Pumping and Ouput - Help!

[ciaobella]

I am back at work FT and I am pumping twice during the day and feeding my DS at lunch. He is 3 months old and takes about 6 oz per bottle at daycare. The problem is that I do not seem to be able to keep up with his demand without accessing my freezer stash, which is what I have been doing. I also pump while I feed him before we leave for daycare. I want to BF as long as possible, but I am worried I will not be able to keep up.

Here is our schedule:

6:00 am - Feed DS and pump other side
9:00 am - DS received bottle at daycare 6 oz
10:00 am ish - I pump at work
12:00 pm - I BF DS at daycare
3:00 pm - DS received bottle at daycare 6 oz
3:00 pm ish - I pump at work
6:00 pm - I BF DS
9:00 pm - I BF DS - bed time


How much output should I get in each sitting? Any suggestions on how to maximize?

TIA!

Anne

[Elilly]

No help here but I am also very interested in hearing possible solutions as this happened with DD.

[jbowman]

Anne--Can you add a pumping session b/t 6 & 10 am? I think that would help! I would also pump once at night after your DS goes to bed. And drink plenty of water! HTH!

And congratulations on BF!

[ciaobella]

I could pump (some days at least) before 10, but I don't think I can add a session.

DS ususally eats from 6:00 - 6:30 and then I leave the house to take him to daycare and to go to work. I make it to work at 7:30. There is no way I can pump twice before lunch.

If I start to get desperate I can always pump the other side that DS is not eating from in the evening.

I run in the mornings before DS wakes up and I prefer not to pump before I run or I have to wake up 20 - 30 minutes earlier and the output is not that much better than when I pump the side he is not eating from during his a.m. feeding.

How much output is typical per side during one pumping session or total per day?

Thanks for the help!

Anne

[jbowman]

Anne,

I think that it depends. I know that I always got more in the morning than I did in the evening and I could always get more from one side than the other. When DD was about your son's age, I could usually get about 5-6 oz from both sides when I was pumping. I think your output is great.

Although I pumped for 10 months, my pumping was sporadic--I'm a professor and work from home often, so I only needed to pump a few times a week. That said, I built a HUGE freezer stash b/c I pumped so much (mostly at night and if DD skipped a feeding)! DD is still BF, but I no longer need to pump.

My goal in the early months (in order to keep up my supply) was to nurse or pump every 2-3 hours. I think your best bet, if you can't add another session in the am, is to pump at night after your son has gone to bed.

There are more dedicated pumpers on this board--many of whom pumped for 12 months or longer who had no freezer stash and never supplemented! I hope that one of them chimes in and helps.

Good luck!

[sntm]

One thing to consider is adding sessions on the weekends, then you could capitalize on the morning boost in output. Or consider a session right before you leave work.

Drinking lots of water? Checked your pump (replaced membranes, etc.)? Tried oatmeal, blessed thistle, fenugreek?

One thing I would consider is sending slightly smaller bottles, particularly for the morning one. Try 5 oz and let him make up for it by nursing more at lunch and in the evening. I worked under the principle of only sending what I had pumped the day before. Any more than that is just in emergencies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 16 months and counting

[tarahsolazy]

I agree with Shannon, when I was working full time, DS got the milk I had pumped the day before. When I'm back at work after my current two month break, I'll do the same. He was eating only about 5-6 oz per bottle, two bottles a day, for an 8 or 9 hour day. My DH, who was with him at home, thought he didn't seem inordinately hungry or anything, and he weighs over 25lb at 8 months, and doesn't eat many solids! If you tried to send 5 for each bottle, that's two extra ounces for the next day.

[ciaobella]

"Tried oatmeal, blessed thistle, fenugreek?"

Ok ... you have to fill me in on the benefits of the above. I don't even know what the second two are (excuse my ignorance!) ... but I am game to try anything that will help my output.

I am going to try sending 5 oz bottles instead of 6 oz and see how DS does. He may nurse longer / better at lunch and in the evenings that way. This is all about trial and error!

