**catbus**

[jennlin]

Jun 7, 2013 13:03:08 GMT -5 spunbutterfly said:

catbus

Ok, I have to ask. Do you mind sharing like a generic daily sort of 'what you eat all day' sort of thing? I am seriously sitting here wishing I had your boob output. XD

What pump, what cone size? How often you pump and for how long?

Lol. I love this. Also hate how often you pump, nurse, sleep.....

[jennlin]

Ummm I dunno how "hate" got in there. Ignore that. Mobile.

[catbus]

Ha! OK, so first of all I think my body just likes makin' milk. I had to step back my pumping sessions after my first week back at work, because that following weekend I was getting engorged because of the increased demand from the pump (which my body apparently responds well to).

I eat fairly healthfully, but definitely not perfectly. Here's today:
Between 6 AM and 8ish:
-16 oz. mug of black tea w/ milk
-Krispy Kreme glazed donut (I have one once a month because the building management provides them the first Friday of each month)
-Two packets plain instant oatmeal with ~2 tbsp. brewer's yeast, 2 tbsp. flax seed meal, 1 tbsp. wheat germ oil stirred in
Around 10 AM:
-A handful of almonds and unsweetened coconut flakes, or a string cheese
Noonish/lunch:
-Leftovers from last night: Homemade turkey meatballs with whole wheat couscous, spinach, apricot, and feta pilaf
Afternoon snacks:
-More handfuls of coconut flakes to stave off sugar cravings.
-Give in and grab a couple dark chocolate Dove pieces from receptionist's candy bowl
-And let's be honest, another string cheese.

I fill up my 750mL water bottle right when I get to work, then again right after lunch. Sometimes I fill it once more, but usually 1.5L is about right for my day. I also drink 2 cups nettle tea during the day.

And finally, my vitamins/supplements that make me sound crazy:
-Rainbow Light Prenatal One multi
-Krill oil
-2000 IU vitamin D
-B-complex (not too high in B6, which helps supply but can hinder if too high)
-500 mg shatavari (two 2x/day)
-390 mg blessed thistle (two 2x/day)

I pump at 10 AM and 2 PM for about 20 minutes. I change out my membranes about every two weeks.

[picksthemusic]

Jun 7, 2013 13:56:28 GMT -5 catbus said:

Ha! OK, so first of all I think my body just likes makin' milk. I had to step back my pumping sessions after my first week back at work, because that following weekend I was getting engorged because of the increased demand from the pump (which my body apparently responds well to).

I eat fairly healthfully, but definitely not perfectly. Here's today:
Between 6 AM and 8ish:
-16 oz. mug of black tea w/ milk
-Krispy Kreme glazed donut (I have one once a month because the building management provides them the first Friday of each month)
-Two packets plain instant oatmeal with ~2 tbsp. brewer's yeast, 2 tbsp. flax seed meal, 1 tbsp. wheat germ oil stirred in
Around 10 AM:
-A handful of almonds and unsweetened coconut flakes, or a string cheese
Noonish/lunch:
-Leftovers from last night: Homemade turkey meatballs with whole wheat couscous, spinach, apricot, and feta pilaf
Afternoon snacks:
-More handfuls of coconut flakes to stave off sugar cravings.
-Give in and grab a couple dark chocolate Dove pieces from receptionist's candy bowl
-And let's be honest, another string cheese.

I fill up my 750mL water bottle right when I get to work, then again right after lunch. Sometimes I fill it once more, but usually 1.5L is about right for my day. I also drink 2 cups nettle tea during the day.

And finally, my vitamins/supplements that make me sound crazy:
-Rainbow Light Prenatal One multi
-Krill oil
-2000 IU vitamin D
-B-complex (not too high in B6, which helps supply but can hinder if too high)
-500 mg shatavari (two 2x/day)
-390 mg blessed thistle (two 2x/day)

I pump at 10 AM and 2 PM for about 20 minutes. I change out my membranes about every two weeks.

