Q&A: getting more with less pumping access

Emily writes:

"I have a question about pumping and working. My 3 month old son is in daycare every day from 7-3:30 while I work. I am a teacher, and my schedule only allows me to pump once -- at lunch -- at 11:45 every day. During that time, I seem to be only able to get about 6-8 oz. This seems to be enough for my son right now, but I'm worried about what will come once he hits a growth spurt. I nurse him right before I drop him off in the morning and as soon as I get home to try to maximize his TOT (time on tit). I really don't want to supplement with formula, but it seems like my only option. I have not tried anything to increase my milk supply, because I worry that anything I do won't really make a difference because the once-a-day pumping will decrease production. I'm also worried that I'm setting myself up for a nasty case of mastitis. My schedule would allow me to pump twice -- once at 10 and once at 11:45 -- 3-4 times a week, but I don't know if that would make any difference.

So, I'm looking for help and ideas. Can you be of any assistance? I hope so. Thanks, in advance, for your thoughts."

Remember that I'm no lactation consultant, but I think if you can add in that extra pumping session at work even twice a week it will help. I'd also try some of the easier things to increase your supply--eating some oatmeal every day, drinking a Guinness every once in awhile in the evening, drinking Mothers Milk tea, or taking fenugreek capsules. Taking flax seed oil or lecithin capsules will help prevent plugged ducts and mastitis (plus they'll make your hair shiny). (Or you could eat those crazy brown rice "treats" with the flax seed oil in them from yesterday.)

Here's something that might also work, and I'm going to need to see if anyone else has tried it--trying to switch your pumping schedule so you produce less while you're at work and more later on when you can pump. In other words, if you could pump another time right after your son goes down to sleep, and then again right before you go to bed, you could end up in a week or two producing more milk in the evening and being able to pump enough then to make up for his needs during the day.

The reason I think that this will work is that some babies go through a phase when they refuse to nurse during the day, and will only nurse while they're drowsy or falling asleep, and that phase can last fro a month or two, and the mother's milk production just seems to accommodate that. They tank up at night and play during the day. I don't see any reason why you couldn't use your pump to get the same effect.

I'm betting some of the pumping working moms here have some suggestions, and you should also check out the PumpingMoms group on YahooGroups, which is sort of the oracle of pumping.

Has anyone tried switching their supply to be able to pump more while not at work?

Comments

[JIllian]

First off, congratulations on working hard to juggle the enormous emotional and time responsibility of pumping etc. I think that in itself deserves a big acknowledgment. (and I am certainly NOT belittling anyone who makes a different choice or who does not have this as an option). But I lived through this,too, and it was a lot of time and energy and planning that no one truly understood the enormity.

I am a teacher, too, but luckily I am a subject teacher in the upper grades with two periods off and was able to pump 2x/day for my son. Of course that meant that time for paper grading, uhm, sure, next year?! Truly,though, I learned to give much more meaningful work and grade that rather than more paper than I could manage. Helped me be a better teacher.

The one thing that really worked for me was to begin waking up at about 5:15ish am and pump from the moment after I woke up. Since my supply was so great in the morning, I could typically pump almost two bottles within an hour before he woke up! (I felt like a cow, but a happy, loving one... I know my results may not be typical. I drank that Mothers' Milk tea 4x/day or something...) My son would typically only have a small snack overnight, too, so I'm sure that added to my supply in the very early morning. Then when he woke up about 6:30ish, I would still have enough for him to have a complete feeding, or TOT. (LOVE your acronym!) I know it is incredibly hard to wake up even earlier, especially if you aren't sleeping well at night to begin... but this is what worked for me.

My son is now 2 1/2 and I still wake up before 6am to have quiet time, occasional exercise, and, oh yeah, grade papers. I pumped for my son until he was just about a year and he continued to nurse until he was about 16 months. (At about a year, after talking to midwife and pediatrician, I gave him fortified soy milk in his sippy at daycare instead of pumping. He never had formula.)

Hope this helps...

[Jo-Ann]

I pumped for both my boys and worked. My first I had a traditional job. I pumped 2 or 3 times a day at work and always pumped at 5:15am. I always had enough for him. I pumped till he was 13 months old and I was pregnant with #2. He nursed till be was 2 1/2.

My second baby I had a non traditional night job a few nights a week. I could not pump at work at all (I hand expressed when I got uncomfortable). Instead I pumped every morning as soon as I woke up. My husband then had pumped milk for the baby and my supply did not suffer too much. My baby is still nursing at 26 months.

A tip to make pumping in the AM easy is to have your pump 100% set up before you go to bed. This makes pumping very easy with little thought involved. The less you have to do in the AM the better. Setting it up the night before always made me feel pampered especially when my husband did it!

Good Luck

Jo-Ann

[Joanna]

I have to agree with the previous posters about pumping first thing in the morning. That is when your hormone levels are at their peek milk producing time. I was able to get my supply up enough that I could nurse and then pump about 10 ounces. I was able to stock pile enough milk in the freezer that I stopped pumping a month before I planned. Set the pump up the night before and by microwave sterilier bags for quick clean up and you should be able to get what you need. Also, continue to do the morning pumping sessions on days off, so your body never gets the chance to slack off.

