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Pumping
Compiled from WMOMS discussions by Monay H. and from Working Moms Refuge readers
See also Wisdom of Mothers: Nursing . Disclaimer: Some of this advice worked for some people some of the time. Neither they, WMOMS nor Working Moms Refuge take responsibility for its applicability to your family. Please discuss any questions with your own network of professionals, friends and family first. Table of Contents:
The How-To's Of Returning To Work As A Breastfeeding Mom from Working & BreastFeeding by Shoshana Socher The following plan assumes that you have 10 to 12 weeks of maternity leave. If you are expected to return to work sooner, don't despair. You can, and positively should, establish breastfeedinq and should continue to breastfeed while working. Just remember, it will take some juggling of schedules, and cutting down on outside activities.
Shoshana Knetzer Socher is a wife, mother of four, childbirth educator, and La Leche League leader.
Length of Breastfeeding/Pumping Relationship About 4 months--about one month into going back to work. I had a hard time keeping up with the pumping. Stress at my job didn't help either.
Five months old and still breastfeeding. I will be trying to continue for a full year. I agree that I don't particularly enjoy pumping, but I know that it is good for my baby, so I do it.Breastfed, yes. Up to one year. Pumped...not very successfully.
Six months and still breastfeeding. We'll see how long it lasts.
I pumped for a year and know others who have succeeded in getting past the 6 month mark. It was around six months that I was able to go from one to two pumping sessions a day, which was a great relief. I was ecstatic to give up pumping entirely at a year and introduce cow's milk, but also proud that I had kept it up for that long and not sorry that I had gone to the trouble.
I pumped at work for about 2.5 mos. Pumping was OK but I guess I just got tired of it. We started on formula at about 4.5 months old (supplement) and the baby liked it. I guess at that point the pressure to maintain and keep nursing diminished. I was hoping I could feed her bm until she is 6 mos old.
I pumped for about 10 months and nursed for a year. I was only planning to nurse for 8 months but just kept going because it was going so well. Pumping was a lot of effort, but worth it for the relatively short period I did it.
I pumped milk until around 13 months. I supplemented with formula for 1 of the daytime feedings until the baby was around 8 months old and I got a better pump (Medela Lactina), at which point we cut out all formula. She is still nursing at almost 3 1/2.
My younger daughter was breastfed exclusively for 5.5 months, at which point she started to get some solids, although she wasn't really interested in them until she was around 11 months old. She is now 13 months old, and I am still pumping. She has never had any formula. She doesn't like to go to sleep without nursing/drinking a bottle, so I will keep pumping for a while.
I started breastfeeding my daughter because I knew it was the best thing to do for her. I went back to work when she was 6 weeks (pumped), then had 2 1/2 months off (the advantage of being a teacher) and planned to wean her by August. Well, as she got older, breastfeeding became easier and (much to my amazement), I really began to enjoy it. I decided to try going back to work and pumping. By then (she was 5 months) she had started solids and shortly after 6 mos. we "stretched" low pumping days with watered down juice. The more I worked, the more I enjoyed coming home and nursing (rebonding) with my daughter. I kept stretching my weaning date (5 months, 6 months, 9 months.....) and I actually made it to one year without using a drop of formula When she was just 2 weeks over a year, I stopped pumping (she stopped using a bottle entirely), but I still nurse her 2-4 times a day (first thing in the morning if she wakes, usually when I get home from work and last thing at night).
Pumping is a PAIN! But because of health benefits I am just going to keep on doing it until he weans himself. I am at 6 months right now...I figure between 6 months to a year longer. Then hopefully he will have figured out how to swallow food and only nurse when I am at home in evenings and to sleep, etc. :-) I love nursing him, I just can't for myself imagine giving it up! but YMMV.
I do still breastfeed whenever he's with me, but I do not pump. I gave up pumping when I no longer needed to for my own comfort. I noticed that my supply became more flexible to different schedules at about the time that he started on other foods. Now I can breastfeed only twice a day, or up to five times a day, and I rarely have any type of discomfort at all. We started giving him a bottle of formula when he was about six weeks old. That was before I was comfortable with pumping, and I wanted him to learn how to use a bottle, so we just started out with formula supplementing. After I did learn howto pump, he took expressed milk sometimes, but I still usually used formula, since I never liked pumping all that much. I do really like breastfeeding, though, and so does he, so it doesn't look like we'll be weaning any time soon.
