[jenn2350]

I will be going back to work next week and my mom will be watching Caleb. He will be just over 6 weeks when I go back, and right now we put him to sleep about 9pm, and he wakes up to eat about 2:30am, 4:30am, 6:30am give or take an hour. Most nights that's his schedule and during the day it is every 2 hours on the dot.

I finally got a pump and am having a problem getting any supply to give to my mom for that first day. I pump after I feed him and get nothing. I've waited an hour after I fed him and got about 1 ounce out of my left boob and less than half an ounce out of my right.

When it is time to feed him my left boob usually leaks and feels full, but my right one I have to squeeze to get anything out of and it doesn't feel full. He always takes both boobs at every feeding and I alternate which one I start with every time. I don't get why my right one seems to produce less???

I am going to be working 9-4 Monday-Friday. I will be leaving for an hour at lunch every day to go to my mom's and feed him.

I can't pump at work. There is no where safe or sanitary to pump. My boss won't let me take that many breaks to pump.

I plan on feeding him right before I have to go to work, come home at noon, and feed again at 4 when I leave work.

I am figuring on his schedule now I will have to pump a few times throughout the night to get enough for my mom to feed him between my feedings and keep him eating every 2 hours.

Will my going 4 hours between feedings affect my supply even if when I get home from work and at night I feed every 2 hours??

I'm wondering how to protect my supply, why I'm not getting much at all when I pump, and is it normal for him to be eating so frequently???

[jennferbu]

I'd suggest asking these questions on the breastfeeding and pumping boards, if you haven't already. Someone there told me it's normal to get less from one side than the other...that's my experience also.

I'm so sorry that your boss isn't supportive of this. Too bad there isn't a legal option for that.

I pumped for months while my daughter was in the NICU and I never got much from pumping, even with a hospital grade pump. Babies are always better at getting milk. I still can't get more than an ounce or two when I pump, but Willa is gaining weight steadily, so I know I'm producing what she needs. I fretted that Ada wasn't getting enough and supplemented her (also so that I could pump for her sister in the NICU), but I think having the pump really effected my confidence.


I got more out of one boob usually, but it was never the same one. I don't know about the supply, but at work, have you consider hand expressing in the wash room on the breaks you are allowed to have? You could also get a converter for your car and pump while driving

[*Cyndee*]

I'm not sure about how to answer the basic dilemma going on - building a supply while maintaining feeds - but i do want to comment on

I can't pump at work. There is no where safe or sanitary to pump. My boss won't let me take that many breaks to pump.[/b]

That really stinks. I was hoping that Texas had laws saying employers had to allow this but even if they do, it'd have to be on a regular break which is every 4 hours usually, not two.

Texas and Washington have laws providing for the designation of worksites that are supportive of breastfeeding as "mother-friendly" and "infant-friendly," respectively, despite not having laws requiring employers to permit nursing mothers to express breast milk in the workplace.[/b]

How long does the baby take every 2 hour feeding? any idea how many oz baby is drinking?

[*~~Shannon~~*]

Are you pumping after every feeding during the day? If not, try that. Your body may just need to learn to produce more which can take a few days. I always produce more on my right than my left. The LC said it's perfectly normal. Good luck and I'm sorry to hear that your workplace isn't more supportive of your BFing needs.

[TheMommyProject]

What pump are you using?

I'm exclusively pumping and getting just barely enough to cover how much Aidan eats in a day, in fact I'm usually having to supplement with 4 - 6 ounces of formula each day.

At first I was using the Medela Swing pump which is a single electric pump and it was taking me about 40 minutes to get 2 ounces and that was pumping every 3 hours. My LC recommended renting a hospital grade pump, the Medela Symphony, which I did and was able to get 2 1/2 - 3 ounces at each pumping session in half the time. It's not as much of an increase in supply as I wanted to see, but over 8 - 10 pumping sessions per day, that does make my total for the day 4 - 8 ounces more.

You may want to consider renting the hospital grade pump and see if that doesn't help you extract a bit more. Even just trying it out for a week to see if it makes a difference.

Good luck!

[jenn2350]

My boss has 3 kids, but his wife never attempted nursing because he basically thinks it's "gross" and preferred she not do it.

I haven't been pumping after every feeding and I guess I could try to.

I wish I didn't even have to go back to that job or any for that matter. Hopefully soon I will be able to be a sahm.

The lactation consultant recommended the Medela pump in style to me so that's the one I bought.

I'm pretty much going to have to pump enough to make an extra 2 feedings at least for the time my mom has him...

When I have been able to feed him a bottle he ate 5 oz. His feedings usually last about 25 mins total on average. I was worried he isn't gaining enough weight since we haven't been to the doctor since 2 weeks, but he has gained 5 oz per week (I weighed myself and then myself with him) and they say that's in the normal range.

[*~~Shannon~~*]

Also, remember that pumps are only able to get something like 40% of the milk from our breasts. There's a lot of hormonal things required for milk release and a few pieces of plastic and rubber just won't stimulate like Baby will. Do your best to relax and think of Baby while pumping and try not to worry about how much is coming out. If you're stressed, you get less results.