Breastfeeding, is there enough milk when going back to work?

Question

My wife is worried that she does not have enough milk since everytime she pumps from the manual pump, she can only get 4 ounces max. Should I look into getting an electrical pump. She feeds the baby 8 times a day. We might have to start feeding formula because she might not have enough milk to make a day's worth of breast milk if she manuall pumps when going back to work.

Answer 1

if she is going back to work, you should look into buying an electric pump. they are much more efficient and she will probably produce more.

Answer 2

I breastfed both of my daughters for more than a year each. And i went back to work when each was about 8 weeks old.

I had a double electric pump (Medela Pump in Style) that I kept at work, and a hand pump (Avent Isis) that I kept at home. Whenever my babies fell asleep before finishing nursing, or had a cold or something and weren't so interested in eating, I'd pump and freeze it. You have a lot of milk early on, so I just put as much "in the bank" as I could.

I pumped twice a day at work at first, eventually down to once a day, and then not at all. With a good pump and some confidence, you'll find that 12-14 oz a day is not at all unusual. And if you bank a little before you go back to work, you may find that you don't need to supplement at all, or very little.

I always just froze milk. I never tried to bring fresh milk to our daycare provider. That way, I didn't have to worry about it in the fridge over the weekend, or if I took a day off from work and just nursed the little one, or whatever other scenarios arose. I just took bags of frozen milk every few days, and she let me know if I was running low.

Don't give up on nursing. And don't decide that your supply is low before you really give it a fighting chance.

But do get an electric pump. I don't know anyone who's made it more than four months with a manual pump alone. Some insurance will cover an electric breast pump.

Answer 3

Get her an electric pump like the Medela Pump in style,its pricey but you will pay more for formula in the long run.Dont waste your money on the electric pumps you buy at wal mart or target..they are not powerfull enough.Make sure its a double pump so she can pump at the same time that will increase her milk becasue her body will think she is nursing twins and pick up production of milk.Have her start now pumping at the times she would not be nursing baby and freeze the milk.Dont be discouraged if she does not get alot of milk at first just have her continue and she will notice she gets more milk when she gets used to the pump.Also remember that by pumping she is giving your child a precious gift...remind her of that and praise her for being concerned about her babes health.

Answer 4

I highly recommend electric pumps. Make sure she pumps just as often as the baby would eat while she is gone. I would "stock up" before an evening out or any time when she'll be away from the baby. Breast milk can be frozen and stored if done correctly. You can check out Amazon for products to do this with. I would pump one breast while my daughter was on the other. It is always easier to get more if you're already in the feeding "mode". I would also wake up in the middle of the night when my daugher was still asleep to pump.

Also-- It is possible to "supplement" with formula if your wife has difficult times producing enough. Such as only 1 formula bottle a day, etc. Just make sure your wife still pumps regularly and doesn't rely on that 1 bottle of formula.

Cudos to your wife for sacrificing convenience to do what's best for your child!

Answer 5

If she continues to pump( yes a good electric pump would be better) she should be able to pump enough for the baby. It just takes time to get enough milk. If she can't pump enough then go to the formula, but as a last resort. I really regret not sticking with the breastfeeding, because my son has had a lot of problems with the formula. If you do decide to go with formula, get the organic kind.

Answer 6

There is enough milk for sure. You will need an electric pump, Medela is best. She will need to pump quite often in order to keep her supply up, but it is more than worth it for your child and your wife.

In addition, breastfeeding is not like formula feeding, in that you don't measure your breastmilk in ounces like you would formula. Breastmilk is made to change quanities based on the child's needs, so if you child seems hungrier, you wife needs to only pump more and more to meet the child's needs. In about a day or two, her supply will catch up with the baby's needs. This is how it is supposed to work, so never fear.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Get an electrical breast pump. They're great !
I could usually pump enough milk for my kids for the next day. It took me 15 minutes tops. The more she feeds the baby, the more mild she's going to produce. Good luck !!!

Answer 8

Although it will take a little while to get the amount of milk you would like after getting an electric pump, plenty of fluids should help. I also had a problem with getting the volume of milk I desired right away, so my doctor told me to drink malta. It is a hispanic, non alchohlic beer you can buy at the grocery store. it worked wonders good luck!

Answer 9

I would highly reccommend getting one of the electric pumps for her. It will definately be more effective! Since milk producing works on "supply and demand" basis, get her one of the elec. pumps and tell her to pump every hour for a day or whenever she feels like her milk may be slacking, just whatever she can get out. That will give her milk supply a boost. I'm actually suprised she got 4oz. I could never get more than 1.5 - 2oz with my manual pump. Hope this helps!

Answer 10

Look into the Medela Pump-in-Style Advance. It's going to be about $300, give or take, but if you know someone who works at a hospital or retailer who carries it, you may be able to get a discount.