Just went back to work,have decreased supply

[carrie17]

I just started working full time again and pumping and my supply is low. I nurse my 5 month old son at 6am then pump at 9am, 12pm, and 3pm, then I nurse my son at 6pm and he goes to sleep until the next day. I also pump at 9pm. I am only pumping 12oz total. He's taking in 16 oz just at daycare. What should I do?

[majubee]

have you tried applying heat to your breasts with a warm wash cloth just before pumping or pump right after you get out of a hot shower? massaging your breasts before you pump is a good idea too. are you getting enough fluids? are you eating oatmeal? if not I would say to start eating oatmeal every day, it really seems to help.

how long have you been pumping for? you said you just went back to work, has it been weeks or just days? it can sometimes take time to your supply to build up and for your supply to get used to pumping. just keep trying.

hopefully I have helped you some and if not hopefully someone else will have something useful for you.

good luck! and good job mama at doing all that pumping for your baby!

[angelhas4]

I would wake the baby to feed once more before letting him sleep through the night. Although he is 5mths (getting older) he still should'nt go that long without feeding. Also 9 hours IS a long time to go without nursing OR pumping. That is NO DOUBT why your supply has gone down they say once baby does sleep through night (lucky you at 5 mths ) supply will start to dwindle but to keep it up maybe you can nurse at the usual 6p AND pump other breast at same time if baby needs more milk he is likly to make your milk let down again at same feeding. The key to multiple milk let downs:RELAX!! think about feeling the milk move from your chest through your breast than out of your nipple take slow deep breaths it kind of feels like your giving yourself a body chill or something that ALWAYS works for me.Also mabe you can get up again mid night to pump. If you try to always pump at the same time as you are feeding your baby you might get more milk out than if you pump without the baby suckling. Also try that relaxation tip while you pump without your baby. Hope if you try it works for you! NEVER GIVE UP!!! Good luck to you!!

[carrie17]

Thanks for all the advice, I will definitely try it. I've only been pumping for a few days so hopefully it will get better.

[Mary_Mary]

I would also think about pumping on the weekends. Preferably pumping while nursing.

Even if you only pump an extra ounce at each feeding over the weekend, by Monday your body will be thinking that it needs to make that much more per day than baby eats. This will create a slight oversupply and that will make it a little easier to pump the amount you need each day.

This is what I did when I had nearly exhausted my freezer stash. I didn't get much at each feeding/pumping but it adds up.

[applesauce]

What a timely thread for me, I go back to work full time tomorrow. I have been having supply issues as it is, and am worried about how it might change once I go back to work.

[neyney3]

You should nurse more often to build your supply. Also reverse cycling might get your baby to eat less at daycare. My baby was only taking two 3 Oz bottles of expressed breast milk at 5 months and cluster nursed in the evenings& early mornings and every 3-4 hrs at night. Example: 4:30pm, 6pm, 7pm (solids), 9pm, 11pm, 4am, 6am, 7am, 8am (sometimes), 9:30am (bottle with husband if needed before drop off at daycare), 12pm & 3pm (at daycare). Then when he went thru a growthspurt and wanted 4 oz bottles three times a day (I couldn't keep up with that at the time due to allergies bring my system down).. I added solids at 11am at daycare. the solids decreased his need for milk at daycare. I just keep an eye on his diapers. If he goes 8 hrs without a wet one then I decrease the amount of solids and increase the milk to keep him hydrated. (we haven't done juice yet). I've never pumped more than 12Oz but usually it's more like 6-9 Oz. I have an on the go job. All those other tips posted worked for me too. For example: when I took some Allavert and had a temporary decrease those other tips helped me get by until the supply was back up. I've only had to suppliment formula maybe twice (my baby doesn't like frozen & thawed breast milk).

[KerryS]

How many hours per day is your baby in daycare? Assuming it's a standard workday, I'm guessing it's about 10 hours? If so, 16 oz. might be more than he truly needs. A good rule of thumb is that a breastfed baby needs about one ounce per hour (around 25 oz/day). This does not change as baby gets older and bigger.

It's very common to overfeed a baby when a bottle is given. Here is a link to information on how to bottle feed a breastfed baby, so as to minimize the risk of overfeeding.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html