Do you ever stop pumping?

[mpvelaz]

My LO is almost 13 months. I work three 12 hour shifts per week (alternating nights and days). My DD does not take my milk from a bottle or cup while I'm away. Does there come a time when you dont have to pump anymore to keep you milk supply or do I need to continue to pump the whole time I am nursing just so I dont loss my milk? If so, how much should I pump?

[Heba]

I work outside the home 5 days/week and I stopped expressing when ds turned one. We went on to breastfeed for another 2 years and then some with no supply problems.
However, I was only away from him for 9 hours/day. I doubt that the extra 3 hours would have made a difference to the extent that my whole supply was jeopardised, but I might have noticed a dip affecting weekends, who knows?

Two things, though:
- as a child gets older, many nursing couples continue to breastfeed only once or twice a day. Supply simply regulates to this level of demand, but keeps going.
- you are only away from your little one three times a week. Especially if these are not consecutive days, your lo will have the chance to boost supply in between.

I would say that worst case scenario, your supply might regulate to a level where you could not comfortably keep up with daytime feeds when you are with your son. But as many wohms (myself included) find that their children nurse quote happily all weekend long without daytime expression during the week, it's highly likely that you would be fine if you chose to stop expression.

Good luck!

[jecombs]

I stopped pumping for my DD when she turned a year old. We went on to nurse for another 14 mo. before I got pregnant with my DS. I was away from her 5 days a week, 8-9 hours a day. I had no supply issues.

The longer you nurse your baby, the more stable your supply becomes. There's really not much danger of losing your supply when you've been nursing a year or more.

Leaving the pump at home was so liberating! I enjoyed nursing DD even more when I didn't have to worry about pumping.

[hildare]

Originally Posted by jecombs

I stopped pumping for my DD when she turned a year old. We went on to nurse for another 14 mo. before I got pregnant with my DS. I was away from her 5 days a week, 8-9 hours a day. I had no supply issues.

The longer you nurse your baby, the more stable your supply becomes. There's really not much danger of losing your supply when you've been nursing a year or more.

Leaving the pump at home was so liberating! I enjoyed nursing DD even more when I didn't have to worry about pumping.

...there is light... at the end of the tunnel! thank you guys for giving this mama some hope. i am not in love with my pump at this point in my life.

[CorasMama]

I totally identify with how good it feels to finally leave the pump at home. I remember one day when dd1 was 13 months old, I was at work, pumping, and I realized that between her initial feeding issues and going back to work right after the feeding issues resolved, I had been pumping over a year, and I was D.O.N.E.

We went on to nurse for another year and a half, nursing quite a bit while I was home, until some time after 2 years old, she started to taper off.

[ladyleah]

This thread is so helpful- as I was just wondering the same thing! I work 3 days a week outside the home and I am gone around 8 hours and I pump twice (and nurse before I leave, and when I get home).

My son is only 9 months old-- so I will not be giving up the pump anytime soon....but I always take the stupid battery operated thing with me-- even if I am going to be out for only one "missed nursing session" (where my son gets a bottle of BM) which means pumping on the way to going out for dinner or on the way home.... my pals call me a "hardcore pumper"....lolol I won't be sad to give up the pump on those nights!!! lolol

PS- I thought I could never give up the pumping as long as I wanted to keep nursing.....so glad to know that isn't the case once my little man gets older!!

[lunarlady]

I hung up the horns when DD was 11 months. I had enough expressed milk to make it to a year, and that was enough! We are still nursing almost three years later. Just know that those first days pump free you might leak a bit or feel engorged, so you might want to taper off slowly.

Pumping is a big reason I'm not keen to go back to work in Oct. Oh well.

[2boyzmama]

I agree with PP. I've been cutting back on pumping sessions slowly once Gavin started solids. He's 11.5 months, and I'm down to a pumping before I leave for work, and maybe one short pumping when I'm at work (just to relieve engorgement). He takes solids and one bottle while I'm gone, then nurses a lot when I'm home. I did this with all of my kiddos, stopping pumping around a year, but still bringing my pump just in case for a while. My first weaned after age 3, my second is still nursing now at 3.5 years. So stopping pumping obviously did not effect them weaning! Nor did working.

[JudiAU]

I pump until 18m with a goal of nursing until 2, unless babe really want to go on. Meaning, I really want her to nurse until 2 for her health. Later is optional. To do that I need to keep up my supply. DS weaned within two months of my pumping so it obviously made a big difference. She still drinks the milk when I am away (yeah) but I would still pump if she didn't. Some other baby would just be using it.

Because you have a rotating shift, I would try for at least every 3-4 hours.

[blake201]

I'm so glad to hear I can eventually stop pumping and keep nursing... I have only been back at work three days (I am away from home 10 hours/day 5xweek including my commute) and I HATE the pump. I have thrush that has been resisting treatment and pumping is SO painful compared to nursing... but I will do ANYTHING to ensure I can keep nursing my baby girl!

[Baby_Cakes]

I stopped pumping at work when DD was 13-14 months old. I just swapped her 1 breastmilk bottle for soymilk, and resumed nursing when we were together. It was SOOOO FREEING. And FWIW, she will be 2 in 3 weeks and still nurses.

It totally changed how I felt about nursing past a year, too. It was so much more "doable" and less stressful. No more worrying about ounces and finding time to pump. It make it more about she and I instead of about just me and the pump.

[*MamaJen*]

Instead of pumping, I had DS in a daycare right by my office, and I would go and nurse him on my lunch break. I cut out the noon nursing when he was 18 months, and just nursed him before and after work. He's almost three and still nurses a couple of times per day.