I only know two working mums who did *not* bf past 6 months - and they had already stopped breastfeeding for other reasons before they returned to work. The other dozen or so are mostly still breastfeeding happily. Some, like me, pump (we're now at 10 months.) But most of them have the baby fed solids or formula during the day (these are all babies over 6 months), and breastfeeding mornings, evenings and weekends.
I went away for 9 days when my son was 9 months. I pumped while away (and even brought the milk home!) and we resumed feeding happily when I got back. If I'd been going away for 3 days I could have considered not even pumping. Your milk isn't going to dry up in 3 days, so it would have been possible for us to resume feeding after that period even if I didn't pump while away, though we would have had to work at it for a few days. Provided you already have a good breastfeeding relationship established (i.e. 3 months + and no continuing latching problems) then you should be able to stop the daytime feeds if you want to, without prejudicing your ability to breastfeeding when with the baby. Once you have that relationship established then almost any variation can be made to work - - it all depends on what your baby wants, what you want for your baby, and what you're both prepared to do to get it. People (and this includes babies) vary a lot.
I never succeeded in pumping, - just got wet and messy, with hand expressing, or nothing came out with a pump. With my 1st 3 kids I had a child minder near work, so I left work in the middle to nurse. This time I wasn't so lucky - so at 5 1/2 months, when I returned to work, I started the baby on one bottle of formula (soya) a day, and he also had vegetables. So don't give up on the nursing if you and the baby don't want to.
I myself, only nursed for 5 months and really regret stopping. About the time I went back to work full time I got an awful bout of the flu. Between the decreased breastfeeding sessions and being sick, my milk disappeared almost overnight. I didn't attempt to reinitiate it, and I've regretted it ever since. A lot my friends who also work full time have continued to breast feed, in the mornings and evenings (many don't pump - I think that this routine is a lot less stressful for the mum, not having to pump in a bathroom stall most of the time).
When you are working full time, the continued nursing can really help to help mums with a lot of guilt that they experience when they go back to work. Next baby - I'm really going to try and keep nursing when I go back to work.
I am still nursing my 15 month old daughter. My son weaned 2 months before his 5th birthday. And I pumped for about 7 months with my second daughter.
My daughter is 10.5 months old now, and I nursed her until 4 months. Then I went back to work and pumped. At first I pumped 3 times a day, then after a week or so I got it down to 2 times. Finally, it was down to 1 time and I was supplementing her with formula (I'm working 3 days a week, the other 4 days I nursed her all day with no formula). I have to say I was not very dedicated to pumping. I did want to give her breastmilk, but I *hated* pumping. I had to sit on the bathroom floor and it was sooooo boring. I took a book in there to read. My job is really busy and stressful so it was hard to carve out the time to do it. By the time she was 7 months, she was on formula completely on daycare days and I wasn't pumping at all (Yay! Did I mention how much I hated pumping?). By 9 months, we were pretty much weaned.I pumped for exactly one year and then the pediatrician. said it was OK to give him whole milk. Having pumped for a year with a pitiful pump (a MagMag), I'll enthusiastically second all those who have recommended a really good double pump to save yourself a lot of agony.
I returned to work full-time when each of my kids was 2 months old. Both got ebm at day-care until they were 6 months old. I continued to nurse both of them until they were each about 11 months old.
I returned to work when my son was 3mo. Yesterday, I just stopped pumping at work--he will be 1 next week and he is now in the toddler room and they don't give bottles there. He has only had breastmilk and (recently) whole cow's milk to drink. My first goal was to try to bf and see how it went. I can't believe we made a year!
I nursed both of my kids, but I didn't realize that there were better pumps out there, so I stopped nursing both times when I went back to work. I did wrangle a super long 6 month leave with my 2nd, though, so I could nurse her longer. I only had 3.5 months with my 1st, and that was before the Family Leave Act, so it was longer than most women were getting, but I still knew I needed more time with my 2nd.
