How will I be able to express enough?

Belle30 · Mar 11th, 2010, 14:20 PM

I'm EBF, and am worried about being able to express enough milk for my LO when I return to work.

I'm trying to delay going back to work until he is 6 months, in the hope that once he is weaned he won't need/want quite as much milk from me. Initially I'll only be going back 2 days a week, and for those 2 days he'll be in nursery. But I will be away from him for about 12 hours, and am worried that I won't be able to express enough to leave for him to keep him going for that length of time! At the moment the most I can get in one pumping session is about 2-3oz total. But he will already guzzle 4-5oz of EBM at a time, and he's only 8 weeks old!

How is this going to work? Or isn't it??

cutie4evr01 · Mar 11th, 2010, 14:53 PM

I'm worried about the exact same! My LO drinks 4 oz, and I can only express 2oz at a time. I've just sent some PMs to a few folks about increasing supply via pumping, so I'll let you know if I find anything that works for me. I start back on Monday, and my LO will be at the in-home daycare 3 days/week.

jules22 · Mar 11th, 2010, 20:08 PM

Babies can clean you out so much better than a pump. I thought I wasn't feeding Brayden enough because I was the same way in the earlier weeks. If your baby is happy after feeding from you I think your fine. If you want to increase your supply, try pumping after every feed. (thats what I do) After he eats, I get about an ounce and a half out because I keep stimulating myself to make more then store it.

charliesmom · Mar 11th, 2010, 22:03 PM

Same problem here... I've started my girl on solids already but she's nursing just about the same. What' worst is I get nothing from pumping anymore... not even half of an ounce. I used to get 4 ounces per boob when she was 3 months old. I have no clue what happened?? I read somewhere that as they get a bit older, your body adjusts to produce exactly the amount of milk needed by your child and no more. Maybe that's what happened because she nurses every 3 hours and is very satisfied, but I can't get anymore to store.

I return to work full time when she's 7 months, I have NO IDEA how this is all going to work!! Also, she won't take a bottle. I'm very concerned.

K477uk · Mar 12th, 2010, 18:28 PM

I've returned to work one day a week as a trial as you afriad of the exact same thing. My lo is almost 6 months and has been fully weaned for about 3 weeks - started initially at just over 4 months but very slowly! Anyway... I find he doesn't have a lot during the day anyway but less if I'm not there.. One day he had about 3 oz and then just guzzled away when I got to him. I leave him at 7:15 and pick him up at 4:15 so not quite as long but still a reasonable time. Also he was fussy over bottles so I changed bottles and persisted and although he doesn't enjoy it he will take it especially if he's hungry. As for increasing supply... Your supply has stabilised to what your baby needs so you need to gently persuade that it needs to make more. Personally I have always expressed at the same time and found that if lo was going through a growth spurt it would drop off but increase again after a couple of days. You also may find pumping directly after everyfeed may help.

Sunflowers · Mar 14th, 2010, 05:18 AM

Dont forget that while you're at work your baby won't be bf from you - so any milk you express with be increased automatically because your baby won't be taking some too!

I found that if I were to express in the evening when jocelyn was 6 months I'd struggle to get 200mls, more like 150 - when I went back to work 6 months after that though (when the amount of breastmilk she'd be having would have been MUCH less!) I'd bring home over 300mls each day! It does make a difference to the amount you can express not having them feeding!

becstar · Mar 14th, 2010, 13:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charliesmom

I return to work full time when she's 7 months, I have NO IDEA how this is all going to work!! Also, she won't take a bottle. I'm very concerned.

Just to reassure you - Ilana is 7 months and I've been back at work for 2 1/2 months. She is now well established on solids and although (after an epic battle to get her to) she will accept a bottle now, she just isn't interested during the day. She just feeds from me when I'm at home, and has breastmilk in her food (mixed with her porridge etc). To be honest even when I'm at home in the daytime she just isn't as interested in milk now - she has it evenings and a night feed and before I leave and she gets plenty. Once they're established on solids they only need 500-600ml of milk (and yoghurts etc count towards that) so your LO will get plenty even if you can only express a little.

As for getting more out when pumping - do you have a double electric pump? Are you letting down?

charliesmom · Mar 14th, 2010, 15:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by becstar

As for getting more out when pumping - do you have a double electric pump? Are you letting down?

