BF'ing and Returning to Work

Our little family had a wonderful Christmas, and I wanted to do a Christmas & New Year's post this morning; however, my camera is dead, so I have to charge it before I can get all of our photo's off to share with you all, so I'll work on a Holiday post for tomorrow!

Anyways, I've been off work for two weeks now, and I just returned to work today, so I have lots to catch up on at work and not much time to post; however, I've been asked by a couple of different people about my experience with breastfeeding and returning to work, so I wanted to share my experience and how I did it. Weston will be a year old on January 20th, and I'm still nursing him in the morning and night. I no longer nurse him or pump during the day, but I have been able to continue nursing and not supplement with formula for the full first year. I know that everyone is different and not everyone wants to breastfeed at all, but I really wanted to have that experience, and it was one of the things that I really looked forward to experiencing, so I really wanted to be successful even though I was returning to work full time.

Here are a couple of questions that I've been asked:

How you prepared to go back to work after maternity leave?
I didn't really prepare...I probably should have, but I was just so overwhelmed with a new baby that I didn't think much about it. Weston had his first bottle when he was about two weeks old. I was SO exhausted that my mom came over for the night to watch Weston, so I could sleep, and she gave him a bottle of breastmilk during the middle of the night. I was SO blessed that he didn't have a problem going back and forth between the bottle and me. I did pump quite a lot, so I would A.) keep my supply up and B.) have milk stored up for when I went back to work. I pumped after he nursed in the morning, then I pumped if he only nursed from one side and I pumped before I went to bed at night. By the time I went back to work, I had a LOT of milk stored. I also had a really great milk supply, so I was able to pump lots of extra when I pumped each day.

Did you have a frozen milk supply before you went back to work?
As I mentioned above, I did have a frozen milk supply before I went to work. I had at least 500 ounces of frozen milk stored before I went back to work. When I went back to work, I pumped about 16 ounces while I was at work, and I pumped another 6 ounces before I went to bed, so I had adequate milk for him to have a daycare the next day, as well as, extra to continue to freeze.

Was your daycare willing to give breastmilk?
Yes. We use an in-home daycare lady who keeps a few children in her home. She is awesome, and I would go ahead and make his bottles and send her the pre-made bottles each morning, and she would give them to Weston. She also kept some frozen milk in her freezer for emergencies. Now that he is not drinking from a bottle but drinking from a cup, I just send her either cups of milk or a cup of milk and an extra small bottle of milk for refills. Having a daycare that is supportive of your desire to breastfeed is very important, and it was key to my success.

How often do you pump at work?
I pumped anywhere from 2-3 times a day at work and sometimes only once. At first, I pumped two times a day while at work, but then I started having supply issues, so I started taking Fenugreek and began pumping three times per day at work, so I could have enough milk for W. Shortly afterward, I realized had so much stored, that I moved down to 1 pumping a day at work and now I don't pump at all during work.

What is your pumping/feeding schedule?
My typical pumping/feeding schedule during the first year of Weston's life looked like this (before solids were introduced)...
6:30 AM - Wake Up & Nurse
8:30-9:00 AM - AM Nap
10:30 AM - Nurse & Pump at Work
1:00 PM - Nap
2:30-3:00 PM - Nurse & Pump at Work
6:30 PM - Nurse & W in Bed
9:30-10:00 PM - Pump before I go to Bed

As Weston begin eating more solids, his schedule looked more like this...
6:30 AM - Wake Up & Nurse
8:30-9:00 AM - AM Nap
10:30 AM - Pump at Work
11:00-11:30 - Lunch at Daycare for W
1:00 PM - Nap
2:30 - Pump at Work
3:00-3:00 PM - Snack at Daycare for W
6:00 PM - Dinner
7:00 PM - Nurse & Bed for W
9:30-10:00 PM - Pump before I go to Bed

During Weston's first few months, he was eating every three hours, as well as, waking up during the night usually once, so his schedule was similar to the four hour feeding, but he ate more often. I only pumped twice per day on average once I went back to work.

Any other tips/advice for breastfeeding working moms
My biggest piece of advice is to relax...I honestly didn't worry about it too much. I knew that I wanted to do it and be successful, but I knew that I didn't want to stress out too much, and I didn't know what to expect, so I didn't know what to worry about or plan for. I pumped as much as possible before I went back to work, but sometimes, I didn't pump at all during the day. I just didn't feel like it, and I didn't want to burn myself out pumping and hate it so much that I quit, so I just didn't pump the whole day, and it was fine. I also recommend buying a good pump, as that is definitely key to your success!

Nursing Weston for the whole first year was one of the most amazing things that I've ever done, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity. The emotional bond that I have with my son is so awesome, and I enjoy it! It's the ONLY time that Weston is still right now, and he sits in my lap. If he's not nursing, he's on the go, so it's a nice time for us to relax together.

