Pumping at work

macmad33 · #1 (**permalink**) 03-30-2006, 06:34 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.

Scottyjsmom · #2 (**permalink**) 03-31-2006, 07:44 AM

I don't know what the amount/day is, I have been very lucky and have gotten to SAH with both my boys. However, I do know that there is a pumping board here at s/k that might be of tons of help.

Also, I have read and been told that BF babies will suck down much more milk in a bottle b/c it is so easy(as opposed to the act of nursing) to get the milk. The flow is much faster and easier to get.

Hang in there, he is 4 months at this point and in a few months when you start adding in some solids he will probably lighten up on one of those bottle feedings.

You CAN do this.

maurene · #3 (**permalink**) 03-31-2006, 08:08 AM

You should post this question on the the Mom's who Pump board too.

I also pump at work (3 times) and once after baby goes to bed. But my DS only takes 3 bottles at daycare (4.5 oz each) - but usually has an extra large feeding when he gets home. (He's there from about 7 to 4.) You do have to watch how much they are giving him at daycare because I heard it is very common for them to try to feed breastfed babies too much. Kelly mom has a good calculator here: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html. Based on 6 feedings a day, the calculator says baby should be eating 3-5 ounces per feeding. So, 6 ounce bottles might be more than he needs. I'd probably go with 5 oz.

I know how hard it can be to keep up sometimes! Hang in there! Having to pump after a long day of work when baby is sleeping and you have many other things to do really stinks!

Bluertjlp · #4 (**permalink**) 03-31-2006, 10:51 AM

i pump 3x a day at work too, and i get roughly 13.5 oz now - good for three 4.5 oz bottles for my MIL to feed my daughter at 10am, 1pm and 4pm (i usually feed her myself at 7am before i leave and when i get home at 5pm) - and i noticed that when i went back to work (end of January) that i only got out a few ounces when i pumped, and i definatley didn't think it was enough for her, so i started taking Fenugreek to increase my supply, plus i added another pumping session at night too.

6 oz seems like a lot, and my LC told me that if the milk is there, whether it's 3 oz or 8 oz, a baby will drink it, so my LC sent me some tips on paced bottlefeeding for my MIL to go over, and it worked wonders. Em eats for the same length of time now with a bottle from my MIL that she does when she feeds from me, which is usually about 15 minutes - before when we were getting new to this, she'd down the bottle in 5 minutes and be screaming for more, so we'd give her more.

try the Fenugreek, and keep up with that nightly pumping session, because eventually it'll work out - i think it took us 4 weeks to get through it, but now my supply is great for her, i have more than enough milk now, just took a little time

ama01 · #5 (**permalink**) 04-03-2006, 03:19 PM

That seems like the right amount but your pedi can probably tell you what range to shoot for - my ds is 20 mo so I forget. You sound like me though. I did the same thing (added one before work, one before bed, etc). It was tiring and there are many times I just didn't want to. The only thing I can say is that you will probably start adding some solids soon and that should help. Until then, it sounds like you're doing a great job so hang in there!

Middynight · #6 (**permalink**) 04-06-2006, 08:02 PM

Xander is now 6.5 months old, and I have been back to work for 3 months now. I was pumping 3 times a day, and now I'm down to 2. I exclusively BF'd for the first 4 months and tried really hard to keep doing so after I went back to work, but I just couldn't pump enough. So, I had to start supplementing which I wasn't happy about at the time, but to tell you the truth has made me feel a lot more relaxed. I was doing the late night or early morning pumpings like you do as well as three times at work and it was stressful. Now that I don't put so much pressure on myself I feel better, plus DS is on some solids now which helps as well. And, on the days when I'm home I am still able to BF exclusively except for a small bottle in the evening sometimes.

Baby0Baby · #7 (**permalink**) 04-16-2006, 03:14 PM

You could give him a formula bottle to go to sleep and thereby "gain" a bottle and get more sleep while you are at it. This is what I did to make it all work out. Max didn't take more than 5 oz until this week....and he weighs 20lbs.