Returning to Work-question About Pumping

Don't worry its all about supply and demand. Just keep pumping you you will eventually make what you need. To get a store up I pump after the morning feeding. He sleeps all night so I have a pretty good amount. I will tell you this though I never pump as much as he eats. He now eats about 8 oz every feeding I really only pump about 6 at the most when I am at work to it probably a good idea to get a store in case you need extra. Also drink a lot of water! I can tell in my supply when I have not been drinking enough. Good luck! Please feel free to email me directly if you need breast feeding questions ____@____.com!

You can try several things. I had low supply and tried the fenugreek herb, which helped a little. My breastpump cup sizes are a 24, I recently bought a bigger size, 27 and 30's which have helped increase the amount pumped. I also spoke with my OB and was able to get a prescription for Reglan... man, what a difference that has made!!!

Good luck.

K.,
Don't fret. You can do this. I breastfed both my kids now 2,4 and worked 12 hours swing shift in the ER. First at 6 wks your baby is still establishing his milk supply. I only pumped 4 oz at 6 weeks at that time. Your child will have another growth spurt right around 8 weeks and then the babies demand should level off some. Provided you and your family are not really really tall.
Facts to live by: In order to maintain your milk supply you need to pump every 3-4 hrs while awake. I found that once I got into a pattern let down and volume became more consistent.
Drink Drink Drink and do your best not to get behind on sleep and eat well. These things affect milk supply.
Pumps. I used and Mendela dual pump (pump and style). It's expensive but It could empty me, both sides at once, in 15 minutes. A good pump and regular pumping prevents clogged milk ducts and mastitis.
If you get behind call your obgyn and get a prescription for reglan (its a baby safe anti nausea drug) Taking it in the short term can help you produce more milk. Call the La Leche counselor in your area if you have concerns.
Don't let your employer intimidate you!!! If people can go get a cup of coffee/soda or go for a smoke you can pump.
Enjoy being a mama. Realize that there is more to being a mom than just breast feeding. You will be answering calls in the night, bandaiding boo boo's, reading stories, giving baths, driving your baby to play dates, taking him to the doctor, hugging him, kissing him, smelling him. Making giggles happen. That's being a mom.

Best wishes

B.

Dear K.,

I am a certified lactation counselor, registered nurse, and mother of one. I think I can help, but I need a few more details. First of all BRAVO to you for wanting to maintain the breastfeeding even though you are going back to work!! There are not many who want to deal with the extra effort. Second, it is not uncommon to not be able to pump as much as you give while nursing. Third, much of it depends on timing and what kind of pump you are using. Therefore, how often are you attempting to pump?
When are you pumping ie,)before or after you are nursing? What kind of pump are you using ie.) manual hand pump, battery operated, motor operated? How much time do you have until you have to return to work? Will you be able to pump at work? If you are still in need of advice respond to these questions and I am sure I can help you thru this transition!!

Sincerely,
T.

My daughter is currently 13 months old, I work full time and still BF. I'm very proud of us for having lasted this long but it wasn't easy. I returned to work at 8 weeks and she was exclusively BF until 4 months when I started to supplement because I couldn't keep up with her demand. Like other people have stated, make sure you have a great pump. You can get a brand new Medela on Ebay for at least $100 less than retail.

Also know that a baby can take much more milk out of your breast than a pump can, you have an average of 10-15 let downs when your son nurses and only 2-5 with a pump. The advice of pumping one side while you nurse the other to take advantage of the let downs and/or pumping after you've nursed to increase your supply is good. Drink lots of water, oatmeal is known to increase supply also. Fenugreek is an herbal supplement but you have to take 8-12 capsules a day (which I did but I don't know if it worked)and your urine smells like maple syrup. Reglan is supposed to help as well but it can cause severe depression and some OB's are reluctant to prescribe it. Some people look at pics of their baby or bring an article of their clothing to smell(sounds weird but it helps to relax the brain and gets you to think of your son.) I also bought a car adapter to pump while I drove to and from work.

