Nursing and working

[therdogg]

I am just curious... how long has it taken for your periods to start up after giving birth? With my other kids it ranged from 8-10 months, but I was at home. Now I work full-time, so I am wondering how much amenorrhea I can expect. Here's my survey:
How many months did it take?
Did you feed breastmilk exclusively?
Did you pump? How often?
When did you introduce solids?
How many hours were you away from your baby?

I am working standard M-F working hours. I am hoping to pump just twice per day, and am hoping that will be enough to maintain my supply.

[mambera]

Ten months.
No, I had to supplement due to low supply.
Yes, as often as I could. About every 2-3 hours on average.
Started solids at 5.5 months.
Hours away really varied. Max 14 h, min maybe 1-2 h. Probably averaged 6 hours a day.

[paintedfire]

[akind1]

How many months did it take?

AF returned at 4 months PP. 2nd AF at 6 months. so not really regular

Did you feed breastmilk exclusively?

yes

Did you pump? How often?

Yes. twice a day, sometimes just once (if DS ate immediately prior to my leaving, and/or I could only fit in one session)

When did you introduce solids?

around 5.5 - 6 months. at around 5, 5.5 months, we started letting him taste and/or hold food that we had on our plates. I started jars at 6 months (he likes the texture of purees, I hadn't planned on using any)

How many hours were you away from your baby?

I work at home 3 days a week and am in the office 2 days a week. the days I am in the office I am away from DS usually between the hours of 7 and 4:30 or 5. so 9.5 to 10, including the commute time

Also DS has always slept a good stretch at night and some say that this influences AF returning. (because if they aren't nursing during high prolactin level times, I think) Others say it is pure genetics. Interesting though.

[*MamaJen*]

How many months did it take?
One and a half. No break for me.

Did you feed breastmilk exclusively?
Yes.

Did you pump? How often?
No, I took DS to the office with me, and then he went to a babysitter at six months and I went over there twice a day to nurse him.

When did you introduce solids?
He didn't want solids until seven months. I would say he wasn't eating solids regularly until about nine months.

How many hours were you away from your baby?
About four hours at a time.

Are you counting on the amenorrhea for your birth control? Because that would make me seriously nervous. I don't think it's a very reliable method. You can ovulate before your first period.

[mauri456]

How many months did it take? I got it back around 8-9 months

Did you feed breastmilk exclusively? Yes she had BM while away from me until 12 months. At 12 months I did milk while away and nursed when we were together but ditched the pump

Did you pump? How often? Yes. I pumped for every feed she'd have from a bottle. I wasn't always able to get them in when at work so I'd squeeze an extra session in at home when needed. For me, I followed a 24 hr rule -- pump at least how many times she ate in 24 hrs.

When did you introduce solids? At 6 months. She has always been a good eater and loved solids, but they didn't really cut back on her BM intake til probably 9-10 months. It was gradual then too.

How many hours were you away from your baby? So Im a RN. I was working 12 hr night shifts at the time. It was hard bc I'd leave for work at 6pm, get home at 8am (so 14 hrs) When I got home I'd nurse her, but then she'd go to school after I worked bc I'd been up all night and usually had to go back. So there were many times that we'd be away from eachother for long stretches. It was hard working nights cus I'd have to set my alarm every 2-3 hrs to get up and pump and then go back to work and be up all night again.

Luckily my DH was very supportive and would bring her up to work sometimes, wait for me to get home so I could nurse her, wash all my pump parts, bag the milk, etc. I dont think I could have done it without him.

[DCMama01]

Originally Posted by therdogg

I am just curious... how long has it taken for your periods to start up after giving birth? With my other kids it ranged from 8-10 months, but I was at home. Now I work full-time, so I am wondering how much amenorrhea I can expect. Here's my survey:
How many months did it take?
Did you feed breastmilk exclusively?
Did you pump? How often?
When did you introduce solids?
How many hours were you away from your baby?

I am working standard M-F working hours. I am hoping to pump just twice per day, and am hoping that will be enough to maintain my supply.

7 weeks. :-(
EBF until solids were introduced. Still no formula.
I pumped once a day around 10am while DD napped. Once I returned to work, I pumped at 10:30a and 2:30p while at work M-F.
5 months.
I was on maternity leave until 4 months and wore and/or held DD most of the time. Co-slept from day one.

[IngaAnne]

My son will be one on June 1st and I have still not had a period. I plan on breastfeeding for another year. My son is allergic to a lot of foods including dairy and soy, so no formula or other milks.

I went back to work when my baby was 3months old. I work 4 full days a week (8am-5pm not including commute). When he was younger, I'd breastfeed twice before I left for work at 7:30am. When I got home around 5:30pm, I'd breastfeed again, then once or twice more before he went to bed. This really helped him get enough milk and sleep through the night.

