Burning through milk stash

[@llli*debbers]

Here are a few other things to think about.

Being stressed or anxious during pumping can affect your pump output, so do everything you can to relax. Don't worry about the ounces, or the work sitting on your desk, just relax (and maybe look at baby pics ). I also found that being cold made pump output go down, too.

oh I don't feel stressed during pumping. Just at end of day when I haven't pumped enough. Luckily have never dealt with being cold either as office lactation room has a space heater.

Also, make sure you are very well hydrated. I see in the previous post that you focused on hydration after your stomach incident, but do this every day and it might help. [/QUOTE] hydrating really well every day is S.O.P. I was suggesting that getting sick in middle of night had me playing catch up and prob impacted first of the day pump.

Keep changing up the compressions until you find the best method. It took me a while but when I eventually mastered breast compressions my output went up significantly. I found there were certain parts of my breasts that really needed some direct pressure to empty, and both breasts were different. [/QUOTE] thanks. Agreed. Left one is stubborn!

Good Luck![/QUOTE]

[@llli*joe.s.mom]

Keep in mind that it takes TIME to increase your pumping output. If your body is used to producing a certain amount, it may take a while to increase that amount. Pumping "dry" is frustrating, but that's how you signal your brain to make more milk. This may mean continuing to pump after the last drops for a few days. But hopefully you'll see a difference after several days of that. So longer pumping sessions may not work immediately, but I think it's worth it to keep trying.

Keep us posted!!

[@llli*debbers]

Keep in mind that it takes TIME to increase your pumping output. If your body is used to producing a certain amount, it may take a while to increase that amount. Pumping "dry" is frustrating, but that's how you signal your brain to make more milk. This may mean continuing to pump after the last drops for a few days. But hopefully you'll see a difference after several days of that. So longer pumping sessions may not work immediately, but I think it's worth it to keep trying.

Keep us posted!!

Can awhile mean a good long while? I'm still not keeping up so I've added a pumping session in the middle of the night. I hope it's temporary. What an awful way to disrupt sleep. Either my nanny can't add (possible) or today DD ate 16oz. (Drank?)
If you add the hours from when I left - 9A - to when I walked in 6P that's 1.7oz per hour I was gone. Not outrageous right? The bottle feedings actually began at 10A and the last one was at 4:15P. That seems like a lot in that window but there was the 75 min i was gone preceding that and more than 90 min after the last before i got home. DD doesn't get gas anymore, doesn't spit up and def never vomits up. She also doesn't take lengthy naps and they play a lot and go on lots of walks. For a baby that's a lot of action, which on top of normal growth maybe means a good appetite (?)

[@llli*debbers]

Oh and I drank 96 oz of water today on top of the smoothie I make for breakfast that's all fruit, ice and a little coconut milk. Really doesn't seem to impact supply at the pump whatsoever.

[@llli*sprocket]

I've added a pumping session in the middle of the night. I hope it's temporary. What an awful way to disrupt sleep.

Sorry, I just have to say it one more time: I would try a hospital-grade pump before I would get up in the middle of the night to pump. It is the one thing I've tried that has taken me from running at a deficit to a slight surplus and that's worth a LOT to me both in terms of money and energy spent lugging it around. I promise I won't bring it up again!

Although I truly admire your effort!! Pumping in the middle of the night takes dedication. You go mama. My hope would be that pumping overnight would stimulate your supply and maybe you won't have to do it forever. But I'm no expert. Good luck and hang in there!!!

[@llli*sprocket]

One more thought. What is your sleeping arrangement like? If baby is sleeping through the night, I wonder if you could get her to nurse through the night while sleeping next to you and if that might help. I don't know if it always works this way, but in theory if she is drinking more at night then she will drink less from bottles during the day. And nursing more times in a 24 hour period might stimulate your milk production. I am sure whatever you are doing now for sleep is a thoroughly thought out decision based on what works for your family. But I think nursing overnight (or not) can impact your production and her eating habits so it might be something to think about. As nice as sleeping through the night would be, I would rather nurse at 2 am than pump any day of the week!

[@llli*debbers]

One more thought. What is your sleeping arrangement like? If baby is sleeping through the night, I wonder if you could get her to nurse through the night while sleeping next to you and if that might help. I don't know if it always works this way, but in theory if she is drinking more at night then she will drink less from bottles during the day. And nursing more times in a 24 hour period might stimulate your milk production. I am sure whatever you are doing now for sleep is a thoroughly thought out decision based on what works for your family. But I think nursing overnight (or not) can impact your production and her eating habits so it might be something to think about. As nice as sleeping through the night would be, I would rather nurse at 2 am than pump any day of the week!

