Houston Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
heartbroken
I just looked at my calendar and saw that I'm due back in the office next Wed. 
I'm going back to work for awhile and I honestly don't know how I'm going to do it emotionally.
Also, any tips for keeping up my milk supply? I pump twice a day at home (after her morning feeding and at night when she takes a bottle).
Re: heartbroken
I thought you had longer with your company...sorry that it is so short!
Anyhow, I am no help with supply since I came home to feed F.
Best of luck, the first day is rough, but it gets easier every day.
So Tasty, So Yummy
A little over four months, I can't believe it's gone by so quickly!
Did you go home for every feeding? I think I can come home at lunch, so I guess she will just need an afternoon bottle.
good luck going back to work! i managed to keep my supply up by eating steel cut oatmeal, taking fenugreek, drinking lots of water, eating lots of food, and trying not to get too stressed. i also occasionally drank mothers milk tea, but not regularly enough to really do much.
As long as I didn't have a meeting, I went home for every feeding. I was working 10 hour days, so it was usually three times over the course of the day. I just pumped in the morning when I was home, so I had a huge freezer stash when I went back.
So Tasty, So Yummy
For me, the second week back was harder. I was so overwhelmed coming back with the emails and turnovers and catching up with coworkers that I didn't think about it. The second week was toughest for me, but the third we had a routine and we were doing well.
I would expect the first few days of pumping to be hard just because you may not have a good schedule set. My day was like this:
5:30am feed C, 7am pump before dropping him off, 10a pump at work, 12:30p pump at work, 3p pump at work, 5:30 feed C, 9p feed C and pump again. He ate a LOT. I didn't have an office to pump in, so it was nice to be able to actually step away from my desk and go to a conference room and read!
You'll do fine! Cooper loves daycare and his teachers spoil him, so I know he is safe and happy.
Put reminders in your calendar/phone as to the times you plan to pump so you dont forget/work through them.
Take a book/kindle/ipad/something non work related to do while pumping.
I never had issues with supply so I don't know specifics. I do know that I just went into it thinking "if it works, it works, if it doesnt, we'll supplement with formula". I didnt let it stress me out. But, I also had a huge freezer stash when I went back to work and had been exclusively pumping for about 3 weeks at that point so I felt okay about my supply.
I agree with Kreeper that the second or third week was the hardest. The first week was sort of "fun" to be back in my work clothes, back in the office. It was toward the end of the second or third week, the first time I got home sort of late, that I just broke down about how hard it was.
It does get easier but I still have very hard days 1 year later.
I also had a freezer stash (you may want to start one now if you don't have one already b/c you will be feeding on the weekends, so you might not have enough fresh for the next full day).
I was going back on a friday (just how my mat. leave worked out), so on Wed. and thurs., I put DS in daycare for partial days (4-6 hrs) and ran errands. Just so I could get some stuff done, and also so I could get used to being away from him for the day. Also, I wanted to work out the logistics of what I was supposed to bring (bottles, frozen milk, diapers, etc.) and not have to be lugging that all around on the first day, while still trying to get to work on time. That really worked well for me to get into the groove of daycare drop off before the actual first day. I admit, I did blink back the tears the first day I dropped him off, but it was better than getting emotional on the first day of going back to work with full makeup on! :-)
I usually fed right before I left, then pumped 3 times at work (usually 10am, 1pm, 4pm - something like that), then I would feed when I got home around 7pm, then a late night at 10pm (I think?). I didn't do much to keep my supply up - but def. stay hydrated. My supply tanked around 5 months, and I got it back up since I wasn't ready to quit, then I trailed off again around 7 months, so I started only pumping twice at work and eventually stopped pumping at work and just feeding in the morning and night, then stopped all together around 8 months. I was really ready to be over with it at that point!
For some reason I thought you were home until October? Huh I must be confused, in any case I'm jealous of your nice long mat. leave. I went back at 10 weeks.
Pretty much what SAD said, except the formula and exclusively pumping part. I nursed at home, pumped twice a day at work and didn't have any supply issues until Cooper was much much older. I never really minded pumping, it was nice to get a little quiet break alone to read a book or magazine for a few minutes.
I didn't find the first day/week to be all that hard, it was nice to be back. But my parents kept Cooper until he was 6-7 months old, then he was only in daycare part time (and w/ Grammy & Grandad part time) until he was 9 months, so I know that made it a lot easier. Actually in all honesty, I find it much more difficult to juggle everything (and to leave him) now than it was when he was an infant.
I agree that the first week was easier than the second and third. The first week was kind of exciting, getting to see coworkers again, everyone is excited to see you, everyone asks about the baby, and no one expects you to be very productive yet. ;)By the third week it started to sink in - This is my LIFE now. That was kind of hard.
Pumping itself hasn't been too difficult for me. Ditto Suzi - I like the break time
I started out only pumping twice a day (although DD takes 3 bottles) because I was making way more than she drank. However, my supply went down (leveled out really), and now I need to pump 3 times a day to make enough for her bottles. I usually freeze 2-4 oz a day as well. Having a nice stash in the freezer is so reassuring. It is nice to know that if I don't make enough one day, or I spill something, that its not that big of a deal. I can just pull some out of the freezer. Making time for pumping has been a little challenging. It's hard to get all my work done (at the level that I'm used to) while taking 3 30 minute breaks to pump.
I've never met you, but I feel like I kind of "know" you from your posts here and from your blog. So, I mean this in the nicest way possible - you seem like kind of a perfectionist.
So, I just want to share this little warning - Before I went out on leave, I was at the top of my game at work. I felt like I was really good at my job. On maternity leave, I felt like I was an awesome mom, lots of time to love on DD, keep up with things around the house, etc. When I went back to work, I felt like a terrible, distracted, non-productive employee, and a stressed, distant mom. (not too mention a crabby wife!) It was so hard to go from feeling like I was GOOD at everything, to feeling like I was TERRIBLE at everything. I don't consider myself a perfectionist, but before becoming a working mom - I'd always been able to put in 110% where I wanted to. Now - there just isn't time to put in 110%, and that has been a hard realization for me. I know, it sounds so cliche, but the reality of it, was very different for me that hearing the cliche. It sounds like going back to work is only temporary for you?? So, maybe this won't be so much of an issue.
Regarding how you are going to do this emotionally - what is your childcare situation? I thought it would be so hard to leave DD, however, I LOVE LOVE LOVE her daycare so much, that it really isn't that hard. She's so happy to be there, and they take such good care of her. Balancing work and maintaining a household has caused WAY more tears than me worrying about, or missing DD.
GOOD LUCK! You will do great - also check out the working mom's board - lots of great advice and support.
I used oatmeal and finegreek to help increase my supply. Also adding in a nursing session can help. Are you going to pump at work?