Comments on: Working and Pumping Advice (Mom-to-Mom #19)

By: Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor

Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:26:05 +0000

Go ahead and start pumping now and offer a bottle occasionally but do not force it. It’s helpful to build up a freezer stash of milk. Check out this information from Kellymom.com for more tips on pumping and working:

http://kellymom.com/bf/pumping/index.html

Good luck!

By: anaes

anaes — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:09:29 +0000

Hi,
My baby is 6 weeks old,have to get back to work by 12 wks,
when should i strt pumping and giving bottle.i will work frm 6-3pm.plz guide me.

By: Becky

Becky — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:47:02 +0000

I pumped for my son until he was 12 months. I started at 3x per day, dropped to 2x when he was about 10 months old, then down to one the last month. He is now nearly 16 months and still nurses about 3-4 times a day when I am at home and I don’t pump anymore. For me, I just adjusted the timing of my pumping sessions to gradually taper off. I had a large freezer stash, so he was able to slowly wean off a bottle at about 13-14 months and onto cow’s milk during the day.

Congrats on continuing to pump – I know it is difficult! Your body adjusts to what your baby needs, so if you do it gradually it won’t be painful.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:20:18 +0000

I really admire you nursing working moms! As a sahm, I only pumped once a day for the church nursery and when I left the baby with daddy or my mom to get a bit of a break…and that was hard enough! I second pumping during the first morning nursing session, you get a ton of milk then.

By: Maria

Maria — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:41:52 +0000

My son is now two and a half, so I am going off memory. I actually only went back to work around nine months (I know, I was lucky!), but I was pumping three times a day when I did. Around one year, I dropped to twice a day, and then worked my way down to giving up the pump. During that time, however, I continued to nurse on demand when we were together. He never was good about taking a bottle at daycare, so I had plenty for him during the day as I dropped sessions and because he reverse cycled, he always had plenty at night too.

At two and a half, he still nurses two to three times per day, but I have noticed the sessions are getting shorter! Also, I was gone last week (Sunday through late Friday night) for work, and I only hand expressed to relieve pressure, yet Saturday he had all the milk he wanted! I’m constantly floored at the wonders of the human body!

By: Shelly

Shelly — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:59:17 +0000

I started pumping when both my children were six months old, my oldest b/c I went to finish school and my youngest b/c I went to work part time. With both, I simply finished school and quit my job after about six months and stopped pumping cold turkey, as they were with me full time again.

By: Vanderbilt Wife

Vanderbilt Wife — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:03:55 +0000

My daughter is 7 1/2 months and I work full-time. I only pump during when she takes her bottle–every 4 hours, so twice when I’m at work. I HATE pumping but am glad for her to have the milk. I refuse to pump more to build a stash though, because I just despise it. If I do pump more than she needs, I will freeze those few ounces for days when I don’t get as much as she needs.

She does nurse a LOT when we get home at night, but then sleeps at least 9 hours at night usually. It’s nice to have that bonding and if she’ll sleep, I’m game!!

By: Azucar

Azucar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:55:55 +0000

p.s. Your body makes the right amount of milk for what your baby demands. If your baby starts nursing more, you’ll make more. If your baby starts nursing less, your body will make less. It’s quite the awesome system. I wouldn’t worry too much about numbers, and concentrate on what your baby seems to be asking for.

By: lacey

lacey — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:48:43 +0000

I haven’t weaned from the pump, but I have gone from pumping 3x day at work to 1. My baby is 13 months old now with no signs of stopping breastfeeding (which is fine with me!), but I feel proud of the gradual changes we’ve been able to make with less milk during the day (and more solid foods, which she fortunately enjoys). I look forward to the day when I don’t have to pump at all at work, but I am definitely less stressed about pumping “enough” milk now that she’s eating more solid foods. We’re focusing more now on the connection that breastfeeding affords us, and that connection is definitely greater in person

By: Azucar

Azucar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:48:02 +0000

I pumped with two babies for one year each. At about 13 months I hung up the horns and continued to nurse for another year and a half (still have one nursling.)

I pumped twice a day, at the first morning feed and once while at work. Since I was only missing one feeding, that worked for us. If I was missing two feedings, I would pump twice at work. As baby grew older, I usually only pumped once a day while at work, and by around 9-10 months, rarely pumped in the office anymore.

Instead of pumping at night, when your volume of milk is lower (although you have more hindmilk) I pumped in the morning. Before I went to sleep I’d lay out the pump. In the morning, while my older baby nursed on one side, I’d pump the other. You get a lot of volume by tandem pumping like that. I’d keep that first morning pump even on weekends (although by the end I let that go as well) and stashed that in the fridge or freezer for backup.

Generally, by 9 months or so, the baby was nursing only about 5-6 times a day, so even just the morning pump session would work for me. It really depends on how much your baby is nursing and will require your milk. One of my kids became a reverse-cycler around that point (nursing more at night) and asked for less milk during the day.

At a year, I stop pumping. Baby was nursing about 4 times a day then and could often wait until I got home from work, as well as the morning sessions. They drank other liquids and ate solids at that point. Between 12-24 months, both my kids went from about 4 times a day to 2 times a day, sometimes more on weekends, and occasional middle of the nighters. Right now, with a 27 month old, he nurses 2 times, sometimes only once before bedtime (if I can distract him with breakfast when he first awakens.)

I love nursing while I’m working, it’s such a great way to reconnect with the babies after I come home, to really dedicate the time and energy to keep that bond. Did that help?