I went back to work after about 2 months. I had already been supplementing with formula by then, probably mostly because we were pretty active after she was born, and my body couldn't keep up. When I went back to work, it was a VERY stressful time at my job (mandatory 50-hour work week, which included a 4-hour Saturday--yeah, real conducive to being a healthy new mom!), and the only place I could really pump at work was in a fax/office supply room by the HR office. So, in all, once I started back to work, I probably, at the most, nursed for a month. My body just did it on it's own (weaned), andpumping couldn't keep it up
The doctor told us that at 9 months we should start introducing whole milk so that he could be drinking it regularly at 12 months (actually, I think the doctor assumed he was formula fed, they were always so surprised when I'd mention I was still breastfeeding - - but always supportive). Anyway, my son would have a bottle of milk at noon instead of breastmilk, that allowed me to cut down to pumping once a day, and then around 10 months I was able to stop altogether (nurse in the morning, after work and at bedtime). I think by 12 months we were down to just nursing at bedtime - and we just gave that up at 14 months.
I went back to work when my daughter was 8 weeks old and happy to say that I breast feed until she was 14 months old. I pumped at work and in the car while I drove and I got very good at it with a little practice. I didn't have much support at work but I was determined to do this for both of us. They called me the COLEMAN lady for everywhere I went I had my Coleman cooler as my pocketbook.
I nursed my daughter until I went back to PT work at 4 months. For 2 more months I pumped (which I absolutely hated). Then I gave up and supplemented with formula, but miraculously was still able to nurse her all day on the 4 days I had her. It was great--no pumping when I was at work, but no formula on the days I had her. But by 9 months she pretty much quit nursing and we just used formula. I was ready to quit by then also, actually.
I was able to nurse my son for 13.5 months before we weaned. I began pumping extra and freezing it before I started work again - - I never had much of a supply in store, at first I may have had enough for a full day or two but by the end I don't think I had more than an extra feeding's worth. The peace of mind of having a little extra in store is great though. We did have some formula available if needed--but we never needed it. I do remember that pumping wasn't as effective toward the end of the week, but then after a weekend of nursing (and sometimes some additional pumping during the weekend) I'd be back to full steam on Monday.
Types Of Pumps We have collected more experiences with different stles of pumps at Types of Pumps II. I pumped after going back to work with both of my children and pumped until they were 9 months old and went onto cow's milk. I used a rental pump, Medela Lactina the first time. The second time my company purchased one of those heavy duty Medela pumps like they use in the hospital for our pumping room. I think the Lactina rental was nearly as good as the industrial model. I carried my Medela Lactina to and from work everyday for a few months, later I was able to leave it at work and not have to pump at home. There is a new electric. Medela pump out now, 'Pump in Style' and it's much smaller and lighter but just as powerful.
I use a Medela mini electric, it pumps only one side at a time and isvery portable. But if you need to pump huge quantities then I wouldn't recommend it because I have heard the motor dies. But part-time work or an at-work only pump, it works fine. I even pump on weekends to keep up my supply.
I use the Medela Mini Pump and I love it. Because I would be pumping 3x/day at work for several days, I needed a pump that would be as quick and comfortable as possible. The Medela Lactina with double pumping attachments met my needs beautifully. Irented this pump from a lactation consultant. She was a wonderful resource, showing me how to use the pump and available for all sorts of questions related to breastfeeding.
I started with a rental Lactina and switched to a Pump In Style purchase from Medela ($185). It is fully automatic and very much like the Lactina. It comes in a case like a purse, with storage and a cooler section build in. I really like it.
I've been pumping at work since January. At first I had a Medela Lactina - it worked great - - then in April I bought the new Medela "Pump in Style". It works just as well as the Lactina - - and cost about 5.5 months worth of renting ($178 plus tax, I believe). The new pump comes in a leather-like bag (instead of the industrial-esque blue plastic box), there is room for all the supplies including a small cooler area that will hold several bottles of milk (it also comes with storage bottles). You can pump one breast at a time or double up (I do one at a time so my one hand is free to do something (usually check e-mail)).
I just ended my 13 1/2 month loving relationship with the Medela Lactina Plus. When I was home on leave, I bought a Double Up Breast Pump by the Natural Choice Company. It did not work for me, so I returned it and rented the Medela from a local pharmacy for $1.00 per day.
I spend only about 10 minutes pumping, plus a few minutes for setup and cleanup. I have the Pump In Style from Medela, which is fully automatic. I just sit there and read a magazine. I also used a rented Lactina from Medela. It is fully automatic too. They are both quiet and great, IMHO.
I rented a Medela Lactina. Then bought a Medela Pump In Style. I really recommend the Pump In Style. It is fully automatic so you can read a magazine or whatever. Has a cooler compartment too. And looks like a big purse.
