pumping after a year

[Altair]

My baby is almost 10 months old now and I'm wondering what others do in regards to working and nursing/pumping as the baby grows. I'd just really like to hear different things that worked for different families!

A little about our situation-- I'm a K teacher, but not a classroom teacher right now. I do push-in and pull-out work with kids with ASDs in an inclusive setting. Which means I do have flexibility to pump when I need to. I had to go back to work at 8 weeks and I started by pumping 3 times a day, when we went back in September I went down to 2 pumps. I pump about 12 oz a day, and for a long time he was taking less than that and reverse cycling with me (nursing a lot at night cosleeping) and I froze and donated the rest. I don't pump at all on nights or weekends.

He started solids at 6 months (baby led weaning, no purees) and the solids were such tiny amounts that it had no impact at all on nursing. Right at about 9 months he suddenly realized he loved food and he's been eating much more lately. I felt my supply dip when we went back after winter break and I got nervous and upped his nighttime nursing and pulled back on the solids slightly.

Now I feel like he's starting to not nurse as much when I'm at home. So today for example-- I nursed before I left at about 7AM then he went back to sleep with daddy. He ate a little breakfast and some lunch and had 3 bottles (about 10 oz total). When I got home at 2:30 he nursed a little, then nursed a few minutes off and on throughout the evening but didn't get a GOOD nursing in until he fell asleep at 7PM. I'm guessing tonight he may get a few quicky nursings in with 1-2 good ones.

Is that enough right now? It feels like it's not to me, but I'm following his lead with the amount of food he eats.

So, in thinking that I have 2 more months until he's 12 months, when I still want the majority of his diet to me MM but I anticipate over the next year it will lessen gradually-- how do working moms balance maintaining a supply for nursing at home with pumping? Do you still pump for 1-2 bottles? It would be nice at some point to wean down to one pumping.

Thanks in advance for your stories.

[SnglAPmama]

First I would like to say I think it's so wonderful that you are so committed to providing your son with the best nutrition possible!!! I went back to work when my daughter was 3 months old and pumped until she was 18 months when I changed jobs and was working at a daycare and had her with me, so she could nurse whenever she wanted to.

I was pumping twice a day from 12 months until she was about 15 months, and then she was eating enough solids that I was able to pump once a day. She also nursed a lot at night most of the time. There were times when she would nurse less and eat more a day or a week at a time. She went back and forth between nursing more and eating more, and I worried a lot but in hindsight, I really believe her body knew exactly what to do. If you're concerned about your supply, what worked for me was alternating fenugreek and Motherlove's More Milk or More Milk Plus. For some reason after taking fenugreek for a month or so it would not work as well as it had been, but alternating worked great. I would suggest giving your son a little water when he's eating more food and nursing less but I would trust that he is healthy and is probably just going through a phase of discovering how delicious food is, then he will remember how much he loves nursing. That way, he will be getting the best of both worlds and a very smooth transition. My daughter really didn't eat much overall until she was 18 months and she is now 3 and still nurses anywhere between 3 and 10 times a day (and at night). Obviously, as long as your son is sill peeing a lot and pooping (which changes with solids), he is hydrated and healthy. In hindsight, I wish I had worried less and enjoyed the ride more. I think our children will let us know what they need. Also, obviously all babies are different, your son may take to solids more quickly but will still nurse as much as he needs to. It was a very slow transition for my daughter but for my friend's daughter, once she discovered food she was crazy about it! She is 20 months and still nurses 2 or 3 times a day. Her daughter eats quite a bit of food at each meal, my daughter eats one "good" meal a day and not much food otherwise, but both girls are healthy and growing and thriving. I would trust your son and follow his lead, and follow your own instincts, too. Good luck mama!

[Altair]

Thank you for answering!

I agree with following his lead, and that's what I'm trying to do, but I feel like that balance is so much easier when you are nursing directly all day and not dealing with pumping and others feeding him. Because his nursing is varying each day, my pumping output is varying, and I have to change every day telling his father or grandmother how to balance the bottles and food. I'm trying to follow the advice of "give him whatever you pumped the day before, no more, no less" to prevent making too much or too little. But it's starting this cycle of him not nursing as much in the middle of the night, which means I pump more bottles (they fill up fast) and he gets more bottles than he would have otherwise (3 full 4oz bottles is a lot for him). I liked my reverse cycling better even though it meant less sleep!

