Pumping and working

Well, I'm back at work and have pumped twice already plus once before I
left home. I got 8 ounces at home, 9 ounces during my first session at
work, and 6 ounces during my second session. I'm planning on pumping three
times while at work, I'm really paranoid that I'm not going to be able to
maintain my supply by pumping three times, but there isn't any way to fit
in another pumping time.

A few questions -

I left 5 4 ounce bottles for my baby at home. I'm not sure if that's
enough though. He's 12 weeks old and 16 pounds. I'm away for about 12
hours. He nurses once before I leave and 2 - 3 times when I get home. I
was thinking about adding a 6 ounce bottle to the mix, but how would I
know when the larger bottle should be offered?

Also, everything I've read says that you have to nurse or pump 7 times a
day to maintain your supply. So, if I wake him up at 5 and feed him on one
side and then pump both sides, does that count as 1 or 2 nursings/pumping
sessions.

My DS always just nurses from one side - will this have any negative
impact on pumping?

It seems like everything I've read assumes that the baby wakes up at night
to eat and my DS never does. He sleeps about 10 hours straight through.
Should I wake him to squeeze in another nursing session?

It's really important to me to make this work.

Manda

wrote:

Well, I'm back at work and have pumped twice already plus once before I
left home. I got 8 ounces at home, 9 ounces during my first session at
work, and 6 ounces during my second session. I'm planning on pumping three
times while at work, I'm really paranoid that I'm not going to be able to
maintain my supply by pumping three times, but there isn't any way to fit
in another pumping time.

Wow! Great outputs!

A few questions -

I left 5 4 ounce bottles for my baby at home. I'm not sure if that's
enough though. He's 12 weeks old and 16 pounds. I'm away for about 12
hours. He nurses once before I leave and 2 - 3 times when I get home. I
was thinking about adding a 6 ounce bottle to the mix, but how would I
know when the larger bottle should be offered?

Your caregiver should be able to tell you if she/he thinks baby wants more.
You could leave an extra 2 ounce bottle so if the 4 ounce bottle is not
enough they could top him off w/ the 2 ounce bottle.

Also, everything I've read says that you have to nurse or pump 7 times a
day to maintain your supply. So, if I wake him up at 5 and feed him on one
side and then pump both sides, does that count as 1 or 2 nursings/pumping
sessions.

Since baby only takes one breast per feeding, I'd say its two.

My DS always just nurses from one side - will this have any negative
impact on pumping?

DD only took one side. I had ample supply (but DD never took much
while I was away and nursed all night long).

It seems like everything I've read assumes that the baby wakes up at night
to eat and my DS never does. He sleeps about 10 hours straight through.
Should I wake him to squeeze in another nursing session?

I wouldn't unless you start to have trouble pumping enough to keep up with his

demand while you are away.

It's really important to me to make this work.

It sounds like you are doing great. If you start to have a decrease in your
pumping output so that you are having trouble keeping up with your DS,
you could then add a pumping session or start taking some galactogogues
(you may want to eat oatmeal anyway, its supposed to help supply).
You can also pump on weekends to help build a freezer stash in case you
run into trouble.

FWIW, I returned to work when DD was 12 weeks. I was away from her 8.5-9 hours
a day, 5 days a week. I pumped in the morning after her feed, at 10 AM and at
2 PM, then nursed as soon as I got home. I had a more than ample supply
(although she did reverse cycle nurse, so she got most of her milk at night).
She weaned at 2.5 years.

Mary

wrote:

Well, I'm back at work and have pumped twice already plus once before I
left home. I got 8 ounces at home, 9 ounces during my first session at
work, and 6 ounces during my second session. [...]

Wow! Great amounts! I'm jealous.

I left 5 4 ounce bottles for my baby at home. I'm not sure if that's
enough though. He's 12 weeks old and 16 pounds. I'm away for about 12
hours. He nurses once before I leave and 2 - 3 times when I get home. I
was thinking about adding a 6 ounce bottle to the mix, but how would I
know when the larger bottle should be offered?

I always leave more than he takes in. Pillbug
is drinking 16-19 oz. a day, so I leave 23 oz.
I prepare 4 4-oz. bottles, one 2-oz. bottle,
one 1-oz. bottle, and a last 4-oz. "spare"
bottle. This way, Pillbug almost always finishes
his 16 oz., and if he wants more, the nanny can
give him extra without wasting milk.

