Going back to work

[APierson]

I am an EP mom. Usually I get about 30-32 oz a day with my old job but I just started a new job and it's so much harder to pump. I only got 25 oz yesterday. I work for an 9-10 hour day and can only pump sporadically. I got in 3 pumps yesterday 2-15 minute andb1-10 minute. Any suggestions on how to keep my volume up??

[possum]

I knew a mom who used a hands-free pumping set up while she commuted.  Do you have a significant enough drive to work to try that as an extra pumping time?

[APierson]

Unfortunately not. I work 10 mins from home but I do pump right before I leave. My work day is 9-10+ hours so I have to pump in between too.

[cat13]

What is different about your new job? Is it harder to find a place to pump, or is your schedule more irregular? Also, are you getting less output per pump session, or just having fewer sessions?

[APierson]

I can only pump every 4-6 hours and i get less each output. I was pumping anywhere from 32-38 ounces a day and now I'm pumping any where from 25-28 ounces. I usually pump for 10-15 minutes before lunch, 20-25 minutes during lunch and 5-15 min after lunch then at home I pump as i normally would. I'm pumping just enough for him to eat. I'm not able to store anymore. :( It sucks but at least he can still eat Mommy milk. That's what is best. It's just discouraging and hard mentally on me. That probably doesn't help in my lactation either.

[cat13]

Every time I talk with an EP mom, I am always filled with a big sense of awe and pride for you all....you truly work so hard to give your LO the best!

As someone who's only been bfing for 6 months and pumping for 4 (and not EPing), I have some thoughts, but please forgive me if you've already tried all these. :)

Do you feel like time is your biggest hurdle? If you had all the time you needed at work to pump, would you be ok, or is the pumping that has become less effective? If it's time, is there any way you can talk to your supervisor or HR to get more time?

If you feel like the pumping is less effective....How old is your LO? I noticed that for the first few months, I was a big overproducer and it felt so good to fill my freezer stash. At about 5 months, my supply evened out and now I pump just enough for him to eat each day. While I'd love a buffer, I know it's my body's natural way of evening out. It helped me to look at it that way, instead of seeing it as a decrease.

Have you had any luck with galactagogues? Dom?

Are you using a double electric pump? If so, have you tried replacing the membranes and giving it some TLC? Have you tried manually expressing after you pump? This is a great resource for that. Have you tried breast compressions while you are pumping? Is there a way to leave your pump already set-up so you have more time to actually pump, and don't have to spend time putting it together/cleaning it each time?

I know you are EPing, so maybe this isn't possible, but can you add in an extra pump session on your days off?

Who is caring for your LO when you are at work? Any chance they are overfeeding? I have a printed out copy of the How to Bottlefeed the Breastfed Baby handout on my fridge for DH, since he cares for DS alone while I work. It's helped prevent overfeeding. Also, I assume your care provider knows how VERY HARD you work for each and every ounce you get... are you positive they aren't tossing any out? I have a friend who found out that her MIL was tossing out up to 4 oz per day because she didn't understand proper milk storage (this was after she had been caring for her DD for over 4 months!.... what a shame!)

Hopefully you can find something that will help you get more output, good luck!

[APierson]

Time is my biggest issue. We get very busy and sometimes I get only 5 minutes to pump. Lunch is the only time I can get my full pump time is when I am at work. Getting more time is unfortunately not  an option most of the time. I do on my days off try to pump more often and get a few more in but that doesn't always happen either. DS doesn't always allow it. Lol.

DS is 3 months now and I'm not ready to stop giving him Mommy Milk. I know he needs it even though it is going to drive me insane. So far I've only tried Nettle and Mother's Milk Tea. I've thought of using Dom but haven't gotten as far as to getting it.

The pump is a double electric and it's brand new. :) It's great. I was just reading on one of the pages you posted that I'm actually getting a good amount of milk out since I get bout 1 1/2-3 ounces out of each side each time I pump.

My mother in law keep DS when I am at work and I only leave her enough milk to get her through the day because she is the type that would feed him any time he made a noise. She always thinks he hungry but she has no choice but to feed him around every 3 hours because she will run out of milk. :) Good planning for this mom.

Dom is going to be my next attempt at increasing my volume. Just waiting for the first check at the new job.

Thank you so much Cat13 for all the good web sites. I got distracted while trying to respond by them. Lol