Supply issues after going back to work?

[tacocat]

Hey ladies, I started my first week of work last week but I'm only doing two or three days at a time. I pumped every 3 hours but I noticed that after those two days in a row my supply seem to have dropped. Anybody else have these issues? Should I be pumping every 2 hours instead of every 3? Anyone have any experience with this? When I was pumping I was only getting two ounces from each breast every time. Is it possible I'm not responding well to the pump? Or that is just what little one is eating?

Also in terms of pumping I know everyone says to add a pump in the morning but it seems like LO eats back to back in the morning. Should I still try to add a pump (which would mean 3 "times" in 3 hours?) or try a different time of the day? He still not sleeping long stretches at night so waking up and doing it then is not possible.

Also, what brand of fenugreek is everyone using? Would that help? Is it possible to take one a day or is it something I'm going to have to use sporadically based on supply? I already eat a huge bowl of oatmeal every day and I drink about a hundred ounces of water a day.

I'll be starting going to work 3 day this week and I'm concerned about this pattern. Any help is welcome. Thanks in advance.


Eta little one is 14 weeks

[jax1182014]

I think there is a natural drop in milk supply after 3 months that many moms go through. Not 100% sure though.

[jjh1119]

I don't know the answers to a lot of your questions, but I do know the pump doesn't transfer as much as what LO eats. So I would suggest every two hours, definitely. Plus maybe one more.

Is LO acting hungry? Make sure whoever feeds him uses the paced bottle feeding technique. And as slow a flow of nipple as possible. It's much easier to eat from the bottle, your supply might be fine. He just might be excited about the faster flow of the bottle.

Couldn't hurt to take fenugreek. I got mine at whole foods and I just read the package dosage.

[sjp03]

I have been back at work a little more than a week and my supply is dropping fast! My supply has never been large - I struggled to pump enough extra to send to daycare on day 1. I pump 3 times a day at work. Pumping any more than that would be too much time away from my job. I will probably have to start supplementing with formula soon. While I am disappointed in my breasts, I just can't get my supply up and it isn't worth stressing over. He has had 3 solid months of exclusive breast milk and will still be getting some. It's just going to be 1 bottle a day of formula, maybe 2.

So my advice to you: Keep pumping what you can. Don't stress over it. It isn't the end of the world if you have to supplement with formula.

[tacocat]

Feb 10, 2015 9:13:35 GMT -5 jjh1119 said:

I don't know the answers to a lot of your questions, but I do know the pump doesn't transfer as much as what LO eats. So I would suggest every two hours, definitely. Plus maybe one more.

Is LO acting hungry? Make sure whoever feeds him uses the paced bottle feeding technique. And as slow a flow of nipple as possible. It's much easier to eat from the bottle, your supply might be fine. He just might be excited about the faster flow of the bottle.

Couldn't hurt to take fenugreek. I got mine at whole foods and I just read the package dosage.

I did notice after those 2 days he was beating up my boobs pretty good and acting annoyed. It's possible he's figured out the bottle is easier. My husband is the one who feeds him so I know he's pacing, but that's a good point.

[tacocat]

sjp03 it is hard at work. I have a mobile job in the sense I walk around a lot so having to find things to do while sitting is hard, much less if I increase.

[jax1182014]

I'm nervous about my supply as well going back to work. Maybe @amyg can help us? I'll be following

[tacocat]

jax1182014 I posted in the breastfeeding board too. Go check out their replies I'd still like to hear what people have experienced, however, as we need to stay ahead of the game!

[millm0m]

I experienced a drop in supply when my period came back. I'm EBF and started the mini pill and I didn't think I would get it so soon but I did. I started taking Nature's Way Fenugreek (2 pills 3x a day) and drinking a lactation tea in the morning and it really helped! I'm WFH but returning part time in a few weeks. I pump one breast 3 times a day and have been able to start a stash - about 12 extra ounces a day. Before the fenugreek and tea - I wasn't getting anywhere near that when I pumped. There was a post here the other day about fenugreek side effects, but I've yet to experience any and have been taking for a month.

