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Breast feeding questions
Tiff's and Sum's posts got me to thinking.
Has anyone been able to BF morning, evening and night then only pump once during the day and make it last? We supplement with formula and stored bm during the day at daycare and also a small bottle late in the evening so h can feed him. My new goal is 4m (and then 5m if we make it to 4m) or teeth, whichever comes first.
Anything other than oatmeal, drinking and eating enough to help sustain supply?
Does a schedule eventually set itself? I was so used to Elsie's formula schedule that now we just kind of go with the flow on feeding Ian. He's not even got a real bedtime yet, it's sometimes 8:30pm other times 11pm depending upon when he does his long stretch of nursing.
I thought I would have been done with BF by now, but we are still going at 3m (and 3 weeks back at work) and it doesn't look like the boobies are minding the 6 hours between feeding or pumping sessions so far.
This un-scheduledness is so unlike me.
Re: Breast feeding questions
I cut one of my sessions out last week and have been okay with my supply. But, my boobs are VERY full and starting to get sore if I go more than 4 hrs between pumping or feeding.
I've heard Fenugreek is good to take if you are wanting to increase your supply, but if you are wanting to cut out a session, you may not want to increase, ya know? I could be totally off base, but if you increase, it will make it even more uncomfortable if you are going longer between feedings.
Picture courtesy of Heidi Keene Photography
I would never have been able to pump only once a day and have enough to last for the daytime. I seemed to have a "barely enough" supply and was always a bit behind on matching B's demand even when pumping 3x/day at work. So I ended up waking up at 3 a.m. or so to get in an extra pumping session - in hindsight, it was pretty brutal to be waking up in the middle of the night solely for the purpose of pumping to keep her on exclusively breast milk for those first 6+ months, when I really could have used the sleep.
I've heard of lots of suggestions for boosting supply, none of which seemed to make a noticeable difference for me (fenugreek, certain teas, etc). I just breastfed on demand and I don't think I noticed a very tried-and-true schedule. And if I did notice a schedule, it changed shortly thereafter with a growth spurt I'm sure.
Whatever is working out best for you is great! Keep it up!
I did this for a long time. At least when it comes to pumping. I pretty much exclusively pumped from the time I went back to work until I stopped, except for some middle of the night feedings when I would nurse (at least until the biting incident...) I would pump in the am, at lunch time, on my way home, and then before bed, and did that for probably 5 months. Once I dropped pumping at work was when my supply took a huge hit. But by then he was eating more and we were having to supplement with formula anyway so it wasn't a huge deal. Then a month or so later when I dropped another pumping session, the morning one, that's when I ended up stopping (@9 months)... I did this thinking I would just pump a couple times a day, or even just once, supplement, and he would still get some BM for a while longer. Well, when I went down to once or twice a day, my supply was completely gone within 4 days. I noticed the first day of this the difference and I bet I could have turned it around at that point, but I didn't.
Good for you for sticking with it!
I have made it 4 months... Hoping to make it to 5.:) I set little goals... I hope that my supply stays up. I can't drink the mother's tea because I am allergic, but I have been eating oatmeal like it is going out of style.
I pump when I get up after Charlie eats, Once at Lunch (teaching is not the most Pump friendly profession) and when I get home. Today I forgot one of my pieces at home so I have PSB going on right now and can't cross my arms. Ouch ouch ouch.
My supply hung in there with DD when I stopped pumping at work, I was able to nurse am and pm and she did formula during the day.
Right now with little man, I am still pumping, but we are doing 4 oz of formula and he is still nursing a few times at night. I don't know how my supply will stay after I quit pumping, because it seems i am producing less this time.
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