Pumping Enough Milk While at Work

J. good for you!!! I may repeat myself I could not read everything below....I am a WM and I breast fed both of my kids one until 18 months the other until 20 while working full time. I even traveled and brought my pump...there are stories there getting it though security! Make sure you have the very best pump Medula I used as someone else suggested. Also I pumped best in the AM my afternoons were always more unpredictable. Drink lots of water and I used the Mothers Milk Tea and also you need to eat well snack at your desk. Relax try to limit your stress but I know you are more stressed at work...just let everyone know what you are doing and that makes it less stressful too. Also be sure you are pumping the baby in the AM last thing before you leave and first thing when you see each other. In 2 more months the pattern will change a little and in 4 months it will be drastically different, but for now nurse as much as you can. I think I even added one more pump after my kids had gone to bed before I went to bed. Weekends make a routine and pump extra. I will tell you I stock piled milk in my freezer and had some low times when I felt like I was going run out but would just beef up my routine. This will make you giggle but the hardest part was when they were done nursing and I had to throw out the milk they didn't use! I am happy to discuss it further if you would like to. I know it is one of the best things I gave my kids!

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Hi J.,

Kudos to you for breast feeding while you are back to work! You are doing the very best for your baby!
I have read all of these postings and have a few things to add. I had a lot of trouble with supply while i was nursing my daughter, and joined my local LaLeche League (LLL). These women were so helpful during these times, and now I value and have kept them as friends and support even though we are finished nursing. I highly recommend this organization. Some of the things they taught me that I would like to mention are:
1. Be careful what you are eating. Things like parsley, caffeine and soy products can decrease your milk supply. Barley and steel cut oats will increase milk supply. Maybe that is why in the olden days no one had trouble with nursing, so much beer drinking!
2. More water only equals more pee. You need only enough fluids to be hydrated. Don't overwork your body consuming 3 gallons of water a day. Enough water; however, is very important, like all of these women have suggested.
3. It is likely that you will produce more milk in the AM than PM. Don't be frustrated by that. It is normal.
4. It is also normal for some women to have a supply decrease during the 3rd or 4th month after baby's birth. Taking the fenugreek supplements, mother's milk tea, etc. will help with this.
5. A hospital grade pump will make a difference in pumping. I used one the entire time that I nursed my daughter (i had low milk supply and couldn't make enough to feed her in a day) and made about 4 ozs more a day with the hospital pump.
6. Finally, more stimulation makes more milk. The more you nurse and pump the more milk you will make. A speaker at the last LLL meeting I went to said that your body makes most of the milk baby takes while they are nursing (or pumping), not in between. Just a thought....
Best of Luck to you and your new family! Keep up the good work!
L.

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Hello J., My daughter went through this when my 10mo old grandson was younger. The doc told her to drink one glass of wine in the evening, and to pump before breastfeeding. The pump doesn't get all of the milk out of the ducts, but nursing does. The more often the breasts are stimulated the more milk will be produced. This is why a woman can nurse twins. Stay hydrated. Keep a water bottle with you all day to remind you to drink more often. Also, if it is possable, use warm wet towels around the breast, it will help in letting the milk down. My daughter also rubbed her hand along the ducts toward the nipple to get more of the milk out. She did say that the wine worked best. Good luck.

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Make sure you are drinking lots and lots of water!
I also would try to pump longer each time (try for 15-20 minutes) even if it doesn't seem like you are getting any more milk. Your body needs to know that the demand is up to produce more. Over the weekends or on days off, you could nurse and then pump. Do it each time even if you don't get anything. It will probably take a few days to notice a difference in your production. Good luck!

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Here are some great sites for information and for support. A local LaLeche League has breastfeeding moms trained to give phone support also.