Anne

[hez]

Blessed thistle & fenugreek are herbal supplements that help some moms increase their supply: http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/herbal_galactagogue.html

I've done the oatmeal thing to keep my supply up when I notice it has dipped. Make sure it's REAL oats, not the instant stuff. It worked very well for me just by eating oatmeal cookies :)

Shannon's comment about pumping even on the weekend is right on-- I had an extra session in the mornings before I went back to work, and kept that for a while, even on the weekends after I went back. Did great things for my freezer stash, as well as for my stress level.

And you're right-- it IS all about trial and error. You'll get it figured out very soon, I'm sure!

[missmelis01]

My DS is up to 7-8 oz per sitting. How much I pump depends on the time of day.

I always pump in the morning BEFORE I nurse. If DS didn't wake up during the night, I can get 10 oz total, otherwise I get between 6-8 oz.

I pump 2-3 times at work depending on my schedule. My first pumping I almost always get 5 oz, but the last 2 sessions it's a struggle to get 4 oz total per session (8 oz combined).

I nurse 2 more times after I get home from work before my son goes to bed. I then pump before I go to bed, and can usually get 4 oz.

What helps me the most is pumping over the week-end, as a pp suggested. Even though I am with my DS, w/e pumping allows me to build a mini-stash and cushion for the first half of the week.

I drink 64 ounces of water a day at work. I also take Fenugreek, which does help keep my supply up, especially since my pumping at work can be sporadic. I was also taking Blessed Thistle, but have been lazy about replacing after my supply ran out! :-)

[ciaobella]

Thanks for all of the great information. I am testing the 5 oz bottles, so we will see if DS is ok with that! I am very happy that I built my freezer stash before going back to work though - it really eases my mind knowing that I have it as a back up.

:) Anne

[sdbc]

Hm. I only get 12 oz per day at work, and that is without feeding her at lunchtime like you do. Rory gets 3 4-5 oz bottles every day. Does your son really want 6 oz bottles? Perhaps you can give him 4 oz bottles and he would just nurse a bit more at night. Also, you might trying to pump a bottle or two on the weekends to help replenish the freezer stash.

HTH.

Sue

[beramer]

I agree with seeing if he really wants 6 oz per feeding.

I wish I had your problem. I just returned to work 3 weeks ago and am having terrible problems. My freezer stash is gone. I am only getting about 6 ounces per day(1.5-2.5 oz per session), and feeling EXTREMELY full at the end of the day. I am pumping every 3 hours with a Medela PIS, taking fenugreek and blessed thistle, and feeling very frustrated. At this point I have to pump all day at home and work just to have enough to send to daycare. Lately DD(4 months) is getting one bottle of formula a day because I just can't pump often enough. Any advice would be appreciated.

[missmelis01]

Becky Rose-

Have you tried breast massage/compressions while you pump? You can also place a warm compress on your breast(s) just before pumping to help with the letdown. At work, I sometimes let the water run really hot and soak some papertowels to use.

I know this sounds quite silly, but many times I move the horns around while I am pumping, because if they aren't placed just so over my nipples nothing comes out. You might want to try it, as well.

I myself just posted about not being able to keep up with my DS's demand, so I feel your frustration. But you are doing a great job and should be proud of yourself for being a BF working Mommy! :-)

HTH.

[ciaobella]

Thanks again for all of the wonderful advice!

I am happy to report that my output has gone up and I am producing more than enough each day! I am so happy :) I think that my body just had to get used to me pumping instead of nursing at those times.

I have cut down his bottles to 5 oz and he is not complaining so I think we are going to stick with 5 oz. Thanks for the suggestion!

Now, I have enough milk to add to my freezer stash so that I can rotate some of the older milk out without feeling guilty!

I really appreciate all of the support.

Anne

[katesk]

Anne,

so happy to hear things are going better! Pumping at work to breastfeed is really TOUGH! so, i'm thrilled it's working now for you.

One thing, for anyone reading this post - I found great information at Kellymom that helped me understand how BF babies can sometimes get overfed while at daycare, how they don't need huge amounts of oz. in the time when you are away...how they can regulate their overall daily amount over different times in day/night - therefore easing the balance of how much you might need to pump. They have a calculator to help figure out how many ounces your baby might need in each feeding, etc.
HTH

http://kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

http://kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html

http://kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html

[tarahsolazy]

Good for you, Anne! And, the less you worry about pumping, the more milk you'll pump! Now, start rotatin' that stash!