Can't decide what now.... long bleurgh post ;)

[MantaRay]

You sound very organised hun. Sometimes it can be easier to express for a shorter time more often. Would that be easier for you?

[Fleur]

Hmm... I think it might be.
I might try it for a few days. Does it matter if I pump often through the day & then go 8 or so hours overnight?

[Kmn]

Shouldn't matter - that's the ideal for a lot who bf (when our bubs are beautifully behaved and feed often in the day and sleep through the night!). It may take a couple of days for things to adapt - as long as you hand express at least if you feel uncomfortably full you should be fine.

[Fleur]

Shouldn't matter - that's the ideal for a lot who bf

Of course it is
Sometimes I forget that's kind of how it works I get all hung up on times etc, but if I were BFing I wouldn't be watching the clock so much... I feel kinda silly, lol.

Thanks again guys

[MantaRay]

Not silly at all hun It's true that hormone levels are highest at night, so expressing at night can be a good thing. But in your case your supply seems to be going really well, and your little one is at an age now when some babies are sleeping through. I think that if you are expressing frequently during the day you should be ok with not expressing at night. It's certainly worth giving it a try if it will make things easier for you. I hope it makes life easier for you

[belfie]

Oh Jasp hun, you are doing an amazing job and should feel SO proud of yourself. Sounds like you're doing some lovely productive thinking outloud too.

Couple of quick thoughts that may be helpful (sorry gotta run this morning - so dot point!)

• supply till 12mths - you might surprise yourself by managing fine even if dropping the night pump
• I agree with what hte others said - don't pump as long maybe? It's probably not making a huge difference that extra time.
• I know that at 6 months it seems a huge jump to 12 months... chunk it down to smaller goals if you decide to keep going for a bit. I found it was really daunting at that point
• and remember, even if it's not exclusive EBM, it's still beneficial. When i was struggling a dietician did point at that even some EBM would be good - so if your supply does drop a bit, but it's maintainable lifestyle-wise... is that an option?

And the only other thing - I found from about 7-8 mths it did get HEAPS easier once solids were in the picture...I was pumping only 3 times a day (and I never had a huge supply). So remember if you keep your hand-in, you've got the option to potentially ramp it back up or pull it back at any time. I was surprised how high my supply stayed when I pumped less. I still did pump to "empty" but less often.

Us EE'ers get so used to thinking all or nothing (well I certainly did) that sometimes it's good to remember it could be shades of grey too.

Thinking of you.
Belfie

[Fleur]

Us EE'ers get so used to thinking all or nothing (well I certainly did) that sometimes it's good to remember it could be shades of grey too.

That is so true. I think I had lost sight of the fact that there is an 'in-between'.

3 pumps a day!!! That sounds woooonderful....I might make it my new goal

Right now I am feeling quite ok about continuing. I think tht I can make it to 12 months but I might make 9 mths my new short term goal.
I can't decide yet whether it would be easier to express more through the day, and not overnight, or go longer through the day & keep an overnight pump....it really depends on the particular day.
But I think what I need to do more than anything is go with the flow a bit more, abnd not get so hung up on times etc - kind of do what works first & then see how that affects supply etc, ITMS.

Thanks you so much, all of you, for your advice, comments & support, it's amazing how much it helps, it really really does