This sounds doable. I already take most of those vitamins, but will definitely add the herbal milk-making supplements once baby is born.

[catbus]

Edit: Duh, I forgot to account for anything I eat at home after work.

-Glass of water when I get home
-Beer (hoppy or malty, my favorites!)
-Dinner: Tonight will be braised chicken thighs with garlic-spinach brown rice and a green salad with balsamic vinegar and avocado. This is because we finally started meal planning.
-Another glass of water. So in total, I drink probably 72ish oz./water a day besides what's in my tea. Including that, I suppose it's around 120 oz.

Oh, and if we have ice cream in the house I almost always have some after dinner. I have convinced H that ice cream helps my supply.

[catbus]

Jun 7, 2013 14:39:04 GMT -5 spunbutterfly said:

Are you using MEdela PISA?

Yep. I swear the shatavari is responsible for the recent boost. 

[catbus]

Jun 7, 2013 13:03:08 GMT -5 spunbutterfly said:

catbus

Ok, I have to ask. Do you mind sharing like a generic daily sort of 'what you eat all day' sort of thing? I am seriously sitting here wishing I had your boob output. XD

What pump, what cone size? How often you pump and for how long?

Somehow I didn't see these questions before. Yeah, PISA at work, Harmony to relieve fullness at home (sometimes E doesn't take both sides in the morning, so I pump the other). Just the size that came with the pump, 24mm. (From what I can tell, they're actually the right size for me.)

[catbus]

Jun 7, 2013 14:53:56 GMT -5 spunbutterfly said:

Oh. And have you gotten AF back yet? If you have, do you notice a significant dip during those times? Or do you compensate?

Yep, it came back two months ago. :-( (Actually, TMI warning, it's starting today.) And I do get a dip the day before lasting until a few days after, so about seven days. The dip's about a 25% decrease, so 16ish oz. has been typical. I started the shatavari right after the last period in hopes that it would help keep supply up during that time. But last week is when I cut back E's daycare bottles (after watching his consumption for a week and seeing a clear pattern of him not finishing most bottles anymore), so I think I'm going to be fine anyway. 

Annnd, that just reminded me of another thing I forgot: I take a cal/mag. supplement every night. It's supposed to help production, but also protect against supply dips during AF. Man, I'm a pill popper. 

[jennlin]

wow change the membranes every two weeks! i read how that *could* help, but i didn't try it until i was 3 or 4 months into pumping, and when i changed my (equivalent of a membrane) i did not see a difference in output, so i was mad i bought a multi pack of them!.

[catbus]

Jun 7, 2013 15:35:11 GMT -5 jennlin said:

wow change the membranes every two weeks! i read how that *could* help, but i didn't try it until i was 3 or 4 months into pumping, and when i changed my (equivalent of a membrane) i did not see a difference in output, so i was mad i bought a multi pack of them!.

Sometimes I forget for longer, but I've done at least once a month since March and I do see a difference. I also saw a difference when I sprung for new valves a month ago... but that could be because there was a time or two where my valves wouldn't come off the connectors and I had to use my teeth to pull them off, so there were tiny teeth marks on them for a couple weeks. 

[catbus]

Other thread reminded me to come back and check this one. Sorry! @legalbritt, mine are... hmm... average? I was a C/D cup pre-pregnancy and am now a solid D. They're fullish but not exceptionally perky or firm. LOL. I do know that both books I read on milk supply do mention storage capacity as part of the equation--this doesn't necessarily mean bigger boobs have larger capacity, but there has to be sufficient glandular tissue to hold that milk. Interesting stuff. My mom has always said she thought her storage capacity just wasn't high enough to EBF. Her breasts are smaller and have never been very "full" (according to her).

spunbutterfly, E was finishing 4x 5-oz bottles every day until a few weeks ago. Then he wasn't finishing them for a week, so I stepped down to 4.5-oz., then 4 oz. So he's now taking a total of 16 oz. at daycare, and sometimes still doesn't finish all of them. Daycare still offers milk before solids, of course, but I guess his needs have finally decreased.