Websites:
http://ameda.com/breastpumping/most/

Above site has links on the right for:
Getting a Good Flange Fit
When to Pump
Pumping Tips
How Much Milk Should I Expect to Pump?
How to Pump More Milk

Another site:

http://llli.org/NB/NBpumping.html

and this site is a very supportive group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pumpmoms

My other thoughts are how supportive is your place of work, do you have privacy, are you rushed to pump in 10 minutes and be back to your work, ...

Relax, look at pictures of your son while pumping ... sounds corny but visualize you are holding him ... bring something with you that "smells" like him ... no not a messy diaper. *wink*

Enjoy ... breastfeeding is the best time!!!

~M.
...a grandma to 3 breastfed children, a mommy to 2, and a breastfed child myself

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I think sometimes baby goes through a growth spurt and it's hard to keep up with the pumping.. I 2nd the idea of making sure you have a quality pump too.

Can you up your pumping to every 2 hours for 15 minutes?

Also see if you can pump WHILE your baby is nursing.. pump on one side while he nurses on the other. You could also take fenegreek capsules or milk thistle or mother's milk tea while you're home on the weekend to increase the supply.

Are you nursing at night as well? If not.. consider getting up in the early morning and pumping then.. I've heard that the supply is higher early morning.. like 2am.

Good for you for pumping.. keep it up!! : )

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You have a lot of great advice. You might also want to make sure that you have a picture of your baby with you that you can set out when you are pumping, the visual sometimes helps, or put his voice (his cries) on a ipod and play it during or right before pumping. It should take longer than 10 min, and pump beyond when you are done (for a minute or 2) that will tell your body to produce more. Drink lots of fluids throughout the day, and try to relax. You can't produce when you are stresed. Good luck

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Pump at work for more than 10 mins. Being at work brings on stress, which can effect your let-down and your breast milk. I would say too that this is also effecting your supply and may make your supply continue to go down. Try to relax as much as possible when you pump and do 15-20 mins first. If that doesn't work, try taking some Fenugreek (it will help increase your supply), or try this herbal tea from GNC called 'mother's milk'. I had twin boys and used both of these and it helped my supply quite a bit.

Use a good breast pump (I liked the Medela pump n style) and make sure you are using the right breast shields for it. Double pump so that you can pump both sides at the same time.
Drink tons of water, as this will help too.

--K.

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J. ~
One of the things you can do is to pump some after he nurses when you're at home. That will help to increase your supply. You might want to pump a little more often at work if you can. The baby is the most efficient pump that there is, so he gets more than what you can pump. Are you using a manual pump or an electrical pump at work, that can make the difference too. Next to the baby, the electrical pump is better than the manual.
you can also try calling the lactation consultant at the hospital where you delivered. (If you need a number to call one, let me know, I can give you the number of the one where I work).
good luck!
D.

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I had a hard time pumping enough at the beginning as well. I think the key is consistency. I know my situation was ideal, but my son's daycare was 5 minutes from my work, so I would nurse him before I left him in the morning (around 7), then pump at 9am, then go see him at 11 on my lunch hour and nurse him, then pump at 2pm, and then go pick him up at 4pm (and nurse him if he was hungry). On those days when I was just starting out, I used to worry that I wouldn't have enough for the next day, so I would pump at home after he went to bed. But after a while, I would get enough for the next day and built up a surplus.
Also, try to pump for about 20 minutes at a time. I would find that my milk would let down twice in the twenty minute period. If you still are having issues, you can always supplement with formula. It's not ideal, but you're still giving him breastmilk. (I had to supplement in the beginning too, but only for a month or two) Good luck!

eat a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast each day and take fenugreek herbal supplements to help your milk supply and of course LOTS of water before during and after pumping.

The herb Fenugreek increases milk supply. It helped me to maintain and increase sometimes. I bought it at Whole Foods.

get up before the baby and pumo a little, then when the baby gets up breast feed him again. he will be able to empty your breaat, even if you just pump a few ounces there is always more in the breast. when my milk got low for one week i got up and pumped and was fine and was amazed how much i stored up. of course if you want to use formula once a day at daycare that might help, but i didn't want to give my girls formula plus they never kept it down, the few times i tried they always spit it up.

