Pumping at Work ~ FAQ

[scarlettc]

Come share your experiences from pumping at work! Here are some frequently asked questions - share your answers to some or all of these questions.

*How old is baby?

*How long have you been pumping at work?

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time?

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights?

*How many hours are you away (including commute)?

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work?

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) 

*Where do you pump?

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled?

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up?

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it?

*Do you have a pumping goal?

*What challenges have you encountered? How have you overcome them?

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? 

*What other questions should we add to this list? 


Helpful pumping at work links:
Know your rights: www.dol.gov/whd/nursingmothers/faqBTNM.htm

Kellymom Pumping & Employment: kellymom.com/category/bf/pumpingmoms/

Kellymom 'How much expressed milk will my baby need?': kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

[bonnesetter27]

*How old is baby? 10 months

*How long have you been pumping at work? 7 months

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I usually pump 3 times. 6-7 ozs, 4.5ozs and then 2-3ozs. This fluctuates a lot every week.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? I pumped 3 times a day at work. Then sometimes I would have to give her a bottle at night because my supply was low, so I would pump again after her bedtime.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 10 hours

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? 14 ounces. It went up a little but only like half an ounce each feeding.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) PISA, simple wishes hands-free bra, up and up brand storage bags (you can subscribe through target.com and get it cheaper and delivered each month to your house), I pump into medela bottles but we use dr. browns for feeding, I only used lanolin for a short time.

*Where do you pump? In a small supply room.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? My work is very supportive, but I only work with a few men (elementary teacher) and the men who I have to deal with get very embarrassed about it. My principal is a man and if I say I need time or whatever, he is like sure whatever. I also had to wash my parts in front of guys all the time and they got bashful but really I didn't care.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? It actually takes me longer to pump now. My supply is a roller coaster. It would go down so I would use a galactagogue and it would go back up for awhile, rinse repeat.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? I have a huge freezer stash because I started as an EP'er for 3 months. I actually donate it. I use fresh milk every day but Monday and I use Friday's milk frozen for the next monday.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? I watched videos of my DD to help me get into the mood. The best video was of her crying. It really helped. I also tried not to do work because it wouldn't help me relax.

[Deleted]

Lots of questions, so it's ok if you just want to pick a few to answer, if you don't have time to get thru all of them at once.

Know your rights
www.dol.gov/whd/nursingmothers/faqBTNM.htm

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, known as the “Affordable Care Act”) amended section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) to require employers to provide “reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for 1 year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk.” Employers are also required to provide “a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from coworkers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.”

[scarlettc]

*How old is baby?
15 weeks

*How long have you been pumping at work?
3 weeks

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time?
I pump about 11-13 ounces a day while at work.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights?
I pump 3 times at work, once before bed, and sometimes pump the other side when he eats off one side in the middle of the night. The night pumps are usually no more than 2-3 ounces total. I just want to be comfortable to sleep. On weekends I EBF except for the night pumps. And occasionally I pump a little to 'take the edge' off. I think I've pumped a bit of an oversupply.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)?
8.5-9.5 hours

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work?
it's only been three weeks but the first week he slept way more than usual and only ate 6-9 ounces each day. Now he's taking in about 9 to 11 ounces a day. My mom is watching him this summer, until he starts daycare in the fall. She follows paced feeding guidelines and has been so supportive of my breastfeeding.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) 
I have a Medela Symphony rented for work, a PISA at home, and a Medela manual pump that I love for travel and at night. I got 19mm flanges from MayMom on Amazon, which I switch back and forth with the 21mm Medela flanges. I had no idea my nipples were so tiny until I had trouble pumping in the beginning. I pump into Medela bottles, but use Dr. Brown's glass for feeding. I use the Kiinde system for freezing, and he eats from it occasionally too. I love my Simple Wishes pumping bra. I use the Medela cooler to keep my milk and a Planetwise wet bag to hold my flanges, and put both in the fridge between pumps. I use Dr. Brown's pacifier wipes to wipe everything off rather than washing between pumps. I use lanolin to lubricate every time I pump too.

*Where do you pump?
In an unoccupied office that locks. It may be occupied soon so may have to relocate. There is a lactation room upstairs, but it's easier to use this office for now.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled?
Yes!

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up?
I'll report back if/when I see change.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it?
Yes, and I freeze any leftover milk on Friday and use frozen on Monday, unless I've pumped enough over the weekend.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work?
 I eat a very substantial breakfast (oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, peanut butter toast or lox and bagel.) I find this ensures I'm covered through most of the day even when I get so busy I forget to eat lunch until the afternoon. I take my pump break time religiously and don't try to stretch them. I use the Stamford massage technique, and I think it helps, especially with the afternoon sessions when output is lower. I'm new at this so time will tell if these work!

[saraml13]

*How old is baby? 9 months

*How long have you been pumping at work? 6 months

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I started out pumping 15-16 oz pretty easily. Now it takes more effort to get around 14 oz.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? I pump 3x at work. I used to be able to do 2 20 minute sessions and 1 10 minute, but now I have to do 20 minutes for all 3 sessions to have enough milk. I don't pump on weekends or at home unless I am going out and missing a feeding.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 10.5

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? When DS first started daycare I sent 5 bottles, each 2.5-3 oz. at first he didn't take that much from bottles and would only take 6-9 oz at daycare. We fell into a pattern of 3 bottles a day that have gradually increased in size. Now he takes about 14 oz at daycare.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?)  Medela Pisa, Lanisoh bags and nursing pads. Medela bottles for both pumping and feeding.

