Author Topic: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3  (Read 17737 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline goldmom

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 23
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 735
  • Location: NY
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #30 on: September 18, 2013, 16:50:10 pm »
Pumps are now covered under health insurance here in the USA when you have a baby, tell your sil that she should try to get a new one and let you keep this one ;D

Offline Fiver

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 152
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 10105
  • Anyone for omelette?
  • Location: SW UK
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #31 on: September 18, 2013, 21:06:58 pm »
I would say between 20-25oz while I'm at work.

So 4 or 5 bottles of 4-5oz each, do you think?  Or more like 3x 8oz bottles?  How many feeds are you giving at home before/after work and on days when you're not working?

Sorry for all the questions :)
*** Amanda ***




Offline Natbug22

  • New, But Posting Steadily!
  • **
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 61
  • Location: Midwest, USA
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #32 on: September 19, 2013, 02:31:56 am »
Goldmom - I'll have to talk to get about that. Thanks for that

Fiver - I would say 3x8oz bottles. I feed her at wake up, shortly before 1st nap, 3/4ish, and shortly before bed. She wakes once at night unless teething/discomfort. I'm pretty available to her when I'm home so there could be an extra feed or two on those days. I only work 2 days right now and my pumping issue just started a few weeks ago (not pumping as much). Which could very well be a natural thing I'm hearing.

Offline Joy-filled

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 11
  • Posts: 898
  • Location: Canada
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #33 on: September 19, 2013, 12:26:19 pm »
My LO is 12.5 months and I'm going back to work 3 days/week starting in October.  Natbug, I do the same number of nursing feeds as you and at the same times of the day as you.  3 x 8 oz bottles plus nursing in the morning and before bed is quite a bit of milk for a 12 month old, as far as I know.  If I were you, I'd offer her as much milk during the day as you end up pumping.  That's what I'm planning to do when I go back to work.  I'm going to nurse when he wakes, then pump at work and he'll get 3.5-4oz in a sippy cup before his nap and then again between 3 and 4:00 and then I'll feed at BT.  I figure 3.5-4 oz in the sippy cup twice per day as that's about what I pump. 

I remember reading somewhere (perhaps kellymom?) that average milk intake for 12-23 month olds who still nurse is around 20 oz (Fiver do you know?).  I figure my DS gets 8 oz in the morning, 7-8 oz during the day and another few oz before BT which I think is enough.  Just my thoughts, though  ;).
« Last Edit: September 19, 2013, 12:33:20 pm by Char K »
**Char**


<a href="http://lilypie.com/">

Offline Fiver

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 152
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 10105
  • Anyone for omelette?
  • Location: SW UK
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #34 on: September 19, 2013, 13:21:31 pm »
From the Kellymom milkcalc link I posted earlier:

"One study found average breastmilk intake to be 30 oz per day (875 ml/day; 93% of total intake) at 7 months and 19 oz (550 ml/day; 50% of total energy intake) at 11-16 months."

So if LO is getting 3x 8oz bottles while you're away and then two(?) BFs while you're there, she's getting considerably more than 19oz per day.

You could use the same theory as the milk calculator amending the 25oz for a younger baby to 19oz and divide by the number of feeds per day she might be having, so call it 4 BF per day as an example.

19oz / 4BF = 4.75oz per bottle while you're away.

If you're doing more like 5 BF while you're at home with her, obviously the quantity per bottle will decrease (3.8oz)
*** Amanda ***




Offline Natbug22

  • New, But Posting Steadily!
  • **
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 61
  • Location: Midwest, USA
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #35 on: September 19, 2013, 16:38:36 pm »
That makes a lot of sense. I'll talk with dh about this. I knew something was up when I heard he gave her that much on one day. I think he doesn't realize just how much she should eat in one day (solids that is). I feel like she's always in that high chair.  ;-)  So I will start her on 4oz then and see how that goes...sometimes I can only get out 2-3oz! My left side is slow slow slow at producing so it gets out only half an ounce, if I'm lucky.  :-(

Offline Joy-filled

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 11
  • Posts: 898
  • Location: Canada
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #36 on: September 19, 2013, 16:40:44 pm »
What kind of pump do you use?
**Char**


<a href="http://lilypie.com/">

Offline Natbug22

  • New, But Posting Steadily!
  • **
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 61
  • Location: Midwest, USA
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #37 on: September 19, 2013, 20:28:44 pm »
An ameda purely yours. What parts usually need replacing? Do you think that's an issue?

