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macmad33 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-30-2006, 07:34 PM

Okay, so I started back at work on Monday

and I am pumping at work. It is going okay so far. I tried to do a lot of nursing before I went back to build up my supply, plus I have been taking fenugreek.

Based on my schedule and leaving DS at daycare he is eating 4 times at daycare - 9, 12, 3, 5:30 Well, the most I can pump at work is 3 times and that is already a stretch. I have my own office with a door so privacy is not the issue it is just trying to set aside time to do it. I have already had to leave meetings so that I could go pump. But I am working through the kinks of the schedule. My real question is with quantity of milk.

The first day I gave about 4.5 ounces in each of the bottles and the daycare people said that he seems like he wants more. Well since I can only pump 3 times at work, i have to work in a fourth pumping sometime in the day, so I pump after he goes to bed. I have actually been pumping at this time for over a month now so that I could build up a small freezer supply. So the past 3 days I have been able to pump 5-6 ounces at the three pumpings during th day at work and about 4 ounces at night. But it still does not seem like enough. So now, I pump after his 6 am feeding to make sure to drain both breasts. I get another 2 ounces. So now each of the four bottles is about 6 ounces. So that is 24 ounces at daycare. Then I fed him two other times from the breast - 7:30 (bedtime) and 6 am (wakeup time) So I think he is getting about 32-34 ounces a day of breastmilk. Is this a good amount? too much too little? I guess I am asking b/c that really seems like a lot for me to keep up with. I feel like I am killing myself to exclusively breastfeed him. I wish I was a SAHM and could just feed him off the breast.

I am so tired at night from work and just want to go to bed, but I have to stay up so I can fit that 4th pumping session in.