*Where do you pump? An unused office.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? They've been ok. I went to HR and they worked with facilities to find a place for me to pump. I'm very loosely supervised, so I've never even talked to my boss about pumping, I just do it.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? As I mentioned above, I produce less total oz and need to pump longer to get it. It definitely got harder when DS was 7 months. Partly due to me traveling and skimping on pumping. Now I pump just enough for DS or am sometimes an oz short.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? Yes, fairly big but I'm gradually eating into it. I usually send frozen milk on Mondays to rotate. I also travel for work a few days at a time once a month, so that helps rotate my stock. When I was producing more and my freezer filled up I donated some milk.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? 
If your work schedules via calendars, mark your pump time off as busy. Pants and bluses are easier to pump in tha dresses

[ccam]

*How old is baby? 7.5 months

*How long have you been pumping at work? 2 months

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I pump between 10 and 14 oz at work, depends on the day.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? I pump 3 times at work and once before bed. On the weekends, I usually pump before bed and I might pump one side while DD nurses in the am if I feel really full.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 10 hours

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? DD was 5.5 months when I went back to work. I originally sent 4 3.5oz bottles. That has gradually increased to 4 4oz bottles.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) I use a PISA and the simple wishes hands free bra. I pump into medela storage bottles and then transfer the milk into her Dr. Brown bottles at work so they're ready for the next day. I use medela storage bags for freezing. I also use the medela manual pump when I pump on one side while she eats.

*Where do you pump? I pump in the lactation room here at work.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? Yes, I haven't had a problem.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? It normally fluctuates day by day, but I feel like my supply is decreasing right now. I had to dip into my freezer supply last night to make today's bottles even with 4 pumping sessions yesterday. The only thing I'm thinking is maybe the return of my period so I started magnesium/calcium last night.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? I have a small stash (30oz?) which I dipped into yesterday (see above). I try and rotate my frozen milk over the weekend (freeze Fridays and use frozen for Mondays).

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? Stick to your schedule. I put each pumping session in my calender so I get a pop up reminder each time. Without them, I'd definitely get caught up at work and not realize the time. Buy a huge water bottle and pack lots of snacks. Make a list of pumping stuff you need for work and double check it before you walk out the door.

[melody330]

It's nice to see that a few of you have lactation rooms at work! I had to pump in the gym closet- I teach elementary school. It was so gross.

[emmyg65]

My son is months old and I've been pumping at work for 3 months.

I pump 4x/day (once over breakfast and 3x at work) and get about 4 oz. at a time, so 16 oz. total. I try not to pump on nights or weekends because I hate it.

I'm away for 10 hours a day. My son eats 16 oz. in 4, 4-oz. bottles. He's been pretty steady at that.

Medela Pump in Style Advanced, pump into Medela bottles, store in Lansinoh bags, feed in Tommee Tippee bottles. And I have the Simple Wishes hands free pump bra that's the bomb diggity.

I actually chose to pump in the bathroom at work. It's a very nice bathroom and it's the most convenient spot. My boss got me a folding chair and table. She's been wonderfully supportive of pumping, even offering to let me take a 2-hour lunch to go feed my son when I was panicking about my output. I'm very, very lucky.

My freezer stash is very small (like 30 oz.). I use it for those times when I don't pump quite enough to make bottles for the next day, as back up if I go out for a bit and my husband stays with the baby, and like today when my son is going through a growth spurt.

Tips: Keep up with your water and food intake! My supply was super duper low when I went back to work and I tried all kinds of things before realizing I wasn't drinking as much water. I keep a big straw cup at my desk and drink 150-200 oz. a day. Schedule your pumping sessions like you schedule meetings. Remember that it is YOUR RIGHT to pump. Don't apologize for it. If you can, make your pumping sessions relaxing. I watch TV on my phone, listen to podcasts and knit. It helps me power through.

Remember that average pump output is 3-5 oz. from both breasts, or about an ounce for every hour since you last nursed or pumped. Some people pump more, but don't let them psych you out.

[jennlin]

*How old is baby?
~i pump for both my 20 month old and my 3.5yo (40 mos)

*How long have you been pumping at work?
~since about 18 weeks for my older baby, then took a break while pregnant, and then started pumping again when my little one was about 20 weeks?

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time?
~about 12oz a day now. definitely changed over time. with my daughter, i was pretty consistent 12-15oz/day. when i first came back to work tandem nursing, i would pump about 40 oz a day

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights?
~twice a day at work...looking to reduce to once, soon.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)?
~about 10 hours..sometimes more.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work?
~my two kids split the milk..i'm not sure who gets how many (grandma watches them)

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?)
~medela everything. i started with avent with my first baby, and kept using it when i started pumping the second time around, but it eventually broke

*Where do you pump?
~in a designated pumping room at work. it's about a 5 minute walk from my desk.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled?
~yes. sort of. since my kids are so old, we are at a "don't ask, don't tell" phase, since they pay for pumping time.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up?
~i used to pump 3xs a day, but scaled back a few months ago. i scaled back because my supply was dipping and i really need to quit pumping at some point (my kids are old!)

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it?
~i only have about 6 oz in it. i went on a work trip and when i came back, i donated everything i pumped. i didn't realize my MIL went through my entire stash while i was gone...i made one more donation, and stopped donating after that..my supply also dipped slightly after that work trip, which is why i stopped donating.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work?
~know your rights. given that your baby is under 1, you are protected if you work for a medium size or larger company.

[mands1125]

*How old is baby? 5 months

*How long have you been pumping at work? 2 months now. I returned to work 12 weeks PP.