[...]
It seems like everything I've read assumes that the baby wakes up at night
to eat and my DS never does. He sleeps about 10 hours straight through.
Should I wake him to squeeze in another nursing session?

I don't know about this. Pillbug nurses every
2-3 hours at night.

-- Anita --

wrote:
Well, I'm back at work and have pumped twice already plus once before I
left home. I got 8 ounces at home, 9 ounces during my first session at
work, and 6 ounces during my second session. I'm planning on pumping three
times while at work, I'm really paranoid that I'm not going to be able to
maintain my supply by pumping three times, but there isn't any way to fit
in another pumping time.

A few questions -

I left 5 4 ounce bottles for my baby at home. I'm not sure if that's
enough though. He's 12 weeks old and 16 pounds. I'm away for about 12
hours. He nurses once before I leave and 2 - 3 times when I get home. I
was thinking about adding a 6 ounce bottle to the mix, but how would I
know when the larger bottle should be offered?

Also, everything I've read says that you have to nurse or pump 7 times a
day to maintain your supply. So, if I wake him up at 5 and feed him on one
side and then pump both sides, does that count as 1 or 2 nursings/pumping
sessions.

My DS always just nurses from one side - will this have any negative
impact on pumping?

It seems like everything I've read assumes that the baby wakes up at night
to eat and my DS never does. He sleeps about 10 hours straight through.
Should I wake him to squeeze in another nursing session?

It's really important to me to make this work.

I'm freaking out a bit because I don't think he's eating enough. I nurse
him in the morning at about 5. I'm guessing he gets 5 or 6 oz based on the
length of time he eats and my output pumping after he eats (he only eats
from one side at a time normally). I'm leaving 5 4 oz bottles, but my Mom
has only been able to get him to take 4. I return home at 6 and feed him
both sides. He eats again before he falls asleep around 8ish. I've tried
to encourage him to eat again around 7, but he won't. The first night, I
woke him up about an hour after he fell asleep and snuck in another
nursing session, but he wouldn't wake up to do that last night. So,
yesterday, he nursed in the morning, at 4 4 oz bottles, and nursed twice
before he went to bed. When he woke up this morning after 9 hours of
sleep, his diaper (cloth) was practically dry! I'm having panic attacks
every 10 minutes now when I think about it. I'm afraid that he's starving
to death. Please help reassure me or offer suggestions.

I know everyone is going to suggest co-sleeping, but that doesn't work for
either of us. That was our original plan, but he wakes up if anyone
brushes against him, or the comforter touches him and won't go back to
sleep. Also, if he nurses lying down, I have to get up and walk him around
the room to burp him or else he spits up all over (and I mean ALL over)
the bed, himself, and me.

By the way, he's 12 weeks and about 15 or 16 pounds.

Manda

wrote in message ...
wrote:
snip I'm freaking out a bit because I don't think he's eating enough. I
nurse
him in the morning at about 5. I'm guessing he gets 5 or 6 oz based on the
length of time he eats and my output pumping after he eats (he only eats
from one side at a time normally).

It's all guesswork though. While it's natural to assume that's how much he
gets during a direct feed, pumped output isn't necessarily a good indicator
of how much he receives during a feed. Also bear in mind that so much about
BM is not just quantity but quality.

I'm leaving 5 4 oz bottles, but my Mom
has only been able to get him to take 4.

It sounds like you're leaving plenty then.

I return home at 6 and feed him
both sides. He eats again before he falls asleep around 8ish. I've tried
to encourage him to eat again around 7, but he won't.

Doesn't sound like he needs to.

The first night, I
woke him up about an hour after he fell asleep and snuck in another
nursing session, but he wouldn't wake up to do that last night.

Boy's giving you a strong message here!

So,
yesterday, he nursed in the morning, at 4 4 oz bottles, and nursed twice
before he went to bed. When he woke up this morning after 9 hours of
sleep, his diaper (cloth) was practically dry!

Well he hadn't had any milk for 9 hours at least. How are his diapers in the
day?

I'm having panic attacks
every 10 minutes now when I think about it. I'm afraid that he's starving
to death. Please help reassure me or offer suggestions.

Starving? I seriously doubt it! Sounds like he's guzzling for England. You
feed him am, he has 4 feeds while you're gone (8 hours approximately), he
has the equivalent of 2 feeds when you get home and one more before bed.
That makes 7 feeds a day, which sounds like more than plenty to me. I think
if he's hungry the first signs you're going to see is either him not
settling after one of the 4oz bottles that you have left or starting to wake
up at night. Until he does those things, it seems that you are fine.

