First day back at work! Questions for breastfeeding moms that work

[Grace_underfire]

Hi ladies,

Today is my first day back at work. I need help on what to do as I feel quite clueless on what I should do and how. I want to keep breastfeeding. Truly I only plan on being at work for a few weeks and then quitting to stay at home but while I am here I need to pump.

I have an ISIS breastpump. Is that good enough for a few weeks or should I buy the Medela PIS? I pump ok with the ISIS although every once in a while I get a tad sore but harldy noticeable is that ok?

What are your routines when at work. I plan on pumping every 2 1/2 hrs. Then I will wash the pump everytime. Do I pump in one bottle on in multiple bottles and then mix or keep them separate?

I am totally clueless. Breastfeeding was easy but this pumping stuff is a mess. I plan on not freezing much and just putting milk on the fridge on a daily basis. Will that work? I will keep a few in the freezer in case they are needed.

[farsk]

Hello!

Going back to work was tough on me! (emotionally, not by way of BFing.)

Here's what worked for me. Hope it helps.

Nurse in the morning, and then pump. This was my biggest output of the day. I pumped again mid-morning. Then I spent my lunch hour with Ellen and fed her (if you aren't able to spend lunh with baby, pump again). I pumped again mid-afternoon and fed Ellen as soon as we returned home. I usually pump enough to send to "school" with her the next day. I also pumped in the AM on Saturday and Sunday, and along with what I pumped on Friday, began to build up my freezer stash. Monday morning, I took bags out of the stash and began again.

As for the bottles, I double pump, and then transfer one bottle into the other, if there's room. Then when I'm making bottles of EBM the next day, I just put amounts in bottles, mixing fresh ebm with fresh ebm.

I have the Medela PIS and love it. I've never tried the Isis, but one of the mommies at Ellen's school uses it with her exclusively BF baby and it works just fine for her.

My suggestion is to use the weekends to build up your freezer stash and to keep building it, even if you think you don't need it. There was a post not too long ago about a mom running out of stash. I know that when Ellen was sick and not nuring much, my supply went way down (cut in half) and I was pulling out of the stash daily to the point where I was down to only three bags left. If she's ever sick again, I will continue to pump to keep my supply up.

Good Luck!

[billysmommy]

I tried using both a PIS and an ISIS and found that I could get a lot more milk in a much shorter time with the ISIS. Also the ISIS is much quieter than the PIS so I felt more comfortable that no one could hear me.

I started off pumping every 2-3 hours. I would then put the pump in the refrigerator and just take it out to use the next time. It's cold so it takes a little getting used to :). I washed it after my last pump of the day and then it was ready to go for the next day.

You can pump in 1 bottle and keep adding to it for up to 12 hours so I usually pumped into 1 bottle until it was just about full and then used another bottle.

I work T,W,Th so whatever I pump on Thursday I freeze and use on Tuesday. Otherwise I just refrigerate and use it the next day.
HTH :)

[KGoes]

I love my PIS, but I have never used anything else, so I really don't have anything to compare.
Here's my schedule: I nurse in the morning, pump at work in the morning, nurse at lunch (or pump), pump in the afternoon, nurse after work and pump right before bed. Because my schedule is varied, there are no set times when I can pump.
You can add milk to a bottle pumped the same day. I pump into a bottle until it's full. I rinse out my horns after every use (I can't help myself) but then put them in a bag in the fridge and only wash with hot, soapy water in the evenings.
I use the pumped milk to fill up the next day's bottles and freeze anything left over.
I concur with the advice to not take your freezer stash lightly. If your baby takes 26-30 ounces a day (DD is five months tomorrow and takes at least that) your stash can go down quickly.
Kelley
DD born 7/03

[barbarhow]

I work M, W, F and 3 other days tucked in here and there. I have never used the ISIS so I can't help you with that.
DS and I nurse at 6A before we leave the house. I pump between 8 and 9A at work and then every three hours. I keep a rubbermaid plastic thermos/bottle that I pour my output into. I used to be very diligent about washing my pump after every use but found the time it took prevented me from getting away for a 3rd pumping session. The LC at work told me not to bother-what I do now is shove a paper towel into the horn-keeps the milk from dripping all over my bag. It really does save time. I can be in and out of the pumping room in 15 minutes.
HTH
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03

[peanut4us]

I pumped about every 2.5-3 hours depending on my meeting schedule. I nursed before I left and right when I got home. I dual pumped using a Medela Lactina (provided by my company, thank you). I pumped into 2 bottles and then combined into portion-sized bags. I washed my pump parts each time i used it... but I brought 6 bottles so that I didn't need to worry about washing bottles.

Make sure you label your milk... if your little one isn't used to eating from a bottle yet, you will probably end up with enough to freeze a few extra ounces each day. I only kept in the fridge whatever she would eat the next day and froze the rest right in the bag. Tip: It's faster to warm frozen milk in a bag than milk in the fridge... at least I found it to be true.

Good luck and hang in there. We're here for you.

[Dcclerk]

If you are going to only work a few weeks, I think your ISIS should suffice. Still, if it were me, I would probably look into the cost of a rental, just to see if that would be worth it. It would certainly be cheaper than buying a PIS, and maybe even better.

I've got a pretty easy routine, all things considered. I just nurse around 5:30 a.m., pump at 9:30am, pump at 1:30 pm, pump (in the car) at 4:30pm, nurse at 7 p.m. & nurse at night (usually at 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.). I don't wash my "horns" (or whatever they are called for the Whittlestone) after every pump. I just rinse (usually, but not always) and stick them in the refridgerator (I have my own mini one which makes it super easy). The LC said that with the refridgeration and the properties of the milk itself, washing after each wasn't necessary. I just wash every night so that they are dry and ready in the a.m.

Good luck!

[vpalmer]

I second the rental idea. I honestly don't know if I could work without my PIS. But since you may only be working for a short time, I would consider renting a pump rather than trying to work with a manual pump, but that is just me!

Good luck,

Veronica
Mom to Eva
Born on 6-12-03