When Did You Stop Pumping At Work?

[AnnaNova]

just out of curiousity...
my son is 1 y as of last week, i am still pumping at work (twice in 8 hrs), but supply i get at work is meager... my son pretty much completely reverse cycled and he does ok with little milk i leave for him, and then he eats a lot in the evening and sometimes at night and early morn...
i am hoping to stretch it as far as i can, but just was wondering, at what point, did your baby just eat solids when you were away and you could allow yourself stop pumping? or when are you planning to stop for that matter?
thanks

[curiouscanadian]

I stopped pumping after Christmas break this year, so DS was 16mos? (I went back just before he was a year old).

My milk supply had started to drop, and I simply decided it wasn't worth it to me to spend half my lunch break pumping a measly 4oz.! (But from day one of pumping I couldn't pump a full day's worth of milk and supplemented with organic goat's milk as needed.)

[nameisrio]

16 mos. for me too. I stopped the day I only pumped 1 oz! My daughter was drinking cow's milk by then, so it was no problem. Was a little engorged for the first week, but after that it was fine and she nursed til 2 yrs. 8 mos.

[Elecampane]

14 mos for me. Hastened by a bad bout of stomach flu that lowered my supply for a few days. My DD was taking mostly cow's milk during the day at that point, anyway. She just weaned in December at nearly 3 1/2.

[doubledutch]

with ds1, i stopped pumping the day he turned 1yo. i was pregnant and my supply was dropping - and i just didn't want to do it anymore! he weaned at 39 months.

with ds2, i started pumping less around 6-7 months and was completely done pumping around 8 months, because he didn't take the bottle, but i was able to nurse on my lunch hour, so i was only going a maximum of about 6 hours without pumping/nursing. my supply stayed up - he was always an evening cluster-feeder anyway. he is still nursing at 35 months.

but i have a friend who continued pumping after 1 year, even though her output was getting lower, because she enjoyed the break and taking time to think about her little one and 'connect' in a way. one thing to keep in mind is that your supply probably isn't going down - just pumping output, which is really normal after 1 year. your lo is probably still getting the same amount of milk as before, when nursing. you're just not responding to the pump the same way you used to. it may also be that your pump doesn't quite have the juice it used to.

anyway you should do whatever you will feel best about. at this point, i don't really think there's a wrong answer.

[almadianna]

i did it at 18 months with this one, with my first i never stopped because i was very pregnant and wanted to keep up my supply, also she was 20 months when her brother was born so she was still teeny.

[curiouscanadian]

one thing to keep in mind is that your supply probably isn't going down - just pumping output, which is really normal after 1 year. your lo is probably still getting the same amount of milk as before, when nursing. you're just not responding to the pump the same way you used to. it may also be that your pump doesn't quite have the juice it used to.

This is very true. I think DS still gets enough when nursing, but pumping just isn't the same. (I considered replacing the valves on the pump as I've heard that can make quite a difference, but I was also just ready to be done pumping so I didn't bother.)

[*MamaJen*]

Instead of pumping while at work, I just took two breaks a day to drive three minutes to the babysitter and nurse DS -- it was really nice being able to do it that way, and since he was so close, it didn't take much longer than pumping would have. Until he was about a year old, I nursed him right at drop off and pick-up, and went over twice daily. After a year, I went over once daily, and I guess he was about 20 months old when I stopped the lunch break nursing. I was a little engorged, but not much. He's 25 months now, and we still nurse maybe three times a day, as well as a little night nursing.

[justKate]

I just pumped at work for the last time about 2 hours ago! (I hope.) DD will be 1 on Sunday and nurses plenty through the evening/night, and i'm really just DONE with pumping. I really didn't think I'd make it this far. I say if you're done, be done with it, as long as your son has plenty of opportunities to nurse when you're with him, I think he'll be just fine. And mama will be happier! Which is better for everyone.

[painefaria]

I pumped for DS until he was about 19 months. He preferred to wait until I got home to nurse than to drink my milk out of a cup or a bottle. I got sick of thowing out the milk after a few days so I stopped. I was happy to have that time back. I am not sure how long I will pump when we have the next one.

[Qestia]

I stopped a little before one year--am still nursing at 17 months. I was just sick of it, and DD nurses plenty when we see each other.

[Carita]

I stopped pumping at 18 mo (Though I def got the one year itch and almost quit right at the one year mark). By the time I stopped he was only getting 1 - 1.5 oz or so in a whole day and he had moved up into a toddler room where they didn't have bottle heaters, etc. I kept going until then mostly because he had a milk allergy, and I was worried about giving him soy FT.

ETA: oh and I'm still nursing!

[Alyantavid]

Right around a year.

[Altair]

I'm deciding this right now too-- my baby will be a year in 6 weeks, I have a TON of freezer milk so I could still give him a bottle every day for awhile. He's still having 2-3 bottles a day, then eating a lot of solids (table food) while I'm gone, then nursing a few times in the late afternoon/evening then at midnight and 5 AM he wakes up to nurse. I'm thinking I'll try to keep pumping until the end of this school year (he'll be 15 months) and then nurse full time over the summer, then probably not pump next year when he's 18 months, but maybe 1x a day if I'm feeling guilty!

[Ardor]

I stopped pumping at 10 months, and it saved my breastfeeding relationship. I was really sick of breastfeeding and resenting it and wanted to wean him. I just stopped pumping at work and suddenly breastfeeding was a piece of cake! He's 29 months and still nursing a bunch

[ShadowMoon]

16 moths for me. I was so used to pumping but I couldn't get any more milk out by using the pump. Ds was eating some solids and having a bottle of plant-based milk while I was away. I still nursed him at home.

[Latte Mama]

I stopped at 1 year, my pumping output dropped to about 1/2-1 oz. I only pumped twice per shift so I gave it up. But he's still nursing at 17 months!

[Megan73]

I just stopped pumping last week. DS is 18 months and my lunchtime pump output dropped to less than an ounce when AF returned and never bounced back.
I would have kept going if I'd continued to get 3-4 ounces.
I should add, though, that I got a year of maternity leave so I only pumped for six months.
Mamas who've been pumping at work multiple times a day since their babies were wee should be SO proud of themselves

[Skippy918]

I stopped pumping at work when he was about 10months old. I stopped pumping completely around 11 months old. Part of my justification was I had built up a huge freezer stash of 1200+ oz, so I was able to cut down the pumping. It took him 4 months to finish off the milk. We still nursed at night. He weaned himself around 16 months. I was hoping to continue nursing him but I kept offering and he didn't want any. My supply was very little at this point.

[LynnS6]

About a year for each child. I think dd was a bit under a year because she'd completely reverse cycled and I didn't see the point.

Dd nursed until she was 4, so it didn't affect our nursing relationship at all, FWIW.