[jane]

I agree that pumping in the morning might really help you. I had a 1.5 hour commute to and from school, so I would nurse my daughter right before I left and then pumped about an hour later in the car. (I know plenty of people do not pump in the car for safety reasons, but it worked for me.) This worked well for me because I couldn't pump again for about 5 hours because of my school schedule. I ended up having lots of extra milk because my child only took a little bit from the bottle during the day and then nursed forever when I returned. The great thing about that, though, is that I've been able to share my extra stash with a friend who has some health problems and medication issues that required her to stop breastfeeding. Good luck and it sounds like you are doing a great job with your son!

[Laura]

I'm about to be in a similar situation - starting a full-time job where pumping will be difficult. (I think - haven't actually seen my office yet!) Although I think it will help that my twins (almost 10 mo.) are already slacking off on nursing during the day (more solids, too much interesting stuff to look at, etc). (BTW they have been supplemented with formula from the beginning but I've tried to nurse/pump as much as I could.) For several months I have been doing a pumping session between 10-12 at night, before I go to bed, to add to the milk store. I think my body is maintaining a supply at that time of night because of the pumping. I'm hoping to implement what Moxie suggests and will try to keep making enough during night and/or morning pumping to get them a couple of bottles during the day.

[hedra]

Ditto the early AM extra effort. Supply is highest then anyway, and being tired in the 'long active day' way hits my supply harder than being tired just because I woke up early. My LC also recommended (when I was struggling with the supply around 5 months with the girls despite supplements and everything else) that I do an extra early morning pumping, even if that meant I was nursing or pumping every 45 minutes to an hour during the mornings. The supply adjusts. (I didn't get much chance to test the program, though, as I was laid off a week later.)

You may be okay if you can get up to 10 oz/day, by the way. Even with a growth spurt. My second, who was a huge kid from birth, never took more than 10 oz in an 11 hour day, not even at 10 weeks old. He'd rather wait up for me. The girls, likewise - they hung at 12 oz/day in 10 hours for a while, then dropped to 10 oz each, often less. Only the first kid was a big guzzler, running 20+ oz some days, but none of them really bumped the bottle feeds up during growth spurts - just insisted on more TOT. Don't worry too much in advance.

You can try fenugreek, Mothers Milk Tea, More Milk Tincture(s), oatmeal (and other whole grains). I also avoided sage, oregano, mint, and high-dose B vitamins (which can suppress lactation hormones). Getting *some* B vitamins can help (the whole grains are rich in them), but the mega doses that are often used to bring cycles back in line (for fertility) while nursing can really hit the supply for some women.

Also, maximize your pumping for the sessions you have, if you can. I wrote an article on getting more from the pump. posted at Storknet. I'll come back with a link in a bit.

[bryanna]

I have found that what works best is just to adapt to whatever my son (now 7 months) is doing sleep/feeding wise. Lately, he's been sleeping from 7pm to 5am (praise be!), so I pump before I go to bed. At times when he was waking up at night however, I would keep the pump set up next to the rocker and pump one breast while nursing with the other. In the really early days we did a lot of co-sleeping, but when I could muster the energy I would get up after nursing him to pump.

It might be a good investment to buy some extra pump parts so that you always have some clean and ready to go.

Also, it sounds like you're doing really well with the one pumping session you have. I don't know if I've ever pumped 8 oz at one sitting. I've worried over it at times (my son is HUGE), but I just keep reminding myself that he seems to be thriving on whatever it is he's getting.

[Jen]

I never tried pumping in the morning (but what a great idea!) but for several months, my son would go to sleep around 7 PM and I could count on him sleeping til at least 1 or 2 AM. I would always pump one more time before I went to bed, and I'd get enough for at least one more feeding for him at daycare. This was especially helpful when I started a new job when he was 6 months old and it became much more difficult to schedule work around pumping.

I stopped doing that a couple of months ago, because I commute on the bus/train and I got tired of lugging my pump all over town. :) Fortunately, I had built up enough of a freezer stash that I think I'll make it. He's 11 months old now, and I'm hoping to stop daytime pumping after he turns one.

[A]

Don't have direct experience with pumping and work/baby schedules, but want to put in a plug for kellymom.com. The message boards there have a dedicated area for questions about pumping and there are LC's who moderate the board along with loads of experienced mommas, so you're sure to get lots of helpful advice there, too...

[Erin]

Good job, mama, for pumping! I was an exclusive pumper for 14.5 months (just finished in June) and my sister is an 8th grade teacher who is currently nursing/pumping, so I may be able to give you some tips...

First, babies have about the same total oz per day milk intake from 1 to 6 months; after that it increases until they are eating solids well. So, don't panic yet, especially since you are giving your son unfettered access in the evenings.

Here are a couple of things to consider:
1) Continue to give him as much time on the breast as you can stand when you two are together - it will only help to keep your supply up and ensure your son is getting what he needs.

2) What kind of pump are you using? In my experience, anything less powerful than the Medela Pump in Style Advanced or the Ameda Purely Yours will not express milk efficiently enough... Hackely Medical Supply has the best prices for pumps that I can find. Also, if you have the $$, renting a hospital grade pump can also be useful - the Ameda Elite is very quiet and lightweight.

3) Is your son eating from both breasts in the morning? Could you nurse him on one side and pump the other (either while he is eating or, if he's too distractible, right after) - That would get you a little extra milk for the day.

