Ok so I am returning back to work in Feb 2 days a week and will do a 3 hour shift which starts right when bubs usually feeds and then I am doing a full day 9-5...
How do I build up my supply for the freezer and its going to be too hard to express at work as I am a hairdresser things never run on schedule...
So how do you do it?? I want to breastfeed for aslong as I can and don't want it to dry up whilst at work ...
I have gone back to work twice while bfing so it can be done, and usually works out being easier than you expect. For me I was able to build a stock of EBM up by starting weeks before I went back and building it up. I also expressed at work although I didn't always get enough milk from that for the next day so a stockpile is good. Babies generally drink less when than they are away from mum and then make up for it when you get home so you might find you need less EBM than you are expecting.
It does concern me though that you are not planning to express while at work. From a supply point of view that is not likely to be a huge problem - your supply will adjust so that you make more milk on days when you are bfing all day and less on work days - our bodies are truly amazing!! However at first you will be very full and uncomfortable if you try and go 8 hours without emptying your breasts and you will really be at risk of mastitis. Over time as your supply adjusts this won't be a problem, but for the first weeks at least you really will need to express - either by hand or pump - or have someone bring the baby to you to feed, at least once in 8 hours but at more likely twice. I'm sorry to throw a spanner in the works. Do you think you can come up with a plan b?
Hi Miss K, is your bub fully breastfed? You really need to be able to express at work if you will be away for a whole day, for your own comfort and to minimise the risk of mastitis. I know how hard it can be to fit in expressing at work but honestly, if you are fully breastfeeding a 2-3 month old, you won’t be able to get through a whole day without expressing (you’ll explode, well, I know I would have). Please reconsider, is there any way you can nip away, even just once for 15 minutes to express? Then you can use what you express as replacement breastmilk for when you are away from your bub the next time. (ETA: *Snap* MantaRay you beat me. :D )
As for building up a supply, I could never express all that I needed for my bubs while I was at work (I would pack 5 X 125ml bottles of EMB for my 4 month old bub if I was going to be away for a whole day), I’d always have to do extra expressing at other times to make up what I needed. I would just pump as often as I could, whenever I got the chance. Sometimes I’d get 100ml no probs, other times I’d only get 20ml. I only used the small 125ml bottles, less chance of wastage if it’s packaged in smaller quantities. I’d express straight into them and put them straight into the freezer. If there was only say 60ml in a bottle frozen, I’d express what I could, put it in the fridge and then add it to the frozen bottle when it was completely cold.
All the very best of luck and please ask more questions if you need to. :hug:
Sorry I should have explained better on the 8 hour day I can actually express I just can't do it like if you had to do it at the normal feeding times as it would be too hard but I could express twice here and there... Its just the 3 hour shift I won't be able to...
And yep she is fully breastfed I have expressed on the odd occasion when I really wanted sleep the next day like just one feed at 5am so DH could give it to her and she takes it well but she has no formula top-ups or anything she has always had breastmilk...
With the frozen milk can you add 2 frozen bags from different days together for a feed for e.g bag 1 was expressed 19th Dec and bag 2 was expressed and frozen 1 Jan could you defrost both in the fridge and add them together if need be like if I could only get 50mls in each bag?
And should I express after every feed? Currently bubs feeds every 4 hours during the day and the odd 3 hour here and there and sometimes 4-7 hours during the night I know after her big sleep I can express alot after that feed, just unsure if I should express more than just after her feed.
Thanks ladies its putting my mind at ease knowing it can be done :)
You can mix milk from different pumps. But depending on how much is in each bag, it might be better to offer it separately and see if it's needed... if she doesn't drink a lot of EBM while you are at work you don't want it going to waste, it could be offered next feed then.
Depending on how much milk you get from each pump I don't know if I would be expressing after every feed, maybe try 3 or 4 times a day & see how you go?
ETA - just re-read ... if you're going back to work in a couple of weeks, maybe express a bit more atm to get your stash of EBM up & then reduce if you can, once you're in front & you know how much she's going to need.
I could never express at work at normal feeding times, but it really wasn’t an issue, you just do what you can and get through the day. You won’t be away from your bub fulltime so there is lots of buffer during the rest of the week to express at other times to make up what you need for her for when you will be apart. :D The three hour shift will be fine, just offer her the breast when you get home and if she doesn’t want it, that will probably be a good time to express.
Yes you can mix different thawed expressed batches together and you can add more milk to frozen batches. Just be aware that when you defrost them there are guidelines about when it needs to be used (before it needs to be discarded :( ) The ABA has a huge amount of information on EBM storage and use, have a look around their website for a start.
Don’t worry too much about exactly when to express to build up your freezer store, just do what you can when you can.
And yes, working and breastfeeding certainly can be done. It does take a bit of planning and organisation but just because you’re a working mum doesn’t mean you’re not an awesome breastfeeding mum too! I returned to work when my DS was 3 months old (just part-time) and we was exclusively breastfed (with EBM) until about 9-10months (he was very slow to take to solids) and self-weaned at 14 months. I returned to work when my DD was 4 months old (again part-time, thank goodness) and she was exclusively breastfed (with EBM) till about 7 months and we weaned by mutual agreement (well, sort of :lol: ) at 22 months. Neither of them have ever had to have formula. :D
http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/index.html
There are quite a few articles here on returning to work and expressing.