Help!!! Advise urgently needed from working and breastfeeding mom!

MommyFafa

New Member
Hi mommies... I really really need help on how to increase my milk supply eventhough i'm already back to fulltime working. Is it still possible??

My baby is 4 mo, and I'm just returning to work 2 weeks ago.
I've been partially breastfeeding due to low milk supply and supplementing my dear girl with FM, but Im still hoping to wean her off from formula, or to reduce the formula intake as far as possible. I only pump occasionally during my maternity leave because felt like
almost no time to pump..

Im pumping at work now for 2-3 times (beside lunch time, it's more
difficult to sneak away for abt 30-45mins to pump).
But my output is only so little it makes me sooooo sad to bring the EBM home, especially when I keep seeing others' mums EBM in our office fridge are abundant! It's like about half a day I can see others' can collect almost one standard medela bottle, even two avent cups, then I will store my 60ml at the corner of the chiller :(((
The first day I was returning full day working, I could only express about 90ml in total (from 3 times pumping). Then it was increased to 100ml, slowly to 150ml.
But on the last few days somehow I got less pumped milk. (There were two days where I got caught in works and only managed to pump 2 times a day, but on those 2 days I could get max milk so far)

I heard that usually returning to work will decrease your supply. But I still try to believe that milk supply is still somewhat flexible (if even an adoptive mother can induce lactation to breastfeed, why can't I continue breastfeeding?)

So I really really need advises from working moms here;
- What can I do to increase my supply??
- How do you normally schedule your pumping time?
- Somehow when I got only 2 times to pump (compared to 3 times), why I can get more milk? I thought more frequency should stimulate your milk production to increase?
- I know tt I shd also pump at home to up my supply, but hardly can do that. Any tips to make this happen? :(
- Somehow I notice my appetite grew higher after I return to work. I let myself eat more for the sake of, maybe this could be one way to
increase my supply too. But I'm worried about gaining weight too much! (i returned to my pregnancy weight now T_T)
- Any other things i can do to make my pumped milk becomes much more?
fyi, my baby could drink on average 350-500ml of milk during the day. I wish I could bring home that much of EBM each day... :(

This is coming to my 3rd weeks returning to work, but honestly I keep on thinking more about my expressed milk rather than my work alone.. any tips, advises, encouragement from any mommies out there who are working and pumping, how do you cope with all these..? :'(
 

Jmumi

Member
i've been pumping since i've returned to work last nov. Eventually, the milk supply did drop due to the environment that i've to face.. Imagine no facility for me to pump/ pump died on me / stress at work. Managed to sort everything out. Since there's no clean place to pump, i decided to pump in my car. last resort but then at least i persist. dual pump died on me, have to sent for repair, took 1 mth to return & i survived on 1 battery operated pump. :) Life still goes on.

i always stick to my pumping schedule which means 7am...2.30pm...8.30pm. eventually your body will follow the shedule & produce more milk according to this timetable. :)
i do not bottlefeed my DS at night, i will latch on so we co sleep so he can free access to the milk.
i guess this also play an important part to maintaining my supply.

Since you need to pump at work, it's always better to have a dual electric pump to shorten the time taken to express the milk. If you are planning to long term bf, it's definitely a good investment. As for the appetite, i do feel wobbly when i always finish pumping, so i have to eat. In order to produce milk so i will eat. :p
 

Bluemit

Member
I heard that breast feeding is not possible after C-section due to the pain medications, is it true? As in coz our milk content will also hv the medicine...
 

Jmumi

Member
I heard that breast feeding is not possible after C-section due to the pain medications, is it true? As in coz our milk content will also have the medicine...
Nvr heard of this, my 2 deliveries are c section. The pain medication given by hospital are breastfeeding safe. If you are in doubt you can check with the gynae to be safe.
 

Bluemit

Member
Nvr heard of this, my 2 deliveries are c section. The pain medication given by hospital are breastfeeding safe. If you are in doubt you can check with the gynae to be safe.
Oh my, so glad to hear tt. I was feeling so down when my colleagues told me breastfeeding cannot be done if I were to opt for C-section. At least I dun want to worry that the pumps I bought will go to waste juz like tt :)
 

Ylai1997

New Member
Bluemit, u can lie down on your side. Turn your bb on his/ her side n latch on. U wont feel too much pain.

