Having trouble building stash

[@llli*foodie920]

My nine week old nurses non stop and I'm having trouble fitting in a productive pumping session each day. I don't need a huge stash but I'd like a little bit extra for when I return to work in June. Any suggestions on how to do this? I was pumping during his daily nap but he's abandoned napping recently and is eating pretty much hourly except at night. I've thought about pumping overnight, but he wakes up when I get out of bed. It's like he knows I'm stealing his milk, lol

[@llli*elliemommy]

If he is only nine weeks you may want to give it a little more time. You will likely pumping what you need each day for the next day and hopefully you will have a bit over.
Pumping too much now could lead to oversupply and that is no fun when you are working! You still have at least a month and the schedule might change enough for you to fit in a session.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

How much do you have so far? And how long will you be apart from baby? Baby needs (roughly) 1 - 1.5 oz of milk per hour apart, so if your first day is a 10 hour separation, you need 15 oz or so. A lot of moms have the most milk in the morning so you might get more bang for your buck if you can squeeze in a pumping session then. And even if you only get a half ounce or an ounce at a time, it adds up. Also some moms worry that they will be "empty" if they've just pumped and baby wants to nurse. But your breasts are never empty, at most baby might have to spend a little longer nursing to get what he wants. So if a good moment arrives to pump, go ahead and pump even if you think baby might want to nurse again soon.

[@llli*foodie920]

I have 6 ounces so far. I have a one day seminar that I need to attend on 5/15 out of town (taking the baby and husband) which will deplete the stores since I can't freeze back what I pump that day. Then I start back to work early June.

[@llli*morgan11]

Just pump once a day for about an ounce and then freeze every 2-3 days. Just try to fit it in whenever (i.e. morning, afternoon nap). It might seem really small, but it will amount to 2-3 bottles worth of pumped milk a week. If you pump more than that, you could get yourself into an oversupply problem.

[@llli*mommal]

Wait, why can't you freeze what you pump on the day of your seminar?

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

Yes, I'm wondering that too. If you don't have access to a fridge, a cooler bag or box with ice packs should be fine to keep the milk good until you get home.

[@llli*adria.parkinson]

When I was preparing to go back to work I just pumped once a day about 30 min to an hour after my daughter ate in the morning. I ended up with a good stash that way. As others have said even an ounce or two a day will add up quickly.

[@llli*foodie920]

Yes, I'm wondering that too. If you don't have access to a fridge, a cooler bag or box with ice packs should be fine to keep the milk good until you get home.

My seminar is out of town on Thursday 5/15, I'm flying in with my family to DC the day before. Then we are slated to see family over the weekend. I Can refrigerate the milk easily, but have no way to freeze it on thursday and keep it frozen until I get home Sunday afternoon.

[@llli*5ofus]

If you can keep your milk cold until you can get home, then you can freeze it Sunday. I have left milk in the fridge up to 5 days before freezing and have never had an issue. Also, don't stress out too much about a stash - most times you will be pumping for the next day so normally you will have all you need. Of course, there could be a pump slump or a growth spurt, etc. so having a little extra is always good. I found that having about 15-20 extra oz in the freezer at a time was more than enough (and remember to rotate them out for fresh stuff ) Don't stress out about it, as PP just fit it in when you can. Morning pumping tends to yield the most milk so that may be a good time to try for. When I went back to work with DS2 at 7 weeks I had just enough milk for the next day. I eventually pumped enough extra to have a small stash. I put off pumping as long as I could since it's one of my least favorite things to do