Pumping for the first day back at work

[Anonymous]

About how many sessions/ how long does it take to pump enough to provide DC with enough milk for a 10 hour day? DC is currently 11 weeks and will be 13.5 weeks when I have to head in to the office for a full day there (otherwise I’ll be WFH). He’s EBF.
I have a pump but I’ve never used it.

Also, any tips for what time day to start pumping and how long to go?

[Anonymous]

Three sessions a day for 30 minutes for me. I get the most milk in my two morning sessions- usually 9:30, 12, and one at 3 where I usually get only 2-3 oz total.

[Anonymous]

Start pumping now. Pump other breast while you feed. You need to create a stash. You need to be sure your child will take a bottle. Have formula on hand. Good luck I pumped for a year. Hardest thing I have ever done.

[Anonymous]

Also add in a middle of the night pump. You will have more milk at that time.

[Anonymous]

I remember stressing about this. It’s not worth it with all the other stress you’re dealing with going back to work. Just do formula for the first day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also add in a middle of the night pump. You will have more milk at that time.

wtf NO. she is going back to work FT - she needs to be rested! OP under no circumstances get up in the middle of the night to pump. that’s just outright cruel advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also add in a middle of the night pump. You will have more milk at that time.

I never did that, because I needed the sleep. For me, once my supply was established, two 30-minute sessions sufficed to make milk for the next day, and sometimes a little extra. Other co-workers did three sessions. If you pump once or twice a day before you go back, you can start building up a stash. You don't need weeks and weeks of milk in your stash, but it is nice to have several days' cushion.

If you can pump at home after the first morning feed, do that, so you can take advantage of the supply you built up overnight.

And if it becomes too stressful, feel free to supplement. For me, it was really easy to pump enough milk, so I did it for a year. I wouldn't have done it if it had been a huge struggle, though; once your kid starts eating solids, it's not really as important (it's not like they have some kind of pure gut biome or whatever anymore).

[Anonymous]

Pump for 10-20 mins after each feed. You'll build a stash.

No need to get up in the middle of the night. No need to use formula.

I also pumped for a year after going back to work and it was annoying but nowhere near the hardest thing I've done.

Good luck, op.

[Anonymous]

These replies are tone deaf. Good for those people who only had to do a a couple short pump sessions during the day and got to sleep through the night. There's many of us who couldn't do that in order to keep our supply up. OP, if you need to do an extra pump session, or get up in the night to do one (that's where I got my most milk), IT'S OK. This is highly individualized and personalized - stop criticizing women's decisions and telling people what to do.

[Anonymous]

You output will be different from mine so keep that in mind. I pumped after the first morning feed for a week or two until I had what I was guessing he would need for day one (couldn't be truly sure how many oz he would drink since I also was EBF). I believe I sent 16 oz for the first day just to be sure he had enough + he was a big eater. Your child may be different. Some say the rule is 1 oz per hour away, but for us it was more like 2 oz. Getting enough for that first day is the hardest part - from then on whatever you pump while away from the baby is what you can send to daycare the next time they go.

Good luck! You will figure it all out and get into your own routine.

[Anonymous]

Everyone's supply is different, so it's really hard to tell. When you first start pumping, you generally want to do it every 2-3 hours for about 15-30 minutes. So for a 10 hour day, you might pump 3-5 times, which can get pretty time consuming when trying to work at the same time. If you respond well to your pump and have a great supply, this might be easily achieved. You can also make up the difference in some cases by adding a few pumping sessions at home, like in the morning right after the baby nurses, right after you put baby down for bed, and right before you go to bed.

When you first start pumping, try power pumping a few times (IF YOU HAVE THE TIME) to get used to the pump and boost your supply. It's where you pump for 20 minutes. take a 10 minute break, pump for 10 more minutes, take another 10 minute break, and then pump one last time for 10 minutes.

Also, drink a gallon of water a day.

Lastly, formula is awesome. Never be afraid to supplement if you need help catching up. You and your baby will both be happier for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You output will be different from mine so keep that in mind. I pumped after the first morning feed for a week or two until I had what I was guessing he would need for day one (couldn't be truly sure how many oz he would drink since I also was EBF). I believe I sent 16 oz for the first day just to be sure he had enough + he was a big eater. Your child may be different. Some say the rule is 1 oz per hour away, but for us it was more like 2 oz. Getting enough for that first day is the hardest part - from then on whatever you pump while away from the baby is what you can send to daycare the next time they go.

Good luck! You will figure it all out and get into your own routine.

Agree with this, don't listen to anyone who says your child only needs x oz per hour. Your child will tell you how much they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pump for 10-20 mins after each feed. You'll build a stash.

No need to get up in the middle of the night. No need to use formula.

I also pumped for a year after going back to work and it was annoying but nowhere near the hardest thing I've done.

Good luck, op.

Many, many women find that they can't reasonably pump enough when they return to work. Better to opt for formula than do things like pump 6x/day. (As me how I know.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These replies are tone deaf. Good for those people who only had to do a a couple short pump sessions during the day and got to sleep through the night. There's many of us who couldn't do that in order to keep our supply up. OP, if you need to do an extra pump session, or get up in the night to do one (that's where I got my most milk), IT'S OK. This is highly individualized and personalized - stop criticizing women's decisions and telling people what to do.

What's not OK is normalizing women completely exhausting themselves for the marginal benefit of a few ounces of breastmilk. Waking up in the middle of the night is a terrible idea for the vast majority of working women. It shouldn't be presented neutrally like a valid "choice" or "breastfeeding goal." It's unhealthy.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I wish I were sleeping through the night! After going to sleep anywhere between 7-8, baby wakes up to eat anywhere between 10:00 - 1am and then about every 2 hours after that until he’s up for the morning between 5:30-6. (Not asking for sleep training advice. IMHO only, he’s too young and I’m not yet sure how I feel about it.)