I have a 6 week old baby who has been exclusively breast fed. I will be returning to work in 6 weeks and want to start pumping to build a bank of milk so she can continue breast milk once I'm working. How do I start? I don't want to pump when she needs to eat & deplete my supply. I guess I don't really know how to go about creating the bank while I am nursing. For my son, I pumped once back to work, but I never had the bank, which meant he had to be supplemented with and eventually moved 100% to formula. I just thought I'd get a head start with this one!
Someone touched on it but I want to second that if you pump in the morning it is when you will have the most to give.
I always did the morning feeding and then pumped about 45 mins after that. My body started deciding that was a "real" feeding and eventually geared up for it on its own. Great to store a meal a day! It adds up quickly.
Best of luck.
The best way to bank is to pump after each and every feeding. There may only be a little at first, but your body will continually produce more milk to keep up with the demand.
Here are some resources that I hope may be helpful...
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBworking.html
http://www.askdrsears.com/search.asp
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBpumping.html
Best wishes,
J.
Hi C.,
I would strongly suggest adding 3 tablespoons of flax oil to your diet daily, It greatly improves your milk supply. Not only that, but it's good for your babies brain development and will help you burn fat. I started taking 3 tablespoons 10 years ago after I had my first and stil do. In those days no one spoke about omega fats, now it's every where. I remember telling my neigbor to take flax and her supply was suddenly so great that she decided against it!
FYI, you can get flax oil in the refrigerated section at any health food store (except GNC) and Trader Joes, by the vitamins.
Good luck to you with going back to work in 6 weeks.
B.
I would start soon, and I would plan on pumping on one side while you nurse her on the other. All you need to do is pump a couple ounces per day. Think about it - 2 oz/day x 6 weeks is 84 oz. That is *PLENTY*. But starting now puts the pressure off if you skip a few days here and there.
I don't think you actually need much of a freezer stash, but it might be good for your peace of mind. I successfully worked and pumped for both my kids until they were 13 months (and I still nurse my 15 month old daughter morning and night) and I rarely dipped into my freezer stash on a week-to-week basis. The times that I was really glad to have it - and the times that I intentionally built it up - were when I was traveling for business and was away for 2-3 days at a time. Good luck going back to work and congrats on your baby!
This is what I found easiest (my son is 11 months, exclusively breastfed--now with some solids, and no supplementing...and I went back to work full time at 12 weeks)- I would feed him on one side for his first "breakfast" nursing (like 6am) and pump the other. In the morning your body produces the most milk and nursing at the same time will help yield additional letdowns from the breast you pump. Worked like a charm -- I got about 8-9oz each day that way to store. As time went on, he dropped nursing right before bed so now I just pump before i go to bed and get about 5oz double pumping....I switched to that around 8 mos. I have 37 FULL DAYS worth of bmilk in a deep freezer and am in the process of weaning when he turns 1..in a month ;0 Good luck!
Congrats! I remember whenever my daughter would sleep through a feeding that is when I would pump. Also once my daughter had finished nursing on each side and seemed satisfied then I would also pump. I don't think this will interfere with your supply or her getting what she needs as long as she nurses first then you pump. Also if she is sleeping long hours through the night I would suggest pumping before you go to bed. My daughter was sleeping most of the night at a very early age. I think what I did is say she nursed last at 8pm and didn't wake again until 2am. Then I would pump around 11pm before I went to bed. This all really seemed to help until I got lazy with pumping. I hope this is helpful to you.
Best wishes to you and your family.
C.
If your little one gets enough on one breast, pump the other. If you can find time and can afford the lack of sleep, pump at night when your little one sleeps through a feeding. Every little bit helps. I went back to work in September. I had about 20, 4 ounce bottles stored when I went back. I am pumping 3, 4 ounce bottles while at work. I am now about 2 days ahead of myself at all times. It is tough though. I feel my supply decreasing though I have not stopped feeding and pumping. I do suppliment on occasion when it is tough to provide breatmilk. Don't beat yourself up sress will only affect your supply.
Pump every time ur little one sleeps. Freeze it.
Pump 2-3 times while u are at work. Make sure u take the frozen ice packs to keep ur milk frozen.
Everyday when you pick up ur little one, drop off the milk you pumped that day.
C., Start tomorrow. I started the day I came home from the hospital and had close to 100 bags of milk. Crazy I know. What I did was the first morning feed I would pump one side when I got up and then feed the baby off the other and let her top off the one I pumped as they do a better job of releasing milk. This worked great as I had a build up of milk from the extended sleep time. When all was said and done I had milk left over that we tossed... She never went one day with formula and I nursed her until she was 2yrs 8 months old. Good luck!
I would start by just pumping after you feed your baby. When I did that I was able to get a full bottle in about a day. I eventually stopped pumping after each feeding and then just went to pumping while my daughter got her one bottle. Now I pump while my husband feeds my daughter a bottle of EBM and then I also pump if I feel she didn't empty me out during her feedings. I now have about a months worth of bottles. Hope this helps.
Everyone here had great advice - if you pump around the same time every day, your body will naturally know to produce more milk around that time. I pumped first thing in the morning (b/c I had an oversupply) and ended up building up about 120 oz. in 3 weeks! Good luck!
Hi C.,
I would recommend pumping an hr. after you feed your baby. You won't get much milk out, but it will be a start (and it shouldn't interfere with the amount your daughter gets at feedings). And on the rare occasion that your baby skips a feeding or goes for a longer stretch without eating, take that opportunity to pump (or sleep!). You can also nurse on one side and pump on the other, but this may mean that your baby won't be fully satisfied. In any case, make sure that you get as much rest as possible, drink plenty of fluids, and eat well in order to keep your milk supply up (you need 500 calories more per day when breastfeeding than when you were pregnant!).
Best,
R.