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I generally get around 12-14 ounces per day. No, this really hasn't changed in these past 2 months.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? I pump 3 times a day- generally 9, 12, and 3 which is when DD is supposed to be eating at daycare. Nope- I don't generally pump on weekends and nights unless I am separated from the baby.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? around 10 hours depending on when DH picks her up.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? She eats 2- 4 ounce bottles and 1-5 ounce bottle. This has changed slightly because I originally sent 3-4 ounce bottles. I was pumping slightly more some days and have run out of storage so I decided to send her everything I pump about a month ago.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) Medela PIS- I pump into Medela bottles and feed from Avent Natural. I use the Simple wishes pumping bra. No nipple cream. I store Friday's milk in Lansinoh bags, freeze, and pull from the oldest stash for Monday.

*Where do you pump?- We have a dedicated room that needs to be booked. But it has a fridge, sink, and rocking chair so its nice IMO.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled?- Yes very much so. It is a large company so we have detailed flexible policies regarding this.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up?- N/A as I don't feel I've been pumping for awhile.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it?- Yes a small one. Not sure how many ounces. I use it for date nights mostly.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? - Just get organized so you can maximize your time. I only pump for 20 minutes every time because generally nothing else is coming out after 20. I turn the pump off at 10 minutes for a few seconds, kneed my breasts, then turn it back on for the next 10.

[KayVeeKay]

*How old is baby? 8.5 months

*How long have you been pumping at work? 7 months

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? Right now about 12-15oz a day. It used to be closer to 30, but I cut down on pumping because I developed a huge freezer stash.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? During the week 4-5 times. On weekends I pump only in the morning after LO finished eating.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 9-11 hours, depending on work load.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? She eats 16oz at daycare, which hasn't really changed. I originally started sending 16oz, thinking it would be more than enough, but until she started solids, the day care would blow through that by 2-3pm, so I had to start bringing 20oz.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) I use a Medela PISA at work and currently have a HGP pump at home, but I am going to return it soon. EDIT: I bought a couple hands free bras, and I use Up&Up or Babies R Us brand bags since they have broken less than even the Lansinoh bags (yes, I know they're all the same). I used nipple creams (lanolin and motherlove) for a while, but not anymore.

*Where do you pump? There is a supply closet with a latch on the inside where I work. At home, I pump in the bedroom.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? They are very supportive. Sometimes the room I use is not available, and my supervisors are more than willing to give up their office for a little while.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? I've slowly extended the amount of time between pumping sessions from 2-3 hours to 3-4 hours. I've noticed a drop in supply, but that could also be due to dropping my pump right before bed.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? I have a giant freezer stash. I was using the old ones first, but with LO's weight gain problems, I've started doing half old milk, half yesterday's milk in bottles.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? Having a set schedule never worked for me. I pump and then set reminders on my phone for X hours after I started pumping, reminding me that I need to take my break in the next hour.

[ellabee]

*How old is baby?
15 months.

*How long have you been pumping at work?
I pumped for 11 months.

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time?
Max was ~25oz/day, usually somewhere around 18-20oz/day. 12-15oz/day after supply dip around 8-10 months.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights?
I pumped 3x at work, plus a "1/2" session in the morning where I'd use my manual to pump the side DD didn't nurse on (once she STTN and didn't need both sides).

*How many hours are you away (including commute)?
45mins-1hr.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work?
DD peaked at three 5.5oz bottles at daycare (8am-5pm). A few months after introducing solids, she went back down to three 4.5oz bottles. When she first went to daycare at 3 months, she got three 3.5oz bottles, and sometimes took a fourth.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?)
Medela PISA, Medela manual. Medela collection bottles. Prior to sippys we used Avent natural bottles. Kiinde Twist storage bags. Bravado nursing bra from amazon. Undercover Mama nursing tanks. Earth Mama nipple cream. Planetwise wetbags for throwing pump parts in. Nene supply softsided cooler with Medela icepacks.

*Where do you pump?
In my office.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled?
Yes. They also have a Mother's room, but I found it easier to just close my door and pump in my office.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up?
I used to use a hands free bra, but about a month in I found that it was easier just to tuck the flanges into my bra/cami. I also started leaving my PISA at work during the week and just using my manual at home. One less thing to lug into work.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it?
I did. At it's peak it was maybe 150oz. I used it to supplement bottles as my supply decreased around 8-10 months. I also used it to replace/supplement bottles when I cut down on pumping sessions at work. I went from 3x at 10.5 months to 2x at 11 months, to 1x at 11.5 months before quitting completely. My stash allowed us to make our ~1 yr goal of bfing before introducing WCM.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work?
Buy a wetbag to store your parts in. Don't wash your parts in between pumping, just put everything in the wet bag in the fridge.

ETA: To rotate your freezer stash, send frozen milk on Mondays and freeze what you pump on Fridays.

[vvvvvfee]

i think it's great to compile this info for future reference. i'll answer about my pumping experience with DS, although i will be pumping again for LO#2 in a few months.

*How old is baby? DS is now 34 months.

*How long have you been pumping at work? I pumped from when I went back to work at 12 weeks to when DS was 14 months.

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I started out pumping about 15 ounces, then around 12 ounces, then at 2x a day about 8-10 ounces, and by the time I was down to once a day it was about 4-5 ounces.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? I started out at 3x a day, dropped to 2x a day around 7-8 months, then to 1x a day at 12 months, then stopped at 14 months. Never pumped nights or weekends.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? I was away from approximately 9:30 AM-6:30 PM, 5 days a week.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? He generally ate what I pumped, but when he was a little older he would sometimes skip the 3rd bottle in favor of waiting for me to get home from work. When I first went back to work DS generally took 3, 4-ounce bottles.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) I had an older model Medela Pump-in-Style Advanced that was a hand-me-down from my SIL. I just got a new Medela PISA through my insurance. I used Tommee Tippee bottles (I bought inexpensive adapters for the PISA so I could pump directly into them), and froze milk in BM storage bags- whatever brand I found that was the cheapest. I used the Simple Wishes hands-free pumping bra and Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter. I kept all my pumped milk and pump parts in a lunchbox with a hard-sided insert and an ice pack during the day.

