Working/Pumping Moms: Share your Schedule

[Tea-rific]

I am going to back to work in a few weeks. I am trying to figure out how I am going to juggle it all, especially pumping while I am at work (I am an elem teacher).

I would love to see what your daily schedules look like as far as bf, pumping, wake up time, bed time, etc.

While I love my job and I am excited to get back in the classroom, the transition and the reality of leaving my sweet DS is really stressing me out.

[oregonpachey]

I am an exclusive pumper but I will share my schedule with you. I have an oversupply so I only pump 5 times total a day.

I pump at the following times. I try to never stray too far away from my schedule. 15 minutes in either direction is enough to throw my whole schedule off.

7am
10am
1pm
4pm
8pm

I don't pump in the middle of the night even though DS doesn't STTN. I have enough of a supply to not have to worry about it.

[Tea-rific]

Jul 23, 2012 11:46:58 GMT -5 oregonpachey said:

I am an exclusive pumper but I will share my schedule with you. I have an oversupply so I only pump 5 times total a day.

I pump at the following times. I try to never stray too far away from my schedule. 15 minutes in either direction is enough to throw my whole schedule off.

7am
10am
1pm
4pm
8pm

I don't pump in the middle of the night even though DS doesn't STTN. I have enough of a supply to not have to worry about it.

Thank you!

How many times a day does your DS eat? How much does he get in his bottle?

[MamaMaui24]

5:30 am - nurse
6:30 am - pump at home IF DS slept through the night. If he got up in the middle of the night, I'm usually ok.
9:30 am - pump at work (DS 6 oz. bottle)
12:30 pm - pump at work (lunch break) (DS 6 oz. bottle)
3:30 pm - pump at work (DS 6 oz. bottle)
6 pm - nurse
9 pm - nurse to sleep

If I pump in the AM at home, I leave that bottle for DS' first bottle of the day + 2 frozen bags. Otherwise, he gets three frozen bags.

We defrost in the fridge every evening.

I freeze everything I pump in 6 oz. portions (to get the most storage/bag but also DS eats 6 oz./feeding).

First in, first out.
Lay flat to freeze.
I like Lansinoh bags the best.

He's starting to go longer than 3 hours between feeds, so it's messing up our schedule! But I pump every time he eats. (3 times while we're apart.)

[my4girls]

I have trouble getting a lot when pumping- so far this time I am doing ok, keeping up with what she eats daily but no stash built so I added an extra pumping time in during the day by shorting the time from 3 hours between to 2.15, I would like to pump earlier in the morning but I feel like I can't really show up for work and go pump immediatly.

the first really depends on when she wakes up but it's usually

4am eat
6.30am eat
9.30 (pump)
11.45 (pump)
2pm(pump)
4.15 (pump)
between 6-6.30 eat
between 9-9.30 eat

[Deleted]

BF babies will typically take 3-5 oz in a bottle, every 2-4 hours (depends if they're bottle lovers or haters).

Some teachers pump while driving if they've got a longer commute. Most pump at lunch, and then try to pump one other time if possible (prep). You may have to add more pump sessions to get enough milk if you can not find a way to do it during the day.

When together, just keep bf-ing on demand. Try to bf before you leave and right after you pick up (at daycare or in the car if you can), and other than that let baby lead the way.

[oregonpachey]

Jul 23, 2012 11:49:58 GMT -5 Tea-rific said:

Jul 23, 2012 11:46:58 GMT -5 oregonpachey said:

I am an exclusive pumper but I will share my schedule with you. I have an oversupply so I only pump 5 times total a day.

I pump at the following times. I try to never stray too far away from my schedule. 15 minutes in either direction is enough to throw my whole schedule off.

7am
10am
1pm
4pm
8pm

I don't pump in the middle of the night even though DS doesn't STTN. I have enough of a supply to not have to worry about it.

Thank you!

How many times a day does your DS eat? How much does he get in his bottle?

I stopped counting how often he eats because he micro feeds. He generally only takes 2-3 ounces at a time. Sometimes only 1 oz.

He does take the overall 25-30 ounces a day though.

[ijack]

I would pump while getting ready (hands free bra, you could also pump on the way to work if your commute is long enough) and then 2x during the day. DD only ate on one side at a time, so pumping 2x a work was the equivalent of feeding her 4x.
And I know that people claim BF babies only take 3-5oz, but I know numerous BF babies that take more than 6oz/bottle on a regular basis.

