Advice (still trying to get everything straight)

[Missy08]

Good afternoon!

My DD is almost 6 weeks old and I'm still trying to get everything straight on the best way to do things. I've just gone back to work so I'm pumping while at work and breastfeed when I'm home with her. My question is, when I'm BF, how often or when should I switch sides? I seem to have more than enough milk (when I pump I get between 8-10 ozs total). When feeding expressed milk from a bottle she will usually drink around 5 ozs at a time, so this wouldn't completely empty one side...So should I just feed from one side then the next at the next feeding? Just want to make sure I don't do something wrong and decrease my supply Also she sleeps through the night (usually 8 hours), should I set an alarm and get up to pump while she's asleep to keep my supply up or no?

 

[armywife11]

What I think is it's all supply and demand.. the more milk she (or the pump if your like me) demand the more supply you should have.


I would think if she is nursing well switching each time would be fine. Your body never stops making milk so they are filling back up even as your nursing. Pumping may also increase your supply because your telling your body (currently) to make more than she is actually taking in. I pumped a bit at first but my daughter refused bottles. So I ended up with an oversupply because of it.

As for night time, she is sleeping I personally wouldn't get up and pump unless you need to because again your telling your body to make milk she isn't wanting at that time.

But I would get a second opinion on all this since I admittingly didn't pump long. These are just my thoughts on the questions.

 

[misspriss]

You only need to pump when you "miss" a feeding (when you are at work and baby gets fed by bottle). If LO wouldn't normally be feeding, like while LO is sleeping, you don't need to pump. If you were struggling with supply maybe, but it sounds like your supply is doing great.

When I'm just feeding, honestly, I fed one side per feed unless he acted hungry after a while then I switched. I would feed with whichever boob felt fuller at the time (I didn't strictly go one side then the other). I naturally have lower flow in one, I prefer to start with it so it can get worked out though.

 

[seaweed eater]

Sounds like things are going great!

I would go by her cues on switching sides. Many babies take only one side per feeding, and you don't have to switch sides.

At 6 weeks I would say you don't need a MOTN pump unless your supply starts to drop. Chances are (I'm sorry to say) she will start waking up again soon anyway. When that happens, just nurse on demand and she will help you get your supply to where it needs to be.

Also, I'd keep pumping to empty at work even if it's more than she's taking, unless your supply starts to increase even more. IMO it's a good idea to have a slight oversupply if you are pumping regularly. You should also then pump the extra on weekends to maintain it and prevent her from getting too much foremilk, but working full time is likely to decrease your supply in the long run anyway so it's good to start with extra.

 

[misspriss]

Coming from someone who works full time and used to have oversupply, I disagree with it being a good thing.

I have to pump 5 days per week. There is no way I am going to keep up pumping in addition to nursing on the weekends. This meant LO would get too much foremilk on the weekends. I hated having to freeze milk every couple of days, or I wouldn't have enough bottles (I pump into his drinking bottles and rotate). I successfully reduced my supply while working, and I've been at work for 4 months and have had to no issues. Just because you have to go back to work doesn't mean your supply will drop so you need to artificially induce oversupply. Oversupply is a pain.

 

[seaweed eater]

I pumped 3x at work and once a day on weekends, in addition to nursing full time. You do have to pump on weekends though to remove the extra milk, absolutely. To me it was worth it. I had a couple random supply drops late in the game (8+ months) and would not have been able to maintain a full supply if I hadn't started out ahead. Both of my work colleagues who gave birth in the year before me ended up having to supplement around 9 months because they were unable to keep up (one started with an oversupply). It doesn't happen to everyone, and I hope it doesn't happen to you (Missy or misspriss), but it is common. Also having all that milk in the freezer did a lot for my sanity.

I'm not talking about a huge oversupply. Just 3-5 oz per day.

I don't have an agenda here...just sharing what worked for me (and what an LC said was a good thing as well). You do have to pump on weekends if you have an oversupply though, no question.

 

[misspriss]

Well I have two gallon bags of small milk bags in the freezer already, after donating a literal freezer full. I think I could handle a slight supply drop, albeit a temporary one.

Getting rid of my oversupply has done wonders for my overactive let down, as in, I no longer have one!

I have a feeling introducing solids/baby eating more solids may have something to do with supply drops between 6 and 12 months, I'll just have to wait and see.

I was just sharing that for some people, oversupply may not be a good thing, and may cause them more frustration in their breastfeeding relationship.

I never pumped on weekends with oversupply, I just dealt with the overactive let down and full boobs. I did hand express on occasion though. My body responded well to the pump and would always be producing more on Friday that I was on Monday.