Pumping at Work / Bottle Feeding Quantities?

Updated on April 07, 2011
S.T. asks from Denver, CO
9 answers

I am exclusively breastfeeding my 4.5 month old. I only work 28 hours a week, am only in the office working three days. I've been back at work for about two months now and my "freezer supply" is quickly dwindling. When I pump at work the amounts vary between 3-6 oz for a 15 minute pumping session. My husband is home with our son and feeds him 5 oz every feeding. My son is a voracious eater, and I swear if you gave him 10 ounces in a bottle he'd chug it down in minutes.

I don't want to underfeed him - how do we know how much to give him? I'm so worried about keeping up pumping and it's usually only off by a couple ounces, but them sometimes I skip a session at work :( or my husband will have fed him once more than I pumped. and then slowly my supply has dwindled. I'm also worried about my milk supply - what are your secrets/tricks for keeping up? What am I doing wrong? I also worry my husband feeds him too often - thinking if he cries, stick a bottle in his mouth... but I also don't want to have him make my son miserable waiting if he's really hungry! Typically he eats about every 2.5 - 3 hours.

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thanks so much moms! some great advice. :)

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L.W.

answers from Cincinnati on

I had the same problem as you..only dif is I worked full time. My supply was gone by the time she was 5 months old..I ended up loosing the battle. :(
It was suggested to me to drink more water, and pump more often. I would wake up in the middle the night to PUMP..I would also pump before feedings. Seemed like the machine never got out as much as the baby could suck out.
I still lost the battle after being FT back at work after 2 months. I think you are doing all you can.
Just remember Formula is not poisen...its ok to suppliment with it if you dont have enough. I would rather have a happy baby on some formula than a grumpy hungry one :)
good luck

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H.F.

answers from Pocatello on

I have a hard time getting muchwhen I pump too! Look at a picture of your baby and smell an tee-shirt he has worn, that helps get your brain chemisrty in the mindset that it's nursing time. Taking the herbs fenugreek and blessed thissle will increase your milk supply. A friend of mine used liquid drops of them and she said ti worked way better then the capsules, I havge only ever taken the capsules. The fenugreek may make the milk look discolored (yellowish or even greenish), but it is totally safe for your baby. In a couple of months when your baby starts to eat some solid foods it will be easier, then he won't have to have as many bottles of expressed milk when you are not there. Good luck!

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K.L.

answers from Chicago on

Have your hubby feed him on a schedule so that you don't have to worry about him just sticking a bottle in his mouth every time he cries. For his age I would try every 3 hours to start and see how that goes. If he consistently naps past his feeding that is a sign you can take it up to every 4 hours. Chances are if he cries between the scheduled feedings he has gas and needs to be burped (when bottle feeding try to encourage hubby to burp him about every 2-3 ounces. Hubby will probably find that walking around with baby up on shoulder for a while will work out gas/burps) or his teeth are bothering him (especially if accompanied by the sniffles, reddish cheeks and putting things in the mouth. In that case have hubby give something to chew on including a clean finger to gnaw on.) or he's wet/poopy or he's tired and needs a nap. If he's not on a nap schedule try a feeding, some wake time playing and then a nap. When he wakes start all over again. And just for the record, every 3 hours means 3 hours from the start of the feeding, not from the end. :-) The schedule will give you both the confidence to know when something is really wrong or out of the ordinary or when he's just tired/hungry/wet/poopy/gassy. This will cut down on stress and the need to stick a bottle in his mouth bc he's crying.

As far as how much I do not have the answer. I would strongly recommend you find your nearest LLL (La Leche League) meeting and go. The women there are perfectly suited to answer these questions and are the most helpful, supportive people ever. Real sweethearts! These meetings really cut down stress-you'd be surprised.
BTW: So awesome that you pump for your baby. Blessings!

http://www.llli.org/webus.html

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M.C.

answers from Pocatello on

When you are home... make sure you are doing regular feedings... That way if your son isn't getting enough milk he can "tell" your body to make more milk- don't just rely on the bottle at night and evenings... since this will be the main time you can do regular feedings. It may be hard- but you MUST take every opportunity when you are at home to nurse.

Drink LOTS of water, eat plenty of healthy foods, with a decent amount of healthy fats and proteins. If you are hungry, it will be harder for your body to produce enough milk. Also, don't skip pumping at work... your body makes milk based on "supply and demand"- if you aren't making your body produce as much milk as it would if your were at home breastfeeding- it won't. If you supply feels "low" then pump for a few extra minutes. You may not seem to be getting anything out- but your body will get the message that you need to make MORE milk to keep up with demand. You could also try pumping a little bit right after your son is finished nursing (or while he is nursing on the other side). The point is that you need to get the message to your body that you need to make more milk. Lastly, try not to get engorged. When your breasts get engorged too often your body will "think" that you are making too much milk and your suplly will start to go down... which is a good reason to make sure you don't forget to pump. If your baby is taking a bottle at home... IDEALLY you should be at work pumping at the same time- for at least as long as he is taking the bottle- ideally more. In fact, it may be a good idea if you pump more often at work then he feeds at home... since babies are such efficient eaters! (I know that working out these things is often easier said than done...)

