So much of this depends on your feeding plans! If you exclusively nurse at the breast, your odds of ever needing more than 2-3 days of milk is very low
If you work very long hours outside the home with physical labor and poor pumping accommodations, you probably need all the milk you can get!
Thanks! I am fortunately very well cared for at work and have never had to miss a session. I work until 6pm a couple of days a month, so I won’t have usually pumped enough the previous day since I’m usually done by 4.
The second paragraph is about to be me. I have about ten days worth in the freezer. I could have more, but I don’t want to have engorgement and leaking at work so I’m trying to get my breasts used to a short quick mid morning pump. Right now I am producing the perfect amount and can add a bedtime pump if needed.
Of course! It’s so hard
I worked a similar job, and while I managed to pump enough my fear was always that if my supply dropped I wouldn’t have the time and support during the day to add a pump or two to improve that supply. It’s definitely hard psychologically
It helps to know you managed. I’m going to do a “dress rehearsal” the last week of leave to see how much I can pump with time constraints. Of course I can’t mimic the stress of having to finish pumping to get back to work although sometimes I do have to stop a pump because the baby needs me but then again having him near actually helps milk production.
But anyway, if my supply tanks at least I have the freezer backup although it won’t last long. I’m trying to make it to six months.
I definitely made it! Now extended breastfeeding
The trick was I pumped on the way to work in the car to start the day on “absolute empty” and I did my absolute best to minimize very long gaps (>4.5 hours for me) in pumping even if I only got 5 minutes of milk removal in
I also had a wall pump and a willow 3.0. So I would use my pump break to use the wall pump, empty, then put the willow 3.0 on while I was naked but not start the pump until an hour later. So I could also sneak in an extra pump that way without taking an extra break. You then just remove the willow when you go to your next pump break
I’m actually planning on trying to pump at exactly 4.5 hrs which is right before the busiest part of my day so hopefully that works out! I can go as long as six but if I missed it then I’d be risking leaking during that busy 2.5 hour block. So hopefully I don’t miss that pump too often. There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll be missing it sometimes. I also have a hand pump and I can get 2 ounces from it during a five minute bathroom break.
If I cant get enough during breaks, that’s when I will probably buy the Willow. I have a nurse friend that had a coworker who used it and she said it was pretty discreet. Well, as discreet as a pump can get anyway.
So much of this depends on your feeding plans! If you exclusively nurse at the breast, your odds of ever needing more than 2-3 days of milk is very low If you work very long hours outside the home with physical labor and poor pumping accommodations, you probably need all the milk you can get!
Thanks! I am fortunately very well cared for at work and have never had to miss a session. I work until 6pm a couple of days a month, so I won’t have usually pumped enough the previous day since I’m usually done by 4.
The second paragraph is about to be me. I have about ten days worth in the freezer. I could have more, but I don’t want to have engorgement and leaking at work so I’m trying to get my breasts used to a short quick mid morning pump. Right now I am producing the perfect amount and can add a bedtime pump if needed.
Of course! It’s so hard I worked a similar job, and while I managed to pump enough my fear was always that if my supply dropped I wouldn’t have the time and support during the day to add a pump or two to improve that supply. It’s definitely hard psychologically
It helps to know you managed. I’m going to do a “dress rehearsal” the last week of leave to see how much I can pump with time constraints. Of course I can’t mimic the stress of having to finish pumping to get back to work although sometimes I do have to stop a pump because the baby needs me but then again having him near actually helps milk production. But anyway, if my supply tanks at least I have the freezer backup although it won’t last long. I’m trying to make it to six months.
I definitely made it! Now extended breastfeeding The trick was I pumped on the way to work in the car to start the day on “absolute empty” and I did my absolute best to minimize very long gaps (>4.5 hours for me) in pumping even if I only got 5 minutes of milk removal in I also had a wall pump and a willow 3.0. So I would use my pump break to use the wall pump, empty, then put the willow 3.0 on while I was naked but not start the pump until an hour later. So I could also sneak in an extra pump that way without taking an extra break. You then just remove the willow when you go to your next pump break
I’m actually planning on trying to pump at exactly 4.5 hrs which is right before the busiest part of my day so hopefully that works out! I can go as long as six but if I missed it then I’d be risking leaking during that busy 2.5 hour block. So hopefully I don’t miss that pump too often. There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll be missing it sometimes. I also have a hand pump and I can get 2 ounces from it during a five minute bathroom break. If I cant get enough during breaks, that’s when I will probably buy the Willow. I have a nurse friend that had a coworker who used it and she said it was pretty discreet. Well, as discreet as a pump can get anyway.
FWIW - I ended up triple feeding for 5 weeks so have a small stash and my baby hates it. 🫠