[Deleted]

Jul 23, 2012 11:56:50 GMT -5 ijack said:

And I know that people claim BF babies only take 3-5oz, but I know numerous BF babies that take more than 6oz/bottle on a regular basis.

They can learn... but it's usually when they're fed by people that have more experience with formula than breastmilk.

[Tea-rific]

Jul 23, 2012 11:56:50 GMT -5 ijack said:

I would pump while getting ready (hands free bra, you could also pump on the way to work if your commute is long enough) and then 2x during the day. DD only ate on one side at a time, so pumping 2x a work was the equivalent of feeding her 4x.
And I know that people claim BF babies only take 3-5oz, but I know numerous BF babies that take more than 6oz/bottle on a regular basis.

DS only eats on one side at a time too. So I am hoping by pumping both breasts 2x a day while I am at work it will be okay.

Ugh. This is so stressful to me.

[teammccool]

I have a 4 and a half month old and also work at a school.

Bf 7 am
Pump 10 am
Pump 1 am
Bf 4 pm

She gets 4 oz in a bottle

[caramia17]

When I first returned to work and pumped, I would pump after feeding her in the AM at home and then

10AM
12:30PM
3:30PM

and then I would pump after her nighttime feeding as well. I kept up that schedule for 6-7 months and then pumped

11AM
4PM

for the next 4 months and then sequentially dropped one pumping a week at work and finally gave up the ghost as far as BFing/pumping at home.

I still have enough in the freezer to feed her for 2 months (DD is 13 months), so I definitely had a little bit of an oversupply. The last milk I froze was in April and for about 2 months I was keeping up with her and that was about it. Around 10 months I would be 3oz or so short every day, but I had enough in the freezer that I wasn't going to worry about it.

[karinothing]

Nurse: 630am (at home before I leave)
Pump: 930am
Nurse: 1130am (during lunch)
Pump: 230pm
Nurse: 4pm (when we get home)

[ijack]

Jul 23, 2012 11:58:07 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

Jul 23, 2012 11:56:50 GMT -5 ijack said:

And I know that people claim BF babies only take 3-5oz, but I know numerous BF babies that take more than 6oz/bottle on a regular basis.

They can learn... but it's usually when they're fed by people that have more experience with formula than breastmilk.

Sometimes babies just eat more than 4oz at a time. Not all women's breast regulate to only produce 3-5oz per feeding. Most of the babies I know who eat a lot from a bottle also eat a lot from the breast. They didn't "learn" anything from a formula pusher.

[mie]

Wake up at 4:30
Nurse at 5:15
Pump at 6:30
Pump between 9:30-10
Pump between 1-1:30
Nurse at 5 (when we get home)
Nurse at 8, her bedtime and if she wakes up during the night

I sent 4 3.5-4 oz bottles to daycare.

[ijack]

Jul 23, 2012 12:18:37 GMT -5 @msstarry said:

This is helpful, thanks for posting.

Anyone care to comment on the feasibility of pumping while driving? Just curious.

I know quite a few people who have done it and found it super easy. Hook up before you start driving, put on a cover and you're ready to go.

[MamaMaui24]

Jul 23, 2012 12:18:37 GMT -5 @msstarry said:

This is helpful, thanks for posting.

Anyone care to comment on the feasibility of pumping while driving? Just curious.

I've done it twice. It's ok. If you have a long commute and limited time at work to pump - it's possible but I would do it as a last resort. My friend is a pharm rep and pumps in her car between appointments all the time.

It took me forever once I was in my car to get everything set up. I felt like I could be half way to my destination already! Same for getting everything put away.

I set everything up and wore my nursing cover. I was super nervous that I would spill, get in an accident with my nipples hanging out - which I'm sure didn't help my output since I was tense.

Also, I normally do some breast compressions while pumping and that doesn't work while driving.

[MamaMaui24]

Jul 23, 2012 12:16:30 GMT -5 ijack said:

Jul 23, 2012 11:58:07 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

They can learn... but it's usually when they're fed by people that have more experience with formula than breastmilk.

Sometimes babies just eat more than 4oz at a time. Not all women's breast regulate to only produce 3-5oz per feeding. Most of the babies I know who eat a lot from a bottle also eat a lot from the breast. They didn't "learn" anything from a formula pusher.