4) If you aren't already, continue to pump once a day (when possible) on weekends and your days off - it will help build up a backup supply for growth spurts, etc

5) I never found fenugreek alone to be that helpful... Instead, try taking Blessed Thistle (3 capsules, 3 times per day) with Fenugreek (3 capsules, 3 times per day) - It was the only herbal combination that really boosted my low supply... If you (and your pee) do not smell like maple syrup, you are not taking enough fenugreek to make a difference.

6) Try the extra pump session at school for a couple of weeks on the days that you can manage it... Sometimes I found that fewer pumping sessions, but a longer time pumping (pumping through several let-downs) actually garnered more milk than more frequent pumping sessions, but you will have to see how your body reacts.

7) Are you experiencing any pain while pumping? If you are, that can inhibit let-down... Lanolin, in my experience, was too sticky to pump with and just made me raw (also, yeast really love lanolin - it's all sugar - so if you are having any issues with thrush, best not to use it anyway). Olive oil is a great pumping lubricant - it is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, as well as not being sticky. I used to get the small bottles from places like World Market and throw them and a travel case of q-tips (to apply the olive oil) in my pumping bag.

8) Make sure your flanges are the correct size - too large and you won't be able to express milk efficiently; too small and it will make transferring the milk more difficult and cause pain. Medela makes flanges from 16 mm to 36 mm, so you may want to try a size up or down from your current flange if it doesn't seem to be right for you.

You are doing a great thing for your son!

[hedra]

Linkety link link.

http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/breast/pumping.htm

[Suzanne]

From birth, my 3 month old would only eat on one side per feeding, allowing me to pump the other side and build up a milk stockpile. Now that I'm working I feed her in the morning and pump the other side then pump both sides a couple of times during the day. I'm able to get a little extra on the weekends too since she only takes one bottle per day on the weekend. If you can produce enough milk in one breast to satisfy the baby maybe you could feed from one side for a few feedings and pump the other side.

[Lisa]

I always thought I didn't have a good milk supply, but actually, I had a perfectly adequate supply, my boobs just weren't that enthused about the pump. Fancy that.

I think if you're getting 6-8 ounces while he's only 3 months, that you're in really good shape for now. As he starts to require more, you'll produce more, even if you're still only getting to pump 1-2 times per day. I think you're dead on trying to maximize the TOT (love it!).

Just make sure you're daycare provider lets you know how many bottles, and how much he takes while you're at work. (And don't fret too much about growth spurts, your production will catch up shortly.)

The biggest problem I had with long term pumping at work was switching it up with the breastpump. I had to switch shields and methods a little bit every couple of weeks. If I didn't my supply would drop a bit. If in doubt though, fengureek is great for supply issues, and makes everything (and I mean EVERYTHING smell maple syrupy).

Good luck, I think the amount you're getting from one pumping session a day is great!

[Fahmi]

I know the last thing you want to do is wake up at night when you don't have to, but I found that pumping around 3 or 4am was very effective in keeping my milk production up, despite not being able to pump during the day.

So pump at some point in the middle of the night, nurse in the morning before work, pump during lunch, nurse after you get home, and try to pump one more time at night before you go to bed. And as Moxie said, take advantage of the few days when you can pump a bit more. Every little bit helps.

Another thing that helped me was to nurse exclusively from one breast at a time. This way, when I pumped the other breast, it was full, not depleted from the nursing. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the supply increased to accommodate the one-side nursing.

[MrsHaley]

No advice on pumping while working, just lots of KUDOS and ENCOURAGEMENT! Way to go! Emily, you are a brave & committed mother for putting so much thought and effort into doing it, and I know whatever you figure out will work. I have a lot of respect for you for sticking with nursing while working. WAY TO GO!!!!

Also, Jillian -- I love what you said about taking time to pump making you a better teacher. I'm a former HS English teacher and that really resonated with me. I resigned my job to stay home with BG, but I can totally see how pumping while teaching could result in better teaching ... AND excellent mothering, all at the same time!

And Jo-Ann -- a former Surgeon General siad, "Lucky is the baby who nurses after 1 year." Lucky are your babies! I hope at 26 months (that's 17 months from now) I can also say BG is still nursing. :)

[Luann]

My son is 8 months old. I've been back at work since he was 5 months old. Because of my schedule, I usually can only pump once a day. Without fail I get 12 oz, on the dot. My son is very big for his age and a big eater, but he seems to be content to have 3 4oz bottles a day at daycare. If I can squeak out an extra, I do, and after reading Hedra's article I'm going to try and do twice a day whenever possible. I'm producing just enough right now, and when my freezer stash gets below 6 or 7 bags it makes me nervous!

I'm incredibly lucky in that I have a private office with an adjoining semi-private bathroom - our building is old and quirky and I'm grateful to have drawn this spot! Even so, sometimes I have trouble getting into the "production zone," either because of work stress or timing issues. I can't imagine how hard it must be for those who have to pump in a bathroom or their car or can't pump at all and have to give it up because of an unaccomodating workplace.

One thing that people often recommend is looking at pictures of your baby. Our digital camera also takes movies, and I have several of them on a DVD that I can play on my computer. Each is only 30 - 50 seconds long, but having the audio as well as video is a great trigger for me. If you can catch him when he's hungry and giving feeding cues, or at other moments that make you feel especially maternal, it's even better.

Hope this helps! Moxie, thanks for this place, it's really wonderful. Learning here the other day that so few women continue nursing past 6 mos has strengthened my resolve to go for at least a year.