I had the same problem when I was breastfeeding, especially the afternoon pumpings. You have gotten some excellent advice already, but I would like to add a couple things. First, make sure you drink a ton of water in the morning so you will be well hydrated throughout the day, second, on the weekends, try to notice how your feedings go, and try to feed during the times that your milk supply is lower at work. That way you will start the week out with your body making more, (if that works for the 2 of you, depending on his feeding schedule, it may not), and 3, it could be the type of pump you are using. I tried so hard with the usual pumps, and ended up having to use a hospital grade pump, none of the others could even come close. That made a HUGE difference. Luckily for me, I worked in a hospital, and they had pumps available for staff to use, but you can rent them from a private company, which is what I ended up doing so I could keep one in my office, as the 'pumping room' was a 5-10 minute walk and cut into my break time, therefore my pumping time.
Congratulations on keeping the breastfeeding up. It does take a lot of orchestration and effort, but if you are committed to it, it will work.

Congrats on exclusively breastfeeding!
I have problems pumping enough for my son while I am at work. One thing that works for me is to pick a time each day (early morning or after he goes to bed) when he is not eating and pump. After 2-3 days, your body will adjust and learn to produce extra milk at that time. Mother's Milk tea works for me, too, as well as the double electric Medela pump that I got this time around (I used a hand pump with my 1st, and it was stressful and tiring!).
Bring a photo of your baby to look at (better yet, a mini-album!) when you are pumping and try to relax when youa re pumping.
Good luck! These other posters have really good ideas, too!
HANG IN THERE!

The more nursing you do, the more milk you will make... in other words the more you pump the more you will produce.
You may need to do this on a weekend, but I would try to pump as often as possible. If it is every few hours, try to pump for 1/2 hour or so. You can still nurse your son in between pumping also, if this is something you do at home on the weekend. If you do it for two days straight, by the third day your supply should have built up some, and if you can only get away to pump every three hours at work that should be fine. I would suggest trying to pump longer than 10 minutes if you can. Even if it seems nothing is coming, the sucking action is what stimulates the production.

Hi J.,
You may need more than 10 minutes. Also, try drinking ALOT of water. My friend tipped me off when she drank a ton of water due to a sore throat that she got more milk those days.

I also worked and pumped. I found that I did have to give some bottles that were partially formula. I know that you are trying not to, but don't stress yourself out too much. That can negatively affect your production as well.

Congrats on the new baby!

You difinatly need to pump longer then 10 min. I used the Medela Pump in Style. It is very key to begin pumping soon after the baby is born. With my Daughter I was able to pump over a half gallon of milk a day when I went back to work by starting pumping when she was first born. I also pumped early on so my husband could feed her. Back then I pumped or breastfed her every 2 hours for about 2 to 4 weeks and then I cut it down a little. I think that pumping 15 to 20 min would be good. Also if you think you are not getting enough milk you can talk to your OB/GYN and they can prescribe Regalan and that increases milk production. My son ate like a horse and I was unable to keep up with him and that is why my doctor gave me and it worked at boosting my milk supply.

I hope that helps.

If you are pumping every three hours at ten min. each time, thats about all you can do. I know there is a pill your Dr. can give to help increase your milk production. I had a problem while I was working but my problem was I only could pump at lunch time so I dried up pretty quick and the pill didn't really work for me but I think it was to late at that point. Good luck.

K.

The kind of pump tht use can make a big difference!! You really need a high grade pump like the Medella Pump in Style or something comparable.
Some womens bodies do not react well to a breast pump. I can sit with a pump for 45min and only get about 2oz of milk while someone else will get 8oz in 5 min.
blessings, K.

