How to Make Sure I Don't Lose My Milk Supply

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but if you have a drop in supply and want to build it back up you can use teh herbal supplements fenugreek and blessed thissle, I took 2 capsules twice a day of each and it was very effective. Good luck, you are doing such a wonderful job as a mother already!

First of all, Way to go! Breastfeeding and going back to school. My best advice is to stop stressing. Pump when you can and if you have to supplement with formula that's OK. Just love on her as much as you can. She is gonna grow up so fast.

Good for you!! You've gotten a lot of good advice, but I wanted to add my own experiences. Pumping was one of the hardest things I ever did because it meant I was not with my baby and that broke my heart! But it was worth it! I started pumping as soon as I could, and as often as I could (every time he napped). This way I had lots in the freezer before I went back to work. Then when I went back to work I found that it took me 30-45 minutes every time I pumped, so I could only pump every 3 hours. If you can I recommend you pump every 2 hours, but you only have so much time. If you only have 10-15 min between classes, pump for that long, and pump as often as possible. Then make up for it by pumping at home every time your little one is asleep. That's what I did if I got behind. It's very stressful and you'll lose at least as much sleep as you are now, but like I said, IT'S WORTH IT! I've never been so proud of anything in my life! Good luck and I'd really like to hear how it goes!

Hello I can sort of help with this situation. I was getting my masters when my son was born so during the summer we would have classes that would meet for five days a week for 8 hrs a day. I would go home during lunch to feed my son but I pumped the other times. Make sure that you stay on the same schedule as your daughter so that way you don't loss milk. Your teachers should be very understanding, I know mine were. For the first day that you leave her you should pump after you feed her for a few days before you go. This should get you through the first day, then you will be pumping while you are at school everytime she would be eating so you will have enough for the following day and so on. Good luck hope this helps :)

Your body adjusts your milk supply to the demand. So if you start pumping some everyday, in a few days you will be producing more milk. In a 6 or 7 hour school day plus communte time, you will need to be pumping or nursing during that time, talk to the school about when in your schedule and where you can pump and how you can store it. Perhaps a cooler to transport and the use of their freezer? (I bet they have a fridge at least for instructor use) Good luck, breast feeding as long as possible is the best thing you can do for your baby!

good for you to want to keep nursing! I went to school with my first child too, and nursed her until she was 18 months. The best time to pump for me was in the morning before I nursed. My milk had collected during the night and would easily come out then so it was not a stressful thing. And of course supply and demand works well with nursing, so as soon as my baby woke up to nurse, my milk would come in again. Start out slow and don't expect to get very much the first few times. But it will get easier and faster. my school day was four hours, so I just pumped when I got home again. listen to the other ladies advice too, there are laws to protect you and help you through this. You can do it! Good luck with nursing and schooling!

my lactation consultant says to pump for 15 minutes between 5am and 8am and again between 5pm and 8 pm. that is when you have the most milk. you can also pump for 5-10 minutes after she eats. they say it takes about two weeks to get up agood supply. but once you return to school, the milk you pump there is what she'll use for the next day and you'll just have your frozen stash for emergencies and backup. you'll need to fin 15 minutes to pump at leasr every 3 hours at school. I feed my son in the morning right before i leave and then pump too. then pump every 3 hours till i get home and feed him as soon as I get home. i suggets getting a spare set of pump parts (shields, membranes, valvea, and bottles or milk bags) they are pretty cheap and then you won't have to be running around to wash them after every single time you pump. you can also try the mrdela steam cleaning bags if there is a microwave at school, or the medela pump cleaning wipes. the washing part takes up time.
good luck.

Hi, Denise! Quick--call your local La Leche League Leader and ask if you can borrow the books "Nursing MOther, working Mother" and "Hirkani's Daughters" from their group library. They are both excellent resources that talk about how to strategize being away from your baby but continuing to nurse. LLL also has a couple of excellent handouts about nursing and working/being away and storing your milk safely for later use. All LLL help is free and any Leader will be happy to help you.
A double-electric pump will be a necessity--you can buy or rent one. Studies show that moms who pump both breasts at the same time get more milk and keep their milk-production hormones higher than those who pump only one side at a time (it's also a lot faster).
I suggest you start pumping now, once or twice a day, so you can have a stockpile in your freezer going for when you need it. Plan to pump at least as often as you'd nurse her. It's a bit of a hassle, but so worthwhile, so good for you for planning ahead to make it work. The general rule for using a pump to increase your milk supply is to pump for one to two minutes past when you see the last drop of milk expressed.
Consider using slow-flow bottle nipples with a wide base so she will "latch" onto the bottle and still be able to nurse well with you. Also consider keepig her near you at night for frequent night nursings--this will keep your prolactin hormone levels high and allow you to make up for any lost snuggling time during the day.
Hang in there and keep asking questions--LLL is a great resource!