[JL]

This is a bit of a hijack, but I am wondering how long people generally keep pumping. My daughter is 10 months old now -- I pump at work and once after she goes to sleep, and just the one time after she goes to sleep on weekends. I've found that's the only way to keep enough milk stored for her. Anyone pump past 1 year? Is there a reason to do so? I will happily breastfeed her for a long time to come, but will also happily say goodbye to my pump . . .

[Kathy]

For starters, 6-8 ounces is a helluva lot in my book. Good job!

Ditto on the AM pumping. You might get twice as much.

Ditto on fenugreek and fennel.

Ditto on nursing on one side while pumping on the other. Lots of us don't let down nearly as well for a pump as a baby, so doubling up lets you let down for your adorable baby. To manage this, you'll either need some help from your partner or a pumping hands-free bustier. (It's like a tube top with two big holes that can hold the flanges against you.) I think the holes are big enough to breastfeed through, but results may vary.

On the topic of letting down for your baby rather than the pump, PHOTOS! And smells! If possible, take the pjs your baby slept in with you to work and just bury your nose in baby smell goodness. Make a recording of the "ehh ehh ehh" hungry sound and play it back for yourself, perhaps on a computer. DON'T stare at the drips! The hands-free bustier makes it possible to call daycare and check in, or relax and read a magazine. Much better than holding the flanges against you, watching the milk, stressing out.

Ditto on the olive oil. I take about a 1/4 of a paper towel and fold it up, then use it to apply olive oil to the flanges. (I put it down the tube part where my areolas might rub, plus a little on the cone part to get a good seal.)

Breast compressions. Squeeeeeeze it out, but don't hurt yourself!

Two pumping sessions as close together as you're talking about would absolutely be worth it. That's almost 2 hours from start to start, and so I say go for it when you can. You probably won't get as much at the second session, but every bit counts, and you're sending the right messages to your breasts and brain.

If in about a month (when the baby's 4 months) everything changes, don't panic. When my milk production went from the hormonal post-partum system to the more glandular, long-term system, I started to really struggle with supply for the pump. Don't worry about it in advance, because you may never notice a thing, but if there's a shift, please don't worry that you're not making enough for your baby. (My baby was never able to breastfeed, and exclusively pumping is really hard to do without any TOT.)

Make sure that the day care center doesn't waste milk, if your son is a frequent snacker and doesn't finish bottles. You may need to send four 2 oz bottles rather than one 8 oz one.

If you do everything you can, and your baby eventually needs some formula, please don't beat yourself up. Pumping is hard, being a working mom is hard, and you're doing a tremendous job.

[Charisse]

I pumped from 6 to 13 mos. Generally got 10-14 oz/day, which continued to be plenty for Mouse, except during that 10-month slowdown.

Definitely second Erin's point about keeping going through several letdowns at the one pumping session. That will keep things going and you may get a bunch more.

Good luck and good for you!

[Lisa C.]

I would also recommend adding in a pumping session at home. That will allow you to stockpile for those times when he is growing or just hungrier and needs more. You probably won't need to do that for more than a month or so before you can scale back.

Good luck!

[Kristina Brooke]

Hello. I was in the same situation when my daughter was born last year. I exclusively pumped for a year and I too am a teacher. Here is what worked for me:

(1) Making sure I ate a high-carb breakfast in the morning. I would eat oatmeal (as Moxie said) or even a baked potato. I seemed to get 2 oz more when I did that than when I didn't.

(2) a Hospital Grade Pump. I had a PIS Advanced in the backback, but quite frankly, these pumps are not made for increasing your supply. The suction is minimal when compared to a HGP like the Lactina. I left my Lactina at work in my file cabinet and used that to pump. The HGP are designed to help increas your supply because the suction is, to put it gently, more demanding. I found that my nipples hurt less and I would pump for 45 minutes every day while I ate lunch with that. When I used the PIS for the same amount of time I would get only 4 oz from each breast (which is a lot, but not enough when you are exclusively pumping)but when I used the Lactina I would pump 6-10 oz. Keep in mind that I had super breast and was able to produce more milk than most women I spoke to.

(3) I pumped longer. Forget the stuff that says that you should not pump more the 30 minutes. I would pump for an hour during the day and then I would have two 1 hour sessions after work.

Please feel free to email me. I have a lot of tips, but the bell just sounded and I have students coming in.

Good luck to you.

[hedra]

JL, I pumped to the 11-month pumping-slump with my first (it started around 10 1/2 months, I made it to 11, I think... it's been a while!), then added whole cow's milk for day drinking. With B, he had milk/soy protien intolerance, so I pumped to I think 14 months with him, then he seemed to be better with dairy, so we transitioned then. With the twins, again, GI issues plus 'true' milk allergy (IgE type, not intolerance) for one of them, and total dairy avoidance (just detested it) for the other, and I pumped for the twins until 15 months, and now one of them will consume yogurt drinks, but neither like cow's milk straight - calcium and vitamin D are definitely concerns with them (they won't take formulas, either).