I have had experience with 2 different pumps, both very good. The first was one of the rental kind from the hospital that was also about the size of a carpet steam cleaner. It was the other "big" brand of pump, not Medela but another company that slips my mind. I found the Pump In Style to be almost as good, maybe not quite, but MUCH lighter and portable and very user friendly. You don't have to regulate the oscillation yourself, you can set it at different speeds. I know some you have to move your hand over a valve to create pressure, not necessary with the Pump In Style. The one thing I would recommend is ordering some extra little discs that come with the pump when you get it they cost less than a dollar (the shipping costs exceeds the cost of the part). They are so easy to lose I was paranoid about them going down the drain or something until I got more.
It used to be that the Pump in Style was one of the only affordable "hospital-style" electrics, but I think now there are several other models out there. I kept my hospital pump for a few weeks after I bought the pump, just in case I needed it ..but I ended up with only the Pump in Style and took the hospital one back. I would definitely recommend it if you are interested in buying instead of renting. It looks just like a briefcase ...I sort of enjoyed telling people it was a breast pump just to be devilish and see what their reaction would be.
I pumped a lot with my son and I swear by the Loyd-B Pump from Lopuco. I couldn't handle any of the electric pumps -- reminded me of my days working on dairy farms too much! This is a hand held manual pump. With this pump you create suction by squeezing a hand grip -- sort of trigger-like. Suction is released through a valve near the grip. I used to get a lot of milk with it and it was light-weight, quiet, very portable and its built to collect milk in baby food jars. To order:
I found that I collected the most milk if I pumped on one breast while the baby nursed on the other and you can do it with this pump since it is silent and once you work out your system can be done with one hand.
My daughter never figured out how to breastfeed, and subsequently I was pumping from the beginning (they actually had us cup feeding her when she was in the hospital, I'd pump, then dh would wait until her mouth was opened enough to sort of pour it down her throat. Very messy.) I borrowed the Pump in Style from a friend, and it worked wonderfully. It was almost as strong as the pump in the hospital, and has the ability to double or single pump. I think it worked better double pumping, but it really does make you feel like a cow. It is pretty discrete, looks like a black leather bag. It has its own cooler section, and the ice packs that it comes with kept milk cold for about 12-14 hours. You can rent them from the local lactation consultant, I'm not sure how much.
I *loved* my Pump in Style. Yes, it oscillates automatically. I went through a hand-pump and a mini-electric and a rental pump before I finally got around to buying the Pump in Style -- as a result, I highly recommend going straight for the Pump in Style, especially if you didn't have much luck with less powerful pumps the first time around.
Other pluses about the Pump in Style: It's pretty lightweight. It comes in a bag that looks like a large briefcase and has a shoulder strap that makes it easy to carry. It has a compartment for keeping bottles cooled, which is great if you don't have access to a refrigerator. Since you don't really have to do any work while it's pumping (except holding the bottles in place -- get someone to show you the technique for holding two bottles in place with one arm), you can get the pumping going and then do something else simultaneously. I used to pump while reading professional journals.
I also *loved* my Pump-in-Style and I pumped forever! It is perfect for women who will be pumping several times a day, every day. As an alternative, I have heard wonderful things about the Avent Isis pump. It is a lot less expensive, you can purchase one at target or Internet Baby for around $40. A few of my friends swear it is just as efficient as their Pump-in-Style. It is very small and it doesn't require you to be near an electrical outlet. The battery pack for the Pump-in-Style is $80 alone so this would seem to be a good alternative for those times when you aren't in your office. By the way, I have pumped almost everywhere you could imagine (car, boat, plane) and this would have been a lot more convenient than lugging the Pump-in-Style and battery pack around everywhere.
I give the Pump in Style a big thumbs up as well! I have a private office with a lock on the door. I would set up the double suction, rest the collection bottles on my desk and surf the net, read my e-mail, etc. I really don't think that anyone in my department had any idea of what I was doing with my door closed until I started putting milk bottles in the fridge!
I'm using the Avent Isis right now and like it a lot better than the Magmag mini electric that I was using before. You can also get it with a disposable bottle attachment, and pump directly into plastic bags for freezing. Of course, I've never used a Pump-in-Style, but I would probably get that if I had to pump more than once at work everyday. But the Isis is perfect for pumping at home and also very lightweight & portable.
