Dreading going back to work and other pumping issues

[@llli*sb]

Hi all, my maternity leave is ending and I am just a sad mama today. My first day back to work is Tuesday after 20 glorious and hard weeks at home with my son. I am worried because my son has not really taken to the bottle (admittedly I did not try very hard) so am nervous that he won't eat while I'm away. Please ease my fears! He will accept it eventually, right?

My son eats every 2.5-3 hours. He's 20 pounds and 4.5 months. Lately he doesn't seem as ravenous or interested during the day. He will eat a lot at night though.

My questions are:
1) is 4-5 ounces per bottle (4 bottles?) too much to leave for my babysitter?
2) I saw in another LLL thread a schedule that I am planning to follow: pump at 9:30a, 12:00p, 2:30p, 4:30p. Is that too much? That's ideal but realistically I am aiming for 3 sessions. Right now I plan on BFing in the morning when we wake up so my babysitter would give 3 bottles. Does that seem about right?
3) how long do you pump for?
4) when do you use the letdown button on the Medela PIS?

I have a good supply/oversupply issues so your insights are appreciated.



5) any pumping tips?

[@llli*jenna562]

Have you ever used the pump? Do you have milk to leave him that first day?

4-5 oz is too much. Id do 3 oz bottles. Rule of thumb is 1-1.5 oz per hour away

[@llli*lidarln]

Have you ever used the pump? Do you have milk to leave him that first day?

4-5 oz is too much. Id do 3 oz bottles. Rule of thumb is 1-1.5 oz per hour away

and We all get super emotional, try not to stress your self out....

1) I'd leave 3 oz bottles and maybe one 1 oz topper JIC
2) I pumped 10:30a, 12:30p, 3:00p I also nursed before we left home at 7:30 and again when I picked him up @ 5:00-5:30 before leaving the sitter
3) i pumped about 20-30 min each time
4) I cannot remember ever using the button
5) make sure the breast shields fit properly, pack your bag the night before, and take a book or magazine to distract yourself while pumping (DON'T look at the bottles)

[@llli*sb]

Thanks. This sounds like a good schedule. Do you think I should pump until I get what I need or for 20-30 min?

I have pumped and have a good freezer stash.

[@llli*goldentoes]

1) is 4-5 ounces per bottle (4 bottles?) too much to leave for my babysitter?
2) I saw in another LLL thread a schedule that I am planning to follow: pump at 9:30a, 12:00p, 2:30p, 4:30p. Is that too much? That's ideal but realistically I am aiming for 3 sessions. Right now I plan on BFing in the morning when we wake up so my babysitter would give 3 bottles. Does that seem about right?
3) how long do you pump for?
4) when do you use the letdown button on the Medela PIS?

I have a good supply/oversupply issues so your insights are appreciated.



5) any pumping tips?

1- best answered by trial and error. My guy has always taken 4 oz per bottle. we started with 3 oz but he consistently wanted more, so we bumped it up and that seems to work well for him. to start, try leaving 3 oz bottles with a supply of extra milk so the sitter can add more if necessary (but only if necessary!).

2 - If you have good supply or oversupply, you *may* find 4x per work day is a bit too much. Also it's pretty hard to be away from your desk that often and still get actual work done. I do 10:30, 1:30, 4:45 usually (working 9:30-6) and that works really well. But again, trial and error - there's a balance between too often and too infrequent as far as maxizing your output while also staying in balance with your baby.

3 - I usually go about 25 minutes. Get most of everything in the first 10 minutes, but I hang on and wait for a couple more small letdowns.

4 - I hit that button as soon as I'm getting actual streams of milk from both sides. It's meant to simulate how a baby's suck changes when letdown occurs, going from quick light sucks to long, drawing ones.

5 - To make your life easier, use a cooler that's big enough for the parts to fit in as well as the milk. That way you don't have to clean them every time you pump and it helps you be more efficient

Good luck! Most of these things really are trial and error - everybody has a schedule that works best for them, and it's going to be a huge adjustment for you. What works for one person may not work for another, so it's all about experimentation and really keeping track so you can see the patterns that work best

[@llli*lidarln]

try to just pump for 20-30 minutes the first time without watching the pump, if you get anywhere near 3-4oz or more I would just set a time limit and not worry about volume watching. the less you glance at those bottles while pumping the more milk you will pump I PROMISE!!!! if there a problems come back and update and we will help you work through it....

here some in for for you and the babysitter:

http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/f...ottle-feeding/
http://www.kellymom.com/store/freeha...le_feeding.pdf
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/

[@llli*sb]

Thank you so much for the tips!