So, ages and ages pumping, it seems. I was sooooooo glad to be done when I was done! Still nursed for quite a while after that, each time, but I was so sick of the pumping. Whenever your child seems to get by for a long time without the daytime nursing on weekends (or with maybe one or two sessions), and/or when you cannot stand it anymore, and/or including around a year when cow's milk or other 'milk-like drinks' can become reasonably functional supplemental foods, and/or when getting supply back after a slump seems more work than the sane person would consider (it took me 2 weeks of effort to rebound the second and third times), that all kind of combines for when to stop pumping. Formula, IMHO, is a perfectly good food source, and while I'd really rather pump than use it (probably due to conditioned reactions because all my friends and family breastfed, pretty much), if the pumping becomes really problematic (especially after the slump post the 9-month fussy stage or in the 10 1/2 month period or so, around then), formula option during the day isn't awful. Granted, it isn't cheap (free) either. Do what works for you. If they're eating other foods at all, adding formula isn't like a huge change. It is more nutrient dense than cow's milk and better balanced for human nutrition (in general). If food allergies are an issue, then hold out longer, use soy versions, or even consider the fully hydrolyzed (hypoallergenic) versions. If chemical stuff is an issue for you, then look for organic versions. Etc. There's a million different ways to handle this end of the transition, just find the one that works best for your family.

Oh, I also wanted to add a note for those adding a pumping session in the AM. For the first few days, you may find that you get the same TOTAL pumping output from two sessions that you got formerly from one (or at least not double the volume). Don't fret! Just carry on.

And another thing I remembered was to pump like a growth spurt to boost supply - that is, frequency increased, with sooner 'top-up' returns (like taking a short break and coming back to it for another 10 minutes). I haven't done that, but I've heard it recommended to twin moms for pushing supply up. Trick the body into thinking there's a growth spurt going on.

Erin, some of your thoughts would have been a huge help to me, sigh. Too late, ah well! TOTALLY never thought of olive oil.

[MommyProf]

I have always struggled with pumped supply issues, but I get up at 2 a.m. every day to pump for 15 mins. If you set everything up the night before and clean up in the morning, it's not that bad.

[scotti]

My son is 18 months and I'm still pumping (now only once at work instead of twice). He takes the breastmilk in a sippy cup at daycare. Sometimes it's really hard to find/make the time, especially when I'm out of the office, at meetings, etc. but I think it's still worth it.

Even before my son started solids I never pumped more than 9-10oz. a day. And that was plenty for him. Every baby has different quantity needs. But that's hard to keep in mind when you see other babies swigging huge 8oz bottles and your baby only wants 3oz bottles!

I find great info on this website:
www.workandpump.com

Listening to podcasts helped me relax during pumping sessions :)

Keep the faith!

[Diane]

I pumped exclusively from 4 months to 12 months because of my daughter's reflux. It is a huge task to take on, so I'm right there applauding anyone who pumps at all. What worked for me was the following:

1. Segmented pumping sessions - You may already be doing this, but I did much better if I pumped for 15-20 minutes, took a 10 minute break, and then pumped for another 10-15 minutes. This was much more effective than pumping straight through a 30 minute period.

2. Middle of the night pumping - Whenever I was running low, I would commit to getting up around 3 AM for about a week. This would usually give me a pretty good boost in supply. When I'd stop, I'd have a couple weeks where the boost would carry over into my morning pumping.

The main thing I can tell you is to TRY NOT TO STRESS YOURSELF OUT. When I'd get stressed, my supply would hit the floor. If you can pump hands-free, that will help. I didn't even have one of those tops or anything. I'd sit on the couch, put a pillow in my lap, and use that to keep the flanges from slipping.

Great advice from everyone, by the way. I wish I'd thought of the olive oil ... that sounds fantastic!

[Andrea]

You're getting a lot of great advice here. I just want to add - don't fret too much if the baby doesn't wind up getting a lot of breastmilk during the school day. Some breastfed babies will reverse-cycle, preferring to save the hungries for when they can snuggle up with mommy.

My two girls had a hard time accepting bottles, so for a long time, 2 ounces a couple of times during a 7- or 8-hour day was a red-letter day for them. They made up for it with longer nursing sessions when we were together.

[Kathy]

You didn't say how long your breaks are, but if possible, you might want to try a "power hour." (That meant something so different when I was in college!)

Basically, pump for 12 minutes, rest for 12, pump, rest, pump. The milk is fine at room temp, so don't worry about doing anything to the bottles between sessions. May help increase your supply.

Like anything else, for every idea you'll be able to find women who swear by it and women who swear it doesn't do a thing for them.

I also forgot to mention making good use of the letdown feature of your pump. When the drips really slow down, go back to the rapid, whispery pumping. (Assuming you have a two-phase pump, which is totally worth it. Pump in Style Advance or rent a Symphony.) Sometimes you can elicit a second (or third or fourth) letdown.

Pumping for longer than 20 minutes never worked for me, but I've never been able to let down more than once for the pump. Hopefully you'll have better luck!

[Megan]

It really helped me to pump on the weekends as well, even though I really didn't want to!

I also remember reading on kellymom.com that breastfed babies don't necessarily increase the amount they need as they grow like formula fed ones do. My daycare provider tried to tell me that I needed to provide bigger and bigger amounts, but that wasn't so.

DS also reverse-cycled on me, which can be a blessing and a curse (hello, no sleeping through the night, um, ever?).

For JL, I pumped for a year and was VERY happy to pack that pump away. My son still nurses at 20 months, so the two aren't necessarily connected.