*Where do you pump? I pumped in an unoccupied office.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? Yes, they were extremely supportive.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? Didn't really change except for gradually cutting back on pumping sessions. My supply took a bit of a hit around 8 months when DS started eating some solids, and I decided to cut back to pumping 2x a day since the 3rd pump wasn't worth it. DS always nursed a ton at home and overnight, so my supply held up well.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? I did have a freezer stash. At first I just rotated through it, sending frozen milk on Fridays to get the oldest stuff out. I did end up needing to top up some bottles with frozen milk when I cut back to 2x a day. Then when I stopped pumping I still had a little left that I sent with DS to DC just to use it up.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? Drink a lot, relax during pumping sessions to help with let-down (I used to read books or magazines), don't bother washing pump parts in between sessions (just keep them cold), have 2 sets of pump parts and lots of bottles so you can throw everything in the dishwasher each night, leave your pump at work if you can (and keep extra parts with it if you have them), double-check your bag each morning to make sure you have all the right parts/bottles, change your pump membranes every few months for better pumping output, label bottles of milk with a dry-erase marker so you know what day of the week you pumped them, aaaaand Sterilite makes an ice cube bin (widely available at Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) that is exactly the right size for storing bags of pumped milk upright in the freezer.

[melody330]

*How old is baby? DS is 17.5 months, I stopped pumping at 12 months

*How long have you been pumping at work? I pumped from September - December. I had enough of a stash to get us to his first birthday. Around 11 month, DS was only taking 8 oz at DC

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time?
I had a terrible time producing for the pump. I had an Ameda Purely Yours. My stash and power pumping got us through! I pumped three times at work and usually yielded 9 oz at my peak. It dwindled quickly to 3-4 oz during three sessions.

*How many times do you pump each day? I only pumped at work. Three times. 10, 12 and 2pm Weekends and weeknights? Only if I was away from DS, which was rare.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 7:45-3:30. Not quite 8 hours.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? He stayed around 8 or 9 oz.
Has this changed? Not the oz so much, but the number of bottles changed. He LOATHED bottles at first, so I would send 4 two oz bottles. We eventually got the hang of it and he was down to two 4 oz bottles by the end.

How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? I left a lot of small bottles. DC was super fantastic about getting him to take one. His first day at DC he didn't drink a single ounce we finally tried warming the nipple before offering and it worked like a charm!

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?)
Pump - double electric Ameda purely Yours. I thought it was just ok.
Bottles - Lansinoh mOmma Natural Save
Most everything else was Lansinoh brand. I even had their manual in case of emergencies.

*Where do you pump? I pumped in a small, smelly, dirty gym closet

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? Not at all. My principal was all "yes! I support you! Take as many breaks as you need. Just figure out where to pump on your own." After one day of this, I broke down and cried to him that I needed a set place and he needed to find it for me by the end of the next work day. He told the gym teacher I can use the closet whenever I need it, and he threw a temper tantrum. Complete with telling me that I was disgusting, just use formula, and nothing is sacred anymore (wtf?). Im pretty good with letting it roll off my back, but he would send kids to the closet while I was in there and give them the key. I basically had to barricade myself in. It was horrible.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? I slowly combined sessions starting around 10.5 months. My supply has always been great and my kid never slept through the night. By 11 months I was done pumping at work and DS got BM until after his birthday. Supply is still great. No problems

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? I did. It was a lot. At most I had about 500 oz. It went quickly, I never pumped what he needed for the next day.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work?
Never apologize or feel bad about taking as many breaks as you need. Even if it bothers you, pretend to be confident about pumping at work and NIP. If people think you're confident, I've found they are less likely to give you crap. Eventually, you will stop having to pretend and be confident all on your own

[scarlettc]

Thank you everyone who responded. This has been really helpful for those of us who are just starting our work pumping journey. Also, I think it's so interesting to see the similarities between us. I hope it is a good resource for those who will be planning to go back to work soon.

I'll update the original post with the helpful link from AmyG and the links for work/pumping at Kellymom.

[Deleted]

*How old is baby? Almost 6 months

*How long have you been pumping at work? Since April 13 - so almost 3 months

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I pump 17ish ounces a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But average of about 17 ounces.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? I pump every three hours with my first pump between 9 and 11 and then every three hours after, accordingly. I only pump on weekends or weeknights if I'm going out and there's not enough milk in the fridge.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? B leaves at 7 with his dad and I get home between 6 and 9. So between 11 and 14 hours.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? His daycare gives him a 5 ounce bottle every 3 hours, starting at 9:30 (3 hours after I feed him for the last time). He'll eat another bottle between 6 and 6:30 if I'm not home. The first day I went back to work, I left 20 ounces, which was silly. He ate on demand at his first daycare and now eats on a schedule.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) I have a Medela PISA and use the Medela bottles and parts with it, and usually, but not always, wear my Simple Wishes pumping bra.

*Where do you pump? I pump in a random office on the second floor of my office space (I work on the 4th)

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? I'd say my workplace isn't unsupportive but they don't make it particularly easy.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? I pump for less time than I used to and I pump one less time (dropped the early morning pump). When I don't get enough to eat or drink enough water, my supply dips, but I've been making enough to feed my baby and that's enough for me. There was a mental game for a while about pumping extra for the stash and that just messed me up so now I'm happy to pump what B eats.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? I have a stash and I plan to donate it, but keep 100 ounces or so at all times for emergencies or for when we go out of town (big trip planned in November!)

