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Offline mgillard

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pumping questions
« on: August 07, 2006, 01:41:53 am »
My LO is 14 wks old and I am back at work. I am pumping at work and, aside from the chore of it, it's going well. My question is how much is too much pumping. She single side feeds when I'm home,but when I pump I do both sides. My freezer is literally full of milk. I kind of feel like it's a catch-22. If I don't pump enough I'll loose supply, but if I do it too much I make too much, which creates other issues. Like what to do when I'm not pumping (ie the weekend). I'm SO engorged on the wkends that it's painful. She is also sleeping thru the night, so I was pumping before bed and/or DF her. However, if I'm tired or lazy and don't do it I regret it in the morning. I've had 1 bout of clogged ducts already and I don't want that to happen again. So, I try to make sure I empty both breasts while pumping. I guess my concern right now is what to do on the weekends/days I'm home with her. I don't want to have to pump after every feed, but I also want to make sure I don't loose my plentiful supply. thanks!
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Offline bear

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Re: pumping questions
« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2006, 12:56:38 pm »
on the weekends, pump only a little, so that you are not in pain, that way your body will adjust.
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Offline LyndaManus

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Re: pumping questions
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2006, 16:23:33 pm »
I had this problem too in the beginning.  How much is lo eating while you are at work? 

In the beginning DS was eating 3 to 4 ounces (which is normal at your LO's age), but then went up to 5 ounces (which was off the charts.  We are now doing 5 ounces per feeding on a 4 hour easy which is working great for us.

I like to pump about one to two ounces too much every time.  That way I feel confident about my supply and there is a little extra in the bottle just in case.  If you are doing too much more than that I would recommend slowly weaning it down.  Don't store too much in the freezer unless you have a reason too.  While it stays "good" for 3 to 4 months, remember, your milk will change consistency quicker than that and I have read recommendations that you shouldn't let it get too much older than one month (I rotate out the stash that I have once a month).

Once you adjust to just 1 to 2 ounces extra per session you shouldn't have too many problems on he weekends.   
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Offline LyndaManus

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Re: pumping questions
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2006, 16:33:26 pm »
Yes, it is definitely a treat when the night leaking stops!!! ;D
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Offline LyndaManus

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Re: pumping questions
« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2006, 19:02:39 pm »
I will also note that if you keep your supply higher than it needs to be by pumping extra you may experience problems with LO getting gas.  I have had constant problems with oversupply and gas with my LO.
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Offline jbepko

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Re: pumping questions
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2006, 00:37:06 am »
You are right around the point that the body figures out what it needs and you may notice your supply starting to dip. I personally think you can never have too much of a stash. I had nearly 700 oz by the time he was 4 months old...yep 700oz. At that point, I dropped one pumping session during the day and didn't have to touch the stash until about 9 months when I had surgery adn my supply for pumping never recovered. He never minded frozen vs fresh EBM vs nursing. I pumped in the evenings consistently throughout the week and weekends. At work I pumped twice. I would only pump on hte weekend am if I felt I needed it. He was a 5 nursing/EBM baby until recently and he is down to 2 now. I always nursed in am and just before his bedtime. IF you are wanting to back off on pumping- start with decreasing a session by a few minutes every few days. I dropped the mid-afternoon session first b/c if was so difficult with my work schedule. I always had enough on the weekends for that nursing though. It is a balance act between your body, your LO, and your pump. Good luck.
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