BF and pumping

PrairieMom wrote: I am planning on going back to work in about 6 weeks. (Already! ) and am starting to think about pumping so Alexis can get used to botteling so she is really good at it by the time I have to leave her.
She is finally nursing good, and my supply is good, so my question is, how do I pump and nurse at the same time with out throwing everything out of wack? I really don't want to have to deal with engorgement issues.
With the boy I exclusively pumped, and it seemed like I was engorged all the time.

PrairieMom replied:

Bamamom replied: I didn't pump much until Tripp was sleeping through the night. Then I'd be so engorged in the morning that one breast would fill him up and I'd pump the other and freeze it. It seems to me though that you could pump one breast and feed her the other during the day - or pump just before you know she needs to eat and then give it to her in the bottle - that way the milk would be as fresh as possible. HTH!!! I'm kind of out of my league but I'm glad you and the little one are doing well!

Ashlynn's Mommy replied: But I wanted to wish you luck

PrairieMom replied:
I don't think I have time to wait for that. I'm sure she won't be sleeping through before I have to go back to work.

coasterqueen replied: There really is no rhyme or reason to it. With both girls I pumped 3 times while at work (which was 8 hours, well 9 with travel, etc). So for instance their last nursings were/are around 7:30 and I drop them off at 8 am, then go to work. So then I pump again at 10:00, 1:00, and 4 pm. Typically it's every 3 hours. I pump for 20 minutes each time because if you only go 15 you will more than likely only get one let down. That extra 5 minutes will give you another letdown meaning more milk. When you are with her, you'd just nurse her.

Can you give me more info on your schedules, i.e. times of day you would be working, and if it's not the normal 9 to 5 type of job then tell me what she typically nurses during those hours you'd be working (i.e. if it's evening hours, etc)?

You should not get engorged unless you are pumping too long and/or too often.

I have TONS of tips on w&p so let me know.

PrairieMom replied: I work 12 hour shifts. I leave the house at 6:30 PM and get back home around 8 am. At work it will be impossibel for me to pump before 10, I probably won't be able to do it unil 11 or so. With the boy I only pumped once a shift, around 2 am-ish, bit I think I will need to do it more often this time.
Baby girl nurses around every 3 hours. But Dh wants to get her used to the bottle before I go to work, so I will need to start pumping and botteling some fairly soon.
Is there a good way to start introducing the bottle? I'm worried that I will pump, then she will be hungry and I won't have any milk, so I will have to bottle her. It was so much easier with The boy! exclusively pumping took away all this confusion!

coasterqueen replied:
Ok, let me see if I can tackle this one by one.

If you only pumped once in a 12 hour shift with DS then that could be why you were so engorged. OUCH! IF you are going to commit to pumping you have to be willing to find a way to pump. You work in a hospital, right? They should be MUCH more accomodating to a mother who's pumping than any other place of employment IMO. If they are giving you a hard time contact the LC in the hospital . I know exactly how hard it is to fit in time to pump, maybe not as much as a demanding job like yours but it was still difficult to find time for me. You just have to find a way to make it work if you want to keep your supply up for the time you are gone. Otherwise you will find yourself not having supply during those hours you are gone, which is fine if you want to give formula at that time and just nurse when with her.

If you wait til 11 pm (or so) that's 4.5 hours and that's REALLY stretching it. You will definitely find yourself engorged. Eventually the more you ignore that engorgement your supply will just diminish at those times. If you could do it at 10 pm that would be 3.5 hours and that would be about as far (or maybe 4 hours at the MOST) I would go. EVEN if you only get in a 10 or 15 minute pump that's better than nothing, but wouldn't recommend it for every session.

Can you tell me what DD schedule is during that 12 hour span? How many times do you think Dh would be giving her a bottle during that time?

You should REALLY not introduce a bottle til 6 weeks, but the earliest I would recommend is 4 weeks. It will only sabatoge the BF IMO any earlier. Yes, people HAVE done it, but some are lucky, some are not. I never wanted to play that game to find out . BTW, Megan refused to take a bottle (we tried at 6 weeks) until well after 4 months of age when she went back to daycare. It was a good week or two before she would take it. She just didn't consume any BM during the 9 hours she was away from me and would nurse like a feign when I got home and through the night. So it's ok if she doesn't take a bottle right away too

Here's a link on intro'ing a bottle: Intro'ing a bottle

Also I'm not sure what you mean by your last sentence. "I'm worried that I will pump, then she will be hungry and I won't have any milk, so I will have to bottle her." Can you elaborate? You will ALWAYS have milk, your body is producing it all the time (supply and demand) it just may take a bit longer for her to get it after you pump because it's not already stored in your breast, kwim?

Let me know on the ?'s above and I'll try to check in before I leave work at noon.

holley79 replied: When I worked 12 hours shifts (6p till 6a), I would nurse Annika at 430 pm. I would leave the house at 5p and get to work at 6p. I would pump at 9p, 1a and 5a.

During the day, is someone going to be keeping her or are you still going to be able to nurse during the day? On my nights off I would have to wake up and pump because my supply was up. Now that I am on days it has tapered at night a little bit. I HTH. THE Girls is just precious. I love the pic on your siggy.

PrairieMom replied: Karen, thanks for the info. I am feeling a little better about things.
Unfortunately there is NO WAY I will be able to pump before 11 PM ish. That is the time when we do 3/4 of the work for our entire shift. Things are so busy at that time, i am just going to have to deal with things the best that I can. Fortunately, the entire rest of the shift I will basically have all the time I need. No problems.

The Girls feeding schedule is still a little up in the air. DH will probably have to give her at least 3-4 bottles in the time that I am gone. I can nurse before I leave at 6, but she will eat again at 9, 12 4, and will probably need to eat again at 8. hopefully I will be home by then.

coasterqueen replied: Well I'm sure it will work out. Let me know right before you go back and I'd be happy to give you any tips.

Melmel replied: I didn't pump much with my kids, but here is how I would start.

Wait until she eats and is ready to go down for a nap 2 or 3 hours, then I would wait about 30 minutes or so and try to pump. Does she always nurse both sides when she eats? If not you could just go ahead and drain the side she didn't nurse on. I think you would be surprised what you will get, and if you don't get very much, as long as you keep trying and doing it at the same time each day, It should increase your milk supply and you would start to get more.
If that is the case, you may need to do this at night, like her last feeding before you would go to work, then pump before going to work so you will be good and empty. Then maybe you could make it to 10 at work before pumping and not be too engourged.

BTW.... sounds like you are a Nurse!

PrairieMom replied:
not quite. I'm a respiratory Therapist, but we work the same hours.

holley79 replied: If you can pump 11, 3 and 6. There were nights I could only pump 2 times a night and it stunk but when you are working shift work it's not always easy. I'm sorry you have to go back so soon. Too bad we didn't live in Canada huh?

PrairieMom replied:
I'm not happy about it, but at least I am only part time. I don't really feel like I can complain about 6 days a month! They are 6 LONG days tho! I did't even think about the day time either. I guess DH will have to wake me up so I can nurse. ugh. That is going to suck!

coasterqueen replied:
Awww, just have Dh bring her in and give you a nudge. You open the flap, position her and go back to sleep. Dh has done that to me so many times. Sometimes I wake up later on and wonder how the baby got by me and why my flap is open. Ahhhhh, co-sleeping is the best for getting more sleep .