pumping enough

[m_lharper05]

I wasnt planning on going back to work until the 10th but I got a phone call yesterday and they want me to start on Monday! I wasnt prepared with enough milk. I think I only have 20 oz in the freezer... Would obviously enough for the first day and a half. I and going to pump as much as possible this weekend but I'd like to have backup preserves. How much should I have on hand and how often should I pump while I'm at work to keep up? I'm so worried this is going to make breastfeeding harder :-(

[abunchoflemons]

Try at all breaks & lunch . Feed b4 u go to work. If u can sneak in few more times wouldn't hurt. Do every 2 hr this weekend.

[abunchoflemons]

Try like hour after feeding if u want to nurse this weekend or missed feedings.

[BCsMom]

What are your work hours? I just pump at the same times I would have fed my DS - every three hours. I work 8-4, so I feed DS right before we drop him off at daycare, then I pump when I get to work, a little before lunch, and before the end of the day. DS eats 9-12 ounces while at daycare, so as long as I pump at least that much while I'm at work, I'm fine. I add an extra pump at home after DS goes to bed if I need to get a little extra. When you're calculating how much you need each day, figure on LO needing 1-1.5 ounces for every hour you're gone.

[Ten]

If you can do every two hours, that's best. If not... do what you can and know that every ounce makes you a rockstar.

[sunshine987]

I was able to get extra milk by pumping one side while nursing DS on the other side. I did this for the first morning feeding everyday even on weekends.

Sent from my iPhone using DS Forum

[mcpforever]

It has been a decade now, but even before I went back to work, I would feed DS1 his first morning feeding and then pump whatever was left every morning-weekends included. You produce the most first thing in the morning, so this just took advantage of that. While I was at work I pumped about 3 times a day. I nursed DS1 at the sitter's after work before I left for home with him. Around 6 months, I got nervous, so I added a pumping session at night an hour after he went to sleep.

I ended up throwing away a lot of frozen milk after he weaned.

I don't know what kind of child care situation you have arranged, but I know that many places have to throw out what is in the bottle if it isn't used. With that in mind. Make more small bottles instead of larger ones so that they don't have to throw away milk. For instance make six 2 oz bottles instead of two 6 oz bottles. Especially until, they figure out how much baby really wants at a feeding. I started out with 2oz increments.

[Nerissa]

On the weekends I would get up about an hour earlier than the baby and pump, and then once during the morning time, say an hour after a feeding, and then an hour after the baby went to bed.

As for work days--this was my schedule for both boys and will be very similar for the newbie

5:30am--wake baby and feed
6:00am--pump on drive to work (I have a 30 min communte)
8:30am--pump
11:30--pump
2:30--pump on my way home from work
Feed on demand through out the evening when needed
pump after baby goes to bed.

Learning from my first one, with the 2nd i started pumping extra at about 2 or 3 weeks to build up supply.

Good luck

[hannahmama]

did you pump in car with hands free bra? i'm thinking of doing it on my 20 min commute but haven't tried it yet.