As far as supply goes I have found it is a case of mind over matter. Just like the Little Engine That Could, you can provide enough milk for your baby if you believe you can. I have to note there are exceptions to every rule, but for the most part this is true. If you want a good supply then nurse a lot especially at night. Co-sleeping works great to build up supply, or if you not comfortable with that then you can pump on one side and nurse off the other at each night feeding. I did this for about a month and it not only increased my supply, it also helped me build up a good supply of froze milk for when I returned to work.
For keeping up a supply at work it is all about your commitment to pumping, the more you pump the more you’ll make. The first few months are hard and exhausting. Some days I would finish pumping and feel like I had just ran a race. Depending on how long you are at work you should set up a schedule and stick to it. Even if you are busy pump for 5 minutes, everyone can take a 5 minute break to regroup and it’s very relaxing. This commitment to a pumping routine will help keep your mind on your baby helping build a deeper bond.
Here’s my pumping schedule and how it changed as my daughter grew:
3 months to 10 months old
4 times a day, once before work at about 630am, once at each 15 minute break (9am and 2pm) and once at lunch (1200pm)
At 10 months I dropped the pre-work pump and went to 3 times a day because my daughter was eating solids and just not interested in my frozen milk.
Once she turned a year old I dropped it down to twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. I only did this to keep up my supply; all the pumped milk gets donated. I tried going to just once a day pumping in the morning, but my supply really dropped and my daughter would get upset with the lack of milk when she would nurse at night.
When I am with my daughter we nurse whenever and wherever she wants for the most part.
My grandmother tells me that working moms are special and I truly believe that. I’m happy to talk to anyone who wants to work on building up their supply or has questions about working and nursing. It helps to have a friend who’s been there and done that.
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2 comments:
I love this blog! I found it on one of your posts from Baby Center. I'm due April 4th and I really want to bf exclusively and extended. My question is about your morning pumping session when you went back to work? Did she not nurse in the morning? I was thinking I would nurse first thing in the morning then pump at my plan time 8:45, lunch 12:00, and in the afternoon around 2:00. Just wondering how you did it, if you don't mind just email me at heatherallen20@gmail.com OR I'm babydreams80 on Baby Center. Thanks!!
Yes my daughter nursed in the morning, but I found my supply was best in the morning (also The Breastfeeding Book by Dr. Sears recommends a morning pump session after nursing to increase supply) so I pumped then too. Plus the first few days were so hard to leave her and go back to work pumping helped me feel connected even though we were apart and kind of focused my mind in the right direction for the day. I knew I had to work, but that didn't mean I couldn't start my work day thinking of my daughter.
Your pump plan sounds good. For the first month I tried to pump about every three hours (but I was gone from my daughter for about 12 hours a day thanks to a long commute) so I guess it depends how long you two are apart and how much you nurse when together. I would be willing to bet three times a day will be fine because be the end of the first year I had so much milk I was giving it away to milk banks so I probably over pumped. It will also depend how well your baby sleeps through the night, my daughter didn't sleep through the night for a very long time (2yrs) and then it was only 5hrs at a time so we never went longer than 6 hours without nursing or pumping. This no more then 6 hr rule is also very good for birth control, my cycle didn't come back until I went 6 hours without pumping (she was still a night nurser).
If your supply does drop a little don't worry either, good things to remember are that every pumping session builds milk for the next one so you might only get a little, but your really getting your breasts ready for the next time around anyways and it's very easy to increase your supply (drink lots of water, think about your baby throughout the day-pictures are great, and add an extra pumping session if you want even if it's just an extra 5mins).
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