[pixiepunk]

i just wanted to add, that is really typical age for kids to get distracted by all the fun stuff going on in life and nursing less - many people mistake this for weaning (or use it as a time to encourage weaning if they are so inclined). i think if he's willing to take the bottles of pumped milk while you're away that it might be a good idea to let him have them, regardless of amount, because at least you know he's going to be getting it in him. whereas sometimes LO's are just too distracted to nurse sometimes. it probably won't last long, and i bet you'll be back to your reverse cycling. perhaps at a year, if you try dropping down to one pumping session, if he's willing to nurse when you're together, having fewer bottles during the day will encourage more nursing at night. but i'm not sure i'd try that right now while he's in that distractable phase, what until he comes out of it (for all 3 of my kiddos it was between 13-15 months)

and i want to second the pp's kudos - i have always had the deepest respect for mamas who pump, and i think it is so wonderful that you're working to keep your nursing relationship going!

[kdtmom2be]

I pump once while I am at work (gone about 6 hours) and I pump once WHILE nursing my little guy. He has been going hard-core on the solids and nursing less lately and consequently drinking less BM when I'm gone but I've stuck to a rule of thumb of leaving him an ounce for every hour that I'm gone. That seems to work for us and some days he drinks it all and some days there is some left and he's had a bunch of other stuff to eat instead.

Of course, the hitch here is that I work part time. I only work 3-4 days a week so the other days I am home and don't pump.

Also, FWIW, when I tried to go back to work when my DD was 12 months, I only pumped once a day, just to keep my supply up, she wouldn't take a bottle ever and wouldn't drink milk from a sippy either, only water.

[Altair]

Not a chance I'll let the little guy wean. Yes, he's more distractable right now but we're also battling a really bad gash on my left nipple from a bite he inflicted 3 weeks ago. (No bites since, but this is not healing at all, it's almost like a crater filled with white pus) The IBCLC and my great family doctor have me on oral and topical antibiotics and I'm trying to heal it but in the meantime I'm trying SO HARD not to show him my pain because he's so sensitive and if he sees me wince he stops nursing and waaaaaaaails and is inconsolable. And wow, mother of god this thing hurts! Hurts even more if he doesn't latch on right, so I'm super sensitive to how he's latching on and not as relaxed about it, which makes him cry again.

But... like I said, not a chance I'm letting him wean I don't care what problems we face. I will pin him down and nurse his stinking cute face if that's what it takes until he's 24 months, after that we can do whatever we like.

He has nursed more at night since I wrote the OP. With me biting the pillow if it's the left breast!

[_betsy_]

Ouch - what about using a nipple shield while nursing on that side to allow the skin to heal?

I went back to work FT when DD was 7 weeks old. I pumped 3 times a day (at least) for the first year, and then by 15 months I was pumping twice. By 18 months, she had night weaned herself, was FINALLY sleeping through the night, and I was pumping once a shift. And, yep, sure enough, as soon as I went down to once a shift and DD wasn't nursing at night, I got PG (we were TTC). We nursed a couple times a day for a month, I quit pumping, and then DD1 was weaned. It was gradual, but faster than I really wanted, I'd have happily nursed through the PG and tandem nursed, DD1 wasn't interested.

With DD2, I went back at 12 weeks PP, and am still pumping 3 times a shift at 12.5 months PP. I was just yesterday sort of day dreaming about cutting back on pumping, but I don't think DD2's stomach can handle cow's milk yet, and I don't want to intro it for fear of it being a whole lot easier and me cutting back on pumping seems to = huge supply dips, so I'm not cutting back any time soon. I'll revisit this when she's 18 months, maybe.

[~pi]

Originally Posted by Altair

how do working moms balance maintaining a supply for nursing at home with pumping? Do you still pump for 1-2 bottles? It would be nice at some point to wean down to one pumping.

My DS started child care at a year; I never pumped for him. He nursed and ate solids at home, drank water and ate solids while away.

He did reverse cycle quite a bit. We co-slept and he nursed a lot during the night. Not substantially more than he had been doing, but I did occasionally wonder if he would nurse less at night if he got more during the day.

Anyway, it might have cost me some sleep, but it worked fine for us. We hit my goal of 2 years with no problems and he's still nursing now at 3 yo.

I think it depends on your own supply, sleeping arrangements, etc. but I personally view pumping after a year as totally optional.

[justKate]

Originally Posted by ~pi

My DS started child care at a year; I never pumped for him. He nursed and ate solids at home, drank water and ate solids while away.

He did reverse cycle quite a bit. We co-slept and he nursed a lot during the night. Not substantially more than he had been doing, but I did occasionally wonder if he would nurse less at night if he got more during the day.

Anyway, it might have cost me some sleep, but it worked fine for us. We hit my goal of 2 years with no problems and he's still nursing now at 3 yo.

I think it depends on your own supply, sleeping arrangements, etc. but I personally view pumping after a year as totally optional.

This is what I'm going for. DD is 11 mos. and I'm hoping to stop pumping at 1 yr. Right now I pump once at lunch time = 8 oz for the next day, but as her solids increase I'm hoping to be freed of my pump. I can't wait!