I found that when I was working (part time); that thinking of my little guy helped. Also:
Massaging the breast will help letdown
DRINK LOTS OF WATER! This helps, but it still is not enough.
You can also increase the times you pump. You stimulate the body into production.
Biggest of all: RELAX. Do find time for yourself to have some stress relief. Stress hinders milk production. I have read research that massage does help increase milk production due to the stress relief.
As you are working from home; pump in your son's room. It may help to have the surroundings.

good luck!

Can you lenghten your pumping time? I only pumped once for my lo during work, but I pumped for at least 20 minutes and got 6-8 ounces. After about 15 minutes or so, I'd have another let down and that one vastly increased my ounces. Otherwise, I would have less than 4 ounces.

I also pumped before work, when I got home (if my lo had eaten recently), and before I went to bed. So, I felt like I was constantly pumping, but I was able to keep nursing until she was 13 months old.

Can you pump on the weekends to help boost your reserve supply? That was another part of our success...I pumped on the weekends, too. That gave us a good "cushion" of milk for the rest of the week.

Good luck and don't give up!

Drink lots of water- more than you even want to. Pump for longer time even if nothing more is coming out (like 12-15 minutes each time). You can try taking Fenugreek. I ordered mine online from Puritan's Pride - it was the cheapest I found. It's too bad you're all the way down there... I'm in Grand Blanc and I've got probably 3 bottles in my closet that've never even been opened (I bought WAY too much cuz they had a big sale). If you're going to be up this way I'd let you have it for free. It does help a little, but I found that more water made the most noticeable difference. Also, don't think about it while you're pumping. Try doing crosswords or reading a book so you aren't stressing about how much is coming out. Good luck!

Oh - one more thing - google "Poet's Famous Lactation Cookies" THEY ROCK!!

Ok. You have probably gotten this advice already, but when I was having trouble with supply I was advised to take fenegreek and blessed thistle (3 pills each 3xs per day). I got these herbs at my local health food store. I know it is a lot of pills but they work. Also breastfeed your baby as much as you can when you are with him. It is the latching on by the baby that causes your body to make more milk.
Good luck.
S.

Good morning J., try drinking more water or fluid during the day. I find that if I drink more I can produce about 6 oz every 4 hours. If I am dehidrated I only get about 3-4 oz in those same 4 hours. I work full time as well. Try pumping until you are empty. It takes me times 20 minutes. Try to massage your breast in different areas to make sure all ducts are drained.

Don't give up. Also start pumping after you nurse. Your little one may be getting lazy while nursing and not drinking as much as he needs which will also slow down your supply. If this still does not work call your OB and they may be able to give you something to help.

Best of luck!
P.

Hi J.! I commend you for your commitment to feeding your son breast milk! What a valuable gift you are giving him!

If I may ask a few questions...

How is your water intake? What is your Dr telling you about how much protein you need daily?

If you are open to looking at these kinds of things that affect your milk supply, I have a great CD made by a Wellness Educator that nursed all three of her children long term. Would you like to listen to it?

Warmly, M.

Hi J.,

I think it's wonderful that you're nursing your son while working. The amount of milk you're pumping is excellent. He should been feeding on average every 2-4 hours. 25 ounces in an 8-12 hour day is quite a bit more than he needs. You might want to try a slower flow nipple for him. It will allow him to have his sucking needs met without having to take so much. Five 5 ounce bottles is more than he would need. He might want to take 4-5 ounces, but then should go several hours between feeds (at least 4). Ask the sitter to pace the feeds, meaning when he stops sucking, lower the bottle so he can control the speed he takes it. You might want to contact your local LLL Leader ( www.llli.org ) or LC ( www.ilca.org ). Best wishes, S.

Here's a couple of things that worked for me: I had a picture of my baby in my nursing bag and I drank plenty of water, even during the pumping process. You may want to extend your pumping time to 15-20 minutes, if you can. Also, I don't know where you're pumping, but you want to make it as comfortable as possible for yourself. Best of luck to you and your family!