Pump in Style's customer service is also great. I was hearing a noise and so I called Customer service. They sent me a mini electric to use while they had my PIS. They even told me to wait until I had the mini electric before returning mine. I shipped mine over night to them and had a brand new unit 2 days later.
I loved my Pump in Style. In fact it was the main reason that I kept up nursing for so long. I think it oscillates, whatever it does, it does it as well as the hospital's pumps (which were really huge).
I'm sure you're going to get some resounding "Yes"s on this. I HIGHLY recommend the Pump in Style. It's worth every penny (~$200 US).
For my first I had the Spring Express by Medela which was a manual, single funnel pump. Cheap, but it took a lot of time to get the job done. Fortunately my work responsibilities at the time allowed me to take the needed time. For my second, I "splurged" and got the electric. Number 1 was on breast milk only four months due to pumping issues. Number 2 went seven months (ok, not as long as I'd have liked but it was baby's decision).
I just bought an Avent Isis (manual) pump, and while it's working ok for occasional use while I'm home, it's certainly not "industrial strength". I notice that when I pump with the Avent pump, I have to rotate it an inch or so to the left or right to get more milk out. I only get about 7 or 8 "pulses" in one position.
So, I guess no one has said they didn't like their Pump-In-Style. I bought one also and it was great. I had rented a Medela hospital-quality before that and this worked as well for me. A friend borrowed the pump for over a year and it worked fine for her too.
Pump Manufacturers:
Pump and Pumping Accessories Retailers:
Where To Pump/Logistics The first time I had a private office! Lucked out that time. Four years later and my company built a new building for our department and included in the plans were a pumping room for new moms!!. I think having a private, clean space to pump at work is key to the whole issue.
I pumped for about 9 months at work. I don't have my own private office abut I could usually use my bosses, who was out a lot. (Sometimes I just had to scavange around for room not being used- it was both funny and frustrating).
I have an office with a door so I just close the door to pump. I guess it depends on your job.
I returned to work when my son was 9 weeks old. I pumped in the public restroom 2 times a day using a Nurture III double pump. I ran my extension cord under the handicapped stall in the bathroom. It was not very private or convenient, but I really wanted to do this. Later, I found that there were other women here that were also pumping - some went home, some went to their cars to do this. We got togetherand lobbied to get a lactation room constructed.
I returned to work after my son was 8 weeks old I started pumping a couple of weeks before returning to work. I purchased a Medela(?) manual pump since I wouldn't have access to electricity in the public restroom. Yes, I humbled myself for the sake of my son and used the handicapped stall in the restroom
I used to pump at work . I would pump in my office. Anyway, after I finished pumping, I would bring the pumped milk and 'related stuff" to the breakroom and wash them and store the milk in the refrigerator.
This is my second child. Pumping at work didn't work out well the first time because I didn't have anywhere but a public bathroom to pump in. Now I have a private office, so it is much easier. I usually pump more than my son eats so I am able to keep a stock pile in my freezer which helps.
When I was pumping, I always tried to put out a do not disturb sign. One time when I forgot, somebody actually walked in without waiting for a response after knocking. After that, I also put the chair in front of the door, and had no more problems.
I just shut my door when I was pumping...no sign. I would ignore the phone, knocks on the door, etc. I am lucky that my office is on a different key than everyone else's in our department so the chances of someone walking in on me were very slim.
Well, I pumped for a year so I guess that puts me somewhere in the "experienced" category. After my boss (a 60-something-year-old man) walked in on me one time and was possibly more embarrassed than I was, I started putting up a sign that said "private." "Do not disturb" might be better. After getting walked in on, I couldn't relax until I had the sign up. I may as well have written "I'm pumping now," since everyone knew that's what was up, but "private" did the trick and I wasn't disturbed again.
I pumped at work for about 5 months. At first I used my office, but never felt comfortable because the door didn't latch properly, so I couldn't lock it - I always blocked it with a chair and sat with my back to the door. Plus, it was kind of awkward for co-workers whose desks are right outside my door if someone came looking for me ("yes, she's here, but...") The next department down the hall, which happens to be human resources, had a spare office that they used as a conference room - with a door that locked. So I started using that instead. I never put up a sign; just made sure the door was locked, and if someone knocked just said "I'll be out in a few minutes" or something like that. Most of the staff in this wing knew what I was up to. Occasionally the room was in use for an interview, and then I had to go back to my office. But "that strange humming noise" always made me cringe - my office shares a wall with the college president's office (I work at a community college) and I always worried about what you could hear on the other side.
