went back to work today.. Pumping question

ok.. i need help. I EBF and hardly ever pump. I have enough milk for the baby and no extra. He is very satisfied but my milk has become so regulated to him..
so i went back to work today.. I'm a nurse i work 12 hour days.. sometimes 2 or 3 in a row.. when i am at work i will pump every 3 hours and freeze it. Whatever i get that day will have to feed him for the next..
Today i was only able to pump 7 ounces in the 12 hours.. not even half of what he needs..
I am pumping with a hospital grade pump... and drinking water.. how come I'm not getting anything when i pump???

Re: went back to work today.. Pumping question

I also EBF and pump at work. I find every day is different. I was off all last week and nursing DD full time and now this week, I have been short with her bottles and have had to go into my freezer stash. The pump is NOT as efficient as the baby unforuntately. And to make matters worse, we have no idea how much our babies drink at a feeding. I read in several places that BF babies will basicallly drink whatever you put in the bottle. Maybe trying giving DC a little less in each bottle - I bet you he will be OK with it. Also, if you go to kellymom.com there is a calculator you can use to tell you approx how much your DC eats at each feeding based upon the # of times they nurse per day. Hope that helps.

Re: went back to work today.. Pumping question

I am the same as you. One pump I will get total 5-6 oz then the next 1-2 oz and then when I get home she isnt satisfied after I BF her. So I have been giving formula too.

Re: went back to work today.. Pumping question

I didn't have to pump a lot but when I did here is what I did to increase my output.

I drank a lot of fluids, water, milk, juice, tea. I had no caffeine.

I think relaxation is very important. I'd relax and imagine nursing, try to picture the sights, the smells, the sounds, her little hand clutching my finger, her little eyes looking at me, her slurping and swallowing and cooing.

Once I was able to kind of meditate and relax my let down would trigger and I could get much more than if I didn't take the time to "get into the mood" so to say.