Sleep, the delicate subject around which everyone tiptoes so carefully. We co-sleep, always have. She hasn't slept anywhere but on my chest/tummy or by my side since birth. Only the cat has ever slept in the crib! Given my hate-hate relationship w/the pump, agree with you wholeheartedly on nursing vs pumping at night! She usually nurses twice between bedtime and wake up but since she passed her 3 month mark maybe not always with as much vigor.
Also I hear you on the hospital grade pump. It's on my very lengthy and growing to do list, which most days feels more like a To Don't list for the little I actually get done outside work and DD. Still adjusting to adding mom on top of a 21 year career!

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

How on board do you think your nanny is with breastfeeding? My nanny is wonderful but she has never breastfed a baby and she has her own ideas about feeding. There was a study published recently that babies drinking out of a bottle, whether breastmilk or formula, will tend to lose some of the self-regulating ability they demonstrate on the breast - which is another way of saying that if your baby is offered that much, she will drink that much. And in my experience, that is exactly what happens - all of my babies have gotten to the point of having 16-18 oz/day out of the bottle. I'm fortunate in that I am able to keep up with that so I've never made a big issue out of it, but if I was in your situation, I think I would have a serious sit-down with your nanny to try to get her on the same page about what is an appropriate amount (ie, so that baby's daytime feeding more closely matches your pump output - otherwise, if she is having a lot more than what you are pumping, she is less hungry when she is with you, and you are losing out on that good nursing stimulation. Not to mention that you will deplete your freezer stash.) People have very ingrained ideas about these things and often think "more is better" when it comes to baby's milk intake, so it takes a big attitude adjustment to try to "limit" the intake, although you're not really limiting it, just trying to make it closer to what she would be getting if she were nursing all day.

As for getting very little done outside work and baby - I hear you on that! Especially in these early months. It gets better.

[@llli*sprocket]

It's on my very lengthy and growing to do list, which most days feels more like a To Don't list for the little I actually get done outside work and DD.

I hear you!! I would agree that encouraging your nanny to give less per bottle might be in order but your calculation of 1.7 oz per hour away does seem within the realm of normal to me (based on my limited experience and what I've read here). You've probably already thought of this, but I find that the most effective way to get my baby to take a more naturally-paced amount of milk from the bottle (meaning, more like the smaller, more frequent meals she has when we're together) is to provide small (1.5-3 oz) bottles. If you are facing the prospect of getting up to add another ounce or two to a bottle (with a baby in your arms all the while), you take a moment to evaluate whether she's really still hungry. If you have an ounce left in the bottle, and you're looking at the possibility of having to tell mom that you threw her milk away because you overestimated how much she'd take, you keep offering the bottle. I think that's what anyone would do, consciously or subconsciously.

[@llli*debbers]

How on board do you think your nanny is with breastfeeding? My nanny is wonderful but she has never breastfed a baby and she has her own ideas about feeding. There was a study published recently that babies drinking out of a bottle, whether breastmilk or formula, will tend to lose some of the self-regulating ability they demonstrate on the breast - which is another way of saying that if your baby is offered that much, she will drink that much. And in my experience, that is exactly what happens - all of my babies have gotten to the point of having 16-18 oz/day out of the bottle. I'm fortunate in that I am able to keep up with that so I've never made a big issue out of it, but if I was in your situation, I think I would have a serious sit-down with your nanny to try to get her on the same page about what is an appropriate amount (ie, so that baby's daytime feeding more closely matches your pump output - otherwise, if she is having a lot more than what you are pumping, she is less hungry when she is with you, and you are losing out on that good nursing stimulation. Not to mention that you will deplete your freezer stash.) People have very ingrained ideas about these things and often think "more is better" when it comes to baby's milk intake, so it takes a big attitude adjustment to try to "limit" the intake, although you're not really limiting it, just trying to make it closer to what she would be getting if she were nursing all day.

As for getting very little done outside work and baby - I hear you on that! Especially in these early months. It gets better.

That's a very legitimate question. We have had that discussion a couple times and I'm not averse to talking it thru again. I think the best way to put it is that she's on board, but like your nanny has never done it so can't relate. There's probably a bit of disbelief in these instances especially since she hasn't dealt with this before. Not that she hasn't fed expressed milk, but I seem to be the first to ever ask her to scale back. I can only imagine how that translates to a non mom. Please starve my baby while I'm gone. :P The thing is, and you'll see this referenced in sprockets response, which is below yours, we are averaging just 1.7oz per hour of absence on a high volume day so it's not out of control. I'm not even working 8 hour days, it's just that when you add transit and misc activities involved with getting in and out of parking garages and office buildings, I'm gone 9 hours. I will say that DD is a very enthusiastic nurser in the morning and throughout the evening and I don't think it's just soothe sucking. The diapers are still getting dirty after a couple meals.