[Deleted]

Feb 10, 2015 9:16:46 GMT -5 sjp03 said:

I have been back at work a little more than a week and my supply is dropping fast! My supply has never been large - I struggled to pump enough extra to send to daycare on day 1. I pump 3 times a day at work. Pumping any more than that would be too much time away from my job. I will probably have to start supplementing with formula soon. While I am disappointed in my breasts, I just can't get my supply up and it isn't worth stressing over. He has had 3 solid months of exclusive breast milk and will still be getting some. It's just going to be 1 bottle a day of formula, maybe 2.

So my advice to you: Keep pumping what you can. Don't stress over it. It isn't the end of the world if you have to supplement with formula.

Most moms continue to pump first thjng in the am when they return to work and then pump as often as they can at work
Some find that a power pump in the evenings a few days in a row re-boosts their supply so their pump output at work goes up.
Of course judicious use of formula is an option but is suggest trying a few things first to see if you respond well to the pump with a few tweaks

[Deleted]

Feb 10, 2015 10:29:24 GMT -5 millm0m said:

I experienced a drop in supply when my period came back. I'm EBF and started the mini pill and I didn't think I would get it so soon but I did. I started taking Nature's Way Fenugreek (2 pills 3x a day) and drinking a lactation tea in the morning and it really helped! I'm WFH but returning part time in a few weeks. I pump one breast 3 times a day and have been able to start a stash - about 12 extra ounces a day. Before the fenugreek and tea - I wasn't getting anywhere near that when I pumped. There was a post here the other day about fenugreek side effects, but I've yet to experience any and have been taking for a month.

For the supply drop that comes with the return of your period a calcium and magnesium supplement can help fix it.

[millm0m]

@amyg I will try that next time, thank you!

[sjp03]

Feb 10, 2015 11:42:07 GMT -5 @amyg said:

Most moms continue to pump first thjng in the am when they return to work and then pump as often as they can at work
Some find that a power pump in the evenings a few days in a row re-boosts their supply so their pump output at work goes up.
Of course judicious use of formula is an option but is suggest trying a few things first to see if you respond well to the pump with a few tweaks

Thanks for the advice.  When you say to pump first thing in the AM, when exactly is that?  I breast feed LO right when I wake up (between 5:00 and 6).  I try to get out the door by 7 AM and struggle with it.  I arrive at work between 7:15 and 7:30.  At work I pump at 8:30, 11:30, and 3PM.  I leave work at 4:15 and pick LO up from daycare.  We get home shortly before 5PM.  I breast feed right away.  LO goes to sleep sometime between 6 and 8, after nursing again.  I usually feel really empty at that time.  After he goes to sleep I do housework and/or exercise, then I shower and go to bed between 9:30 and 10.  I probably could pump between shower and bedtime, but I am usually really tired and want sleep.

Some nights LO will sleep all night until the 5:00 AM feeding, other nights he wakes between 1 AM and 2 AM to be fed (and then fed again around 5:30).  The sleeping long stretches is recent and corresponds with me going back to work.  I suspect that having an 8-11 hour stretch of not feeding/pumping isn't doing great things for my supply.

LO has been taking about 11-12 oz a day at daycare.  I have only been back for a little over a week, but last week I was getting more than I am getting this week (13 oz/day compared to 11oz per day this week).

[Deleted]

I'll type some more hints in a few. If I forgt, someone tag me again. lol!

[jax1182014]

I have a hard time pumping in the morning too.. We usually feed, play, I eat breakfast, ect. I finally get to pump in the afternoon when she's napping( around 1 ish). When I saw an LC, she suggested I pump 30 mins after the morning feed, but I was only getting a little over 1 oz in all. I was getting frustrated and pretty much stopped.

[catlady22]

My supply went down the second week at work as well but I started adding an extra 5 minute pump before I left work and it seemed to go back up. Maybe just adding an extra session would help?

[tacocat]

Feb 10, 2015 17:31:29 GMT -5 catlady22 said:

My supply went down the second week at work as well but I started adding an extra 5 minute pump before I left work and it seemed to go back up. Maybe just adding an extra session would help?