I don't have any additional advice other than what's been given here, but I just wanted to say good for you for making this decision! I also wanted to let you know that I am a working Mom who's been pumping for almost 4 months now and I'm so glad I've been able to do it. It's worth it! My daughter is now 7 1/2 months old and is getting the best food because of me. Pumping helps me connect to my daughter when I'm not home and makes me feel like I'm doing what I need to do to keep her healthy and happy. It can be done! You'll also be surprised how wonderful people are when you talk to them about it, everyone @ my work has been great about it and has given me encouragement and help to make sure I can keep pumping.

Hi Denise,

How amazing you are, planning ahead to continue feeding your baby girl your milk. Please find a La Leche League group or leader to help you with this. You have received great advice thus far, but it always helpful to find someone to verbally talk to, who you can reconnect with as you go back to school and experience pumping and scheduling for real rather than in theory. Go to www.llli.org, look under resources, connect with a local group or leader, then find your state and city. You will be glad for this resource. All leaders are nursing moms and volunteers, but trained to provide breastfeeding support. Good luck!

H.

You can pump to build up a supply of frozen milk any time between her feedings. It will take a day or two for your body to get used to it, but pick a time and pump... you will get milk and there will still be enough for your baby at feeding time. Once you're back at school, it is best to try and pump at a time you would normally feed her. When I frist went back to work my daughter would eat around 5 or 6 am, then I would pump right before 8 am... a little earlier than she might eat next (depending on the day) but close enough. Good luck. If you need more help, try looking for a lactation clinic in your area. Lots of times they'll do over the phone consultation for free.

a la leche league meeting is a great place to find out about this information, we have some information sheets about pumping and storing milk, moms going back to work etc. ____@____.com is my personal email address if you'd like some additional information, I can send you meeting times. llli.org you can also look up a meeting in your area and call or email leaders of that group to find out times, dates, etc.

You can add a time in your schedule to pump for 15 minutes everyday so you can start storing milk for her. Pick a time that is convenient for you in between a feed and pump. Then when you are at school, try to pump at least 2 times while you are there. The medela pump in style has a battery pack to take with you, and also the bottles and ice pack container. It all comes together. There is a great book called the nursing mother working mother. It has great tips for pumping and nursing while being away either at school or work.

There's a supplement at the health food store to increase milk supply. It's called More Milk. I liked it better than the tea because I could put a few drops in apple juice and not taste it, but it really helped me whenever I needed a boost.

Hello Denise! First of all, you are truely inspiring, I want to absolutely encourage you to dream big for you and you precious little one! You are right to be thinking about how you are going to schedule pumping and feeding while at school-you have to make time for it. Don't forget to take care of yourself--drink lots and lots of water through the day, and EAT! If you can, try to pump every 3 hours--4 at the most, give yourself TIME to get a good pump from both sides. Relax and think about your daughter deep breaths, to help the 'let down' reflex happen. If you're too full, it helps to 'express' a little out before pumping--squeeze a little out so they aren't overinflated balloons--hee hee...been there! At 8 weeks your baby is transitioning and is going to start to be able to go longer between feedings, so don't stress about trying to keep her newborn schedule of constant feeding while you are trying to go to school. Oh yeah--get a GOOD pump (a double pump if you can, much much faster) I always liked the medula brand--you can rent one from the hospital. hope this helps--just make time for pumping during your day and take care of YOURSELF, and you'll be GREAT!! Praying for you and your little sweetie!

S. S

All good advice. The battery option would allow you to pump in the restroom if there's no office/room that's available for you to use. I have done it in my car frequently, with the car adapter too. Just hang some towels or shades over the windows, sit in the back so you're not so visible.

I was back in school within a couple of months after having my girls and I would go sit in my car and pump. Do you have enough time between classes to do that? My school had a fridge I could use until it was time for me to leave if yours doesn't then you could always bring a cooler.

I've also been told to drink lots of water to keep your supply up.