Thanks! That is reassuring. I'm slowly adding a different solid food each week so hopefully she'll be "established" by 7 months. I do have a double electric pump and am letting down when I pump, but still very little comes out. I haven't really tried to regularly pump though. Hoping the solids will work out and she'll be ok with nursing only on evenings.

becstar · Mar 14th, 2010, 15:27 PM

Well even if she's not fully established you can add milk to the foods to make them a little sloppier and get more milk in that way. Pumping regularly will make a difference, and if you do it just after a feed/at the same time it will happen faster.

Mar 11th, 2010, 14:20 PM	#1
Belle30 Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,194	How will I be able to express enough? I'm EBF, and am worried about being able to express enough milk for my LO when I return to work. I'm trying to delay going back to work until he is 6 months, in the hope that once he is weaned he won't need/want quite as much milk from me. Initially I'll only be going back 2 days a week, and for those 2 days he'll be in nursery. But I will be away from him for about 12 hours, and am worried that I won't be able to express enough to leave for him to keep him going for that length of time! At the moment the most I can get in one pumping session is about 2-3oz total. But he will already guzzle 4-5oz of EBM at a time, and he's only 8 weeks old! How is this going to work? Or isn't it??

Status: Offline

Mar 11th, 2010, 14:53 PM	#2
cutie4evr01 Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: USA Posts: 2,238	I'm worried about the exact same! My LO drinks 4 oz, and I can only express 2oz at a time. I've just sent some PMs to a few folks about increasing supply via pumping, so I'll let you know if I find anything that works for me. I start back on Monday, and my LO will be at the in-home daycare 3 days/week.

Status: Offline

Mar 11th, 2010, 20:08 PM	#3
jules22 AutoSignup (SAAB) Active BnB Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Missouri Posts: 637	Babies can clean you out so much better than a pump. I thought I wasn't feeding Brayden enough because I was the same way in the earlier weeks. If your baby is happy after feeding from you I think your fine. If you want to increase your supply, try pumping after every feed. (thats what I do) After he eats, I get about an ounce and a half out because I keep stimulating myself to make more then store it.

Status: Offline

Mar 11th, 2010, 22:03 PM	#4
charliesmom Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: California Posts: 863	Same problem here... I've started my girl on solids already but she's nursing just about the same. What' worst is I get nothing from pumping anymore... not even half of an ounce. I used to get 4 ounces per boob when she was 3 months old. I have no clue what happened?? I read somewhere that as they get a bit older, your body adjusts to produce exactly the amount of milk needed by your child and no more. Maybe that's what happened because she nurses every 3 hours and is very satisfied, but I can't get anymore to store. I return to work full time when she's 7 months, I have NO IDEA how this is all going to work!! Also, she won't take a bottle. I'm very concerned.

Status: Offline

Mar 12th, 2010, 18:28 PM	#5
K477uk Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Nottingham Posts: 1,842	I've returned to work one day a week as a trial as you afriad of the exact same thing. My lo is almost 6 months and has been fully weaned for about 3 weeks - started initially at just over 4 months but very slowly! Anyway... I find he doesn't have a lot during the day anyway but less if I'm not there.. One day he had about 3 oz and then just guzzled away when I got to him. I leave him at 7:15 and pick him up at 4:15 so not quite as long but still a reasonable time. Also he was fussy over bottles so I changed bottles and persisted and although he doesn't enjoy it he will take it especially if he's hungry. As for increasing supply... Your supply has stabilised to what your baby needs so you need to gently persuade that it needs to make more. Personally I have always expressed at the same time and found that if lo was going through a growth spurt it would drop off but increase again after a couple of days. You also may find pumping directly after everyfeed may help.

Status: Offline

Mar 14th, 2010, 05:18 AM	#6
Sunflowers Pregnant (Expecting) Active BnB Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 427	Dont forget that while you're at work your baby won't be bf from you - so any milk you express with be increased automatically because your baby won't be taking some too! I found that if I were to express in the evening when jocelyn was 6 months I'd struggle to get 200mls, more like 150 - when I went back to work 6 months after that though (when the amount of breastmilk she'd be having would have been MUCH less!) I'd bring home over 300mls each day! It does make a difference to the amount you can express not having them feeding!

Status: Offline

Mar 14th, 2010, 15:27 PM	#9
becstar Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London Posts: 3,337	Well even if she's not fully established you can add milk to the foods to make them a little sloppier and get more milk in that way. Pumping regularly will make a difference, and if you do it just after a feed/at the same time it will happen faster.

Status: Offline

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