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? I have a bunch: please, please, please try not to care what anyone else thinks. Don't hide it, or think it's weird or dirty and laugh when people make awkward comments or jokes. Buy a spare set of parts, bottles and tops and keep it at work. Hopefully you'll never need it, but more likely you will (like me today). Don't feel guilty for pumping, in the U.S., your employer is likely required to support you and this is how you feed your baby. No guilt, no excuses. If you've made this choice, go for it. Don't beat yourself up if your supply sucks. That happens to all of us and you just work through it. And I'll stop with this: pumping is not the best. It's awkward and cumbersome and boring. But if it's a choice you've made and it's worth it to you, keep it up. However, don't stress yourself out if it doesn't. Your mental health is so, so important.

*What other questions should we add to this list? Do you have pumping goals? What are the biggest challenges you face while pumping?

[sammygirl927]

*How old is baby? 9.5 months

*How long have you been pumping at work? Since I came back from maternity leave at 3 months

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I tend to pump about 20oz. total a day. I pump once in the morning before work and then three times during the work day. I used to get about 25-26oz. a day, but it dipped quite a bit in the last month or so.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? 4 times total. 1 time a day on the weekends (early morning only)

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? About 10 hours

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? I first sent 12 oz (3-4oz bottles) and upped it to 15oz (3-5oz bottles) around 5 months.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) I use the Medela PISA and the Medela bottles. No special accessories. I just hold the flanges/bottles with my one arm while I pump (usually read my phone with my free hand).

*Where do you pump? We have a lactation room located right outside of my office suite. Super convenient!

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? Yes, very much so. My entire organization is very pump/new mom friendly.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? The routine has pretty much stayed the same. As I mentioned earlier, my supply took a bit of a hit lately which I think is due to my period returning and also the baby eating more solids.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? Yes, I probably have about 400ish ounces saved up at this point (not really sure, but my deep freeze is getting full!). I freeze between 5-7oz. a day. I freeze everything I pump on Fridays and then for the Monday daycare bottles I use frozen milk. So far, I have not donated anything because I haven't gotten to the point where any of it is about to go bad. I plan to cut back on my pumping when baby is around 11 months and will start to use it up then.

*Do you have a pumping goal? I plan to pump/breastfeed for a year

*What challenges have you encountered? How have you overcome them? I've been lucky in that I have not faced too many challenges. I do travel a bit for work and have had to be creative with pumping (using my car and a nursing cover, finding other lactation rooms, etc).

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? Stand up for yourself and make sure you know your rights. It is tough at first, but once you find your groove/routine it gets easier and becomes second nature!

[arkansasmom22]

*How old is baby? 10 months next Wednesday!

*How long have you been pumping at work? Since the middle of last November

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? On average 6-7 oz per session which has been pretty consistent

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? I only pump 2xs a day during the work week

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 10 hours

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? When she first went back I sent 9oz a day and that increased to around 12-14oz at 6 months and now she is more of a snacker during the day when it comes to milk. She averages 8-10oz a day at daycare but some days it is less and some days it is more

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) I use a Medela PISA and a handsfree bra (the best invention ever!)

*Where do you pump? My company has 3 nice Nursing rooms with a comfy chair, table, refrigerator, sink, and storage cabinet (this way I don't have to bring my pump home at night during the week) and I use one of them. We book it through Outlook and you are issued a key so only a small number of people have access.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? This time around my boss is super supportive. When I had DS I had a different boss (who didn't have kids) who tried to schedule over my pump sessions, and then started asking when I would stop around the time DS was 10 months. My boss now has grown kids and totally gets the importance of it. She has told me time and time again to do what I need to when I need to and for as long as I need to.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? My supply has been great, with my son around 8months I started to have to power pump, pump at night and in the AM, and do other things to increase supply. I am lucky I can get away with 2 sessions a day now.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? Before I went back to work I was able to get nearly 275oz in my freezer. I actually recently had to start freezing all fresh milk because I needed to use my freezer stash due to it getting close to 7 months old. Usually I would freeze Friday's milk and use frozen on Mondays

*Do you have a pumping goal? I want to make it to a year pumping, and then I will continue to nurse at home until DD gives up. My DS stopped nursing around 15 months but he also had some issues when we tried to move him to milk so I had to keep pumping until 14 months.

[annapants26]

*How old is baby?
She is 3 months this week!

*How long have you been pumping at work?
7 weeks

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time?
I'm still relatively new to pumping, but I'm averaging about 14-16 oz a day.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights?
I work 4 days a week and I visit my LO on my lunchbreak to feed her, but I pump twice a day on those days. I EBF on weekends and Mondays.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)?
About 5 hours -- I drop her off at 7:30 and then I have a lunch-date with her at 1PM.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work?
It definitely varies and she isn't on much of a schedule yet... I send 1 "fresh" bottle and usually an excess of frozen (like 10 ounces). At the end of the week, our daycare gal returns whatever frozen that hasn't been eaten, and it's usually a ton. When I first went back to work I left 10 ounces but I don't think she ate more than 6, because I feed her in person at lunch.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?)
I have the Madela in Style and I LOVE my simple wishes pumping bra. (I bought a Madela pumping bra and the zipper came off the rails in about a week. Even though I got a large, its way too big and was like $35. Be ye not so stupid!) I use a Skip Hop wetbag.