This is a good idea I may do that after I get dressed but before I leave for work. I bought an extra set of flanges on amazon so I have one for home and one for work (cuts on cleaning and packing). I got the maymom ones for like $9 and they work great.

I am also going to get batteries and do the drive and pump idea. It's exactly one and a half hours after I nurse and before I could pump at work.

If any of you read the post I made in the breastfeeding board they basically said if you're getting 1 oz an hour you're doing fine. I thought I wasnt getting enough but I am. Combined with LO acting restless at the boob I thought my supply tanked. Needless to say I'm reassured it's ok now but will be diligent going forward.

[sjp03]

Feb 10, 2015 13:31:14 GMT -5 @amyg said:

I'll type some more hints in a few. If I forgt, someone tag me again. lol!

Tagging you @amyg,  I appreciate all of your input on this.  You are awesome!

I think a lot of my problems is the stress of whether or not I will pump enough milk to replace what I send to daycare. Yesterday at work I pumped 11 oz.  LO drank 12 oz at daycare (3 4 oz bottles).  Then I pumped right before bed and got 2 more oz.  A small surplus for the day so my confidence is restored a little bit.  I asked the daycare teachers how well LO was taking the bottle and if they thought I was overfilling them.  They said that 4 oz is a good amount for LO and I shouldn't reduce.

[Deleted]

Some things I just typed elsewhere so I'll copy and paste and add to them.

To help with let down with pumping, put a warmed rice sock in your bra.
undo bra flaps and let the boobahs hang down, give em a bit of a shake,
massage and compressions while pumping.
make sure flanges/horns are the right size. most moms need a larger size at first when nips are a bit fluffy/puffy but then may need to go back down a size after you are doing this for a while.
Be sure to change membranes frequently, check them over for holes and change every 2 mos or so.
look at pictures, videos, sounds of baby crying to help trigger let down--you want a bit of an emotional response, so smell of baby soap, play with a baby bootie might help as well.

OR some will let down better if they have pump anxiety by covering the pump with a towel and reading a non-mom/baby book or magazine, or watching tv, just checking occassionally to see what is going on.

Don't turn suction up too high, be sure it's high enough to pull milk but not high enough to collapse milk duct. play with the settings.
If you can get an LC to check out your pumping, they may also have some suggestions.

Sometimes it helps to train your body to let down for the pump if you latch baby on one side and try pumping the other side at the same time or shortly after nursing. so baby signals the let down process which occurs on both sides at the same time.
you may also be able to practice pumping and nursing at the same time but also with a sound, video, song, smell, pic at the same time. so then if you are away from baby you can use the sound, video, song, smell, pic to help trigger let down.
once you get let down, pump for 5-15 minutes after milk stops spraying out, playing with the pump settings/let down button for speed and suction to try to trigger another let down.

[Deleted]

Feb 11, 2015 8:29:29 GMT -5 sjp03 said:

Feb 10, 2015 13:31:14 GMT -5 @amyg said:

I'll type some more hints in a few. If I forgt, someone tag me again. lol!

Tagging you @amyg,  I appreciate all of your input on this.  You are awesome!

I think a lot of my problems is the stress of whether or not I will pump enough milk to replace what I send to daycare. Yesterday at work I pumped 11 oz.  LO drank 12 oz at daycare (3 4 oz bottles).  Then I pumped right before bed and got 2 more oz.  A small surplus for the day so my confidence is restored a little bit.  I asked the daycare teachers how well LO was taking the bottle and if they thought I was overfilling them.  They said that 4 oz is a good amount for LO and I shouldn't reduce.

Yes worrying about pumping amounts is very stressful. The best rule of thumb I can give you is to keep it in perspective--if you are nursing the rest of the day and those 8-9 hours you are away from baby they get a bit less than they need--they'll make up the difference nursing at the tap when you are together. So for many moms they tell daycare to make it last, feed slowly, slow flow bottle, offer pacifier and other ways to soothe, so if they come up an oz short, that's ok, baby will get that extra oz nursing at the breast later in the day and it will be ok.

