Would you pump for a 1-yr-old for a daily 4-hr separation?

[raqi]

Hi!  Next week DD will be spending the weekday mornings with a babysitter (she's been coming to work with me, but I just CANNOT get anything done and it's stressing me out).  It will probably be about 3.5/4 hours between drop-off and pick-up, and I doubt she'll nurse when we get there, since she'll be distracted and excited to be in a new place, so, realistically, it might actually be 4.5 hours in between nursing sessions.  She would definitely be nursing at some point durint that time if we were together.

The longest she's gone so far w/o nursing was 5 hours, but that was on a playdate followed by a long nap, so I don't know if it's a good indicator.  She does eat solids (more and more all the time), but nursing definitely is still providing the bulk of her calories. 

I'm trying to decide if it's worth pumping for such a relatively short time period.  I haven't even tried giving her expressed milk since she was 5 months or so and refused every bottle we tried, so she might not even drink it (it would be from a cup this time).  Should I try just leaving her with some snacks?  Maybe leave some goat's milk or something (she's never had that, either, so I don't know if she'd take it)?

Obviously, for convenience's sake, I'd rather not have to pump.  And I know that solids are going to be taking up more and more of her diet, but I just don't want to push it if she's not ready.  Advice?

[la mamita]

does she drink water from a cup? my only concern would be dehydration if nursing is her only liquid intake.

i went back to school after 12 months and did not pump. my kid did some minor reverse cycling, nursing more when i was home...and eating some solids & drinking water when i was not around. i found pumping to be such a hassle that it wasn't worth the effort to me to do it for such a short timeframe. i didn't have a super fancy pump though, so it wasn't the most effective thing either.

[PatioGardener]

I would only pump for my comfort. I'd leave instructions for my DS to get water with his food, and I would plan to nurse immediately on pick-up (like right there at the sitter's.)

My DS nurses every 4 hours but can go up to 6 h without nursing if we are somewhere really distracting (even though I offer) and then he reverse cycles.

good luck!

Edited by PatioGardener - 2/15/11 at 4:00pm

[raqi]

Thanks for the replies!  Yes, she drinks water (TONS, in fact - she loves it), so dehydration wouldn't be an issue.  I guess I'll give it a try with no pumping and see how it goes.

[SilverFish]

yeah, i definitely wouldn't bother, not at 12 months. my dd is 12 months and doesn't often go 4 hours during the day, but could quite easily, if mommy's boobs weren't so easily accessible all the time. for the first few weeks, you'll probably need to nurse as soon as you go pick her up, but i think she would very easily adjust to waiting until you got home if that worked better.

i personally would leave plenty of solids that i know she likes to eat, plus probably a half sippy of some kind of plant milk (we don't do dairy) like soy, almond, hemp or something like that, plus water. not so much that she NEEDS milk while i'm gone, but just to have something with a comforting milky taste and at least some extra calories if she chose not to eat much.

[JudiAU]

Personally, yes that is a very long time at that age. I would pump and reintroduce a bottle/cup whatever she'll take.

[elluin]

I'm in a similar situation with my dd, who is almost 11 months. I will be going back to work 2-3 hours a day. I would also rather not pump, but I'm going to start with pumping to leave her enough for at least a snack size nursing (so far she has only taken an ounce from a straw cup, and refuses other cups / bottles). I don't want to not give her the option of having my milk when she's without me for the first time. I'm hoping that she'll be ok with solids / water during that time though and I won't have to continue pumping. Right now she still nurses after every (solids) meal, so I don't think she's eating enough to skip the milk.

Good luck to you!

[Parker'smommy]

Four  hours is not a long time to go  between nursings at 12 months old ( many babes go that long between nursings at that age)  Nurse her at home, before you drop her off, and then when you pick her up and I'm sure you'll both be fine! Good luck!

[princesstutu]

No, I wouldn't pump.  Especially since she drinks lots of water (which I also wouldn't worry about, really, but it's good that she will take water so that if she wants something in her mouth, water can be offered) and eats plenty of solid food. 

Leave a snack, some water, and go handle your business, mama!

[elluin]

I was curious how this is going for you?

I'm two weeks into our new arrangement (working mornings for 2-3 hours) and finding it really difficult to pump. I'm considering having her wait to nurse until I get home and snacking with water/solids while I am gone, or maybe a nut milk. It's usually about 3 hours, potentially a little more. I guess my concern is that it would contribute to early weaning or increased solids before she's ready.

[raqi]

Weird, I thought I'd posted a reply several days ago, but it's not here.

Anyway, it's going pretty well!  I haven't been pumping at all.  I left goat's milk a few times, but I guess she hasn't been into it.  We nurse at home before we leave and occasionaly when we get there if she's not too distracted.  She's always anxious to nurse when I come back, but hasn't been upset or anything (and has even fallen asleep on her own on several occasions which I never thought would happen!).  She nurses a bunch in the afternoon and several times a night (but that's nothing new).

Elluin, has your care provider tried not offering her the pumped milk to see how she does?  I hope you can figure something out that works well for both of you - good luck!

[elluin]

A couple times she was not offered pumped milk and she did fine, but she did not have any fluids those times. She eats very little solids (maybe a tablespoon or less at a time). She likes tasting my food, but she always nurses after a meal of solids, so I don't think she is interested in filling up with solids. I guess my concern is that not leaving milk will push her to increase her solids before she's ready. When I'm with her, she still usually nurses every 2 hours round the clock unless she's distracted.

The positive side is that I've now been able to pump enough before I go to bed. Hopefully this doesn't do funny things to my supply, but it at least let's me focus on her when I get home... Sometimes I'm very uncomfortably full in the afternoon though. It seems like neither solution is ideal!