I am scheduled to return to work this Tuesday. Today is Saturday. My baby eats about every 2 hours and a total of about 12 times a day. I would rather not have to freeze the milk. I thought about pumping from only one breast every 3 hours and let her nurse from the other....Any advise on how/when to started pumping for my return?
medela was a great breast pump. whatever you do, it is supply and demand. you pump more you will produce. I actually started pumping once a day just to freeze. you can drink mothers milk tea to increase supply too. start now. freezing is ok! just thaw in a container of hot water. speak to your local lactation consultant -mine was great. Make sure she will take it from a bottle. my son only wanted breast. good luck!
Hi S.. I remember pumping at night and also at work, usually once during my lunch break. I usually had enough milk for a few bottles each day that my baby was at daycare, but I also supplemented with formula (a couple bottles of breast milk and a couple bottles of formula). I tried to nurse every morning before I left for work as well to keep my supply up. I don't remember ever needing to freeze my milk.
Good luck!
Is there a reason why you don't want to freeze your milk? How old is your baby? I went back to work when my baby was 4 months old and pumped both sides, every 3 hours. At home, my baby was given milk refrigerated from the day before (that I pumped) or frozen breast milk (if she drank more than what I had pumped the day before). It worked very well. I had the Medela Pump in Style pump and loved it. Having the bags that you tape directly onto the pump shields also saved me lots of time too.
I also pumped three times a day while at work(12-15mins on both sides) and then that would be what my baby had the next day at the sitters. So you will probably want to start pumping some now so that by the time you go to work on tuesday you have enough for them to eat while you are gone and then to make sure your supply is up while away. I also drank two cups of the mother's milk tea while at work and made sure to drink two liters of water each day... it is a lot of work, but worth it. When your baby starts on solids some, you can cut back to twice a day and probably have enough for them.
I pumped at work for my dd for 12 months and am currently doing so for my 2 month old ds. I pump every 3 hours and nurse nights and weekeds. I produce more than he eats, so I have to pump some on the weekends as well. I send the milk from the day before to the sitter. Also use the Medela pump in style and the Medela bottles.
Congratulations on planning to pump! It's work but well worth it to continue doing the one great thing only Mama can do:) I did this with both mine until around 15 mos, but didn't need to pump from 12 mos to 15 mos.
Hopefully you have a double electric pump, and you'll need to pump around 3x a day, one morning, one lunch, one afternoon, if you're working full time, to keep your supply up during the day. If you don't pump, your body may not continue to produce when needed -- some women dry up from lack of steady, timed stimulation. Plan to try nursing once in morning and 2-3x in evening, depending on baby. Later, you can eliminate morning nursing for easier mornings:)
Don't worry about freezing the milk -- you'll never have a freezer full because your supply will vary as will your infant's needs. Some days are more voracious than others and then your body jumps to keep up.
And with all this, you will still probably need to supplement with formula, as I did with both (around 1 formula to 3 milk), despite pumping around 32 oz a day at my height of production. I guess both my kids were honkers:)
Good luck and be courageous -- only the brave make history:)
