Pumping Schedule (X Posted)

[txbikegrrl]

I posted this thread (below) in the breastfeeding forum but thought I'd try here also


This is long, so thanks in advance for your patience and ANY input...

I'm going to return to work March 1st. I'll only be able to pump at lunch. DD will be dropped off at day care around 7:30am and I won't be able to get her until after 4pm maybe 5pm some days

It was similar with our first (DS) but I was able to drop him off a little later (8am) and pick him up around 4pm so at least he was "only" away from me for 8 hours. DD and I will be separated 9 or 10 hours. I can NOT change jobs and usually my schedule is an advantage -- except at this time (end of school) year.

Anyway, I can only pump at lunch which luckily worked fine with DS and I'm hoping/planning for the same good fortune this time. What I'm really confused about is what to do in the morning(s). DS woke up at least once usually twice at night. DD sleeps through the night.

So I'm wondering if I should wake her to eat around 4 or 5 am the shower and try to get her to eat again at 7am the pump?

Otherwise she'll probably get up at 6am on her own. Should I just feed her and pump then?

I'll pump again at noon then feed DD from the tap hopefully at roughly 5pm, 7:30 and 10pm. I'll tell the daycare not to feed her more than 10 ounces each day. What do you think?

[bajamergrrl]

I usually pump in the morning before work, nurse DS just before I leave him at the babysitter, pump twice at work, nurse DS right away when I arrive at the babysitter, pump again at home.

I would say definitely pump and feed in the morning before you head off to work and then nurse again before you leave the daycare in the morning.

[LynnS6]

How old is she? When my kids hit about 9 months, I only pumped once a day and they were fine. If she's younger, you'll clearly need to pump more.

Any chance of nursing her just before you drop her off and again when you pick her up?

[txbikegrrl]

Bajamergrrl -- We live less than 10 minutes from the day care so it's much easier and more comfie for me to nurse at home then drop her off. Also, with DS it was necessary for me to pump after he ate so I'm assuming it will be with DD too. They are one side nursers. Then I pump about 4 - 6 ounces, most out of the "other" side but I just always double pump. I may re-evaluate pick up now that I have DD and DS to get home so can't just sit down and nurse. Thanks for your input!

LynS6 -- She is 3 months old. It is not an option for me to pump any more. I only have a lunch break. I stressed about this with DS and even bought a few cans of back up formula but never needed it so I'm assuming I'll be fine with DD now. I'm pumping in the morning already so hopefully I can continue to pump 4+ ounces in the am before work then I'd only need another 4+ to almost cover the next day. Shortfall can be made up on the weekend. Also I probably have 300 ounces in the freezer. As I stated above it's like I'm nursing her right before drop off since we live so close. I'm definitely going to think about pick up. Thanks for your input!

[doubledutch]

i think either of your options could work. it seems simplest to nurse her when she wakes up at 6am (rather than waking her) and then pump right before you leave the house (or in your car right before going in to work). if you're getting up earlier than her and you have time, you could pump a bit then, too. is she nursing during the night? it sounds like you have a good supply, and a very similar schedule has worked for you in the past - i hope things continue to go well.

my biggest concern with waiting that long to nurse/pump, as someone who also had a good supply, is engorgement and blocked ducts. if you never ran into that with your first baby, then maybe it's not a concern, but if you did, you might want to massage the areas where you're prone to blocked ducts when pumping, to encourage good flow.

[Altair]

One time a workday pumping is very hard for your body to maintain supply, especially with STTN. You may find that she no longer STTN when you return to work (as mine did and many others do). Nursing throughout the night can REALLY help with supply. If she's only eating 10 oz at work (which is good to err on the low side so she's hungry for you, but for 9-10 hours I'd try to leave at least 12 oz) then she needs to make up 15-20 oz with you and for some babies that takes night nursing.

I would nurse/pump in the mornings, either at the same time if it's feasible or better yet pump after if you have some help. Try to find a way to get a 9:30 pump in, then lunch, then nurse/pump when you get home (SO hard I find at that time, but that's another story!) Then pump after bedtime if you can.

Are you a teacher? What state are you in? I am a teacher and I am able to pump twice a day, but it took a good amount of negotiating with my boss and reminding her of my legal rights re: state laws. Another teacher covers me for 15 minutes around 9:30.

[txbikegrrl]

Doubledutch -- Thanks for reminding me about plugged ducts. With both LOs I got mastitis around the 6 week mark. Then with DS another time but can't remember exactly how long it was after I returned to work. I'll definitely continue to massage my breasts while pumping.

DD is now going to bed later like 10+ pm and waking up before 5 am so I'll likely wake her if she hasn't already eaten before I shower then try to get her to nurse again at 7+ am before leaving for work. Not sure if I'll pump immediately after the day care drop off...

[txbikegrrl]

Altair -- Good point about the amount I'll leave 4 three-ounce bottles. If she wakes during the night that's fine. I really can't pump twice a day. I'm not a teacher but support staff (psyc) and need to work with teachers and students or attend sped (ADR-IEP) meetings in the morning. I have 26 campuses and nowhere to pump except my office in the admin building. So hard enough for me to "just leave" at lunch but for 9 months it just has to be done. In the afternoons I either go back out to schools or stay in the office and meet with admins. I've tried pumping in the car and will when necessary but on the middle and high school campuses there are kids wandering around the cars then campus officers searching for them. If I find a place out of the lot it adds more time to the process and I work in the 'hood (barrio) so others wandering around that I have to watch