[Andrea]

Oh, and as a follow-up - I haven't heard that about mega doses of B vitamins hurting your supply. Does anyone have more information on that? I'm being treated right now for a B-12 deficiency, and I have been struggling with my supply the past few weeks, but I'd attributed it to birth control pills, stress, and only pumping once a day. But my baby is almost a year old, so it isn't quite the crisis it would have been six or nine months ago. :)

[Kate]

For JL, I pumped until my son was just under a year, when we transitioned him to cow's milk during the day rather than pumped breast milk. My doctor gave me the thumbs up to transition him at eleven months. I stuck it out for two more weeks but then I was DONE!

For Emily, this might be obvious but I just wanted to point out that all of these suggestions come at a cost, so in addition to figuring out which work to boost your supply/enable you to pump the amount of milk your baby wants/needs, you will have to figure out which you're willing to do. I, for one, would NEVER have made it as long as I did pumping if I had had to pump on the weekends. The weekends were my pumping vacations, and I looked forward to them all week long. (Can you tell I hated pumping?) Good luck figuring it all out!

[anonymous]

I'm posting anon because I just want to know if anyone else has "used" their husband to help increase supply? Whenever I'm having a dip in supply nad DS is sleeping through, I can count on Hub to "help out" in the middle of the night and after two or three nights I'm back producing as much as ever. Of course, I can't save/freeze that way, but I also don't have to get out of bed or turn on the lights.

Anybody?

Is this actually weird/gross/perverted and I shouldn't talk about it?

[Jllian]

Response to JL -
I personally gave up pumping when my son was about a year because it really does take a lot of time and energy. It was always my goal to last a year. All the time that I wasn't avail for meetings or paper grading did start to affect my work life so as soon as my ped. and midwife ok'd my son's switch to either soy or cow's milk, I was right on it. I had intended to let my son completely self-wean and he was down to only one feeding a day when he was 15 months but I did actually initiate his weaning at the end of 15 months and he stopped bf entirely at 16. In hindsight, I wish I had more support during that time. I think my husband didn't realize the demands on my body to continue to bf even though 1x/day. Part of it was support, part was wanting my body back to being just for me, part was that the new school year had just started and I was going through the normal September exhaustion. But, to answer your q, most people I know stop pumping when they are able to give their baby/child a nutritional liquid such as fortified soy or cow's milk when they are away from their baby/child. For me that meant that my son had to learn to use a sippy. We started late on that one and he would only use the kind with the straw. To this day he never "got" the concept with the sucking kinds that you have to tilt your head back to drink it. Guess boobs don't have that!

[caramama]

Well, I happen to be pumping right now! I LOVE my hands-free bustier and couldn't have made it without it.

I've had lots of issues with pumping at work and done a ton of research (another plug for kellymom.com). I wish this topic was around when I went back to work 3.5 months ago and the Pumpkin was 3 months old. I'm able to pump as often as I want, and there is even a mother's room in my office building (LOVE this job), but I truly hate the pump and had to work to make it work right.

Here's what I've found works for me (some are repeats of previous posters):

1. Buy a good, high-strength, high-quality pump. It's worth the money if you are using it regularly, especially with only one pump break. The Medela PIS Advanced works for me (once I found the right flange--see number 2).

2. Find the right size/type flange. I feel like I spent SO much money on buying different sizes, but once I found the right one, my nipples felt so much better, so I pumped better. I use the Medela Soft Fit.

3. Some lubrication is important. I thought I could go without, and I was wrong. Lanolin works great for me, but I like the idea of olive oil.

4. Hands-free bustier was a must for me. I can distract my self online or with a book so I don't sit there (here) and stress about how much I'm pumping.

5. Do baby-related things. I look at pictures of the Pumpkin, call my mom (daycare) and get the baby update, and go online and read Moxie, mommybloggers, babycenter.com and kellymom.com. I find reading about babies makes me think about mine, which helps the pumping and gets me anticipating seeing the Pumpkin again (even after sleepless, fussy nights).

6. STAY HYDRATED!!! I've heard that drinking tons of water doesn't actually increase your supply, but what I've found is that when I am dehydrated, my supply goes down. If I keep drinking water throughout the day, I pump much better (and it's better for you skin, health, etc.). And most people don't drink enough water during the day, so it's likely to help if you are one of those people.

7. Don't stress about it. Easier said than done, but it's true. And as other posters have said, your child will make sure he/she gets enough milk--if it's not at daycare, then it will be when you are back with your baby (Mom's Milk Bar: Open all night, especially during growth spurts).

Also, I thought the Pumpkin would need more breastmilk after she went through her recent 6-month growth spurt and was worried I'd need to find ways to increase my supply, but she really doesn't take any more. These things tend to work out.

Oh, and I have to pump for 45 minutes to an hour (I do it straight, but only cause I hadn't thought about stopping and starting (very different power hour! LOL) or using the let down button--great ideas!). And the weekends are my pumping breaks, too.

GL, and way to go! And thanks to the other comments on this and the extended nursing/pumping. I was wondering about that too!

Sorry, this was longer than I intended, but 5 ounces later, I'm done pumping and writing!

[caramama]

Doh, there is more I wanted to add.

I find that how much I pump (especially in my morning session) seems to be directly related to how much the Pumpkin has eaten that morning. So if she nursed a lot in the early morning hours and right before I left, I don't pump as much. But that's okay, because she has stocked up and tends to not need a bottle at my mom's until later in the day.

Also wanted to add that it's great that you are nursing right before you leave the baby and as soon as you get back to the baby. This helped me reduced how much I had to pump for while I was gone.

Okay, now I'm done.

