Coordinating pumping and nursing after 6 months

[macksmom]

I am currently nursing DD3 but she isn't a huge fan of the boob. She is a very squirmy baby and sadly BFing has not been fun but it isn't so bad that I would stop. However I haven't STTN in over a year and a half (since I became pregnant with her) and I am just needing a break. How would I go about EBF at night but nursing during the day? Or just doing an occasional bottle in the evening or overnight? My supply has adjusted so I don't know when I would pump. I have maybe 2-3 bags frozen so I suppose I could start with those and once I skip the feeding I will probably be pretty full so I can pump then and get a fridge supply going?

Anyone do this and have advice on when to pump when your supply is already set?

She isn't too keen on the bottle but I suppose if DH really has a tough time with her he can come get me and I will nurse her so it's not like she would starve...

[soniabee]

We recently had thrush and it lowered my supply. I was able to get it back up by getting up early and pumping 1st thing in the morning. Just enough to get a bottle. Then when he woke up (30 min later) I would nurse. It took about 5 days of this and my supply went back to normal. You might try pumping before feeding. The baby is more efficient than the pump and can still get milk even if you have just pumped. I hope you get some sleep soon!

[macksmom]

We recently had thrush and it lowered my supply. I was able to get it back up by getting up early and pumping 1st thing in the morning. Just enough to get a bottle. Then when he woke up (30 min later) I would nurse. It took about 5 days of this and my supply went back to normal. You might try pumping before feeding. The baby is more efficient than the pump and can still get milk even if you have just pumped. I hope you get some sleep soon!

See I always feel like I am taking her milk if I pump before she eats even though I know she can get at what the pump can't. I was thinking about pumping after some of her feedings which is probably the same difference...

I have 2 bags in the freezer. I am defrosting one for tonight so we'll see how it goes. I may pump after her next feeding before her nap just to get started....

[CorpsmanWife]

I pump after feedings. I get a lot out in the morning since he nurses a little less at night. Sometimes I will pump 30 minutes to an hour before he gets up from a nap. Hope you
get some sleep soon!

[macksmom]

Well that was a fail

I defrosted a bag and pumped 2xs during the day. I am shocked at how little I got when I pumped! 2oz or less?! I only got 4oz from 2 pumping sessions. The odd thing is - she eats from one side at a time generally so I fed from one side and pumped from the other. How is she only eating 2oz/feeding at 6M old?! I guess she gets more than the pump but I would think another ounce...so 3oz/feeding? Hardly seems like enough but she is growing fine

Anyway, I defrosted a bag and had DH give her that. I nursed around 10:30 then pumped then went to bed around 12. DH came busting in at 2am saying he has been up for an hour with her and he doesn't know what else to so He said she took about 2oz and then wouldn't go to sleep. So really I don't know if it's the bottle that was the issue or the fact that she wouldn't settle. I nursed her in my bed and within 10-15 mins she was out and I put her in her crib and she slept until about 6am. So if it wasn't for that I could have slept from at least 12-6

Oh well. I guess we can try again but probably not tonight.

[CorpsmanWife]

Well that was a fail

I defrosted a bag and pumped 2xs during the day. I am shocked at how little I got when I pumped! 2oz or less?! I only got 4oz from 2 pumping sessions. The odd thing is - she eats from one side at a time generally so I fed from one side and pumped from the other. How is she only eating 2oz/feeding at 6M old?! I guess she gets more than the pump but I would think another ounce...so 3oz/feeding? Hardly seems like enough but she is growing fine

Anyway, I defrosted a bag and had DH give her that. I nursed around 10:30 then pumped then went to bed around 12. DH came busting in at 2am saying he has been up for an hour with her and he doesn't know what else to so He said she took about 2oz and then wouldn't go to sleep. So really I don't know if it's the bottle that was the issue or the fact that she wouldn't settle. I nursed her in my bed and within 10-15 mins she was out and I put her in her crib and she slept until about 6am. So if it wasn't for that I could have slept from at least 12-6

Oh well. I guess we can try again but probably not tonight.

