Pumping/Breast Feeding Questions Now That I Am Back To work

[Philly Mom]

DD2 is 5.5 months. She will be 6 months in the beginning of May. I don't pump very much milk during the day (2 pumping sessions and I get between 7-8 ounces total at best) and I think I want to gradually fade out pumping during the day. I hate pumping and it is hard with client meetings to fit it in. I did it for 6 weeks when DD2 could not nurse and had to supplement then. I don't think formula is bad in any way. DD1 was mainly formula fed. However, and I can't believe I am saying this, I am enjoying nursing DD2. I want to be able to continue to nurse her when I am with her. Right now, I try to nurse her as soon as I pick her up from daycare (though yesterday they had just fed her because she was starving), and I nurse her again before bed, which is about an hour or so later. She wakes about 1x a night and I nurse her then. I nurse her in the morning at least once and sometimes twice if there is time. The two morning feeds are close together. I just like to nurse her when I drop her off at daycare. Most days she is taking two bottles at daycare for a total of 10 ounces. Yesterday she took an extra four ounces. I also like being able to nurse her on the weekends because, and again I can't believe I am saying this, it is just easier. It took me a long time to find nursing easier than bottle feeding. We have not really started solids. She has sucked on some avocado, banana, and various melons when it is on my plate but not really eaten anything. I was trying to avoid feeding her and do a pure BLW. Any thoughts on whether we can keep nursing if I gradually stop pumping?

[TwoBees]

I'm following this thread. I've been wondering the same thing. If I stop pumping during the day (I pump 3 times during a 12-hr period), will my body adjust and still produce enough milk for DD2 to nurse at night? And what happens on weekends?

Sorry I don't have any advice for you PhillyMom! I too enjoy nursing DD and want to be able to continue when I am with her. I'm curious as to what others have done.

[lizzywednesday]

I'm not sure how old your baby would need to be in order for not pumping during the day to be a non-issue, but I stopped pumping at work when DD was around 10 months old and we continued to nurse at home and on the weekends with no noticeable dip in supply.

If I felt paranoid about supply, I took fenugreek supplements until I positively REEKED of maple syrup, which seemed to help, though it created a lot of pancake cravings for DH! (I'm only partially kidding.)

[cagey]

You should be able to adjust, especially if you keep your water intake up. I WOH and pumped for about 6-8 months, usually 1x at work and another just before bed (never a HUGE producer--usually about 8-9 oz total per day). I stopped pumping at about 11 m but still nursed all weekend, evenings, mornings, late night wakey's etc. I introduced a cows milk milk/frozed pumped milk mixture around 12 months along w/ finger foods, and continued morning, evening and the random wake-up nursing for another 3-4 months, dropping to just the bedtime nurse until about 20 months.

The best nursing advice I ever got was that you'll adjust our output for what's needed!

[basil]

I pumped with my first to 12 months (exactly - I was SO done), but continued to nurse AM, PM, and weekends until ~20 months or so. So I think it is possible!

[echoesofspring]

stopped pumping in december, am still nursing DD at night and for naps etc. over the weekends (she's 15 months).