I was lucky that I worked with another woman in an office with a door. I would close the door and used a little magnet to attach the sign "I am sorry, I am busy right now. Please, come back later."
Luckily for me I pumped in my office and didn't have to deal with the bathroom thing. Is there any small room around (or even infrequently used large room) that you could commandeer a few times a day - - my sister used a conference room and put up a sign that said "do not disturb, mother at work."
Pumping Schedules Here is my schedule since returning to work when my son was 12 weeks: 5:30 nurse then pump, then get ready for work. (3-8 oz) noon pump at work, (7-10 oz) 4:30, nurse when I get home and for the evening. Also, daycare has instructions to try not to feed him after 2:30 so he is hungry when I get home. My friend pumps twice a day at work--10 and 2. This is probably better but I did not have that much time.
Although it just takes 5 minutes to setup and cleanup, plus 10 minutes to pump. I am still pumping 2 times a day. My son is now nearing 7 months old, and we have never had a problem.
I arranged to have my day care close to my work. I go every day for a noon nursing session and to play. I would definitely recommend this arrangement, even if you decide not to breastfeed. It makes me feel good to know he is so close. I always look forward to spending lunch with my son. It is great to have the hour for just us when I am not trying to do 6 other things at the same time, like I do when we are at home.
Twice a day I hike down to the lactation room.
Fortunately (for once), I work in a male-dominated office and the traffic in the women's restroom was low. I pumped three times a day (10AM, 1PM, & 4PM) for about 20 minutes each and forfeited my lunch hour to do so. I also had to pump early in the morning before getting ready for work (baby was still sleeping) and late at night before retiring. It seemed that I was always pumping milk. I only managed to keep up this pumping routine until he was just over four months old.
Working away from the home really makes it hard to do what you feel is best for your child sometimes!! I have a 4.5 month old that I am still breastfeeding. He is the kind of boy who just won't take a bottle. I am fortunate enough to be able to have him in my office half days so I nurse him in my office.
The 5 hours in the morning he is in daycare, I pump once or twice depending on what have time to do and if I am getting uncomfortable. He is going to be away from me 8+ hours starting July 1st, and I plan on pumping 3-4 times during the day, again depending on what I have time for.
For pumping at work, I pumped twice a day at the approximately the times the baby ate. For both my girls, they seems to eat at 6 and 10 am, 2, 6 and 10 pm like clockwork by about 6 or 8 weeks old. So, I was at work from about 8:30 to 5:30 or so and would pump at 10 and 2.
I would nurse her right when I dropped her off in the morning and the minute I walked in the door at night. Seemed just about right for me. Other friends of mine had babies who ate more often and they tend to pump three times a day a work (but we seem to pump about the same amount of milk total).
I went back to work when my daughter was 10 weeks old. I nursed her last thing before I left. Pumped at 10am, at lunch and again at 2pm. Then I nursed first thing when I got home. I worked really well. I usually pumped about double the amount my daughter needed for the next day, so I got a reserve amount in the freezer. One thing that really helped me out was having a really good pump. The cheaper ones just don't quite do the job. I also started pumping a couple of weeks before I went back to work because it is something you have to learn how to do. The more you do it, the faster it goes. In the end I could assemble the pump, do the actual pumping, disassemble and clean the pump in my 15 minute break.
I pumped after he nursed in the mornings. And I pumped once at lunch at work. I see a lot who pump more often, but I got 8-10 oz. at lunch.
I pumped three times a day at first (my supervisor let me take three 20min breaks instead of one hour lunch break and then I ate while doing work) using a big electric pump (I had a battery-operated small pump too which I used when I went to other places during work hours and also in the mornings at home). I did supplement with formula but only when she was about 7 months old. By that time I couldn't pump enough milk for her any more. Actually, I never pumped more than 11-12oz per day even on a good day but she adjusted and ate more in the evening and at night. I switched to pumping twice a day, then once a day, then just evening feedings which continued until Julia was about 13 mo. I don't think I could've maintained my milk supply without pumping because I always had problems with it anyway. Once I started pumping less then three times a day I also had less milk in the mornings and evenings too. It probably depends somewhat on your body too.