Don't compare yourself to anyone else. I had 3 friends who easily pumped 8-10 oz in 5 min. It took me 15-20 min to pump 4-5 oz. The average person gets 2-4 oz per session, about 2 when you're first starting. My friends were over-producers and I was just "average" so it was very frustrating to compare myself to them, they had freezers stocked with milk while I had about a week supply. Contact a good lactation consultant for more info. Your milk will start and stop as you have let downs so make sure you're allowing your body to pump it all out, at least 15 minutes, you'll start to recognize how long it takes you after you've been pumping awhile. I also used the compression technique. During or after a let down I would use my hands to "squeeze" my boobs on all sides to hit all the ducts, I was amazed at how much extra would come out.

I also had a rule that I NEVER gave her a bottle, if she was with me, we nursed. The advice of pumping instead of BF to get your body is used to it is not very good, you need your son to take as much milk out as often as he can so that you're body still knows he's there. Nurse right before work, nurse at lunch if you can, nurse first thing when you get home and nurse all weekend. Use the weekends to get some extra pumping sessions in to increase your freezer stock. Your pumping will probably be best on Monday when you come from nursing all weekend and will probably be lowest on Friday after pumping all week. Nurse every chance you get to keep your supply up. Those that end up pumping only instead of nursing usually run out of milk.

Practice pumping and store as much milk as you can before you go back to work. Starting work again is a stressful time and that can also affect your supply. I ended up supplementing some formula between months 4-6 and it will be just fine if you have to use a little formula. But it will be so worth it if you can continue BF as well. You just have to decide how worth it, it is for you and stick with it. I stopped pumping when she was 12 months and she could take whole milk but she still nurses 2-3 times a day and we both still enjoy it. They are little for such a short time. Also, it's good to store as much in your freezer that you can in case you ever get sick and have to take meds, then you just pump and dump and give him the frozen. Contact me if you have any other ??'s. Good luck to you, it will be worth it!

I dont know what kind of pump u are using...(hand or eletric), but when I started to pump I had the same problem. I have a hand pump. It works great now but it takes a little bit for your breast to get use to it. The manual on mine said to try to get your milk to let down first....with a warm wash cloth or pump rigth after u get out of the shower. It also said to try to simulate the babys way of feeding by palsing 2 sec about every 2 min. It really worked for me and I am still able to pump for my son. But it did take a little while for the pump to start working good. I had to pump every chance i got...mostly right after I got done feeding the baby...I would only get about an ounce but it cause my milk production to go up so that I was able to start pumping more

Dear K.,
You are probably pretty anxious about pumping and returning to work. Are you sure there is no way for you to stay home with him? Perhaps offer day care for another child? Sometimes when you are worried and uptight, the action of "letdown" with the milk coming down will not flow with a pump, as it does when you are nursing your little guy. If you are sure that you must return to work and everything is set and you are confident in your caregiver for your son, just talk yourself through the pumping process, relax and see if more milk does not flow for you.
I would presume you will collect enough to make 4-5 bottles before you return to work for the baby to have while you are away for 10-12 hours. Then while you are at work, you will pump on breaks or at lunch and make more bottles. You bring a small cooler to work with an ice pack to store it in. That will be your baby's food for the next day. Usually in breastfeeding the supply and demand ratio works out well.
Hope you have success,
M.

It is normal to not get as much but it can also be the pump you use. Certain pumps have better suction than others and the results do vary. What kind do you have? I have heard the Medella's that you can buy at Target are great! I used a Medella that was rented from a medical supply store when my kids where preemies. My milk supply lasted about 3 months on pumping, pretty much alone. By the time I could breast feed, they didn't want me or I was about out of milk. If you pumped regularly that also helps. I would set my alarm for every 3 hours to pump. Good luck!

Pumping takes a lot of practice. If you try to pump in place of a feeding, your milk supply will decrease, and you will find pumping much harder. Keep at it and realize you won't be able to pump as much as your baby eats! Best time to pump is during or right after a feeding, so you will have more milk already there. It's too hard to bring your milk down with the pump alone! Try to pump at work, also, so you can continue to stimulate your breasts and you won't have to worry about decrease in milk supply, and pesky infections that come from all that milk building up with nowhere to go! If you don't have time to pump, take time to hand express at least, to keep you from getting plugged ducts. The actual act of pumping while nursing has nothing to do with plugged ducts or infections. It's not being able to express that milk in the time you are away that leads to that.
Don't give up, though. Keep pumping. Every little bit helps, and realize that your baby doesnt need as much pumped milk as he does formula! A little bit goes a long way!