Hi J.,

Are you getting a "let down" when you pump at work. I can remember it would take me longer at work (perhaps because the surroundings arn't as comfortable). You can alwasy bring a washcloth and get it wet with hot water and lay it on your breast befor you pump at work.

Hi J.! You have a lot of great advice here. I found that the Medela pumps are much better to get more milk (this is my 3rd pump)! I would drink the Mother's Milk tea while you are at work and try to pump 15 min prior to nursing your son in the morning before work and again when you get home. Personally, I have found that if I pump less often during the day I am able to pump more than when I was trying every 2-3 hours. I would also your caregivers to try to stretch out the number of bottles that your son is getting. I have emphasized this with my nanny and my daughter (4 months) does well going 3 hours in between bottle feedings, but when I am home, she nurses more frequently. Babies are amazing and can adapt to different schedules and your son will do well with a daycare routine that is different from what happens at home. Good luck to you. I know how hard it is to be a f/t working & nursing mom, but it is worth it!
All my best,
J.

God bless you, J., for your commitment to breastfeeding your son! You are giving him a wonderful start in life, even though it is taking a lot of time and effort due to your job outside the home. Good for you!

It sounds like you're already pumping after some of your at-home feedings, which is always good. It's true that a pump doesn't make your body create the same amount of milk that nursing does, and that can be frustrating.

Do you have a quiet, private place to pump at work? Sometimes moms take something that smells like their baby or helps them feel close to their baby while pumping - a sweet photo, a receiving blanket, stuffed animal, a knit hat. Trying to get a more private place, perhaps with a locking door, using a lullaby CD, trying to relax and clear your mind are all helpful. Be sure you're eating well and drinking lots of clear fluids. The tea that's for nursing moms is helpful too. He may be going through a growth spurt and your milk production hasn't caught up yet.

Once he's old enough for a bit of solids, he may require less milk when he's in day care.

I'm confident you'll work this out without turning to formula, and meantime you're giving him strong immunity to all the bugs that are going around! Keep up the good work!

You can also check the LaLeche League website www.llli.org for more ideas on working and breastfeeding. Look under Resources then the section that has Answers.

I found drinking water all morning and then I take a cup of warm water, herb tea, cider, cocoa into the quiet area I pump in really helped. I also read magazines about baby's, children activites, something fun and related to being with my family and little one. Definetly not anything to do with work because then No Let down and little milk. A photo of you with the baby helps too and I kept one in my locker with my pump.
Good luck - Don't give up
G.

If possible, you should pump more frequently at work and make sure you are getting plenty of water around the clock. Eating right is essential. Do you have the book "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding"? That book was my "bible" when breastfeeding my sweeties. You might contact a Le Leche League group leader. I am sure you will get ALOT of response on this from all the great moms on this site! I have heard of an herb that helps with milk production, but I don't know what it is. Beer seems to help too. You are doing the best thing for you and your baby. Keep up the good work!

A few things-
I pump for 15 -20 min 2 x a day- until I am sure NOTHING is coming out. I also do it earlier- the first time w/i an hour of being a work, the next time 2-3 hours later- as my milk output is higher in the a.m. I get apx 15 oz from these two sessions. That way by the time I pick him up at daycare, my breasts are full again (note- I am only gone for 7.5 hrs- if I was gone 9- I'd add another session)

I also make sure to nurse him when he wakes AND before I leave- even if its just a little bit.

Next- I agree with the posters re: the pump. Also make sure your breast shields are the right size. If they are too small, you may get better results going up a size.

Finally- 25 oz dur daycare seems like a lot to me. I have a book that says babies 3-6 months need 9-15 oz for 8 hrs of daycare. I only send my 16 lb 4 month old to daycare with 12 oz-and he rarely drinks all of that (then again- he is now eating ceral in the am and a veggie in the pm). Ask your Dr. about how much he eats at daycare.

Goodluck