Pumping back at work

[mrsmonogrammed]

Mamas who are already back to work- What do your pumping schedules look like? How often are you nursing LO when you're with them? Have you *so far* been able to keep up with what LO needs? Are your boobs killing you by not pumping as many times as you would normally nurse?

Gahhh why does maternity leave have to end?!

[gigi3126]

I'm a teacher, so my schedule is a little stricter than other professions, but I feed J @ 5:45am, right before I leave to bring him to daycare (it's more of a top off because he normally wakes for his MOTN feed around 4). I pump around 8 during my conference and around noon at lunch. If I have to stay late for some reason, I pump right after the students leave at 2:45. Otherwise, I leave by 3:30 and feed him ASAP. We've been good so far, but I try to pump extra on the weekend to get ahead. So far the daycare ladies haven't had to dip into my frozen stash. I'm a little engorged at the end of the day, but it's not too bad. I'm really dreading Wednesday because it will be the first day that I don't have a conference period. My plan is to pump as long as I can in the morning before the students get there (7:25am) and do the same at lunch. Fingers crossed that I don't explode or leak trough my pads!

[tulips114]

LO usually only takes one side per feeding...
I pump one side in the morning while I get ready, feed LO on the other side before leaving about 7am. Pump at work (both sides) 10am and 2pm. LO takes 3 bottles while I'm at work, approx 4oz @ 10am, 1pm, & 4pm.
Then I nurse at home as normal at approx 7pm and dream feed before I go to bed around 10-11pm. He has been sleeping through from then until 7am, so that's our day.
I am producing enough plus freezing a bunch, but I tend to have over supply.
The only time I'm getting engorged is over night on the side that has been 12 hours since I nursed. I would pump that side before bed but I just have so much to do in the evenings prepping for the next day - packing morning snacks, breakfast, lunch etc (3 kids in daycare) I just don't know when I'd do it. ?

[Widget123]

My schedule at work closely resembles what ive been doing at home for a few weeks prior so it hasnt been a big deal for me. Bonus is that ive only had to pump twice at work (9 & 2) whereas for DD i had to pump 3 times at work (7, 11, 2). LO has been drinking 16oz at daycare. my supply is great so no problems there.

[billyhorrible]

I start back next week, but this is what I did with LBB and I plan on doing with BH (although I'll tweak it because I live a lot farther from work now and am working 8:30-4:30 instead of 9-5).

So with LBB I nursed at 8 and left the house at 8:20. With BH I'll nurse around 6:30 and leave around 7.

I pumped at noon (while I ate lunch) and 3:30. This time it'll probably be more like 10:30 and 2pm.

I picked him up from daycare around 5:20 and would nurse him as soon as we got home at 5:30.

I had an issue because LBB ate much less at home than at daycare. Between 9am and 5pm he'd usually eat 3 times (11, 2, and 5). At daycare, everytime he saw another kid get a bottle, he wanted one too. And since babies aren't on schedules, it wasn't like all the kids got bottles at the same time. He was going through 4 bottles, but I was only pumping enough for 3! So I added in extra pumping sessions. I pumped on the drive to work (which I might do again since it's a longer drive) and before bed to make that fourth bottle. I'm hoping to avoid that this time around since BH will be the only infant at daycare, so the only one getting a bottle.

[ravinraven216]

I'm a teacher, but I wok at a blended online and in-person program, so my schedule is better for pumping than traditional classroom teachers. I top LO off at 6:00, go to work, and pump at 8:30, 11:30, and 2:30. LO usually has a bottle leftover every day, which becomes what I like to call "Second Breakfast", the bottle that DH gives him around 8:30ish. I generally get an extra 2-4oz and freeze it.

After day care I usually nurse twice before bed, depending on when LO ate last and once or twice overnight. Nights leave me far more leaky and gross than the day, but I did leak on Thursday. After that I started keeping an extra shirt at work for emergencies.

[carolyngrace]

Helpful to read how others handle this...

I often go 4 hours or so in-between nursing during the day since DB takes long naps. So I feel like I'll be ok pumping just once during the 7-hour school day. Since I do therapy I can pick my period to take off, which is nice.

DB eats more with the sitter/bottles than I pump, so I'll have to continue an extra pump at night and on weekends to keep up!

[mrsdee1982]

I start back a week from tomorrow, but here is my plan:

Charlie usually wakes up for her middle of the night feeding around 4:45, which is when I need to get up for work anyways, so I will feed her then.

Pump at 8, 11 and 2. I will be home to her by 4 most nights, so I will resume breastfeeding then.

[santoki77]

Hi hi. Sorry been so MIA but I've been back to work since 8.3. When Elliott was in the NICU, I pumped 7-8/day. When he came home, he was having latching issues so pumped 6x/day. Then in July, worked on BF so I reduced to 3-5/day. I'm 4.5mpp so I think my supply is pretty regulated. I don't have time to BF him in the morning so I pump around 6/615a (7-8oz), go to work, pump around 1130a (6-7oz), then 430p(5oz), leave work at 7p, then basically give him happy hour at the milk bar until I pump at 11/1130p (5oz) then start all over again. On the weekends I only pump about 2x (630am/11p) and BF the rest of the day. Originally I tried pumping 3x at work but it was hard to time the 3d pump and giving my boobs enough time to refill before I got home.

[dmoney]

I went back to work last week. While I am not a teacher my schedule doesnt really allow me to pump more then twice during the work day, sometimes i cant even do that. I try to pump first thing in the morning around 4:45, or 5am. Then I shower and hope that LO wakes up before I have to leave at 7:20 for work. Then I will typically pump anywhere around 9:30 and 10:30am. Im usually a bit uncomfortable but not really in pain. Then I will try and pump around 2:30 in the afternoon. Because of my breast reduction I do not produce enough so we have to supplement as well. I typically can get around 4-5 ounces total between my two at work pumpings, which I am very happy with. I typically get home between 5 and 5:30 and I will nurse on demand once I get home. DD's last feeding of the night is usually a bottle so that DH can bond with her. I dont pump on the weekends, just pump on demand. I have thought about buying a car adapter and pumping on the drive home, but i just nurser her as soon as I get home.

[missjenniebean]

It depends on when I go it. We supplement, so I dont have that pressure and am able to keep up. I am starting to get worried because I usually get 2+ ounces when I pump and now I am getting less than one. V refuses to feed off of me unless it is first thing in the morning. I try to go 3-4 hrs anything less or more than that I get nothing.

[dogmama22]

Aug 25, 2015 10:38:06 GMT -5 missjenniebean said:

It depends on when I go it. We supplement, so I dont have that pressure and am able to keep up. I am starting to get worried because I usually get 2+ ounces when I pump and now I am getting less than one. V refuses to feed off of me unless it is first thing in the morning. I try to go 3-4 hrs anything less or more than that I get nothing.

You could try some breast massage to encourage more production for the pump. That may also help V to latch at other times throughout the day and up your supply. Z was tongue and lip tied, so he has trouble extracting enough, so I help him out with compressions and massage when I'm not in the middle of a letdown.

[mrsmonogrammed]

Thanks for all of your responses! I go back the 8th and am trying to get my schedule all worked out. I think I'll be able to pump on the way to work (45min commute), once in the morning(~10am), on my 30min lunch break, and again once in the afternoon (~2:30). I'm thinking that should be a good start so I can see what my production will be like! I think DD will probably take 3-4bottle while I'm gone (9ish-12ish oz)