Back to work?

[jen812]

My original plan for when I return to work is to have the caregiver FF DS. I would continue to BF when with DS. I figured it would be easier for everyone involved. I don't have to worry about pumping enough BM. Plus, it would be really difficult to pump at work. I could, if i had to, but I'd rather not. Has anyone done this?

I'm trying to figure out how to make the transition. Should I start giving DS formula when I would be working? How long will it take my boobs to adjust? Should I transition slowly, replacing one BF with FF at a time? Will I still need to pump?

[amellis2]

How old will he be when you go back to work? I have pumped once at work, but we had a public break room and the bathroom. So I pumped in the bathroom, even though I was supposed to be provided with a place. Didn't matter, left not to long after that.

Personally, because I know how finnacky babies can be with formulas vs milk, I would try one at a time, and do that one formula for a few days, to avoid allergies. Pump for that feeding (hey, while you are home, why not?) and so you don't decrease your milk supply in the mean time.

Since I didn;t get to nurse barely at all, I may not be the best advice giver, but that is what I would do until told other wise. Jenrn would be good for this. She wants to be an LC when she "grows up."

[sara76]

I haven't given formula but I did have to get her to take a bottle so I can offer perspective on that part of it. When do you plan on returning and how many hours will you usually be gone for?

[jennifer8080]

I'm probably not a good person to give advice either. My body sort of did just the opposite of what the hooks say. Plus I was mostly BFing and pumping. I'm not sure how to get your supply to adjust with out dropping it too much or with out feeling engorged. Jen can probably weigh in better here.

[jen812]

My work REALLY wants me to come back ASAP. This is the busiest time of year for them. I don't have a definite plan on when I'll go back, maybe a week early. I work from 8:30-5 & my commute is no more than 15 minutes.

Should I contact my LC & ask her?

[sara76]

I would ask your LC but unfortunately I think she's going to say that you'll need to pump at least once while you're away if you want to keep your supply up. I'm certainly not an expert though. In order to keep up my supply (and to make sure baby gets what she needs since I don't FF yet) I aim for 8 sessions in a 24 hour period. In order for you to get 8 sessions between the 9 hours at work, and say you sleep 6 hours a night, you will have to squeeze them all into 9 hours in a day. Doesn't seem like enough, unless maybe you have a really good supply already and can make up for it on weekends.

[jennifer8080]

Jul 2, 2012 19:37:31 GMT -5 sara76 said:

I would ask your LC but unfortunately I think she's going to say that you'll need to pump at least once while you're away if you want to keep your supply up. I'm certainly not an expert though. In order to keep up my supply (and to make sure baby gets what she needs since I don't FF yet) I aim for 8 sessions in a 24 hour period. In order for you to get 8 sessions between the 9 hours at work, and say you sleep 6 hours a night, you will have to squeeze them all into 9 hours in a day. Doesn't seem like enough, unless maybe you have a really good supply already and can make up for it on weekends.

I agree, I would contact our LC. I suspect she's going to tell you to pump at least once. Especially if you're getting a decent amount of sleep at night. You don't want to go too long at night and then all day with out feeding or pumping, because it's quite likely your supply would drop.

[mrsjenrn]

Hello! Sorry I'm so late coming in on this! I don't have any experience with formula so I am not 100% sure. I am still in the very early learning phases of this LC thing. I am going to a conference in Orlando at the end of the month and I am SO excited! I am, however, familiar with weaning and dropping a feeding gradually, so this is what I know.

My opinion is to pump at work and give as little formula as possible. By law they have to provide you with a clean room. It makes me sad when I hear people have to pump in the bathroom (that is awful that you had to, Marissa!).

That being said, if I had worked day shift, there is just no way I could've pumped every 3 hours. At night it was sometimes hard enough for me to pump twice during a 12 hour shift. I pumped in the conference room we have on our unit. By law you have the right to pump at work, at least until age 1 I believe.

Depending on your job and your preference, if you want to give formula, you need to probably start dropping a feeding now and substituting with and frozen milk you may already have or formula. The best advice I can give you is to go very slow. If you do it too fast you could end up with a plugged duct or mastitis. If you get engorged you can manually relieve pressure. Just enough to get some relief. Taking hot showers helps too. I used to pump every night before I went to bed. It took a few weeks for my body to adjust and sometimes I just had to pump because I was suffering. Some people have also said they pump just enough to relieve the pressure. If you nurse right before you go to work and right when you get home that will help, too. The book I have says to introduce a supplementary feeding when the baby is not too fussy or hungry so he will be more receptive to it.

It really is a trial and error and I think you will be able to balance it eventually. Listen to your body and baby and I think you will be fine. It's always so stressful to make sure you have enough. If I even thought my supply was dropping for whatever reason I had Zoe on the boob all day lol! Then there's always a great trick I have heard of too - spend the weekend in bed. D in a diaper, you in underwear, and just nurse and do skin to skin. I've heard it works!

Will your supply drop? Hard to say. D will let you know if he needs more. I don't have experience with this aspect. If Zoe doesn't get enough milk now it's NBD because I can just give her regular food. Just stay hydrated really well and make sure you're eating enough. Your body should technically adjust just fine if you slowly wean.

[jen812]

Thanks everyone for your help & experience. I'm sure I'll be asking more questions as we figure this out.