*Where do you pump?
My work is really tiny (5 admin staff) and no one has ever been pregnant, let alone needed to pump. I literally pump in the basement! But my boss was very sweet and put in a desk for me. I made my own sign that I put up at the top of the stairs when I go pump and there's a little mini-fridge down there for me.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled?
Yes and no. I haven't gotten any flack about it, but I get some side-eye from fellow employees about my "breaks".

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up?
I'm still relatively new! But for what it's worth, my supply has been really steady.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it?
I have a pretty big stash. I freeze in 4 oz increments with Lanolish baggies. I send the oldest baggies with LO to daycare along with a small fresh bottle that's comprised of whatever is left from the 4 oz increments the day prior.

*Do you have a pumping goal?
Just for whenever she is ready to be done. I'd love it if that's after a year! Breastfeeding has been an awesome way to connect with her after not such a great birth experience and I have never felt healthier.

*What challenges have you encountered? How have you overcome them?
I has Mastitis day nine! I actually probably had it for a while, and it wasn't until my husband insisted I take my temperature that I considered that was what had happened. My temp was 103! I was actually a little delirious and couldn't figure out why I was so exhausted and couldn't think straight. I had recurrent plugged ducts for several weeks and I finally visited a LC right before I went back to work. She was a total godsend and we figured that my tops were probably too tight. BTW-- my breasts have always been really small, but day 3 postpartum, they grew huge! A lot of adjusting to BFing has been about finding how to dress appropriately. None of my tops fit anymore.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work?
Don't apologize! I watch a video of my LO feeding and that seems to help. I also drink a bottle of water during my sessions and check email on my phone. Multi-tasking helps me stay productive when I feel kind of tied to the pump.

*What other questions should we add to this list?
I think these are pretty comprehensive! I have really enjoyed reading about others' experiences.

[ruemorgan]

*How old is baby? 5 months

*How long have you been pumping at work? 3 months

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I pump about 35 oz a day. About 15 oz of that is at work.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? M-f i pump 4 times a day, sa-su i pump 5 times a day.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 9 hours

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? When i first went back to work at 7w pp i think i sent 4 or 5 3oz bottles. Now he eats 4 6 oz bottles at dc(35-40 oz a day). He eats a lot more now, the LC and pedi think i make very low calorie milk(we went over every detail of our day with pedi and LC to make sure we werent over feeding him).

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) Ameda purely yours, avent bottles with preemie nipples, nuk storage bags.

*Where do you pump? A small room we use to file paperwork.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? Yes. I pump at 11 and then on my break at 1 where i pump agaim. Sometimes they forget to break me until 12 and i have to explain to them that they need to move my break or my supply will suffer as one hour inbetween sessions isnt enough. Over all, they have done everything to meet my needs.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? yes ive no supply dips.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? Yes, we used it when LO intake jumped up, but now i make enough and dont touch it.

*Do you have a pumping goal? 1 year

*What challenges have you encountered? How have you overcome them? The only challenge was when LOs intake increased. I thought it was the worlds longest growth spurt. Spoke to a pedi and LC, we determined it has been too long for a growth spurt, ruled out over feeding him, and like i said above they think i make very low calorie milk. I used blessed thistle and fenugreek to increase my supply, i stopped after 2 weeks and it has maintained.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? My only advice is know your rights and be vocal.

*What other questions should we add to this list?  I cant think of any at the moment.

[seamonster]

*How old is baby? 21 weeks (~5months)

*How long have you been pumping at work? 7 weeks

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I pump 3-4 times a day and get 6 to 12oz depending on the day. Hasn't changed over time.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? I only pump at work and then it's 3-4 times a day. I try to do every 2 hours, but sometimes it's more like every 3 hours. I only pump at home if he didn't take a side or I don't feel like he emptied a side.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 7:45 to 4:45. Sometimes more like 7:30 to 5

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? He gets a 6 to 8oz bottle of pumped milk (depending on the previous day's output), and 2 or 3 7oz bottles of formula. When I first went back, I burned through my freezer stash trying to get him at least 15oz a day. I was doing 3.5 to 4oz bottles, but he was really hungry and didn't put on any weight the first 3 weeks at daycare. Now he's thriving.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) I use a Medela Freestyle. I also have a Philips Avent Manual pump that I like and tried the double electric version, but it didn't work for me. I use a Medela hands-free bustier and occasionally use coconut oil. I use Tommee Tippee anticolic bottles for feeding.

*Where do you pump? lactation room at work

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? My boss is fine with me taking the time I need. My coworkers wondered if I moved desks, but I explained what I was doing and asked them to call me if they needed me.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? I don't get much pumping and have a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance with it. I drink nursing tea to maintain my supply.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? All gone. If I do get extra I'll use it for the babysitter or in a mesh feeder for teething

*Do you have a pumping goal? Just using it to maintain my supply for weekends. I'd like to nurse until a year. Right now I'd really just like to make it until 6 months and will assess then if I want keep trying

*What challenges have you encountered? How have you overcome them? I have a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance when pumping, so my milk is low calorie and LO gets larger than average bottles there. I also can't pump enough to supply him for the day, so we combo feed when he's a daycare or I need to leave him in the evening with a babysitter.

There is very little information on combo feeding at all. The adoption milk calculator from Kellymom can guide you, but ultimately give LO the amount in a bottle that leaves them settled and not starving in less than 2 hours. Remember 24oz a day is just an average and if you delve into the studies on Kellymom, 30oz is more common. If LO isn't gaining enough weight, even with what might seem on paper to be a lot of milk, they either aren't getting enough volume or calorie-wise. Work with your doctor about how much to supplement if it's just calories that are low. If you are replacing entire feeds due to low volume output, I found it easiest to just consolidate breastmilk into 1 or 2 bottles, and replace the missing feeds with formula.

