Working moms/mums - come and share tips and support!

[kris dg]

Sorry, this may be a dumb question but how soon does milk get replenished? 

There was this one day that I went out, got home late and pumped about 50min before the next feed (I normally have a 2 hour gap for pumping and feeding).  I'm worried she may not have gotten enough.

[Bryony]

I heard it was 1.5hrs to replenish fully - but it's replenishing all the time so after an hour there will be a fair bit there.  But there are plenty with more knowledge than me who may well correct me!

[lovedtodeath]

This link may help you somehttp://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html#autocrinecontrol

and this one http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurt.html

My understanding is that your body has milk when your baby normally nurses, or you normally pump. If you pump at a new time you are unlikely to get much because of this.

And I am not more knowledgable than Bryony, so just keep all of it in mind!

[kris dg]

Lovedtodeath, thanks, I learned from that link!  That kellymom is a bit of a nerd.  =)

[marcimommy]

momnew - so you are basically feeding at 6 and than topping off at 8 right before bed, right? I think you should keep the 3 p.m. pumping for now. I know it is very exhausting but soon it will all change. In a month or so when you change to 4 hour EASY you will only need to pump twice during the day and maybe once at night. Just hung in there for now and I promise it will get easier soon! 

Kris - your little girl is adoreable!!! I agree with pp it really depends on what your body is used to. That's why it is very important to try to pump and feed about the same time every day. But it was just one feeding so even if you didn't have a lot for her she would make up for it the next feeding 

[MJMom]

And further to what Suzanna is saying, your body will adjust to when you are / are not feeding.  Some bodies adjust quicker than others.  If I miss a pump cycle, we're talking the very next day, output decreases. 
The sisters get much more efficient at about 3-4 months.  Too efficient for my liking. They can establish need and adjust accordingly.  For us low milk producers, it can be a very frustrating process to rebuild that milk supply.  And then there are others, that have no issues. 

[kzener]

I love this board! I wish I we had it when I went back to work with my DS in 2005 and was juggling the pumping schedule.  Now I feel like a pro with my 8 month old DS. However, I have to say... It's hard!  But so worth it!  All of you ladies deserve a huge pat on the back for your commitment. So many others don't even try.  I went back to work when my son was 12 wks old  and made it to 12 months without a single ounce of formula. (that got hard when we needed to use my milk for cereal and other food mixtures)  This time around I realized that some formula for mixing w/ food is just fine and reduces my production anxiety.  I too am one of those lighter producers and struggled a lot with DS. My tips are:

1.  If you have a newborn, start pumping and freezing from the very get go.  Keep that production high even if that means some milk expires and you have to throw it away. (I've got a 2 month supply in my freezer at this point so I don't stress like I did the first go around) If you didn't do this..don't worry, you'll still be ok. This is just insurance.
2.  I've always used a small manual pump for the morning feed. LO feeds on one side (football position on a boppy works best) while I pump off the other side. Then when LO is done I would pump off any extra from that breasts. If you start that from the beginning you'll be amazed how much you can pump.  Warning..I have to say that this added an extra 30 minutes to my morning, but was soooo worth it. (also great bonding time)
3.  With DS I pumped every 3 hours which was really frustrating but somehow made it through.  With DD, I now pump every 4 hours which makes my day a little more sane.
4. Any time I've needed to increase supply, I've focused on drinking tons of water and using my manual pump after feeding LO. (regardless of how little came out)

Its really important to keep up those consistent pumping sessions especially as LO gets older. In my case, both of mine have started to wean themselves.  He/she is just too busy and needs to see what's going on. So I find that around 7/8 months my production really starts to drop.  Therefore, I have to stay consistent. (even those special times when I get a date night with DH. I still bring the pump in the car if too much time elapses)

I hope this is helpful to anyone starting out.  It's a lot of work, but once you figure out your own system (use of mom's rooms, washing pump at work, scheduling meetings, etc.) it starts to fall into place.   

Good luck and know you're not alone!

[lyndsy_p]

kzener....sounds like you've got it figured out. Good advice there. I started pumping in the morning and at the DF when my LO was 4 weeks. So worth it.

[Bryony]

Kzener - you are an inspiration!  Thank you for sharing that

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Great tips, Kzener! 

As for us....I gave up pumping at work this week.  It was just getting too hard to coordinate my home visits around it, and discouraging with the little I was producing.    So at 14 months, we're down to 2 nursing sessions a day.  I hope we can keep this up for a while longer... 

[lovedtodeath]

From my understanding some people nurse only twice a day for extended periods...I am talking a year!

I still had milk a year after weaning DD though, so it is easy for me to not worry about it. Hope it works out for you.

[lyndsy_p]

Hugs Erin....sending milk vibes to your "girls".

I got AF at the end of December for the 1st time since I had Grae. My output definately dropped. I think it's close to normal now, but we definately put a dent in the freezer stash. We are now dipping into pumped milk from October (FIFO) .

I think I've got about 180oz left. Well, I know I do because I counted. 

I am thinking that I really want to stop at 1year. Is this bad of me? My time is consumed with pumping and worrying about supply. Weaning to cow's milk would be soooo much better (again with the measuring and counting: am I a nut?) I would be okay with a morning and bedtime feed for awhile longer than that, but by the end of the day I don't have much left. I am supplimenting with 2-3oz of EBM as it is. Could one do a mixture of cow's milk and BF? How long would it take to wean? Thoughts?

Lyndsy

[Samuel's mum]

Just lurking here.

Lyndsy - it's not bad of you to contemplate giving up at 12 months! Do you know how many nurslings in the 'developed' world make it that far?

Erin - At this point 2 nursing sessions really could be sustained indefinitely. I know people who've maintained one nursing session for YEARS not even months. I'm not saying that's your plan  but I don't think you should expect any supply issues if that's your concern. Everyone is different but if weaning is gradual statistics really are in your favour.

I totally agree with kzener - you ladies are an inspiration

[lyndsy_p]

Thanks for your support Emma.

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Lyndsy - I second what Emma said - it's AWESOME to get to the year!  We did a mix of BF, EBM and cow's milk after a year with no problems.  Now we're just without the EBM part and so far so good.  I think at this point you can do whatever combination you're both happy with and it could last as long or as little as you both want.

And thanks Emma!