My son is 11 months old now. He has never been on formula, but now is eating enough solids that I don't pump at work anymore (yeah!!!) (he has a bottle of cow's milk at noon - - the pediatrician recommended this as a way to get him used to cow's milk). When he was younger I nursed him before work and pumped twice a day and then nursed him as soon as I got home, at dinner, in the evening, and before bed. We're now down to morning, 6:00ish and bedtime.
Keys To Successful Pumping And Maintaining Supply A couple of things:
Make sure you are drinking plenty of water all day long. I found that the days I didn't drink enough, my supply did go down. I did try fenugreek, and it did increase my supply, but it also gave my son diarrhea. I also make sure that he nurses as often as he wants when I am home, and also on the weekends. So far I have not had much of a supply problem except last week, but it is better now. Part of what helped me is that before I returned to work, I had a fairly large stock pile of frozen EBM in the freezer, so I never had to worry if I had a low production day. With my first son I didn't have this, and when I had a low production day, I went into panic mode that he wouldn't get enough, and that was the beginning of the end, because it brought my supply down even more, and I just couldn't recover after the first few rounds of panic mode.
Get a good pump - - it makes all the difference. I had a Medela rental at first and then bought the Medela Pump-in-style - - both were excellent for me as for keeping the supply up - - let him nurse whenever he wants during the weekends. The bra thing wasn't a problem for me - except when I wore a sports bra for a 3k race for the cure walk. I got a clogged milk duct immediately - - so avoid tight bras.
The key for me was getting a good pumping environment. For me, this meant: manager and co-worker not questioning my need for 3 breaks for pumping each day; private, comfortable room for pumping (nurse's office); good, electric pump (Medela) with double pumping attachment; support of l.c. when needed; comfortable, easy to get out of clothes (and bras). I never leaked with my first. With my second, I leaked a little bit. But found that as long as I stuck with my pumping/nursing schedule, I was ok. It was especially important to get in the pumping sessions on Monday after a full weekend of nursing. When I decided to cut back pumping, I did so slowly. I think the bra issue probably depends most on your build and personal preference. It didn't really seem to make a difference for me. But I found that I was more likely to get plugged ducts when pumping while wearing a bra that didn't fit well (one that pound or poked me). Another key is drinking lots of water. My milk supply went down when I didn't drink enough. My solution was to drink a 16 oz glass of water every time I nursed/pumped (except overnight).
I had a really good electric pump and it made all the difference in the world. I breastfeed until my son was 10 months. A small cooler and ice packs help so you don't have to go searching for a refrigerator.
A good pump is key. I switched from Medela Lactina rental to Pump in Style. I highly recommend either. The cooler compartment in the Pump In Style is great too. Drink water as you are thirsty. Keep a positive attitude that you can do it. Get a good location (I got my employer to setup a private room with a table that several of us used.) Build up a freezer supply, in a deep freeze if possible. That is what got me through the last couple months. Start pumping well before you return to work to start up that freezer supply. I pumped every morning after nursing from 6 weeks on. In the early months I could get 8-10 oz AFTER the feeding! In the last month I got nothing in the morning after the feeding. But even after returning to work I was able to put some in the freezer each couple days. And it really paid recently. I literally had gallons in little playtex baggies and it is all gone. Buy good comfortable bras. I went to a local bra shop and got fitted.
I went back to work full time when my daughter was 5 months old and had a horrible time pumping. I really think that having a quiet and relaxing pumping environment is the key. I had rented my own pump and all I wanted was a quiet place to do the deed. They wouldn't accommodate me at all. I ended up pumping in the nurses locker room, which was very busy and every time one of these neonatal nurses walked in I would get a dirty look. I managed to supplement her formula diet with breast milk until she was about 6 months old and then the whole thing became so stressful that I gave up. It was very traumatic for me to quit.
What worked for me pumping was to have a book or magazine to read so the time passed quickly. Also, I was pumping in a single-room bathroom, so I had some privacy. I turned the fan on so I wouldn't be self-conscious about the noise. I didn't take lunch breaks so I wouldn't miss much work. I took the pump to work in a little insulated lunch bag so I wouldn't be self-conscious about lugging around a bag with "MEDELA" emblazoned on it.
I didn't have a very good pumping experience and, as a result, my daughter did not receive breast milk for as long as I would have liked. I really think a lot of my problems were based on the fact that the environment in which I pumped was very stressful. NOTHING will impair pumping more than trying to do it somewhere where you can't at least *attempt* to relax a little. I'd suggest trying to pinpoint a couple of good "pumping sites" before you go back to work just so that you're not left scrambling on your first day back.
