Pumping for night feedings?

Blue-Jay · #1 May 1st, 2012, 03:23 AM

I am EBFing and pumping while I'm at work. When I pump at work, I pump when Robby would usually be eating, and he gets it the next day. My husband wants to do a night feeding, but I don't have a lot of extra time during the day to do extra pumping sessions. I'd love to have him help, but it seems like I'd need to be up pumping when he's feeding the baby anyway, to keep my supply up. Does anybody have any advice about how to handle this? An extra hour of sleep per night sounds like heaven!!!

mgm78 · #2 May 1st, 2012, 04:23 AM

i tried it once, but i still heard DD waking up and crying down the hall and he had a hard time soothing her back to sleep with the pumped milk and i still had to pump in the middle of the night. To me, it was not worth it. you could always pump on your days off, in the morning, to get a little milk for the night time and try it.

RUNNER25 · #3 May 1st, 2012, 07:38 AM

I agree with Meredith, try pumping extra on a weekend morning.

If DH does give a night time bottle and you don't pump just know that eventually your body will produce less during the night. If you want to go back to nursing him at that time it may take a few nights to get your supply back up.

Blue-Jay · #4 May 1st, 2012, 10:17 AM

Thanks, ladies. I was pretty sure it wasn't worth the trouble; in 5 weeks, school is out for the summer and I get to be a SAHM for 2 months, during which time I'll probably do all the night feedings, and DS will probably start sleeping through the night and this problem will be eliminated. DH seems to think that my boobs are like a faucet and I can just pump out 6 oz whenever I feel like it. Guess he needs to realize they're more like small kegs that need some time to refill, lol.

I'll try pumping in the morning on my days off and then pump right before bed and right when I get up to try and keep up a sort of nighttime supply.

I appreciate your suggestions!

mgm78 · #5 May 1st, 2012, 04:05 PM

yeah, in theory is sounds nice, but the reality is, it is really not worth it, atleast for me it was not.

katiep726 · #6 May 1st, 2012, 06:10 PM

If you could sleep through it I'd let him do it occasionally. Like once a week I would kill for! However I already pump on nights and weekends and am barely producing enough so I don't really have that option.

Oh and he's never really offered

Blue-Jay · #7 May 2nd, 2012, 04:27 AM

The only reason he offered is because I had a meltdown the other day. I work full-time, too, and tutor on the side. Just as busy as ever, with a new baby. Nothing has changed in my housework, so I told him he had to help somewhere. He'd rather feed the baby half-asleep than: plan meals, cook, grocery shop, wash dishes, wash/fold laundry, clean the house, empty the dishwasher, bathe the baby....

mgm78 · #8 May 2nd, 2012, 04:35 AM

i feel your pain. DH was out of work and a SAHD and i went back to work at 5 weeks PP and he still expected me to do all the housework. I got very bitter. Then he went back to work and is "too busy" to help out. It is a tough balance for sure with work, baby, etc. I just let a lot of the house stuff go. My older neighbor says (when i apologize for the state of my house) that my house is a home that people live in. I try to remember that.