[rudyinparis]

Nothing to add but ARRRGH how I wish I had all this advice at my disposal about 10 months ago. There is so much good information here!

[pnuts mama]

once again, i ditto rudyinparis. if only i had read all this good info like 22 months ago. did kellymom always have message boards? hmm.

i stopped pumping at about a year b/c we transitioned to cows milk and never looked back. she nursed til about 18-19 months and self weaned and i never ever missed that pump. i was so rarely ever able to get more than 4oz, and i had the lipase-issue (tastes like soap after a day or two or if frozen) so i just hated pumping. i smelled like maple syrup too! oh, the joys.

jillian- any occupational therapist would applaud you only giving your kid a straw-sippy; they are the ones recommended to use. but if anyone knows of a straw sippy that is good for milk, let me know! i still use the other kind of sippy for milk since it's impossible to get the inside of the damn straw clean of milk-gunk! eww!

you ladies are awesome. really and truly awesome.

oh, and anonymous, i'll be brave and hope you are not a creepy troll (i don't think you are). you do what you gotta do. and if the two of you enjoy it, god bless and more power to you.

[Kathy]

Dear anonymous,

I don't think it's weird or perverted that your husband, um, helped out. Whenever I tested bottle temperatures I always licked the milk off my wrist, because why waste "liquid gold?" (I did always wonder though if I SHOULD feel weird about that!)

A friend had a really bad clogged duct that her baby couldn't fix for her. (I don't think she tried changing the baby's position, e.g. switching from cross cradle to football, but for the record I've heard that can work wonders.) She got desperate, and asked her husband to help. Presto!

[Another Lisa]

Great advice.
I'm on month 10 of pumping at work, and it's a labor of love, to say the least.
I wanted to second Jen's advice above to pump at night before bed. I struggled a lot with supply issues right around months 5-6 and after a week of consistently pumping after the first morning feed and right before bed, I had trained my body to make more and was getting another 1-2 bottles worth that way.
The other thing I wonder about is what your commute is like? When I had a few shifts in a hospital 45 minutes away, I actually pumped while driving. If you make sure to get all set up before starting the car, use a hands free system (like a bra with slits cut in it, or a fancy bustier made for pumping), and through a sweater on over yourself, no one is the wiser. If you have a commute that allows for this, it's another way to get a few more ounces.

[anonymous]

Not a troll .. thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt. :) And for not telling me I'm a perv.

[Charisse]

For pnuts mama, we used the Playtex Quickstraw and found it pretty cleanable--I run super hot water through both parts of the straw assembly, then toss it in the silverware basket of the dishwasher.

Here's its pic on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Playtex-Baby-QuickStraw-12-Cup/dp/B000PKTZCE/ref=pd_sbs_ba_2/102-7345945-8230545?ie=UTF8&qid=1190318918&sr=1-9

[Davida]

I pumped for 7.5 months (using my boss's office at weird times, which eventually became unmanageable). I can reiterate that to get extra milk, the best time for me was before the babester woke up, when my breasts were really full. Another good time to pump if you can do it is when you reunite after work, your breasts are probably pretty full at that time and if you can pump the non-nursing breast while you nurse, you could get a pretty good draw.

I also made a playlist on my iPod with songs about babies to help with letdown while pumping. I'm not sure I'll ever hear the opening strands of "what a wonderful world" without some ghost letdown.

Anonymous, I've heard that wet nurses used to nurse puppies to keep their supplies up between babies. Surely having your husband help is better than that!

[Nutmeg]

I just want to 23rd the pumping at night. I pump every night before bed and I get another 4 ounces or so. I usually only get a chance to pump 6 or so ounces during the day... so add to that the 4 ounces I get at night, and some frozen milk from back when I used to be a cow, we get by. We had some weeks when he was taking 18 ounces, but last week he drank almost nothing at day care ( 3 ounces from 8-5!)

I'm going to do my best to keep providing momma milk during the days until he's 12-14 months and then i'm going to wean off pumping during the day, try to give him one bottle of breastmilk at day care and nurse him when we are home. All other milk feeds will be cow's milk... assuming no intolerance.

[amy]

I currently pump for a 4 mo old once a day (I teach too). I've noticed a HUGE decrease in the amount I get at work in the last few days. But, he's nursing more at night (in the MIDDLE of the night... yay for me). So, ultimately, I don't really worry about his intake. (And I should add, my MIL gives him about 10 oz of formula during the day...I've got excess lipase... I only pump to keep up some sort of daytime supply because I only teach 4 days a week and want to be able to nurse him all day Fri-Sun.) As this is the 3rd baby I've nursed, I'm pretty confident in my body's ability to quickly match whatever demand he might have (even if it won't do it for the pump), so I don't stress about it. I agree with Moxie and everyone else that evening pumping is the way to get that extra bit. Ultimately, my body just doesn't respond to the pump very well, so I try to maximize my TOT (!) when I can. But then, I'm not trying to get breast milk for a bottle.

One last thing... as a history professor who specializes medieval women, I've heard a lot of stories about wet-nursing... but the puppies thing is a new one for me. Most of the stories I've encountered involve poor nursing mothers who either wean their own infants or send them to an even poorer wet-nurse so that they could nurse a wealthier infant. And of course, mothers whose babies had died were also frequently solicited (though parents were wary of the attachment issues that might develop). But I can see where puppies might get you over the hump if you have several days between gigs!