This guide is helpful for determining the amount you need: www.babycareadvice.com/babycare/general_help/article.php?id=8. I take LO's weight times 2.5oz and then divide by number of times he eats in a day to figure out how much formula he needs. I've adjusted this as we've gotten a better handle on his reflux and weight.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? Put your pumping schedule in your calendar at work so you get reminders to pump and other people know you're busy. I do work while I pump most of the time, so it's easier to justify long pump sessions. But you can do it during your lunch and break times, with some added time in if you'd rather relax or do non-work things.

Drink lots of water and don't forget to eat.

[Deleted]

I've tried to answer a few times but my computer keeps messing up or the site is messing up and eating my post.

So I'm going to post some generic info about how much babies need at daycare. Because it is very very very easy to overfeed a breastfed baby with a bottle. Breastfed babies like to nurse, they like to suck, they don't get the same sucking satisfaction and comfort with a bottle as they do with the breast.

A faster flow nipple and a caregiver that doesn't give baby much other attention than when they hold them and give bottles and you end up with a baby taking in enough milk for a whole day.

The average is 1 oz per hour at daycare. You may have a baby that takes in about 1.5 oz per hour but when you start approaching 2 oz per hour you are likely dealing with overfeeding. And in a short time baby's stomach gets stretched out, so they are no longer happy and "full" feeling with a smaller amount.

Anyways, it is UNUSUAL for a breastfed baby to take in more than 19-30 oz of milk a day. Average is 25 oz a day that's 1 oz per hour. So it is usual for baby to take in about 9 oz in an 8 hour day plus hour commute time. There will be times that baby takes in more than that, during a growth spurt, but that should only last several days

If you are pumping a lot of ounces of milk above the normal amount, your body still is trying to make milk for one baby, so the milk tends to be higher in foremilk and lower in fat and calories per oz. Sometimes that happens when we boost our supply up with a lot of extra pumping or galactogogues. Exclusive pumpers will find that baby on average takes in a higher than "normal" amount of oz in a day, and as long as they can keep up with the amount it's not an issue.

And the equation of 2.5 oz per pound of baby doesn't work out right even for formula fed babies. Cause that would mean that a 10 lb baby takes in 25 oz a day, and a 20 lb baby takes in 50 oz of milk a day. yeah, they don't do that. The AAP recommends formula fed babies take in no more than about 32 oz of formula in a day. www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Amount-and-Schedule-of-Formula-Feedings.aspx

[lauranicole91]

*How old is baby? 6.5 weeks

*How long have you been pumping at work? Tonight is my 3rd night. Not including the year of pumping at work I did in 2012-2013 for my daughter.

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? I only pump once a work because I only work 4.5 hour shifts. So far I've been getting around 4.5-5.5oz total each pump.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? I pump once at work around 7pm and once when I get home around 10:30pm 4 times a week. I only work 4 days a week.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 5-6 depending on my shift.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? He eats twice while I'm gone. About 3-4oz per feed, so 6-8oz total. I left 10oz for my first night back.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) Loooove my Tommee Tippee pump and bottles. I just store in the bottles with kids. Then DH switches put lid for nipple come feeding time. We keep it in the fridge. If after a few weeks I feel I'm pumping enough to have extra I'll start freezing some in Up&Up brand storage bags. I just bought a Medela pumping bra today and loooove it. I can't believe I tortured myself for a year last one without one.

*Where do you pump? A small windowless office. It was a storage closet, but we just hired someone new and it's going to be a full blown office soon. I'm a cashier, so I will forever be pumping in other peoples offices. Haha.


*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? So far yes. This is only my third day back. I've worked with 2 out of 4 of my supervisors so far and the one I'm most concerned about I haven't worked with yet.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? Only my third day this go around.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? Nope not yet.

*Do you have a pumping goal? 1 year at work. I'll likely pump beyond that like I did last time. I pumped once a day at 10pm when I'd get home from work, DD would be asleep, and I'd be engorged until about 18m

*What challenges have you encountered? How have you overcome them? None yet.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? Can't think of anything.

[seamonster]

Jul 18, 2015 15:27:05 GMT -5 @amyg said:

And the equation of 2.5 oz per pound of baby doesn't work out right even for formula fed babies. Cause that would mean that a 10 lb baby takes in 25 oz a day, and a 20 lb baby takes in 50 oz of milk a day. yeah, they don't do that. The AAP recommends formula fed babies take in no more than about 32 oz of formula in a day. www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Amount-and-Schedule-of-Formula-Feedings.aspx

Interesting that 32oz is listed as the max for FF babies when it's 35oz here (5 7oz feeds) for most babies and up to 40oz for larger babies dropping off their curve before starting solids.

[Deleted]

Jul 19, 2015 22:12:06 GMT -5 seamonster said:

Jul 18, 2015 15:27:05 GMT -5 @amyg said:

And the equation of 2.5 oz per pound of baby doesn't work out right even for formula fed babies. Cause that would mean that a 10 lb baby takes in 25 oz a day, and a 20 lb baby takes in 50 oz of milk a day. yeah, they don't do that. The AAP recommends formula fed babies take in no more than about 32 oz of formula in a day. www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Amount-and-Schedule-of-Formula-Feedings.aspx

Interesting that 32oz is listed as the max for FF babies when it's 35oz here (5 7oz feeds) for most babies and up to 40oz for larger babies dropping off their curve before starting solids.

I think what they worry about when you get up really high in oz that the daily amount of non water soluble vitamins like vitamin A gets close to max recommended daily amount for an infant from formula.

