When I had my first son I hadn’t planned to go back to work. I suddenly had to return to the workforce when he was three months old. I was completely unprepared and my son went from an exclusively breastfeeding baby to a mostly formula baby within a short period of time. I learned a lot from my experience with him and was much more prepared when I had my daughter. I was able to exclusively breastfeed her and work full time. Because of what I went through, the emotions of trying to pump enough milk for the next day, I wanted to gather up all my tips and write them down for others to use. I hope that you find these tips helpful.
1.Plan ahead if possible. Get a freezer stash going before you go back to work.
2.Do not just pump at work. Pump at home on your days off and before and after work.
3.Pump while nursing. Pump on one side while nursing on the other.
4.Find a good place to pump, where you are comfortable and can relax.
5.Make sure everyone at work knows how important breastfeeding is and not to interrupt you.
6.Drink plenty of fluids through out the day. Drink a large glass of water about an hour before you are going to pump.
7.Use a good quality double breast pump like the Ameda Purely Yours.
8.If your supply is dwindling rent a hospital grade pump.
9.Find other moms to talk to that are breastfeeding and pumping.
10.Do not get discouraged if you don’t pump a large volume at once. Most moms pump around three oz per pumping.
11.Pump frequently. Pumping frequently is more important than how long you pump.
12.Try to pump at least every three hours.
13.Pumping is NOT as efficient as nursing. Do not gauge your milk supply by how much you pump. Your baby will get more milk from nursing than you will make from pumping.
14.Before you nurse, relax and do a quick breast massage. This will help you get a better let down.
15.Any time you give your baby a bottle make sure you pump in place of that.
16.Nurse frequently at night or try reverse cycling. Reverse cycling is when baby nurses more at night than during the day.
17.Co-sleep with baby if you are comfortable so he can nurse more at night. Nursing at night will help your supply. portable water pump