Stress can affect the let-down reflex, which is particularly important in
the more 'unnatural' process of expressing. So try and relax.


I know everyone is going to suggest co-sleeping, but that doesn't work for
either of us. That was our original plan, but he wakes up if anyone
brushes against him, or the comforter touches him and won't go back to
sleep. Also, if he nurses lying down, I have to get up and walk him around
the room to burp him or else he spits up all over (and I mean ALL over)
the bed, himself, and me.

I don't see any need to change your sleeping arrangments.

By the way, he's 12 weeks and about 15 or 16 pounds.

If it ain't broke.... Seriously, it sounds like you're doing great.

Nikki


Manda

So,
yesterday, he nursed in the morning, at 4 4 oz bottles, and nursed twice
before he went to bed.

That's basically 7 feeds a day, which is a bit low, but it may be fine. My DS
almost *never* nursed more than 7x in 24 hours even at 2 weeks old.


When he woke up this morning after 9 hours of
sleep, his diaper (cloth) was practically dry!

How many diapers did he go through during the day?

I'm having panic attacks
every 10 minutes now when I think about it. I'm afraid that he's starving
to death. Please help reassure me or offer suggestions.


He's not starving to death. :-) It's possible he should be eating a bit more
than he is, but honestly, if you're offering and he's not taking, most likely
he's just not hungry! Have you noticed any symptoms of illness or dehydration
at all? Is his behavior normal?

You're fortunate to be able to pump more than he seems to need! (Much better
than the opposite situation!) But since you do have "extra", you could try
making his bottles, say, 4.5 oz. or 5 oz. rather than 4. See if he'll take the
extra as a little bit throughout the day rather than as one entire extra
feeding.

I know everyone is going to suggest co-sleeping, but that doesn't work for
either of us.

At that age, DS was sleeping quite contentedly in a bassinet, so we weren't
technically co-sleeping. Having him in my bed was a good coping mechanism when
he was older, but at 3 months I typically put him to bed after a feeding at
9pm, and then nursed him again before *I* went to bed, at midnight. (I'm a
night owl, and DS was very set in his 3-hour schedule; you could adjust to 8p
and 10p or whatever.) Sometimes he didn't actually wake up for that midnight
feed, but until he was 8 or 9 months old he would always nurse. Yes, in his
sleep. Give it a try. :-) You could also try to get up early and do two
morning feeds (the first before he's really quite awake for the day) if that
works better for your schedule.

Holly
Mom to Camden, 2.5 yrs

wrote and I snipped:

wrote:
Well, I'm back at work and have pumped twice already plus once before I
left home. I got 8 ounces at home, 9 ounces during my first session at
work, and 6 ounces during my second session. I'm planning on pumping three
times while at work, I'm really paranoid that I'm not going to be able to
maintain my supply by pumping three times, but there isn't any way to fit
in another pumping time.

A few questions -

I left 5 4 ounce bottles for my baby at home. I'm not sure if that's
enough though. He's 12 weeks old and 16 pounds. I'm away for about 12
hours. He nurses once before I leave and 2 - 3 times when I get home. I
was thinking about adding a 6 ounce bottle to the mix, but how would I
know when the larger bottle should be offered?

Also, everything I've read says that you have to nurse or pump 7 times a
day to maintain your supply. So, if I wake him up at 5 and feed him on one
side and then pump both sides, does that count as 1 or 2 nursings/pumping
sessions.

It seems like everything I've read assumes that the baby wakes up at night
to eat and my DS never does. He sleeps about 10 hours straight through.
Should I wake him to squeeze in another nursing session?

I'm freaking out a bit because I don't think he's eating enough. I nurse
him in the morning at about 5. I'm guessing he gets 5 or 6 oz based on the
length of time he eats and my output pumping after he eats (he only eats
from one side at a time normally). I'm leaving 5 4 oz bottles, but my Mom
has only been able to get him to take 4. I return home at 6 and feed him
both sides. He eats again before he falls asleep around 8ish. I've tried
to encourage him to eat again around 7, but he won't. The first night, I
woke him up about an hour after he fell asleep and snuck in another
nursing session, but he wouldn't wake up to do that last night. So,
yesterday, he nursed in the morning, at 4 4 oz bottles, and nursed twice
before he went to bed. When he woke up this morning after 9 hours of
sleep, his diaper (cloth) was practically dry! I'm having panic attacks
every 10 minutes now when I think about it. I'm afraid that he's starving
to death. Please help reassure me or offer suggestions.