[hampire]

*How old is baby? 13months


*How long have you been pumping at work? 10 months


*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time? 8-12 ounces total that's been pretty much the same.


*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights? 2 times a day, on my breaks, mon-friday


*How many hours are you away (including commute)? 9ish


*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work? He'll drink all the milk all day long. I first sent only 2 4oz bottles and nursed on my lunch break. He was a bottle refuser and reverse cycled until he started straw cups at 6 months.


*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?) Ameda purely yours pump (the only one my insurance covered). I like the nuk storage bags and LO greatly preferred soft straw cups to bottles. I only ever used the free sampkes of lanisoh ointment but like it.


*Where do you pump? At my cubicle with a curtain hung up ib the doorway and a strongly worded note to go away pinned to it.


*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled? My boss was super easygping about it. Not sure what corporate would have done.


*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up? Same routine different day. So far so good on supply. Sometimes im a little low on mondays more so if it was a long weekend.


*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it? Yep. I use it for babysitters and to supplement my low days.


*Do you have a pumping goal? It was a year now im just winging it until it gets too complicated at daycare.


*What challenges have you encountered? How have you overcome them? The bottle refusing! I wish I knew sooner some bf babies will take to straws like a duck to water.


*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work? Don't be embarrassed to advocate for yourself. Get comfortable, do what ypu need to not stress out.


*What other questions should we add to this list?

[scarlettc]

vvvvvfee thank you for the tip about the Sterilite ice bins. It was getting out of control in my freezer, and these helped organize all of my bags! I'd had them in chipboard boxes, but they were falling apart.

[jennadesigns]

Now that I've been back to work, I feel like I can answer these!

*How old is baby?
3 months

*How long have you been pumping at work?
2.5 weeks

*How much milk do you pump? Has this changed over time?
I pump between 12-18 oz.

*How many times do you pump each day? Weekends and weeknights?
I work 12-hour shifts, three days a week. During the days I work, I pump twice (or about every six hours). On my days off and after work, I pump after nursing at almost every feed because only pumping twice during those 12-hour shifts really messes with my supply. I've found this helps quite a bit, but it's a lot of work.

*How many hours are you away (including commute)?
I'm away about 13 hours on the days I work.

*How much does baby eat while you are away? Has this changed? How much did you leave for/send with baby when you first went back to work?
Baby eats about five 3-oz bottles, so 15 ounces. It hasn't changed since I've started pumping. I usually send enough milk for the days she's at daycare plus one extra day to have on hand.

*What pumping gear do you use? (brand of pump? bottles? storage? bras and other accessories? nipple cream?)
I use a Medela PISA at home and a Medela Symphony pump at work. I use the Simple Wishes hands free pumping bra and love it. I pump into Medela bottles and use those to feed from.

*Where do you pump?
I'm a med/surg nurse at a hospital and we have a pumping room for working moms over in Women's Health. It's a nice set up and we're able to use the hospital grade pumps. They provided all the equipment and I'm able to store it there so there's not much to bring back and forth except the milk.

*Has your workplace been supportive of your pumping? If not, how have you handled?
They've been okay. The girls I work with a pretty good about not minding that I'm off the floor for 20 minutes or so a couple times a day. I usually give up my lunch break to pump and I haven't quite figured out how to pump and eat at the same time. I did get a little bit of static from one charge nurse who told me I'd only last breastfeeding for three weeks after I went back to work because I'd never find time to pump. I just try to work ahead as much as I can and then I just go do it. I make it not and option, but a necessity.

*If you have been pumping for a while, how has your routine changed? How has your supply held up?
My supply definitely dips the day after I've worked a couple 12-hour stretches. I just pump and nurse as often as I can to make up for it and prepare for the next upcoming work day.

*Do you have a freezer stash? If yes, how do you use it?
Yes, I have 575 oz. in the freezer. I send frozen milk to daycare as it's easier for them than pre-made bottles. So far I've been able to pump enough that I haven't had to dip into the freezer stash. But I rotate and send the oldest milk to daycare each week so that my stash isn't that old. I'm able to add about 12-16 oz. to the freezer stash each day.

*Do you have a pumping goal?
Just to pump enough to cover what Ella is eating while I'm away.

*What challenges have you encountered? How have you overcome them?
Finding time to pump. My work is very busy and very chaotic and it's really hard to carve out 20 minutes here and there to pump. Just putting my foot down, telling the staff I HAVE to go pump and finding someone to cover my patients has worked so far. I'm not afraid to be assertive about it now.

*What tips would you like to share to help others find success pumping at work?
I watch short video clips of my baby while I'm pumping and I find that helps me relax a little bit more and I get a little more out than if I don't.

[scarlettc]

Bringing this zombie post back to life because I've been thinking about how I've seen some changes to my work pumping routine in the past couple of months.

My baby is now 6mo and I've been back at work since he was 12 weeks. I was pumping 12-13 ounces regularly, but now it's closer to 10-12 ounces. He is now taking three 4 ounce bottles every day, up from one 4 ounce and two 3 ounce. We just started solid foods; a more accurate description is baby's edible body paint!

I am able to pump whatever extra I need, usually at bedtime or first thing in the morning. I've become so much more confident, and I feel like I will reach my goal of nursing past 12 months.

One new thing that's helped me- I've started bringing storage bags to work on Friday. I pump into the bottles, then portion out into the bag. That way I can put directly into the freezer when I get home, rather than spend any of my precious weekend time portioning milk to freeze.

Does anyone else have any updates to their previous answers? Any bones tips? Words of wisdom?

[lilyelayne]

I was just thinking about this post & figured I'd bump it.