i'm right there with you!!! i have my hands full (as the only caregiver at home these days) and cannot keep a schedule, so i just try to pump as soon as i feel the "tingle." i also end up staying up a bit later to try to pump for the next day (which isn't the smartest thing to do, but it helps me get an extra couple of ounces). i only have 5 ounces in my freezer, and one of the babysitters has 5 ounces in her freezer. NO surplus whatsoever. but so far it is working, and if you stick with it, you can totally make it happen. for me, it literally is "one day at a time!" i do have a few hints... first, as someone else suggested, pumping on one breast while the baby nurses on the other. second, drinking a HUGE glass of water before pumping (i don't know why, but this seems to help me). third, look at your baby while you pump! somehow my body really responds to looking at a picture of my baby while i pump. it helps!! fourth, if the milk seems to stop, KEEP PUMPING!! my left breast is stubborn, and sometimes it gives a half ounce and stops... but if i keep the pump in place, after about 3 or 4 minutes, it starts again and will give me a couple of ounces. another thing, if you have any drive time and an electric pump, you can get a special kind of bra that can hold the pump thingies in place and use the cigarette lighter adapter to power the pump! i do this (both breasts at the same time) on my drive home and can usually get 6 ounces at least. god help me if i ever get pulled over... and thank god for tinted windows! hehe!! the important thing is to stick with it. you'll do great!! just give yourself some time to adjust. :)

Hi K.,

I am sorry that you have to get back to work and leave your angel behind. That is so difficult. Great to hear that you want to continue to feed your baby breastmilk.
Breastmilk is based on supply and demand. Your baby is telling your breast how much milk to make. Are you pumping instead of feeding your son or after you fed him? Either way, by repeating it frequently you should be able to bump up your supply. In my opinion, it also matters a lot what pump you are using. With an electric Mandela I was able to pump so much more than with a handheld. Good luck!

Make sure you are using a good pump. Medella is the best! It also helps to use a double pump. Drink alot of water too. I pumped three times a day at work but, there were still a few times I would have to supplement with a little bit of formula. So, just be prepared in case you have to do that too.

You will need to pump at around the same times every day so that your milk flow with remember and be there. When your little boy would normally eat you need to pump and then just give him a bottle. I know you would rather feed him at home, but pumping is different than breastfeeding and your system may need to get used to it. also it could be the pump, and you might want to talk to you OB about getting a different pump, and would better stimulate your milk response. I wish you the best, I know it is not easy, but good for you in keeping up with the breastfeeding after going to work, it is worth it.

although i was not in your situation (i am a stay-at-home mother), many of my friends used the book "nursing mother, working mother" and thought the scheduling ideas mapped in the book were a life saver. just thought i'd let you know there's a good resource out there.

I left my baby at daycare at 8 weeks too. This was back in February, and I'm still managing to breastfeed. She hasn't had any formula, and I have had every problem in the book. Before I went back to work, I would pump for 10 minutes after every feeding. I have a horrible milk supply (still do), but would manage to get an ounce or so after each feeding. I was able to store a bunch in the freezer before I ever went back to work. I took Reglan also and it did wonders for my supply. The problem is, Reglan has some bad side effects and you can't take it for very long. A lactation consultant told me about a drug that is not available in the U.S., but is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatriacs over Reglan. It is called Domperidone (trade name is Motilium). It doesn't have the bad side effects of Reglan, and can be taken for as long as you need it. My doctor perscribed it, andI bought it from a pharmacy in Canada. IT helps a lot. You can also take several herbal supplements, but I didn't have much luck with them. Fenogreek is probably the most popular. You can also drink some nasty tea called mother's milk tea (it tastes kind of like licorice). Other supplements that supposedly work are brewers yeast and alfalfa. The alfalfa works for me to a limited degree. Supposedly Guiness beer (one only) also does wonders for supply. I don't like beer, so I didn't try that one.

I pump twice a day at work, and because the daycare is near, I go and feed her at lunchtime. It has worked for me but has been somewhat of a struggle. My baby is 9 months old now. Just when it seems like my supply is so low I'm not going to be able to continue, it picks up againi.

Stress can affect your milk supply, so try not to stress out about it. Fee free to e-mail me if you have any specific questions.