[Julie]

I am late late late joining this conversation and after skimming the comments don't have much new to add. I also pumped exclusively and gave A bottles because after about 4 months of trying to make it otherwise, that was just how he wanted his milk. His decisiveness with eating has not changed at all as he's gotten older. I only made it 10 months and never knew about the pumping slump......I really wish I had, as I would have gladly pumped much longer, but panicked b/c we had a big trip coming up, I saw my supply drop and didn't want to do the formula transition while on the road. So it was really abrupt for me. My son barely noticed. I guess that's good.

As for pumping at work - I'm a teacher, but am out of the classroom currently in a support role so it was easier for me. Is there another teacher who could team up with your class for read aloud or something to give you a few minutes in the afternoon alone (like 20) to sneak to the nurse's office to pump? Just an idea to squeeze an extra session into the day.

For me, I just tried to pump as regularly as I could - usually every 4 hours or so. At night he would nurse (of COURSE he would! And he did......) so it was about maintaining my supply during the day to keep making the milk. First thing in the morning was the heaviest flow for me, but it was also not the richest of milk. That was later on in the morning- around 10-ish.

Also, my left boob really was out of this world in production.....so if you have one boob like that maybe just pump that one during the day and get a quick 4-6 oz. It's mainly about keeping up your production with what your son needs.....and if he's got enough milk during the day for a feeding or two, you will probably be fine for the rest of the evening/night. Your body will adjust and just make more after 3:00. Also remember that as they get older, they eat less frequently (okay, not all kids do....but some do). Especially when you introduce solids. So at some point he might only need one 5 oz bottle during school hours, and will just wait for you for the "After School Special" heh heh.

I would still be nursing now if I could - not for the health benefits for my son, or the bonding (though that WAS pretty great) but for the calorie burn alone.......I ate whatever I wanted and it was wonderful. If it were socially acceptable I'd look into becoming a wet nurse. It was really that great for me.

Please don't judge.

[pnuts mama]

thanks, charisse! we've been using the nuby insulated flip straw (but can't find a decent link, sorry) for water and juice, and the old school playtex #2 for milk (it's small).

i will definitely look into that playtex straw cup, as i've been following the whole "we're killing our kids with plastic" saga that has been unfolding, and found that nuby doesn't readily disclose what types of plastics they use (no # anywhere!), whereas playtex does (recycle #2).

and am i the only one who physically cringed when i read the words: "nursing puppies?" ACK!

[caramama]

"and am i the only one who physically cringed when i read the words: "nursing puppies?" ACK!"

Me too. I keep thinking about how sharp little puppy teeth are!!

[Lisa]

re straw sippies and etc.:

We used the Nuby flip straw. All the Nuby straws/sippie-nipples are silicon, and the bodies of the bottles are phthalate- and bisphenol A-free. (Info on this came from a test conducted in conjunction w/a SF Chronicle article, though I can't seem to find the link...). But since they tested the sippie style, I can't be totally sure about the inner straw bits on the straw cup. Figured it was the best option at the time and went with it.

At around 16 months, T. transitioned to the Sigg Kids bottle for water, and melamine plastic (Kaloo and Crocodile Creek brands) no-valve cups for milk/juice out of the house. (At home we use small glass or melamine open cups.) Melamine and the plastics Sigg uses in its tops have no phthalates or bisphenol, and we hand-wash plastics. Not perfect, but as good as it gets for now.

[caramama]

And because I can't comment enough on this topic, I wanted to quote something from the kellymom.com site to alleviate Emily's concern about needing to pump more when her baby goes through a growth spurt:

"Current research tells us that breastmilk intake is quite constant after the first month and does not appreciably increase with age or weight, so the current findings are validating what moms and lactation counselors have observed all along."

[jesse]

Emily and all my committed BreastFeeders, you are so wonderful and make me feel so part of a community, which is nice since I am a "freaky" chick still nursing my 21 month old.
Emily, just keep adding an ounce or two to your stockpile and you will be able to keep pace with your baby until 5.5-6 months or so when you can add a bit of soy or dairy milk to your baby's diet during the day, and make up the BM during the evening with him.

Anon-- DO not be ashamed, as I thought it was a BRILLIANT idea and wished I had thought of myself. Truly awesome way of maintaining the "demand" in the "supply and demand" system of producing BM. I laughed out loud at the cleverness of it.

[Emily]

First of all, I just want you to know that I started crying when I read all the comments to Moxie's entry with my query. There were so many good ideas -- from pumping in the a.m. and later on at night to supplements of fenugreek to supplementing with formula. I still don't quite know what I'm going to do, but I have lots of ideas, lots of things to try out. The past couple of days, I've had slightly better output from relaxing and reading a book while pumping and trying to go for a little longer for a second let-down. Right now, I am crashing into bed just after my son goes to sleep and waking with the alarm, so pumping at either end isn't a great option. I can, however, see about fenugreek/thistle, and I can switch to a multi with less of the B vitamins. I can also continue to pump on the weekend to build up a little supply for the week when I need extra. Anyhow, all your suggestions helped me feel like I had some different things to try. This, I think, is the beauty of this site -- ideas, things to try, presented in a nonthreatening manner with lots of support. All your kind "way to go" comments went a long way to making me feel like I'm doing a good job at this mothering thing...a feeling that can be in short order when you're a first-time mom headed back to work full-time.

Anyhow, thank you Moxie and thank you readers. I am endlessly grateful.