Start pumping now. You will want to pump once while she is taking a longer nap, which ever time of day this is and then again at night when she has her longest stretch of sleep. You will not get much at first, but keep at it and you will. While you are at school take your pump (get an electric pump, I reccommend Medela, they have some good electric pumps). Then just pump in-between classes. I am guessing you should have a break every two to three hours. Make sure you let your instructors know you are a nursing mother. By law they have to let you pump breastmilk to feed your child. YOu can work out a schedule during school hours that works for you and your instructors. It will work out. I pumped and nursed my first while working full time and having to travel for a little over a year. I am doing the same with my second who is almost 5 months. I pump every day and use the fresh milk for the next day, for her care taker. The extra milk I deep freeze and use that for when I am traveling out of town for work or in case of emergency's. You would be surprised how quickly it adds up. Good luck!

You have gotten some good responses, so I'm not actually addressing your question, but I really wanted to tell you...
YOU GO, GIRL!!! Hooray for you for being a good mom AND going back to school! You should be so proud of yourself! Remember that we are always here to support you!!
S.

Before I went back to work, I would pump on one side while I fed my daugter on the other. I would freeze the breast milk, that way, there was a stock of it for her when I was away. I love the Lansinoh storage bags for the freezer. I just kept them in a grocery bag in the freezer. Then I also pumped at work at least once while I was there. Good luck!

I had to go back to work 6 weeks after my daughter was born. Storing up milk beforehand is absolutely necessary. Make sure you have a great pump. I used a Medela duel electric and it was fantastic. What I did was pump for 5-10 min on one side while my baby nursed on the other during the first and last feeding uf the day. The milk flows easily since the baby is nursing on the other side. If you pump for only 5-10 min there will still be plenty of milk for the baby when you switch sides. The first day I tried this, I only got an ounce out of each side, but by pumping and nursing simultaneously it tricked my body into thinking there was a higher milk demand and my supply increased very quickly. Within the week, I was getting 2-4oz out of each breast! I work an 8 hr shift at work so I pumped three times in a typical work day. I usually was able to bring home 14-16 oz of breast milk every day. Good luck :)

Congrats on your decision to continue breastfeeding and congrats on your decision to return to school. I think it is great!

I went back to work when my son was 4.5 months old. I always nursed him right before I had to leave him with the sitter (sometimes even made her wait a few minutes for me so I could finish :o)).

I pumped once or twice a day at work - it probably took about 15 min each time. Sometimes I didn't get a ton, but other times I did better...just don't give up.

I also tried to see my baby 1/2 way through the day to nurse him again...

and I nursed as soon as I got him back...before I even went home.

I started pumping about a month or so before returning to work..so I could try to build up a supply.

I also pumped at night when he was nursing - both sides would always let-down, so I would nurse on one side and pump on the other. My hands were full! But I didn't feel like I was letting any good milk go to waste that way. I think I produced the most milk pumping this way.

Anyway...sometimes it was difficult and there were a few times when I didnt' know if I would have enough stored up for him, but we did it! He nursed until a few days before he turned one and he weaned himself!

And now he is one of the healthiest, smartest 2.5 year olds I know! (Doesn't every mother say that?!) :o)

Oh...by the way. I used an electric breast pump and pumped both sides when alone and pumped one side only when he was nursing on the other side.

I also found the best way to store milk (and unthaw it later) was to pump into a bottle (or whatever fits onto the pump), pour it into plastic breastmilk storage baggies (lansinoh brand, I think) - always in 4 oz and labeled with the date - and freeze it. You can freeze the baggies flat in the freezer and then stack them up so they don't take up much room. They also thaw easily by putting the whole frozen baggie in a cup of warm/hot tap water for a few minutes. It thaws out and heats up to the right temp within minutes! Remember to use the oldest milk first!

Best of luck to you!!

You can pump after you feed your daughter, or as was suggested before pump on one side and feed on the other. If you are feeding her every three hours, you will need to pump every three hours to continue to keep up your milk supply. So, if you are gone from home 7 or 8 hours, you need to pump at least twice while you are gone, and be ready to nurse her when you get back home. A cooler with ice packs would probably be the best way to store the milk, unless a refrigerator is available, and you need to find a place you are comfortable pumping and schedule breaks between classes when you can pump.

Having your child care provider keep her on a schedule so that she is ready to nurse as soon as you get home can help as well--just to get in another feeding during the day. Also, you will want to feed her as late as you can right before you leave her.

To keep up your milk supply, you will need to make sure you are keeping yourself well hydrated, and eating a balanced diet. A multi vitamin can help, as can eating lots of greens. If you start to struggle with milk supply, there is a tea called Mother's milk that you can get at health food stores that can increase your milk supply.

Good Luck! It is great that you are giving her such a good start to life by breastfeeding your daughter.