That's a good question. It raises a question I've been wondering myself. I notice my milk has less fat in it. I was pumpoing a lot and now I pump seldomly. The only problem is DS sufers from the letdown. I noticed he has been eating more, too. Then I started wondering, was the lack of fat not filling him up? I looked up some info on it last night and an article said, it didn't matter how much fat there was, but how much milk the baby consumed. I have been going over this in my head wondering if that could be true. I would think it would be the amount of fat. With that said, I wonder if you have a lot of fat in your milk...

[MommyShannon]

I wouldn't expect to pump a lot. Your body is perfectly in tune with her need so during the day while nursing her as usual, there won't be much left to pump. If she nursed on the left, then later pumped the left while she nursed the right, your left side knew it wasn't its turn and was making milk for a while later when it was left's turn again. I can get the most in the morning too. I'd pump one side first thing in the morning after she nursed. If you want to build up a stash, pump at the same time every day. Skipping nursing at night might decrease your supply during the night, but pumping at a regular time should build it for that time. Do you nurse laying on your side? That's a lifesaver to me! She probably wants to be close to you so she may not give up nursing at night. With my first 3 kids I was working full time. To help me survive, DH did everything at night except for feeding. If DD woke up, he got her (if she wasn't within my reach), he changed her diaper (until it didn't need to be at night), he handed her to me, I nursed laying down while DH dosed, then he moved her back to the bassinet or crib. It was a good balance.

[MommyShannon]

Also, anytime you pump, pump to empty so your boob gets the message to kick production into high gear. That will also make sure there is plenty of hind milk in it.

[macksmom]

I wouldn't expect to pump a lot. Your body is perfectly in tune with her need so during the day while nursing her as usual, there won't be much left to pump. If she nursed on the left, then later pumped the left while she nursed the right, your left side knew it wasn't its turn and was making milk for a while later when it was left's turn again. I can get the most in the morning too. I'd pump one side first thing in the morning after she nursed. If you want to build up a stash, pump at the same time every day. Skipping nursing at night might decrease your supply during the night, but pumping at a regular time should build it for that time. Do you nurse laying on your side? That's a lifesaver to me! She probably wants to be close to you so she may not give up nursing at night. With my first 3 kids I was working full time. To help me survive, DH did everything at night except for feeding. If DD woke up, he got her (if she wasn't within my reach), he changed her diaper (until it didn't need to be at night), he handed her to me, I nursed laying down while DH dosed, then he moved her back to the bassinet or crib. It was a good balance.

My DH does that too! I felt so spoiled lol We had her in the rock & play so he slept in the living room with her in that so he would change her and bring her to me and then take her back in 15 mins or so. For some reason he was stupid and didn't just lay down with me but would go back to the LR and inevitably fall asleep and I would be lying in bed trying not to fall asleep waiting for him to come back! This caused so many arguments lol.

Anyway, I am not looking to night wean i just wanted a break for one night or possibly to be able to switch off a few nights/week. So I don't doubt that she probably does want to be close to someone but I find co-sleeping really uncomfortable and would like to not do it, and she doesn't seem to want to go back to sleep in her crib when nursed or bottle fed. Are you suggesting side nursing for better supply or just because it's more comfortable?

I can't imagine how my body is in tune with her because half the time I forget what side I left off on I am all over the place. Maybe that is why I keep getting plugged ducts....

Anyway, tonight I decided to take over to give DH a break but he agreed to try again so maybe tomorrow. I am thinking the issue is more the fact that she won't go back in her crib than the bottle because he said she seemed ok with it just wouldn't drink much. I will also start pumping after I put her down for her morning nap to build my supply and stash.

[macksmom]

Ok well this is interesting.....

AF RETURNED this morning!!!!!!!!!!

I am in total shock. I don't get it. We are exclusively nursing. She eat 2oz of baby food once a day. That is it! She doesn't sttn at all and nurses at least 2-3xs or more after going down for the night! WTF!

That explains a lot of things including why I was not getting very much when I was pumping. I guess we'll see what happens over the next few days now....

Last night sucked too. It started off great. She went down at 8ish and lasted until 12:15! I nursed and changed her and put her back and she was cool. Then she was up again at 4/4:30 which makes sense. I took her into bed this time thinking we'll just nurse and doze no problem. Well for the next 2.5 hours she squirmed and smacked me in the face She wasn't crying though lol! Just wouldn't settle.

Tonight we will try the bottle and DH again so we'll see what happens! I still can't believe AF is back!