working/pumping moms please help!?

Question

my baby now 9weeks old has always wanted to eat every 2 hours sometimes less occsionally go 3 hours ... i'll be working 8 hour shifts and i wont be able to pump every 2 hours.. i have been double pumping everyday with medela pis but i only get 3.5 ounces? alot of the times less... does anyone have any suggestions...im afraid i wont have enough milk for him

Answer 1

I am not a pumping/working mom, but my daughter is getting ready to be one and I will be taking care of her son while she works. My grandson is 4 months old today and my daughter will be going back to her teaching job at the end of Aug. I have been a child care provider in my home for 20 years and have cared for numerous breast fed babies whose mom's sent pumped milk to my house. In addition, I breast fed all 4 of my own children, the last 2 until they self-weaned at 11 months and 14 months. Your baby is very young still and breast feeding every 1-3 hours is perfectly normal for this age. As he grows, he will likely be able to regularly go 2-3 hours between nursings by the time he is 3-4 months old and as long as 4 hours by the time he is 6 months. Your breasts are producing as much as your baby needs right now and the milk production will increase as he needs increase. 3 1/2 ounces of pumped milk at a time is actually quite alot at this stage and not a cause for alarm at all. Fresh pumped breast milk can be stored in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. So, what you can do is pump if your baby has only eaten on one side (pump the other breast) or skips a feeding or only eats a little. You can also pump after he has nursed normally, but you'll likely get only a little. No matter how much you get after pumping, cool to room temperature (fresh pumped breast milk can stay at room temp for 4 hours) then put it in a glass or hard plastic storage bottle and put it in the refrigerator. Throughout the day and even into the next, pump a little, cool to room temperature and then add it to the same storage bottle. When you have 2-4 ounces transfer it to a plastic storage bag designed for breast milk storage, date it and put it in your refrigerator freezer to use within 3-4 months. Breast milk can also be stored in a deep freezer for 6-12 months at 0 degrees. I advise that you don't store milk in more than 4 ounce containers if going into the freezer. Thawed breast milk is good in the frig for up to 24 hours, but you can't re-freeze it. No matter how many times you can pump at work, it will be fine, even if it is only once a day. Extra pumping and nursing in the evening and on your days off will keep your supply adequate for your baby's needs. There are many websites and local support groups to help working moms breast feed their babies as long as they want. Below is a link to a good website by Medela, the makers of your breast pump.

Answer 2

Can you take small breaks and just pump for a quick 5 mins in between your regular pumping sessions? This may help increase your supply and you maybe can get even just .5-1oz of milk. Then you may end up with an extra bottle if combined. Close your eyes and picture your baby when pumping, just rest and don't think about other things, this helps me pump easier.
You should consider buying extra pumping parts. Like extra shields and connector things. This way you won't have to clean them with every use, which is time consuming. You can buy the Medela steam bags. You just rinse off you parts and microwave them for 3 mins, all clean!

Answer 3

i work fulltime and pumped with 2 kids for 1 year each. i pumped once in morning- visited baby to nurse at lunch (yes i was extremely lucky) and pumped again in afternoon. at 9 weeks it's still early to be pumping big bottles full each time - you will work up to more ounces as long as you keep at it. make sure you never miss an opportunity to nurse (ie don't pump and give bottles at night/on weekends when you could be nursing. medela is a good pump and should work fine but it's not enough to stimulate more milk production if you're not nursing as much as possible. keep up pumping as much as you can. my goal was every 3 hours while at work but i've known people who worked 8 hrs and only pumped once or twice. your body has to get used to the pump and that can take a few weeks. just make sure you pump until completely empty - and continuing to pump after the milk stops for a few minutes will tell your body you need to make more. other than that - check out all the tips online upping your milk production. i had to stop eating oatmeal because i was making way to much milk - so try that. also milkshakes and chocolate will help. the biggest thing is to stay hydrated and skip the caffeine as much as you can. it will be tricky at first but it's worth it!

Answer 4

-Create your freezer supply before you go back and on the weekends by pumping when you are most full in the morning.

-PUmp at work 3-4 times a day. you will have enough- remember the pump is no indication of how much milk you actually have.

-only nurse when you are home. No bottles.

-Hold off on foods until 6 months if you and your baby can.

-You don't need to introduce formula as you may have enough. Our baby just turned one and with my pumping schedule and such- she never needed formula. I had enough.

-pump first thing in the morning before you go to work.

Good luck- it's a lot of work, but so worth it!

Answer 5

I had that problem when I was pumping (for 9 months with both kids). I solved it by stockpiling in the freezer while I could and by drinking tons and tons of water. And I didn't have caffeine again until I stopped pumping. But water was the key because it's the main component of milk.

I also liked the fennel tea/Mother's Milk tea I got at the natural foods store. It tastes good and didn't seem to hurt.

Answer 6

Relax, probably, you wont have enough milk for him at times. But I suggest, pumping and freezing during the times that you may have extra (babies eating habbits change)
One more month and you can start solids, which will make your life easier.

Answer 7

I had same problem. I introduced pablum to my son about this time. I mixed my breast milk with rice pablum. It really did the trick. My son felt full and I could give my breasts a rest.

Answer 8

you might want to introduce formula by mixing it with breast milk that way the baby still gets the benefits.