My baby eats 6 oz. per feed and is a "crankster" if he gets any less. My supply keeps up with him and he's happy. Whatever works!

[ijack]

I'm not going to lie - pumping isn't awesome. But it was a nice downtime during the day at least.

[Deleted]

I was lucky and came back to work at 12 months and haven't pumped. (We do WCM at daycare.)

So give yourself an end date - it might help get through. Once you're at 11 or 12 months, you can do what you want on the weekends and not have to keep the same schedule at work.

[MamaMaui24]

Pumping is something I dread but then once I'm doing it, it's not so bad. Everything surrounding it is was stinks - cleaning all the parts, packing all the stuff for work, lugging around the pump, etc.

I'm an official bag lady with my pump, cooler bag, lunch bag, water bottle and purse!

And pumping at work is fine - I don't like pumping at home because there's other stuff I'd rather be doing!

At 6 months I'm starting to think of cutting down my 3x at work schedule to 2x. We'll see...

[aspentosh]

Typical day goes something like:

5:15am nurse before I leave for work
6:30am pump at work
10:30am pump at work
1pm pump at work
3:30-4pm nurse
6pm nurse
7:30-8pm nurse to sleep

Sometimes she'll wake up around 2am to nurse as well, but that is hit or miss.

[badtzmaru22]

Typically:
6:30 am: BF
8:30, 11:30, 2:30 pump at work. I send DD with 4oz 4x/day (16oz total. I feel like this is a lot, and I worry about daycar over feeding her, but she doesn't always take the full 16.)
6 pm: BF, sometimes some cluster feeding
8 pm: BF
9 pm: BF to sleep
Usually one waking, sometimes two.

Start over!

I've pumped while driving before. It isn't fun, but I didn't have a choice. I've experimented with pumping 4x at work, but I get the same as when I pump 3x. I have a small freezer stash, but usually just send fresh to dc. I pump once or twice on the weekends as well, because she tends to take a big nap in the morning, and I get uncomfortable.

[oukapu]

My pumping has changed over time

First:
Nurse when LO wakes up
8:30 - pump
11:30 - pump
4:30 - pump

Then:
Pump before she woke up
Nurse when she woke up
8:30 - pump
11:30 - pump
5-6 - oh crap, forgot to pump, pump at home

Now:
Pump twice during the day when I feel like it or have some time. I am really bad about this. She is 10 months. Today, it was nurse in the morning, pump at noon and 5.

She is on mostly table food now. She drinks 12 oz at daycare and nurses twice at home. I have lots frozen. I cut out the morning nursing session when my morning supply tanked (9 months). She was eating breakfast and having a bottle at daycare and I wasn't pumping enough.

I was pumping in the car when I was in training. Then, I just pumped at lunch.

I really hate pumping now. One thing that i did that made it not so bad was move the pump to a new bag. This allowed me to leave the tubing attached to the pump when I stored it and leave the horns on the bottles.

[oukapu]

Oh, to add, the reason I went to pumping in the morning first thing was because she was drinking 8 oz at daycare in one sitting.

[bunch]

I pumped while driving once and it was nbd, but I got a lot less output than usual bc of the stress. My lc said that she did it everyday. The guy sitting next to me at the traffic light got an eyeful. I thought that it was hilarious.

My pumping tips (that took me months to learn) are: 1. You can refrigerate the pump parts between pumping so that you don't have to wash them 2. You can wash the pump parts in the dishwasher.

I don't hate pumping (though I still only do it 1x per day), but I do hate cleaning the parts.

[froggy76]

I am only pumping 1x per day at work now, but here was my schedule until recently (and all that has changed is my pumping at work):

7am- nurse one side, pump the other (since DD STTN)
10:30am- pump
2:30pm- pump
6pm- nurse
7:30pm- nurse

When I first went back to work at 12 weeks, DD would just cluster feed all evening, or at least nurse 3x in the evening.

[vegas]

I'm just posting so I can find this again. Great info.

[tigress]

I feed baby sometime before we leave, usually sometime between 5:30-6:15. Be at work at 7:15. Pump at 8:30-9:00, 11:30-12:00, and 2:30-3:00. BF baby rest of the night unless I'm gone. If she has a bottle I try to pump also but I don't panic too much about it. I have 500+ oz. frozen so I'm not worried.