Working and breastfeeding

[tkn]

Help! My part-time job is about to become a full-time one in a couple of weeks. My daughter will be six months old by then and she is exclusively on breastmilk. Any ideas on how I can keep up with the breastfeeding and the work?

Some background:
1. I live in Discovery Bay and work in Central.
2. My hours will be generally 9 am to 7 pm, and my daughter usually feeds about four times during that period.
3. I find I can get about 5 oz by pumping in the morning, but when I pump at other times during the day, it's only an ounce or two at a time.

I need to find a way to make this work for about three months.

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

[carang]

bump up to the top!

 

[joannek]

i'd say, so every 3 hours? can you nurse before you leave for work, get baby to be brought to you at lunch, pump at around 3pm, and go home to nurse her at 7-ish? when you pump at 3pm, that's when baby has her bottle at home? it might be difficult if baby isn't on a strict feeding schedule. then you'd probably have to have lots of reserve in the freezer, and pump all those time at work.

i personally find hand expressing more effective. i could never get much out from a pump, but when i hand express, i get triple the amt.

 

[joannek]

plus if you master hand expressing, all you need to bring to work is a big bottle, a tub of lansinoh & some ice to keep milk cold (i.e. if you can't use the fridge at work)

 

[LLL_Sarah]

Remember expressing is like breastfeeding - the more you do it the more milk you will get. Thus if you express six times for 10 minutes you?ll get more milk than it you express once for an hour.

Some mothers have difficulty getting the let-down to work well when pumping. It works with no trouble when the baby is breastfeeding directly but doesn't seem to work at all when using the pump. Many things that don?t matter when breastfeeding directly can affect the quantity when pumping. For example, how tried you feel and how much stress you are under.

You can also encourage the let-down reflex artificially, by looking at your baby, or by having a piece of his clothing next to you.
? Apply a warm wet cloth to your breasts.
? Massage the breasts in small circular motions around the perimeter of the breast.
? Gently stroke your breasts with your fingertips in a downward motion toward the nipple
? Lean forward and gently shake the breasts.
? Gently roll the nipple between your finger and thumb.

It may help to try a hand expression technique called the Marmet Technique, http://www.lactationinstitute.org/MANUALEX.html
This is useful because it helps the let-down and so you get more milk.
The instruction ?PUSH straight into the chest wall? is important.

Some mothers have found that the pumps are not good at getting the let-down to happen and so they use hand expression until the let-down and then swap to pumping. You can also use the times at the end of the Marmet Technique, including the massage, stroke and shake but instead of doing the hand expression use the pump.

Another way that mothers I?ve talked to have managed to get extra milk is to pump on one the other side when they are breastfeeding on the other. (Personally I?m not sure how this is managed ? I?ve always thought it would be easier with four hands instead of two).

Often mothers need to pump at extra times when home with their babies to get enough milk to cover the times they are away. So extra pumping sessions in the morning and evening might help. You might be able to feed on one side and pump the other side afterwards, if you can't do it simultaneously. Don?t worry that you will use up all the milk. If your baby wants more simply breastfeed her again and your body will make more milk for her.

Best wishes,
SARAH

 

[JerCat]

One thing to remember is that when you're pumping now while you're at home, you are getting the extra.

When you are pumping during a missed feeding, you get more milk. When I would pump at home, I'd get 4 oz at best.

When I went back to work, I started pumping 14-16oz at a setting!

Huge difference there! I think it also depends on what type of pump you use. For those hours, I would recommend a double electric pump. The stimulation to both sides encourages milk production.

I used the Medela Pump-in-Style and it worked very well for me. I was done in only 10 minutes.

Also, try to pump on a schedule close to as often as your baby would be nursing. So if it's every 3 hours at home, try to mimic that at work to keep up your supply.