Supply dropped after started work??

Y

yuukalim0404

Registered User
I started fulltime work last Monday and had been expressing milk since then.
I realised before I can pump 5.5oz from left side and 3oz from right if I have not expressed for 5-6hrs.
Now ( since this Monday) even after 6 hrs I can only pump 3.5oz left side and 1.5oz right side!!

Below is my schedule please help to see if I can do to increase supply? I have already tried pumping more frequently at work...

5-6am BF one side, pump the other
11am pump both sides at work
4pm pump both sides
7pm pump one side
9pm BF one side
12pm BF one side, pump the other
Night ( 2am-5am) depends if she wakes up either BF or pump one side if she does not at 5am

does anyone else experienced this problem before? I feed her exclusively on breastmilk so if I do not have enough it is very worrying ( which i know worrying also decrease supply!)
 
So you are feeding/pumping exactly as before going to work, but the amount is less? if so, maybe you are stressed at work leading to less milk. But it could also be slightly blocked ducts which leads to slower flow and therefore less milk.
 
How old is your baby? I'm not a lactation expert but based on experience, I think the following could help:
- pump both sides whenever you do pump (e.g. at 7pm). Don't worry about not having enough milk to feed from the second side for your next feed because eventually more pumping will stimulate the breasts to produce more milk. you could start by pumping just a little from the second breast and gradually increase that as your supply increases.
- whenever you BF, try to have the baby take both sides (again, more stimulation = more milk production)
- do more BFs than pumping on weekends, because your baby can extract more milk from you than a pump and thereby stimulate more milk production
- try to fit in an extra pumping session between 11am and 4pm (e.g. in your lunch hour), even just for 5-10 minutes. Though I imagine that with a busy workday, this is easier said than done!
 
Last edited:
agree with elephantine, just wanted to reiterate that your body will respond to more frequent, shorter pumping sessions better than it will to less frequent longer ones. It does take usually at least 24 hours for the supply to meet the demand you are putting on it by pumping more frequently. The more often you pump, the more milk you will make, as an empty breast "fills" faster than a full one.

Also, maybe when you pumped before you were around your baby? you might try to bring a photo that makes your insides melt, a piece of clothing that smells like her, etc. to help stimulate the let down response.
 
Baby is 2.5mths.
Work is busy and it is already hard to squeeze in 2X pumping, but I will try to aim for at least 3X but shorter pumps... Also usually my last pump at work is 6pm and when I arrive home at 7pm, I need to BF baby straight away and I am indeed worried if I just pump at 6pm there will be not enough or no milk left...according to elephantine, I should still go ahead and pump both sides instead of "reserving" one side for her?
 
yes, you can always feed her both sides then. feed one side, then the other, and if she's still frustrated you can offer the first one again. she may be frustrated but in a few days your body will see that that is a time you need more, and an empty breast fills faster than a full one. an hour should be more than enough time to "fill"
 
rebekah- actually I have tried pumping before and offering her the pumped breast 2 hrs later and then my breast still feel so empty and soft and I feel she gets "nothing" just suck-suck-suck and no swallow...that's why I always reserve one side, beacuse she gets so fussy and crys so bad if she is not full!
But I will try in order to get supply up for the long run, thanks
 
maybe pump just until you have a let down on one side, instead of a full session? i am not sure, i only know the principles. again i really recommend that you call La Leche League; the link is in the PM i sent last night.
 
I agree that you probably need to fit in another session between 11 am and 4 pm to keep up your supply. Can you go home to feed or have someone bring your baby to you? That will make it much easier to maintain supply. You can also try Mother's Milk Tea, which helped me alot.

And pumping both sides is easier to get more milk, though pumping is still not as effective for emptying the breast as feeding. You can put her on your breasts after pumping and she should be able to extract enough, or if not, she can help to increase your supply.

How many ounces of milk does your baby take when you are away? I read that breast fed babies only need about 25 ounces per day. If you are already pumping 5-6 times, you don't need to get that much milk per session.

I remember those early days when I went back to work, always worrying about pumping and supply... don't worry, these days will soon pass (too quickly maybe), and your baby will be on solid foods, etc.
 
thanks Noc, I can't go to baby as I worked in Central and live in NT.
about amounts she is taking, she drinks 3.5-4oz per time for about 5X while I am away. I BF her at night twice, so my guess is she is drinking 23-25oz in total?
Anyway did I add while I pumped each time I can only get 4.5oz total meaning I only get 9oz for pumping twice.
( whereas I used to get 4-5oz just from one left side!)
Also my left side seems to always produce much more than right even though I usually let baby feed on right side ( This is beacuse when she drinks from left, there is a huge letdown and she usually chokes quite a bit.)
I will perserve with pumping and BF and hope this will all smooth out eventually, thanks!
 
do you think... maybe you could try feeding her when you get home on the side you "saved" and pump the other side at the same time?
 
today is a good start! I pumped 4X - each session 20mins only and I am now going home with 16oz which is twice I got from yesterday 2X session each 1hr long!
 
this might be related to pumping at work..

anyone know where i can get fenugreek tablets in hk?
 
i am very discourage when it comes to pumping at work. managed to get only 1 1/2 oz at 8am today. and 2 1/2 oz during lunch time.:(
 
I just bought fenugreek for nursing mothers(thats what the bottle says) from Mrs. Chee (the lactation consultant). Let me know if you want her contact details.
 
Reei, I suggest you call La Leche League, they have a whole email list of working mothers and I am sure they are full of pumping suggestions!
 
thanks all for the advice.
i took hot shower last night and did some massage. got 4.5 oz. i am very happy, but still not enough to feed baby. but at least some improvement.:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top