In addition to stress, I also found that using a crappy pump initially made pumping next to impossible. When I first attempted pumping, I did so with one of those rinky dinky Evenflo battery operated pumps that you *attempt* to cycle by yourself. It didn't work for me at all, although these cheap pumps (put out by Gerber, Evenflo etc.) have worked for some of my friends. I then went out and rented this industrial sized pump that was about 20 years old and was about the size and weight of a steam cleaner :-) It was a royal pain in the butt lugging the thing in to work but it was an excellent pump. You really should either rent or buy one that oscillates by itself.
Tips For Stimulating The Let Down Reflex
With these few tips, you will be able to succeed in providing your baby breastmilk, even when you are not with her.
Experiences Things that helped me the most were: pumping at home after his first feed in the morning, drinking lots of water and trying to get as much sleep as possible. Of course, offer to nurse as often as possible when you are home.
Letdown help (graphic description alert...) I used to pinch one nipple while pumping on the other one. That helped letdown. I didn't have a double pump, but I think it would be worth it. I just used to hold a container under one side while the other let down.
I concentrated really hard on relaxing, I quaffed gallons of water (seemingly), I pumped extra at night and first thing in the morning before I woke the baby up. It was a chore, twice daily in the bathroom stall with my manual one-sided pump. I started with a rented electric, but when I got to my new job there were no electrical outlets in any private place. One thing that helped was not waiting until I was leaking or otherwise really full. I pumped around 10:30 and 2:30 and that worked better than pumping at 11 and 3:30 for some reason. I also did deep breathing to help relax.
As for motivating let down (I also had the pump in style for the last half of pumping anyway - rented for the first half). I only pumped one side at a time - so maybe left, then right, and then back to the left because often pumping the first caused more milk to let down on the second side. Also, if I didn't produce enough during the day I'd bring the pump home and pump again after my son ate before he went to bed. Also, if time allowed, I'd pump in the morning after he ate and would get another couple of ounces. Nurse lots during the weekends to stimulate milk production because pumping just doesn't stimulate it like a real baby. I would also pump extra on the weekends (early morning and right before bed) so that with any luck there would be extra milk at the beginning of the week.
Establishing A Breastfeeding Room At Work I was successful in getting a pumping room setup at our small company (500 employees).I wrote a letter on behalf of 6-7 pregnant women who were planning to breastfeed. Several of us were first time mothers and were not even sure if we would make it to pumping or not, but we wanted the room just in case. They setup a small room where a copier had been. Put a lock on the door, and put in a desk and chair plus some antiseptic wipes and literature. We have a sink and refrigerator down the hall. For me this was enough. I wanted the privacy.
I work at a company that (in the past couple of years) has installed "Mother's Rooms" at virtually all our buildings. These rooms contain a Lactina and desk with chair; some contain computers, phones and refrigerators. This option was much appreciated and has gotten the company a lot of good press.
I work for Kodak which is a pretty large company. About a 6 months to a year before I had my son, sometime in 1995 I think, they installed some rooms where we could pump in private. I do remember walking into a restroom the year before when a women was in there pumping and I will admit I was a little embarrassed. I never actually ended up using the room since I took the full 17 week leave after my 6 week maternity leave. I had a hard time pumping and I ended up weaning back to night time feedings only when I went back to work.
We have pumping rooms at all our locations here in Phoenix. These were set up in 1993 after lots of lobbying (I think I worked on it for at least 3 years...) Our rooms have keys which are controlled by the plant nurse. A roster is kept in the rooms (we have 2 at our current location with 3000+ employees, mostly men, though..) The moms schedule the room in half hour increments. Each room has a chair, table and a sink with hot water. The rooms are all converted "housekeeping rooms" that used to store janitorial supplies. Each mom has her own key. When a mom comes back from leave, the nurse is supposed to notify the current nursing moms and let them know so they can fit her into the roster. The nurse sells the pumping supplies at cost.(BTW the nurse here is not very into this, she was part of the reason it took so long). We don't keep any statistics on the nursing room but a few years ago I read that corporate programs such as these have an ROI of 500%. ie for every $1 spent to set up the room, the company saves 45 in various ways (less health care, absenteeism, etc).
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