If you reach into the freezer stash every day for an extra oz or two and you don't add pump time to try to make up the difference, this is when supply just slowly dwindles away.  If you come up short, do what you did, add a pump session in the am or pm, pump a bit longer during your sessions at work, pump right after nursing to try to make up the difference.

[Deleted]

Feb 10, 2015 23:04:26 GMT -5 tacocat said:

Feb 10, 2015 17:31:29 GMT -5 catlady22 said:

My supply went down the second week at work as well but I started adding an extra 5 minute pump before I left work and it seemed to go back up. Maybe just adding an extra session would help?

This is a good idea I may do that after I get dressed but before I leave for work. I bought an extra set of flanges on amazon so I have one for home and one for work (cuts on cleaning and packing). I got the maymom ones for like $9 and they work great.

I am also going to get batteries and do the drive and pump idea. It's exactly one and a half hours after I nurse and before I could pump at work.

If any of you read the post I made in the breastfeeding board they basically said if you're getting 1 oz an hour you're doing fine. I thought I wasnt getting enough but I am. Combined with LO acting restless at the boob I thought my supply tanked. Needless to say I'm reassured it's ok now but will be diligent going forward.

This is a good idea, nurse in the am and then get dressed pump again. if you get a half oz only that's a half oz extra! but over the course of a few days you should see a bit of an increase. think of it like baby going thru a growth spurt where you just switch them back and forth and back and forth until they get all they want. Add in a glass of water and a lactation cookie when you get dressed and it can't hurt but might help.

I never endorse pump and drive cause for some it might be too big of a distraction.  but I'll leave that up to you to decide.

and yes, normal is 1 oz per hour to pump.  cause that's about what baby should be taking at daycare.  If they sleep longer at night, their number of feeds during a whole day may go down, so they may want a bit more than 1 oz per hour, but usually when you hit two oz per hour in a bottle, you get a good idea that daycare is overfeeding unless baby is sleeping 12 hours at night.

Remember there is a 3 mos growth spurt, and your supply regulates as your hormones make another change during this time as well.  There is usually less "extra milk" so make sure you are demanding the milk you find that baby needs by pumping more and your supply should stabilize to that level appropriately.

[Deleted]

Feb 10, 2015 12:18:12 GMT -5 millm0m said:

@amyg I will try that next time, thank you!

many will just take the calcium/magnesium supplement all month to help avoid supply fluctuations.

[Deleted]

tacocat,I keep looking for a tacocat av or pic in siggy not pix of flowers.

[catlady22]

getting a love tit from @amyg is like getting endorsed by a celebrity

[tacocat]

@amyg ha! I have to get on top of that. Now that people know who I am over here it may be safe to change the avatar

[Deleted]

Feb 11, 2015 15:13:47 GMT -5 catlady22 said:

getting a love tit from @amyg is like getting endorsed by a celebrity

It helps me keep track of who I answered in big breastfeeding threads. lol!
I did prefer TB having av pics as love tits cause I could scroll thru fast and look if I answered someone or not.

[catlady22]

Feb 11, 2015 23:38:17 GMT -5 @amyg said:

Feb 11, 2015 15:13:47 GMT -5 catlady22 said:

getting a love tit from @amyg is like getting endorsed by a celebrity

It helps me keep track of who I answered in big breastfeeding threads. lol!
I did prefer TB having av pics as love tits cause I could scroll thru fast and look if I answered someone or not.

Ah that makes sense, so what you're saying is I'm really not loved - just a marker! ha just kidding Yeah I agree, you could see everyone that love titted easily on the dump. 

[Deleted]

Feb 12, 2015 8:11:54 GMT -5 catlady22 said:

Feb 11, 2015 23:38:17 GMT -5 @amyg said:

It helps me keep track of who I answered in big breastfeeding threads. lol!
I did prefer TB having av pics as love tits cause I could scroll thru fast and look if I answered someone or not.

Ah that makes sense, so what you're saying is I'm really not loved - just a marker! ha just kidding Yeah I agree, you could see everyone that love titted easily on the dump. 

Naw if I disagree with someone I'll go back and unlove-tit them.