By the way, he's 12 weeks and about 15 or 16 pounds.

Manda, let's see,...

The rule of thumb I found by Googling is that you take the weight in
pounds, multiply by 2 to 2.5 ounces. That's how much he'd need in a
day. So, based on his weight, he needs 30 to 40 oz in 24 hours. It
sounds like he takes 16 oz in bottles while you're gone. I'd say he's
easily taking the rest of what he needs in the 3-4 nursing sessions you
described, which could be something like 6-8 oz each time. There's no
way he's starving!

Please relax. Enjoy your uninterrupted night's sleep. You probably
don't have to add pumping sessions. And, take the others' advice about
leaving some additional small bottles to top up individual feeds rather
than trying to get your Mom to fit in an additional feeding.

BTW, I worked full time when DD was an infant and only pumped 2 times at
work each day. Granted I was away for about 9-10 hours (vs. 12), but
you may find that you don't need to pump 4 times. I think you're doing
great! Believe me, if your baby was hungry, he'd wake up during the
night.

(Also, many moms develop pump resistance and can't pump as much around 9
months, so maybe you can freeze your extra milk in preparation.)

HTH,
-Patty, mom to Corinne [Mar-98] and Nathan [May-00]
and stepmom to Victoria [Apr-90]

wrote:
wrote in message ...
wrote:
snip I'm freaking out a bit because I don't think he's eating enough. I
nurse
him in the morning at about 5. I'm guessing he gets 5 or 6 oz based on the
length of time he eats and my output pumping after he eats (he only eats
from one side at a time normally).

It's all guesswork though. While it's natural to assume that's how much he
gets during a direct feed, pumped output isn't necessarily a good indicator
of how much he receives during a feed. Also bear in mind that so much about
BM is not just quantity but quality.

I'm leaving 5 4 oz bottles, but my Mom
has only been able to get him to take 4.

It sounds like you're leaving plenty then.

I return home at 6 and feed him
both sides. He eats again before he falls asleep around 8ish. I've tried
to encourage him to eat again around 7, but he won't.

Doesn't sound like he needs to.

The first night, I
woke him up about an hour after he fell asleep and snuck in another
nursing session, but he wouldn't wake up to do that last night.

Boy's giving you a strong message here!

So,
yesterday, he nursed in the morning, at 4 4 oz bottles, and nursed twice
before he went to bed. When he woke up this morning after 9 hours of
sleep, his diaper (cloth) was practically dry!

Well he hadn't had any milk for 9 hours at least. How are his diapers in the
day?

I'm having panic attacks
every 10 minutes now when I think about it. I'm afraid that he's starving
to death. Please help reassure me or offer suggestions.

Starving? I seriously doubt it! Sounds like he's guzzling for England. You
feed him am, he has 4 feeds while you're gone (8 hours approximately), he
has the equivalent of 2 feeds when you get home and one more before bed.
That makes 7 feeds a day, which sounds like more than plenty to me. I think
if he's hungry the first signs you're going to see is either him not
settling after one of the 4oz bottles that you have left or starting to wake
up at night. Until he does those things, it seems that you are fine.

This made me feel much better when I read it yesterday afternoon. I hadn't
thought about it the way you did. When I think about him eating 7 times a
day I feel much better - that's pretty normal for him. All I could do was
fixate on the ounces. He did manage to take all five bottles yesterday.
Today, I made him 3 5 oz. bottles and 2 4 oz. bottles. That way, he could
eat a little more if he wants to and it makes me worry a little less if he
only eats 4 bottles (as long as some of them are 5 oz.! )

Manda

HollyLewis wrote:
So,
yesterday, he nursed in the morning, at 4 4 oz bottles, and nursed twice
before he went to bed.

That's basically 7 feeds a day, which is a bit low, but it may be fine. My DS
almost *never* nursed more than 7x in 24 hours even at 2 weeks old.


When he woke up this morning after 9 hours of
sleep, his diaper (cloth) was practically dry!

How many diapers did he go through during the day?

I'm having panic attacks
every 10 minutes now when I think about it. I'm afraid that he's starving
to death. Please help reassure me or offer suggestions.


