Nursing, but Pumping at Work

You need to pump more than you are at work in order to produce more for the baby or you will end up needing to supplement.
I was doing about the same as you, and ended up having to supplement cause my milk just wasn't there like it used to be for my baby... and unfortunately my work didn't support me taking pump breaks often, so I was not able to pump enough to keep my supply up.
If your work will let you pump more often, that's what will help you.

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She is getting EXACTLY what she needs from you. The problem is with the bottle feedings. Formula comes much faster from the bottle (yes, even the slow-flow nipples) than from you, so she has to work much harder nursing than from the bottle. This is GOOD FOR HER for dental development, language develpoment, digestion, and a host of other benefits. Your milk is produced as needed by demand. Pumping doesn't get breasts as empty as nursing, so you will express less than she is getting while nursing. Make sure she emptys each breast before moving on to the next, because the hindmilk that comes at the end is the stuff that has more fat (good for brain development) and is more filling. Try to pump more often and for longer whenever possible, even weekends and evenings after she nurses, or WHILE she is on the other side. This will signal your body to produce more (if more is demanded, more will come!). Best of luck to you and keep it up as long as you can!

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After I had my first, I nursed and then went back to work and pumped. I worked normal banking hours so I pumped at 10:15, Noon'ish (lunch), and at 3:15 p.m. I pumped for 15 minutes each pumping. I also 'single-side' nursed. Which means I gave a full meal on one breast and then the next feeding - the other. It worked great. I think if you add one more pumping during the day, your body will demand more milk and therefore produce more milk. It might take a couple of days to catch up but then it will be there for you. I also think that babies expect it to come faster when they are used to the bottle too. Nursing requires and 'let down' in order to get the fast flow like a bottle. But if you add another pumping your body will produce more.

I pumped as well. I quit pumping when I reached 5,000 ounces - frozen. Yes, I said five thousand ounces. We purchase a deep-freeze Freezer in the garage where I organized them all in date order. Yeah, a little too much! I almost donated it to the 'Mother's Milk Bank of Colorado' but ended up using it all.

I stayed home after my second child was born and rarely pumped much after that - usually just for the sitter to go out once in a while. I nursed all four of my children and never had to purchase formula.

It's amazing what one extra pumping will do. It may not hurt to pump a little after your last feeding of the night as well. Good Luck!

P.S. I heard garlic is a good thing to have and drinking lots of fluids is good and even a beer once in a while - the yeast is good for something. I even heard rootbeer was good too for some reason. There are also vitamins at the vitamin shop they can recommend too.

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Many people experience a decrease in supply when they begin pumping since it is not as effective as a baby nursing, but it sounds like you are experiencing a very normal drop in supply that often occurs in the evenings. I suggest you eat oatmeal every day and drink mother's milk tea. You can also take fenugreek and blessed thistle herbs. Keep up the pumping, and be sure to eat and drink plenty.

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Hi B.. I had a similar experience when I went back to work last fall. It sounds pretty normal to me. If she is sleeping okay and wetting enough, she is probably doing just fine. Your supply may have reduced some, but if she is growing and seems happy, she is still getting enough. I can tell you that my daughter surely did not eat that many oz. at that age--so she's probably doing just fine. It is a little harder for your body to adjust when the weekend routine changes...I know I tried pumping the same times on the weekend when I was having trouble and that regulated things, even though it's such a pain! It's challenging at times, but keep up the good work. I made it to 7.5 mons and I know moms who supplemented during the day so they could stop pumping and made it to a year, so maybe that would work? Other moms' bodies just figured it out after a couple months and the pumping/nursing schedule lasted to a year. Whatever works best for you and the girl. Good for you for keeping it going! :)

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I think that she is getting what she needs from you, she may just be pulling more because of the bottle/breast feedings and/or her mouth and suckling technique development. If you want to do a little test, let her nurse from you the way she always does and then offer her a small bottle of formula. If she takes the formula also, then maybe you might not be producing as much and do need to increase your milk flow. If she doesn't take it, then you know that you are giving her what she needs. If you do need to increase your milk supply, you could try Fenugreek, which is a vitamin that you can get from supplement stores. It comes in pill form and a lady that I work with swears by it. She said that it took about 2 days for it to start to work but she could definitely tell a difference in her supply within the first 2 days of using it. Good luck!

It might be the pump you are using. I have had to exclusively pump b/c my lo was tongue tied. (It actually made it easier when I went back to work b/c I cut the daytime pumps out and just pump at home.) I have the Medela pump in style (old version). I have rented 2x the Medela Symphony (the one they use in the hospital) because it is more efficient and mimics baby better. The rental pump is better than the Pump in Style, but the Pump in Style is light years ahead of the Evenflo I bought before the baby was born (thinking that it would be sufficient). It's the same-old supply and demand thing - the pump isn't efficiently emptying the breast so it's not as full in the evening. The Medela pumps are expensive, but oh so worth the cost because you can keep going. I only got 6 weeks maternity and my little one just turned 6 mo.