On Mondays, I pump at 9:30am, noon, and 3pm while at work. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, I do a morning pump, then visit my son at daycare during lunch to breastfeed, then pump in the afternoon. I've always had a lot of problems getting enough pumped milk, so I also have to pump right before I go to bed to get just enough to get by during the week.
He started on solids around 6 months old. The kid is a big eater, both solids and breastmilk.

[texmati]

Originally Posted by therdogg

I am just curious... how long has it taken for your periods to start up after giving birth? With my other kids it ranged from 8-10 months, but I was at home. Now I work full-time, so I am wondering how much amenorrhea I can expect. Here's my survey:
How many months did it take?
Did you feed breastmilk exclusively?
Did you pump? How often?
When did you introduce solids?
How many hours were you away from your baby?

I am working standard M-F working hours. I am hoping to pump just twice per day, and am hoping that will be enough to maintain my supply.

I got my period a week after I went to work-- at about 4 months
yup, until about 6.5 months, now at 8 months we try very hard to do solids at least once on weekdays.
gone 9:30 to 6, pump twice at 12 and 3.

eta: we cosleep, and I really credit reverse cycling and cosleeping for saving my sainity thus far.

[Engineering_Mama]

How many months did it take?

19 months

Did you feed breastmilk exclusively?

Breastfed exclusively until she was 6.5 months and then started introducing solids. Never did any formula. Began switching her to goat's milk/hemp milk at 19 months because I couldn't pump enough any more.

How many hours were you away from your baby? Did you pump? How often?

I'm gone about 10 hours with my commute. I pumped 3 times a day from the time I went back to work until she was 12 months, then dropped to twice a day (I was getting the same amount whether I pumped 2 or 3 times), and finally dropped to once a day when she was 16 months (again, I was just pumping less and less and it didn't seem worth it to pump more).

When did you introduce solids?

When she was 6.5 months.

[Quinalla]

How many months did it take? 6.5 months and nothing yet

Did you feed breastmilk exclusively? Yes, except for some minor supplementing in the first couple weeks and we just started solids at 6 months

Did you pump? How often? Yes, typically 3x a day, occasionally I do 4x if it works out better with my schedule to have 4 shorter sessions. I would love to do 2x, but for now I have to do 3x to get enough.

When did you introduce solids? 6 months

How many hours were you away from your baby? 9.5 hours each day M-F

My plan is to continue pumping enough for her day at daycare until 1 year and then if everything is ok, start switching to cow's milk at daycare and slowly dropping pumping sessions to at least get down to 1x or maybe none depending what I need for comfort and keeping my supply.

[momtoTnT]

How many months did it take?
After my DS, I had my first AF when he was 6 months. I got pg w/dd that cycle. DD is turning 5 in August, and I haven't had an AF yet (but I also have a Mirena IUD).

Did you feed breastmilk exclusively?
With DS, no. He was combo fed. With DD yes.

Did you pump? How often?
With DS, I pumped multiple times/day (1x day at work). With DD I only pumped at work (1x day) for comfort, until she was about a year, then I stopped - she would not take BM in any form other than straight from the tap.

When did you introduce solids?
6 months w/DS, 1 year with DD

How many hours were you away from your baby?
9/day.

[Redheaded_Momma]

Originally Posted by therdogg

How many months did it take?I think my period came back around 6 months
Did you feed breastmilk exclusively?Yes
Did you pump? How often?Once I went back to work full-time at 12 weeks I pumped 2x/day at 10 and 2
When did you introduce solids? We tried a bit of food at about 5.5 months b/c Dr. said we should but then quit and tried again about 7-8 months
How many hours were you away from your baby?About 8 hours a day, maybe more with travel and traffic.

Good Luck

[rlmueller]

AF after 7 weeks (I was sooooooooo mad--exclusive breastfeeding and all).

Breastfeed/pumped milk in bottle exclusively

Back to work at 8 weeks--pumping twice only my milk took a big hit. Went from 14-17oz a day until 3 months 1 week down to 9-10 oz currently. Try try try for 3 a day. Change out pump parts and tubing every three months. Use galactologue herbs. Feed on demand at home no matter what.

So I try for 3 pumps a day, if not--don't laugh, I've figured out how to pump while driving (I know--so bad) with an Avent Isis and my shirt down--5 min each side without looking to see what I get and then I put it down into my coffee holder.

No solids yet--of course I wouldn't dream of it before 6 months but will hold out for prob 7 like my son.

I'm away 10 hours a day with commute--sometimes 11 hours.