Good luck to you! As long as you are doing at least a few regular feedings at home you should keep up SOME supply (provided you eat and drink enough)- but, don't feel like a failure if you end up supplementing some formula during the time you are at work- just be very gradual with it- so you don't inadvertently sabotage your breastfeeding efforts completely!

-M.

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K.C.

answers from Chicago on

First look up how many oz of breastmilk your baby should be eating for his age and try to keep it within that range (give or take) to ease your mind. There's not much you can do about how much your husband is feeding the baby while your gone (same goes for babysitters). If you need to beef up your milk supply you might want to consider taking fenugreek for brief periods of time, also, pumping twice for shorter periods of time or pumping a couple of minutes longer than the fifteen minutes will tell your body to create more and then pump at the same time even when you are home to keep up that extra milk supply. Remember-your body will make as much milk as you teach it to. I went back to work fulltime when my son was 5 1/2 wks old and pumped three times a day in order to get enough for the next days' feedings. As he got older, and I couldn't keep up, the babysitter would just supplement with formula whenever she was short on breastmilk. (I did this until he was 10 months old and he gave me the signals that he was done breastfeeding) It is completely harmless to supplement! As long as they are getting some breastmilk every day, they will reap the benefits of breastfeeding. Plus it makes it easier to transition if you need to wean early or need to be away from baby and don't have enough stored breastmilk. Just lessens the guilt a little. Good luck! One more thing you could try to is to add an extra pump time after your baby goes down for the night..

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J.A.

answers from St. Louis on

I found that taking Fenugrek and trying to pump more frequently helped increase my quanity I was pumping. I also had to limit my workouts and stress (which both are hard to do).

Try and get him on a schedule and find other soothing methods other than food (if that is the case.) Ask your Ped if they have a recommended amount.

Another thing that I found that was a problem for some friends (not me because i didn't breastfeed at all after 2 weeks, just pumped) was that your body 'lets down' based off a command and just like babies can have nipple confussion, some women's bodies have a confusion as to what they are suppose to respond to when they let down.

Just like with everything when it comes to babies, everyone is different so this might not be an issue with you, but it was for 2 of my friends.

Supplementing is not the end of the world. I know it is hard to decide to do that, but it doesn't mean you failed, it just means that you are taking care of your LO the best way you know how!! Good luck and keep it up as long as you can and know when to stop or you will make yourself crazy!

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M.R.

answers from Rochester on

I have an excessive milk supply and have to pump already (my son is 3 1/2 weeks old) just to get some relief. I would recommend pumping on the days you are home, possibly on one side or towards the end of a nap, and then nursing. If you immediately nurse him on the side you pumped on he will get the fatty milk out better and help your body know it needs to produce more milk. If you live close to work, see if your husband can visit on your lunch break so you can nurse instead of pump. He might also be getting close to being ready for solids. I wanted to wait until 6 months for my first to start solids, but he was constantly nursing or taking bottles when I was at work and still acted starving. He took to solids immediately at 4 months old. My second wouldn't touch them until well past 7 months. Every child is different, so yours might be ready. You can always double-check with your pediatrician for how they recommend you approach that.

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A.F.

answers from Chicago on

Are you pumping 3 times while at work? Have you tried re-setting the let down feature to see if you can get a second letdown with the pump resulting in more milk. I found that worked for me. Also, pumping EARLIER in the morning resulted in more milk so I would pump upon arrival (also because I about over an hour commute via train/walking/driving combo) -- and I would pump at 1130 and 330pm as well...so like 845, 1130 and 330 and then home with my baby to nurse by 6pm. I pumped exclusively at work 5 days a week until he was a year, nursing at home on demand. I ended up with enough in my freezer to last after the year was up. If I noticed my supply dwindling because I was sick or something, I took Fenugreek capsules from GNC - 3 capsules 2 times a day and it came right back up with that and lots of water and eating oatmeal. If your family has a history of peanut allergies, beware as Fenugreek can trigger an allergy in some who are peanut allergic. It will get easier once solids are introduced because their bottle intake decreases in frequency (though the bottles tend to be bigger). Good luck and keep it up Mama!

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K.A.

answers from Denver on

While you're pumping at work also do hand compressions. It will encourage more milk to be available, and the richer milk also. Then after pumping do hand expressions to get the last bit of milk out. These steps will also trigger your breasts (hopefully) to produce a bit more milk. I always struggled to pump much milk, but if I kept up with these techniques it seemed to help. Also, stay hydrated, for some women if they don't drink enough water they have a harder time making milk. Also, try adding in a pumping session or two at home after you've nursed DS. This will get a small amt of extra milk but will also trigger your breasts to produce more. Lastly, try some tinctures (easily found at health food stores). For most mammas I've talked to they help them with milk volume. For me I've found them to be only a temporary boost, not for long term.

Good luck!!!

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