he eats more than i pumped out during work

[annaconda]

Today was my first day back to work. In 6 hrs my Lo ate 13 oz. by 2:15 pm. I pumped every 2 hrs and got almost that amount by 3pm. However my caretaker suggested he would have eaten more. I gave her access to my freezer as today was day 1 and I didn't want to thaw anything extra. She didn't dig into it, she used what I had standing by.

I am guessing he will take a nice long nap and will not need quite as much as usual tonight. I'm not sure but I don't think he eats that much when he is with me. He has taken lots from bottlefeeding before - seemingly more than he takes from the breast.

Has anyone had this issue? I finally got him to ebf and I hope to not have to supplement. I did pump out every two hours but that is going to be tough to do every single time I work.

[greenmulberry]

Yes, I had this exact issue.

My DD was drinking 16 ounces, or more, when I first went back to work. She was home with DH, and he knows when she is hungry, and she was clearly asking to be fed, so I was just heartbroken over what to do!!!!

Meanwhile I was struggling to pump 10 or 12 ounces at work.

I will tell you, that as I pumped more at work, I got better at letting down milk for the pump. I went from 2 to 4 ounces a pumping  session, to 5 to 7 ounces a pumping session. In the meantime, I pumped extra in the morning and sometimes after she went to bed to make sure I had enough.

Also, I think she was wanting to eat for comfort. Once she got used to the change, she started to eat less, and once she FINALLY took a pacifier, she ate way less also.

So between having better pumping sessions because my body got used to the pump, and DD taking a pacifier and getting more chill about being without me, I went from pumping 4 or 5 times a day (some at work, some at home) to pumping twice a day!!

I will say, that if you can pump all the milk she drinks (whether you have to do it at home or can get it all in at work) that will help your body respond to the pump better.

It sucks, I know, but it got much better for me as time went on. Please don't judge this based on your first couple of days, as you get into a rhythm you will be able to pump more.

[annaconda]

Thanks... I will give it some time. I have pumped a ton in the 10 weeks of ds's life though... we had a lot of early bfing issues so I think I'm pretty used to the pump. I do pump extra, I usually use that to tank him up at night (2 extra oz I get overnight I usually give to him in the evening and he will sleep 8-3.)

I just read on kellymom that he only needs 1-2 oz an Jr while I am gone. That means 6-12. O pumped 13 so that makes me feel better.

[greenmulberry]

If you are on Kellymom I guess you have seen all the other tips for making more milk?

I eat oatmeal every day and drink mother's milk tea at my desk. I also find drinking water WHILE pumping seems to help me get more,.

[Heba]

I used to pump immediately on return from work too - baby on one side, pump on the other.  Maybe this is something you could try?

[CI Mama]

When I went back to work, DD quickly "reverse cycled" and started eating a lot more during the night, thus less during the day. It was hell for me in terms of sleep deprivation (I could rarely get quality sleep when she was waking up to nurse 4-5 times a night) but it worked well in terms of continuing BFing even after I had to work full-time.

I also had the experience of getting "better" at pumping as time went on. And I discovered much to my surprise that I could pump just as much in 2 sessions than I could in 3. My body did better with fewer pumping sessions, I don't know why.

Also (true confessions), we supplemented with a little formula. I was lousy at pumping at home and I never had a good freezer stash. Formula carried us through the few times when breastmilk ran out and DD couldn't wait until I got home. It was a compromise, but one that was worth it to decrease  my stress.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

I would guess that he is wanting to eat more while you're gone as a comfort measure.  Also, babies will eat a lot more from a bottle than from the breast if it's available and easy to get it to keep coming out.  I would print off the info on bottle feeding a breastfed baby from Kelly Mom for you care provider to make sure she's following the protocol. 

Also, "tanking up" with extra milk from a bottle can really backfire on you.  It teaches baby that feeling overfull is normal and good and can lead to them expecting/desiring that overfull feeling and therefore he will take a ton of milk by bottle when you're gone to feel full.

[Marissamom]

also, you can try to increase your pumping output using this technique: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

[crystal_buffaloe]

That really sounds like quite a lot of milk to me. Do you nurse at drop-off? Does the baby take a pacifier when he's not with you? Are the nipples slow-flow and does the provider hold the baby upright and the bottle horizontally? Would the provider consider wearing the baby in a carrier?

[annaconda]

Thanks for all the responses. marissamom that video is amazing I am definitely going to add those techniques. He has not eaten nearly that much since, but he also had his shots this week. I will see how things go. Also, (no flames please!) I will try not to but I may allow the sitter to give up to 2oz of formula in the middle of the day if she feels he really wants more than I've given her. I am working so hard with this and the return to work is stressful enough. She is only on duty 2x a week so I don't think an extra ounce or two is going to mess up my supply any at this point. It's worth it to ne to just pump during the day without stressing on the totals.

I think I may be able to get more with the techniques in that video! I looked through old threads before posting but boy am I glad I posted because that video wasn't in any of them.

I have tried to be more sensitive to taking up in the evenings too. I stopped offering 2oz and went down to 1 and he hasn't been that interested. He's been off a little from his doctor visit though so we wi/l see what next week brings.