Hello!!
I'm officially back to work....I would love to continue nursing my 3 1/2 mth old baby girl. I'm afraid that I will not have enough milk for her to keep up with her feedings. Any suggestions? I went back to work part time, but it's been sooo hectic. Can anyone help me out??? How often should I pump to keep my milk supply? I'm still trying to figure out a routine ...going back to work..feeding her, pumping..HELP??
Thanks in advance to all!
Hi Cel,
Every 2 1/2 to 3 hours is good for pumping. I also returned to work when my daughter was 3 months old, and continue to pump 3x a day (she's now 6 1/2 months old). Make sure you drink plenty of water to help keep your supply up. It's hard work, but worth it. Good luck!
When I worked full time and my son was just 6 weeks this was my routine. I fed him right before I walked out the door in the morning, pumped mid morning (I worked at 7 so I usually pumped by 9:30, again on my lunch around noon and then again mid afternoon at around 2:15. I got out of work at 4, so by the time I got to daycare it was 4:20 or so and I would feed him then too. I would always tell my daycare provider that if it was real close to time for me to be getting home to try and hold him off if possible. As he got older and ate more, but less often, I was able to go down to two pumping sessions per workday. I was able to continue to breastfeed until he was 10 months old, so it is possible to do and not lose your supply. I almost always had enough without doing any additional pumping at home, but if you find your freezer supply is starting to dwindle, try to pump after your first morning feed when your supply is usually at its fullest. For peace of mind I had started pumping on weekends after every feeding in the very beginning to make sure I had enough in the freezer so I wouldn't stress out about it. If you are stressed out about quantity when you pump it will affect how much you are able to pump, so try not to stress over it.
hi tired M.. i pumped about every 3 hours when i first went back to work. i then had to go to 2.5 hours later as my supply was dropping off. good luck, and good for you. it's not always easy and convenient pumping at work!
Cel,
When I used to do it, I did it at lunch. I filled the little bottles twice and froze them in the work freezer.
My original intention was to do it twice a day, but that didn't work out like planned. I also pumped one side when I got home, and let her nurse off of the other.
We still had plenty of milk coming in, and I did it for five months. (I went back to work at two months old.) I hope this helps you.
W. m.
