and then once at 8am...I would pull in over 20 oz just in the 11pm, 4am, and 8am pumps...

try bumping his bed time back to nine. eight thirty is a bit early. thats the time my two yr old goes. our four goes at nine thirty or ten...unless he is very tired then nine.

if its only taking you three mins to pump thats kinda odd. i thought u were suppose to do it for twenty mins each time? anyway at four he can watch a program, color a page, get daddy to sit with him for a pump session where he is awake. you dont have to wait till they are asleep.

i was not succesful with bfing although i TRIED. i am learning new things about bf all the time. i was told i could drop a feeding durring the night and go six hours so i could get some rest. apparently exhaustion is not good for production.

When my twins were four months old I was pumping at 7am, 9am, 1pm, 6pm, and 11pm. The hours aren't equal between sessions because I found I had a lot more supply in the morning. No middle of the night pumping unless I felt like I was going to explode if I had to get up to feed the kids. I actually found that I produced more per pumping when I started getting more sleep. And by then I had reduced each pumping session to about 20 minutes.

God is so amazing. He designed the human body perfectly. Mother's breast produce milk to new born babies. I was simply amazed when I discovered that the more active you are, the less milk you produce. So, when you are home with your new baby, quiet, etc... your milk flows. As you go back to work, etc. and get busy again, the milk flows less. Said all this to say, I am sure it is very difficult pumping your breast, running all around doing what must be done, and taking care of an infant too. When all else fails, stick to the plan. When all else fails, do it God's way. It is very difficult for most women to make the lifestyle changes that are sometimes necessary because they usually have to work away from the home. Make the financial sacrafices, as much as you are able to, to have more time with your new baby. That's the way God designed the plan. Nursing mothers to be home with the baby: working from home, volunteering in the community if you can. Then when kids start school venture out more. But most mother's can not afford to do that, but that's the way God planned it.

I would drop the 3 am and add an extra morning one. 3 min sounds very short too. Perhaps the teas and staying more hydrated will help, How long do you plan to continue? More sleep will help supply too.

I did not exclusively pump...
But, I did breastfeed and pump. When my 1st child started sleeping through the night at 3 months, I definitely did NOT get up in the middle of the night to nurse or pump. And my milk did not give out. My schedule was like this:
6AM nurse
9AM nurse
noon pump
3pm pump
5:30pm nurse
8:00pm nurse
10pm nurse

You could follow a similar schedule, just with all pumping. It doesn't cut down on the number of time you pump, but it condenses them during the day so that you can sleep through the night.

Also, if 3 min of pumping works for you, great. But I pumped for 20 min to get a second letdown of milk in order to get a reasonable amount.

Mrs. On Purpose says 8-10 ounces...at one time?

She's impressed. We get about half that. She pumps
7am
10:30a
1:30p
5p
8p