[sweetdreamer1]

hi.. as u can see in my siggie.. im expecting my baby in this coming july.. and i have a very big concern.. i will have to return to work after about 70 days and i wont be able to pump for the entire time im at work.. that is about 9 hours total including the traveling time.. willl this affect my milk supply..
is there any tips on what i can do to keep my flow when im not pumping for entire 9 hours???!!!

pls help..!!!
any advice would be really really appreciated..!!

[Jennifer8080]

I can go all night with out pumping, and it doesn't affect my supply. I have a REALLY good supply though. A friend of mine doesn't have such a great supply and she's having to pump every 3 hours around the clock to keep it up.

[Jennyt13]

Just an idea - and it will be tough with a baby, and working - but, as the pp stated, alot of people can go overnight without it affecting their supply. So - maybe, you can set a clock so that you can pump during the night (every 2-3 hours) and then not pump at work.

There is absolutley no way you can pump at work? Most laws state that they have to allow you to pump, can't count it as breaks, and have to supply you with a facility that is not a bathroom to do so.

I would fear the discomfort of not being able to pump at work. I'm sure once your supply levels out - you won't be uncomfortable any more - but, that may also pose a problem.

good luck! Hopefully your one of the "lucky" ones that has a really good supply and you don't have to worry about it!

[-erin-]

there is a good chance it would affect your milk supply, but there isn't really any way to know for certain

Like someone suggested, you can try to have your baby reverse cycle, where they eat more through out the night, or you can try to pump every couple hours at night.

You could also try to learn hand expressing, it would probably be good to learn anyways. Especially going back in the beginning you may feel uncomfortable and engorged, so if you could take 5 min bathroom breaks every once in a while to hand express, that may help.

[Spacey Stacy]

I agree with the other girls, you may have to pump, pump, pump at night even after nursing and drink lots of water...maybe invest in a manual pump and take a bathroom break now and again and pump out a couple ounces to relieve the engorgement and keep your supple from plummeting to much.

[starrsgirl]

I'm not going to lie, i wouldn't have been able to go that long at all and my body would have quickly adjusted with less supply. Do you have ANY breaks? Even short ones?

Also, even if your supply is good at first, it will level off fairly quickly without continued pumping.

[shortlette]

i agree with the others .. it will probably be really hard. I also wonder if there's a law that your employer will have to abide to??

Try looking here -

Breastfeeding State Laws

I also agree that reverse cycling could be an option but you'll probably have to set it up several weeks in advance ... and it could muck up your BF'ing on weekends and overnight.

How do you commute? do you drive? Many ladies here have hands-free bras and pump in the car. If it means the difference between 9 hours between pumps or 7 then it could make all the difference,

I hope that helps a little?

[misssmhk]

Thanks pp for posting the link to breastfeeding state laws. I didn't know what they were for my state and now when I when return to work in July, I'll be well armed and know what they have to provide me as a breastfeeding mom.

[shortlette]

Originally Posted by misssmhk

Thanks pp for posting the link to breastfeeding state laws. I didn't know what they were for my state and now when I when return to work in July, I'll be well armed and know what they have to provide me as a breastfeeding mom.

That's great - I'm pleased it helped you.