My daughter's pediatrician recommended Fenugreek herbal supplement for me. It really does work! You can buy it over the counter at health food stores. Check with your pediatrician for dosage. Good luck.

Hi B.!
My baby girl is almost 10 weeks now, & I am wondering how much I will have to pump when I go back to work as well. Seems to be the consensus is 3-4 times in a regular 8 hour day if only pumping 10-15 minutes.
I also think that it is hogwash if people are saying your supply goes down w/ pumping. When Payton & I got home from the hospital, she decided she did not want to take my nipple anymore. Being a 1st time mom, I freaked out. Called Le Leche & was told to go ahead & pump & feed her from a bottle w/ a slow flow nipple. Did this for 2 weeks...pumped every 2 or 3 hours for about 20 mins (which was very trying for me, but got used to it). Then I tried to offer my nipple again & she took it. Then I sort of quit pumping. My body adjusted but there were a couple days there where my breasts were so engourged that I could have taken 1st place in a Busty Heart contest! I say your body will supply what you demand no matter if pumping or nursing!
I return back to work in 6 weeks & plan to start pumping every 3 hours again now (to get a head start on the freezing)...plus feeding Payton on demand, which is about every 2 or 3 hours. I hope this will give her enough milk so that I can continue to breastfeed until she is a year old. That's the goal...wish me luck & luck to you too!

Congratulations to you for continuing to breastfeed and pumping at work! You already answered your own question-"She doesn't cry like she is hungry, has plenty of wet and dirty diapers and sleeps wonderfully". If all of these things are true you do not need to worry or supplement. Breastfeeding is a supply and demand. She demands it and you supply it. It sounds like you both are doing great!

I had this problem with my oldest only I was exclusively breastfeeding. I always felt like I didn't have enough in the evening because she had sucked me dry. As long as she is growing, sleeping good, and on a good schedule, don't worry so much about if she is getting enough. She will tell you if she is hungry. She might have to work a little harder at it in the evening but that there are lots of reasons for that. For one, you are tired after a hard day at work and your body doesn't want to work as hard. She is tired after a long day at the sitters and doesn't want to have to work for it. It is easier to get the milk out of a bottle so when she is getting the bottle during the day, she will think it should come that easy at night too. It is all a balance no matter if you pump or not. It is a common misconception that breastfeeding should be easy. It is work and it can be very frustrating at times. Try to relax and don't worry so much. Try to pump a little extra when you can for those nights that you really just don't feel like you have enough left in you and she still seems hungry. This will help with your supply and give you peace of mind since you know there is more in the frig that you can use if necessary.

I don't know if you can pump longer at work but that would be a start. When I went back to work I had to pump more like 30 minutes or so just to get some hind milk (it usually took 7 or 8 minutes just to get the "juices flowing") I had to exclusively pump for my 3rd and I will tell you it all has to do with routine and schedule. She never really nursed and I never ran out of milk because I was so adamant about pumping regularly. Some say you'll run out when you only pump but that's hogwash. You run out by telling your body you don't need more (i.e. not breastfeeding/pumping often enough). Like the other post said - supply and demand - the more you nurse/pump, the more you produce. It sounds like you're doing great for her - remember they go through a growth spurt around 3-4 months so she may just be hungrier at night.

Very commom for supply to go down. Especially when returning to work. If you are wanting to make sure your supply stays, you can try drinking lots more water, getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy, and having a bowl of maple brown sugar oatmeal in the morning. The maple is supposed to contain the same natural ingredients as the herb fenugreek.

A lot of women will also just buy the fenugreek and take that. It is supposed to help increase supply.

B., over time your body will adjust to your daughter's demands, so you won't feel as full as you did initially. You can start eating oatmeal every morning - I did that around the time my son was 6 months because I was concerned he wasn't getting enough. It helped a lot! You may be worrying too much, which will only make things worse. I know that it is much easier said to "Not worry" than it is to actually doing it!

Do you go to a breastfeeding support group? I don't know what area you live in, but I know Liberty and NKC both have groups for moms who work outside the home. You could also try La Leche - they helped me quite a bit when I was having some questions/concerns.

Hang in there - my son hasn't nursed in almost two years and I can't tell you how much I miss it!! It's a VERY special bond that a mother can have with her child.

I had a good consumer-grade pump for work (Medela Pump in Style), but wound up renting a hospital-grade pump for a couple months and took Fenugreek and that made a huge difference. I recommend calling your local hospital-- mine had a lactation consultant who talked with me (for free) and gave me a plan (adding an extra pumping session at work for a week or two) and rented the pump to me. A lactation consultant can tell you what dose of Fenugreek to take-- the dose on the bottle isn't for increasing milk production so you'll have to take more than what it says on the bottle. Good luck! You are doing something wonderful for your baby AND for yourself!

B.,

I had the same feeling with both of my boys. What I decided was as long as they were not still hungry and slept well, than they were getting all of the nourishment they needed. I think that it was more of an adjustment for me than for them. The other suggestion I would have is to pump more frequently. When I felt like I was not producing enough, extra pumping sessions got my body producing more.

Good Luck!

You have plenty of good advice. I just wanted to say great job for keeping it up!