Offline Joy-filled

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 11
  • Posts: 898
  • Location: Canada
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #38 on: September 21, 2013, 17:08:11 pm »
TBH, I'm not sure what parts need to be replaced.  Goldmom?

I use a Medela Pump in Style and it works fabulously.  I had low milk supply so I originally rented an Ameda and it would take me 1 hr to pump 1 oz!  It wasn't until I ordered the Medela that I realized the issue was the pump, not my milk as in 10-15 minutes I'd have 4-5 oz....what a difference!  So I do know that sometimes the issue is the pump.
**Char**


<a href="http://lilypie.com/">

Offline Fiver

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 152
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 10105
  • Anyone for omelette?
  • Location: SW UK
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #39 on: September 21, 2013, 18:42:18 pm »
Sometimes a different sized flange helps.  I think the replaceable parts tend to be diaphragms (the rubber "sucky" bit) and valves.
*** Amanda ***




Offline goldmom

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 23
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 735
  • Location: NY
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #40 on: September 22, 2013, 15:11:01 pm »
I also use the Ameda Purely Yours. Sometimes I like it, other times not. Recently I can pump about 2-3 oz on each side in about 15 minutes in a good session and 1-2 oz each side in a bad session. The white valves definitely have to be replaced occasionally, but I'm not sure about anything else. I used to be able to get 4+ oz on each side in the morning and 2-3 oz each side in the afternoon with this pump, but it's been less since my DD turned 6 mo. I've been hoping replacing the valves would help increase the output, but only on some days does it work better, unfortunately. Though sometimes replacing the valves have made a big difference, so I'm not sure why recently it hasn't been helping as much as I'd like it too. Maybe I'll switch out the diaphragms also and see if that helps.

I've been using this pump now 2x a day for usually 5 days a week since DD was 7 weeks old, so I'd say it's generally a good pump, but maybe just for the first few months?

Offline Joy-filled

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 11
  • Posts: 898
  • Location: Canada
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #41 on: September 22, 2013, 17:47:54 pm »
Getting the correct fitting diaphragms also made a big difference for me.  I used the Medela for a couple of months and then realized I probably needed different cups so I sized myself and sure enough I needed the smaller ones.  I bought them and it made a big difference as I was able to have more suction before it became uncomfortable.
**Char**


<a href="http://lilypie.com/">

Offline Natbug22

  • New, But Posting Steadily!
  • **
  • Showing Appreciation 0
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 61
  • Location: Midwest, USA
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #42 on: September 22, 2013, 22:17:37 pm »
I'll try replacing the rubber bits and use my smaller flanges and see where that gets me. Hope to report back with increased pumping output.  ;-) 

Offline Fiver

  • Resident BW Chatterbox!
  • *****
  • Showing Appreciation 152
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 10105
  • Anyone for omelette?
  • Location: SW UK
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #43 on: September 23, 2013, 18:24:28 pm »
Good luck :)
*** Amanda ***




Offline Baby_A_Mama

  • BW Aficionado
  • ***
  • Showing Appreciation 1
  • Posts: 108
  • Location:
Re: Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #3
« Reply #44 on: March 28, 2014, 22:58:55 pm »
I am looking to return to work in about a month, 3-4 days/week. I have an 10 month old breastfed daughter. She used to take a bottle extremely well when desired but recently will not take a bottle or sippy cup. When I put her in daycare, I will need her to take 2 feedings, one after each nap, and I will continue to breastfeed the morning wakeup and before bedtime.  She was diagnosed with a potential MSPI but we are having success with introducing small amounts of yogurt and cottage cheese, but still no cows milk.

What do other mom's who exclusively breastfeed do when you return to work and your child will not take a feeding from a bottle or cup?  I plan to keep trying to get either the bottle, sippy cup, or cup to work throughout this next month that I have, but I am worried about our options if it does not work. The office is a bit too far away for me to feasibly come by and feed her during the day, but perhaps I have to and just re-arrange my schedule/job? Thoughts?  I'm feeling really discouraged because she used to take a bottle so well and we have been trying for over a week now with no success :(  I even had Grandma and Grandad try while I went for a walk just to be out of the house, but it was a no-go. She just screams at the sight of the bottle or cups.