I will plan on leaving three 3 ounce bottles and some extra. My babysitter has asked that we start with 3 ounce bottles so I think she is on board with not over feeding and feeding on demand.

He also is pretty much not taking the bottle but I am hopeful that he will understand and start taking them while I'm at work. Please tell me that this isn't just hopeful! I am so worried that he is going to fast.

[@llli*mercystreet]

We are working on a pretty stubborn case of bottle refusal. My son rejected the pacifier and the bottle -- it's boobs or bust with this one -- so my husband has been practicing with the bottle for about 6 weeks to prepare baby for daycare, and only just in the past week has he started to take half an ounce or so at a time. Your baby will get it together, but you might have to put a little more work into it first -- it probably won't magically happen without some experimentation. Here are some of the tips, tricks, and variations that we cycled through:

-Different brands of bottle: Some breastfed babies seem to prefer the brands that mimic the breast (like Breastflow or Tommee Teepee) while other babies do better with something totally different from the breast. Also, even though they will all say they have "slow flow" nipples (and you should never use anything else with a breastfed baby -- your breasts don't move up in flow so why should the bottle?), truthfully some bottles are faster than others, and your baby might have a preference for one over the other. Practice with one brand for at least several days/maybe a week, to give baby a chance to catch on, before you switch to something new.
-Different milk temperatures: Room temp, warm, very warm ... again your baby could have a strong preference that influences his willingness to accept it.
-Hunger level: Maybe try when baby is already hungry (he might be more inclined to eat), and/or between feeding times when he's less hungry and it's more like "here's something new, and it has milk in it!"
-Different holds/positions: For example, from a traditional cradle hold, a more upright almost-seated cradle position, sitting with his back against the belly of the person feeding him, or positioned seated in front of the person feeding him. Also, try feeding him while walking around -- movement can calm and distract them enough.
-Where are you during the feed? Assuming you are not giving the bottle (and if you want to keep breastfeeding then the bottle should only be offered by other people) you might need to leave the room or even leave the house (if my baby could see or smell me, he wouldn't take the bottle).
-Try different people offering the bottle -- partner, friends, etc.
-Trying warming the nipple first, and dipping it in milk so he can smell and taste it.
-If all else fails, try alternative methods, like syringe or cup feeding, and see if your provider is open to them.

Here are some links to articles that were helpful to me:

http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/lv/lviss1-2009p12.html
http://www.llli.org/nb/nbnovdec02p218.html
http://www.alternative-mama.com/bottle-refusal/
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/f...ative-feeding/

Personally, we are finding some success now with the milk pretty warm, and feeding while walking/rocking gently, and we went back to a bottle we tried earlier and he didn't like but on a whim tried again and its suddenly working. But every baby is different so you just have to find the combination that works for you. You might also try to prepare yourself for possible reverse cycling (baby sleeping more and eating less during the day and ramping up night nursing to get their calories -- totally unfair for a working mom but such is life). But your baby will not fast -- babies are smart and they do understand what's going on. Our daycare director reassured me that "No baby will willingly starve himself." When he's hungry enough, he will decide to eat.

Bottom line -- keep experimenting and don't give up! Good luck

[@llli*mercystreet]

Oh and as far as how much to send to daycare, a few rules of thumb I came across:

1) 1.0 to 1.5 ounces per hour baby is away from you; and
2) Divide average daily intake for a baby (24-27 oz, although some take more or less) by the number of times your baby feeds during the day, and this is the amount per bottle to provide to the daycare provider

However -- if you're working through bottle refusal like we are, it's unlikely he will eat a full serving at once, and eat on schedule in the same way he does with you, in the beginning, until he is comfortable with the bottle (and used to his care setting). So it might be easier on your freezer stash to slightly underfill the bottles at first, and provide an extra container or baggie for "just in case." Good luck!

[@llli*raejoy]

I just want to throw this in:
It's completely normal to dread going back to work!!! But enjoy your last few days work-free with your baby