____@____.com

K., I had trouble pumping when I returned to work. At home I was pumping after my son nursed, 1 to 2 times a day. In retrospect, I now know that was stimulating more and more milk, leading to engorgement, clogged ducts and ultimately, mastitis (a breast infection) when I returned to work. If I could do it over, I would have given him a bottle of formula and pumped in place of a feeding. My son wouldn't take formula later on (the taste) so not only did I have all of my physical problems going on but also the pressure of pumping enough during the day so he would have enough milk. And let me tell you, setting up, pumping, and washing pump parts 3 times a day was time consuming, at least 30 mins each time. I was fortunate my boss wasn't on site, even though he was supportive I felt guilty about using so much time. I feel there's nothing wrong with formula one or twice a day, baby is still getting all the benefits of breastmilk. If I do it again, my husband will give one bottle of formula daily starting right away and I will stay home with the little ones. Good luck!

hi K.
julie hit it right on.i was pumping after i went back to work and your breast will really get used to your schedule.it is pretty weird,but you can almost train your breast to be on time for break;at least i could.
in addition my babysitter was only 10 minutes from work and since we get 1 hour lunch i went by there to breast feed during my lunch.it was great.i enjoyed the hour away from work and beeing able to kuddle with my little one.it made it easier to go back to work.
i was so disappointed when she weaned herself off.
be prepared for that;both of mine did it.one day i started to get her latched on and she started to gage.it hurt my feelings,but she was ready to give it up.
it only took about a week for my breast milk to go away after that.
good luck and congrats
M.

Your breasts have a brain of their own, I swear! I took a class on breastfeeding, so I'll fill you in on some of what I learned, and if you want more info, just email me.

Your breast milk adjusts to new schedules after three days of a change. So, you want to feed him, then in between, pump, then feed him, and so forth. At first, you'll have to use the milk you pump at the next feeding, but doing it this way will "train" your breasts and trick them into thinking that they will need to start supplying a full meal during the times you're pumping in between actual feedings. So, after three days, when your milk starts coming in during those in between meals, you'll be able to store more and more milk. Also, once the baby is done eating, try pumping because your breasts will also make more milk for regular feeding times. So, once you have them trained, you can start storing that extra breastmilk. You buy breast milk storage bags and store them in your freezer. Keep pumping and pumping because breastmilk, frozen, will stay good for 6 months. So, even though you'll have an over abundance, you can use it for cereal later and even for homemade veggies if you'd like. You'll just want to take out enough breast milk from the freezer in the mornings to last during the time you're away from the baby. When you go to work, don't use reusable breast pads, they leak like crazy. Use the disposable ones. You'll know when it's time to go pump because you'll all of a sudden feel them fill up and you'll practically run to the bathroom! Hopefully the place you work has a freezer you can use to keep the milk in while you're at work so you can save it and take it home with you. Make sure you accurately date each bag. This is also nice for those days when you need a night out and end up having some drinks because your baby will still get breast milk from your storage, and you will just pump and discard all breastmilk from your breasts for 24 hours. If you only have one or two drinks, they say that it's an hour for one and I forget how many for two, but I was always paranoid and just discarded for a full 24 hours to be on the safe side.

Hi K.,

I breastfed my two children. I remember having to pump milk for my second child on times when I had to be out. I realized that if I pumped in between meals that I couldn't pump as much. However I did notice that when I breastfed on one side (any side) first, the other breast would leak horribly. So I decided that when I breastfed the next time, I would pump the other breast while I breastfed on the other one. I pretty much had the pump on one side and my baby on the other. It's almost like feeding twins at the same time. I managed to catch all the milk that was leaking from the other side with the pump. I would alternate sides for the next feeding. I hope this helps. Don't give up. It's such a special thing that you can do this for your child. Take Care.

K.,

My daughter was born two months prematurely and she never learned how to breastfeed properly. So I know about pumping and going back to work doing it. The key is to have a good pump. I don't know what you are using currently but the best choice is a hospital-grade one. YOu can rent them either from the local La Leche league or the hospital. They are not cheap -about $60-70 a month, but they actually can spur your production. The rest of it is just like with breastfeeding - get enough liquids, do it regularly and be patient.

I.