Mommyfafa, did u try to store up the milk before returning to work? I remember i pump twice in office and fully latch bb on when i get home. After latch i pump for another 15 mins. I woke up in the middle of the night n pump as well. No shopping on the weekends. Weekends are meant to stay at home n pump milk so that i can build up some supply. In this way there is always some milk in the fridge. So when i return to work on monday i dont feel so stress.
 

Starla

New Member
U can take fenugreek and also increase ur pumping frequency.. For me I record my output each time after pumping and end of the day I calculate my total output for the day. Through this I get very clear indication whether my milk supply is dipping or not.. To sustain a good supply of milk, I pump every 3 hours. However when I returned to work might not be able to pump so frequently. So when I get home, I just keep pumping every 2 hours..(excluding sleeping time)
 

Ylai1997

New Member
Its a natural herb to boost milk supply. Upon taking it, u may realise tt your own urine is abit smelly which is normal. U can buy from nature's farm. I haven try GNC or any other brand
 

Bluemit

Member
Its a natural herb to boost milk supply. Upon taking it, u may realise tt your own urine is abit smelly which is normal. U can buy from nature's farm. I haven try GNC or any other brand
Okie. Thanks so much, shall take a look at Nature's Farm :)
 

FatCat

New Member
I heard that breast feeding is not possible after C-section due to the pain medications, is it true? As in coz our milk content will also have the medicine...
It certainly is possible to breastfeed after a C-section. I know many moms who did that, including me :001_302:. There's medicine which is compatible with breastfeeding.
 

Starla

New Member
I bought my fenugreek from gnc.. As for c section, don't think ur colleagues are giving u the right advise.. I had c sect for my #2.. Even though bb was in nicu, the nurses still made me pump the milk for his consumption. When I delivered #3, my neighbor who had c sect also had her bb sent to her during feeding times.. The nurse will teach her how to latch to minimize the pain while bfing..
 

MommyFafa

New Member
. rite?
Bluemit, u can lie down on your side. Turn your bb on his/ her side n latch on. U wont feel too much pain.

Mommyfafa, did u try to store up the milk before returning to work? I remember i pump twice in office and fully latch bb on when i get home. After latch i pump for another 15 mins. I woke up in the middle of the night n pump as well. No shopping on the weekends. Weekends are meant to stay at home n pump milk so that i can build up some supply. In this way there is always some milk in the fridge. So when i return to work on monday i dont feel so stress.
Sadly to say, i didnt store up my milk before returning to work. Last time i felt almost no time to pump frequenlyto store up, and bcz last time i could only get like 15-20ml per pump both sides, felt like so little amt not tt worth it to spent time luke 40mins to pump (coz at tt time i was nursing directly too, and some more was still using manual pump). Now i think i shd be more preserverance n persistent to collect, even bit by bit bcz it might add up and might help my supply too..rite... i think now i will try to pump at home also (like just now. hehehe), and weekend is coming so i will try ur suggestion to store up lil bit for monday. hope can ge a decent amount! :)

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MommyFafa

New Member
Starla & Ylai1997, did it happen to u, u finished pumping then bb wakes up wants to be fed? so whar wld u do? sometimes i felt hesitant to nurse if it's near next feeding time n bb still sleeping, whether shd i proceed to pump or wait til bb wake up n just nurse her
 

Ylai1997

New Member
If bb wakes up middle of pumping, i stop pump n latch her on. It is ok to latch her on even after pumping. Bb will still be able to stimulate n u will have letdown. The breast will never be fully empty. There will always be some milk left. The pump is not so efficient as to drain 100% of the breasts
 

Starla

New Member
Yup.. Latch as much as u can regardless whether u pump or not.. Latching is mire convenient.. And I stimulates ur milk production.. Some even says latching is most effective in draining ur breast.. for my case I nv latch on after first month.. As I thought pumping would be more convenient.. But i was so wrong.. Gradually bb rejected breast.. Now I wanna latch, bb also dowan anymore..
 

Starla

New Member
Btw if u pump.. Don't have to pump too long.. Should not take more than 30mins if u using dual pump.. Sometimes I pump.. I don't feel much letdown..when this happens, I let my breast rest awhile.. Then pump again.. Pump 10min.. Rest 10-15min.. Then pump for 15 min again.. Normal times I pump for at most 25min..
 
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