Pumping question???

[Andrea S]

I am having problems pumping as much as Andrew is drinking. I work 3 times a month and usually do not pump any other time. I used to be able to pump more than he drank while I was gone and the last 2 nights I worked I could not come close he drank 5-6 ounces each bottle and I only pumped 4 each time. I try to pump close to the times he normally eats I work nights to I do one time early evening and some time early morning he eats around 7:30pm and 5-6 am. This past Saturday I was able to add a third pumping in b/c we were slow, but this is not usually the case. If you pump do you have to pump more times than if the baby is feeding? Is my supply decreasing? He seems to be satisfied when he eats. He is a big boy 21lbs and 28 inches at 7 months so quantity has never been our concern.

Andrea
mom to Andrew 8/14/02

[Momof3Labs]

Andrea,

Remember that the pump is much less efficient than Andrew at getting milk out of you. So if you are only pumping a few days a month, I would expect that you would get less milk than he eats. I work in the office one day a week, and to get ready for that day, I pump right before bed every night. I freeze most of what I pump (I have to take occasional business trips) and keep the most recent stuff for him to take while I am at work.

The other plan that I tried worked okay for us, but I switched over because I needed to build a freezer stash. Here's what I did: for three nights before the day I worked, I would pump before bedtime. I wasn't getting a lot each time, but I would just put it together and it would add up to enough to feed him while I was gone.

Since you aren't working that many days, don't worry about pumping every time he is eating - just pump when you have time, so that you feel comfortable. Your supply shouldn't be affected by an occasional day of reduced feeding/pumping (at least mine isn't - I can't pump as many times as he eats when I go into work, and it hasn't been a problem).

Hope this helps!

[brubeck]

The reality is that the amount you pump will probably remain consistent, yet your son's appetite is increasing as he grows, so eventually he will completely overtake you.

As the previous poster said, you can try pumping a few extra times, etc., but in the long run you may have to supplement with formula when you are not around. An occasional bottle of formula is NOT a big deal, especially if 95%+ of his food comes from BM.

Personally I find that if I pump first thing in the morning (when I am engorged) I get 3 or 4 ounces, and then I can still feed my son (also named Andrew! :-) )afterwards. This allows me to put away a little each day without really interfering with Andrew's food supply.