When I went back to work I had NO problem with my mild supply not being enough. After teh first 3 hours I could pump 4-6 oz. I did supplement with formula for different health reasons for my baby and that has really worked for me! I'm still breastfeeding and formula feeding and it's really worked well for me since other people can feed him as well. With my first I wasn't able to breastfeed because of health reasons but it's been almost 3 months and we're still going strong. I dont like my breast size but I do like that I havne't had a period in a year!! LOL Good luck!

An idea for you...

When it was important for me to build up a supply of frozen milk I would begin the pumping as my baby was beginning to nurse. As my milk would let down for the baby, the other breast would too and I could typically get 4 ounces of milk out of that breast. And to answer that possible follow-up question....yes they would nurse on the side that was pumped too (typically when I pumped I would nurse for 2/3 of the time on the first side and 1/3 of the time on the side that I pumped)

It worked great for me. I was back at work when my first son was only 5 weeks old and he was a breast only boy until 9 months.

Best wishes with getting a stored supply. But the most important thing is to do what works best for both you and your little one!

My first question is this, you say that you don't get very much when you pump. How much is not very much? How many times are you going to be able to pump at work and for how long? How often does your son eat at night? You may need to pump in the middle of the night even when he doesn't wake up.

I have exclusively pumped for 6 months now because my baby would not latch on. It has been a pain but is still worth it. My milk supply has gone down in the last couple of months. I can only get about 4 ounces or less each time.

My advice to you is to try to freeze some milk before you go back to work. Whatever you can get is good so that you can use it when you are back to work later on if you need it.

And if worse comes to worse, you can always supplement with formula. You're doing the best you can...never forget that.

It is totally normal to not get very much milk when you start pumping. Your body isn't used to pumping yet!

When I had to go back to work I joined a yahoo group called PumpMoms and they were the best thing ever. You can read the posts, ask questions, etc. It is a VERY supportive group. Here's the e-mail address: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PumpMoms/

Best of luck!
K.

K.,

I recently went back to work about a month ago. I am also breastfeeding and I pump when at work. I started pumping to save milk 2 weeks prior to going back to work. I would pump about 10-15 minutes each breast atleast an hour after my baby finished nursing. I did this 1-2 times a day to get a good enough supply. Now that I am back at work I pump 3 times a day (I work 12 hour shifts), I try to pump at the times my baby would normally nurse. I hope this info helps...good luck.

Q.

Dear K.,

Don't worry about the amount. Because stress and anxiety will reduce the amount of milk you produce. When I had my daughter I was in a relationship that had a lot of stress. So my milk production was low at best. I had to feed my daughter with both breasts at times, plus suppliment the feeding with a small bottle.

But doing my breastfeeding first then supplimenting her with a bottle still helped her to be healthy and happy. She is now 11 and I have been lucky because she has definitely been healthier than I was when I was her age (I wasn't breastfeed at all). And I was only able to breastfeed her until she was 3 months because I had surgery. I just dried up before I could get started again. But those 3 months that I was able to feed her have helped her tremendously.

So as I said don't worry. Just make sure your daughter is fed properly, whether it is breastmilk or otherwise. Because every little bit does help. :-) Plus using the bottle also will help going between the two. I know it did with me! Because at night she would have 1 breast then have that small bottle also. :-) So when I went to work either the sitter or my ex was able to feed her by bottle also.

K.

I had to return to work after 10 weeks, so I am pumping as well. Which pump do you have? If you have an electric pump, I found it easier to just do one breast at a time, one for 15 minutes, then switch to the other. For some reason, if I tried to do both at the same time, it took forever to fill a bottle up. I have to pump twice a day at work, and then once before I go to bed. I found, the more you pump, the more supply and the easier it gets. It took me a while to get it flowing nicely though! Good luck!

K., most importantly stay positive about pumping and don't get discouraged. I pumped for 7 months when I went back to work full-time. Fortunately, I was home the first 6 months. Relax and enjoy breastfeeding and pumping. Supplementing is okay if you need too, haha, I always cringed when people told me that. But really, it is. The Lansinoh bags worked great with my pump. Most employers are really flexible with breastfeeding. Check out www.lansinoh.com for tips and support. It took me at least a week to get the hang of pumping and feeling confident about it. However, once I started at work it seemed to "pour" out abundantly and it was great. This will also give "daddy" the connection that he needs with your son.