He's not starving to death. :-) It's possible he should be eating a bit more
than he is, but honestly, if you're offering and he's not taking, most likely
he's just not hungry! Have you noticed any symptoms of illness or dehydration
at all? Is his behavior normal?

You're fortunate to be able to pump more than he seems to need! (Much better
than the opposite situation!) But since you do have "extra", you could try
making his bottles, say, 4.5 oz. or 5 oz. rather than 4. See if he'll take the
extra as a little bit throughout the day rather than as one entire extra
feeding.

I know everyone is going to suggest co-sleeping, but that doesn't work for
either of us.

At that age, DS was sleeping quite contentedly in a bassinet, so we weren't
technically co-sleeping. Having him in my bed was a good coping mechanism when
he was older, but at 3 months I typically put him to bed after a feeding at
9pm, and then nursed him again before *I* went to bed, at midnight. (I'm a
night owl, and DS was very set in his 3-hour schedule; you could adjust to 8p
and 10p or whatever.) Sometimes he didn't actually wake up for that midnight
feed, but until he was 8 or 9 months old he would always nurse. Yes, in his
sleep. Give it a try. :-) You could also try to get up early and do two
morning feeds (the first before he's really quite awake for the day) if that
works better for your schedule.

Thank you for responding - I'm feeling quite a bit better today. It's very
stressful to go back to work! He ate well yesterday morning and then took
19 oz. while I was gone, and had two nice long nursing sessions in the
evening. He ate so much that he had a massive poop explosion this morning!


Manda

P. G. Chavez wrote:
wrote and I snipped:

wrote:
Well, I'm back at work and have pumped twice already plus once before I
left home. I got 8 ounces at home, 9 ounces during my first session at
work, and 6 ounces during my second session. I'm planning on pumping three
times while at work, I'm really paranoid that I'm not going to be able to
maintain my supply by pumping three times, but there isn't any way to fit
in another pumping time.

A few questions -

I left 5 4 ounce bottles for my baby at home. I'm not sure if that's
enough though. He's 12 weeks old and 16 pounds. I'm away for about 12
hours. He nurses once before I leave and 2 - 3 times when I get home. I
was thinking about adding a 6 ounce bottle to the mix, but how would I
know when the larger bottle should be offered?

Also, everything I've read says that you have to nurse or pump 7 times a
day to maintain your supply. So, if I wake him up at 5 and feed him on one
side and then pump both sides, does that count as 1 or 2 nursings/pumping
sessions.

It seems like everything I've read assumes that the baby wakes up at night
to eat and my DS never does. He sleeps about 10 hours straight through.
Should I wake him to squeeze in another nursing session?

I'm freaking out a bit because I don't think he's eating enough. I nurse
him in the morning at about 5. I'm guessing he gets 5 or 6 oz based on the
length of time he eats and my output pumping after he eats (he only eats
from one side at a time normally). I'm leaving 5 4 oz bottles, but my Mom
has only been able to get him to take 4. I return home at 6 and feed him
both sides. He eats again before he falls asleep around 8ish. I've tried
to encourage him to eat again around 7, but he won't. The first night, I
woke him up about an hour after he fell asleep and snuck in another
nursing session, but he wouldn't wake up to do that last night. So,
yesterday, he nursed in the morning, at 4 4 oz bottles, and nursed twice
before he went to bed. When he woke up this morning after 9 hours of
sleep, his diaper (cloth) was practically dry! I'm having panic attacks
every 10 minutes now when I think about it. I'm afraid that he's starving
to death. Please help reassure me or offer suggestions.

By the way, he's 12 weeks and about 15 or 16 pounds.

Manda, let's see,...

The rule of thumb I found by Googling is that you take the weight in
pounds, multiply by 2 to 2.5 ounces. That's how much he'd need in a
day. So, based on his weight, he needs 30 to 40 oz in 24 hours. It
sounds like he takes 16 oz in bottles while you're gone. I'd say he's
easily taking the rest of what he needs in the 3-4 nursing sessions you
described, which could be something like 6-8 oz each time. There's no
way he's starving!

You know googling is what got me worried in the first place! One site said
multiply by 2.5 - 3 times their weight. He's almost 16 pounds, so that
could be as much as 48 ounces! There was absolutely no way that I could
have been nursing him the extra 30 ounces that he needed in three nursing
sessions!! That's why I was getting so upset. I feel better with the 2
- 2.5 rule of thumb!

Manda