I did have some supply issues towards the end, and I did all kinds of things to increase my supply. Some worked, some didn't, but I figured it out, and I was able to make it through. If anyone has any questions about supply issues, feel free to email me or comment on this post, and I will email you back. I also recommend finding a place that you are comfortable at work to pump. I have an office with a door that shuts and locks and doesn't have windows looking in...I have photo's of Weston, and I'm comfortable in my office. I'm not nervous that someone will come knocking or looking for me when my door is shut, and I can lock it for that extra piece of mind. You have to be comfortable and relaxed when you are pumping or it will definitely have an effect on your supply.

I've pumped everywhere, so it can be done! I've pumped in my car while driving down the road, I've pumped in my car while someone else was driving, I've pumped in my office, I've pumped at home, I've pumped in the bathroom, I've pumped in the airport and I've pumped on an airplane. It was tough, and it sometimes had it's awkward moments, but I am VERY modest and discreet, and I never had any moments where I felt like people saw anything. I also never nursed in public in the entire first year. I'm SUPER modest, and I just can't do it. I don't want to see it when I'm in public, and I don't want to do it in public. So, I didn't...I planned our trips around his nursing schedule, and I would nurse him little early or late, as needed, so we could be out and about, and it wouldn't cause an issue. I would just nurse him in the car before we went in or at home before we left, and it was never a problem.

If anyone has any other questions, please let me know. I'm happy to help out anyone and answer any questions.

Disclaimer: These opinions are my own opinions, and it's how I did it and was successful and comfortable nursing my son through his first year. I know everyone is different, and we all do things differently or find different ways to be successful. I don't think that my way is better than any other way, it's just the way that worked for me, and I hope that some of my suggestions work for someone else. :)

What's that suction noise in the background?

You know you are busy when you've got conference calls scheduled ALL day long, and your boobs are aching, because they are so full, and you haven't had a free moment to pump since early in the day.

You know you are a mom when you just don't care anymore and you decide that pumping during the conference call while you are on mute is a good idea, that is, until the people you are on the call with ask you a question and you have to un-mute to answer. And yes, it happened to me today!

Work is really busy this week, and I haven't had a lot of time to blog, much less, pump or eat. I ate lunch this afternoon at 2:30 PM! I was starving! I'll hopefully be back to post a much more meaningful post of Weston's 3-month statistics tomorrow since I haven't had a chance to do it yet, and he's already 3.5 months old!

Must Be Doing Something Right...

We went to Weston's second pediatrician appointment on Monday for a weight check at two weeks and five days old. Weston was born at 7 lb. 2 oz, and he was 6 lb. 13 oz. at his pediatrician appointment at five days old. The doctor wanted us to come back for a check-up and weight check this past Monday (02/08), and I was shocked to learn that he was 8 lb. 8 oz. Weston had gained 25 oz. in 14 days! I was shocked, because they had told us to expect him to gain approximately one ounce a day, but he exceeded our expectations. He also has grown an inch and a half!

I was a little worried that I wasn't producing enough milk, and he wasn't getting enough from me, because he constantly seemed hungry, especially in the evenings and since I don't know how much I'm feeding him, it's hard to know. I was SO proud to know that I was feeding him enough and that he is growing and is healthy! It was a HUGE relief! I'm glad to know that breastfeeding is working for us despite the fact that I'm the only one that can feed him, unless I pump, but that's okay. It can be trying at times, but I'm so proud that we have been able to make it work!

New Mom Questions

So, to all you mothers out there...I've got some questions. I'm 100% Type A, so it's difficult to have a newborn that's tough to plan around, but I understand that, and I feel like I've been adjusting well. Wes is sleeping for four hours at a stretch then waking to eat, then sleeping for another four hour stretch at night, so I feel like things are going well in the sleeping area, and we are all feeling much more rested and happy around the Harvey household.

However, as a mother, I worry. I think that's only natural, but I'm so worried that I'm doing something wrong, so I need your advice on how you guys did things.

Here are my questions:
1.) Sleeping - Wes is doing pretty well (knock on wood) sleeping! I know that books and people typically say that he needs to eat every three hours at night, so I should wake him, but he has been sleeping four-five hours through the night, and I haven't been waking him. He is peeing and pooping enough, so I know that he is hydrated, and I know he's getting enough, so I just don't wake him up. I know that he is gaining weight, as well. How did you get your little one to sleep through through night or was it ever a problem for you? I know he isn't ready to sleep through the night yet, because he needs to eat at least once through the night, but when he is how to you cut back his/her middle of the night feeding?

2.) Nursery - How did you get your little ones to sleep in their room? Did you start them off in their room right away? Or did they sleep in your room for the first little bit? If they slept in your room for a little while, how did you get her to switch and sleep in their own room? Wes is sleeping in our room right now, because the first few nights he was really fussy, and we couldn't get him to sleep, so it was really tough having to get up and down all night with him screaming. Secondly, it's just tough having to get up and go to the other room to nurse him at night, so it was easier having him in our room.

3.) Schedule - If you had your little one on a schedule, how do you work them up to that schedule and what was your schedule. Right now, he's obviously not on any type of schedule. We wake at the same time every morning, so he's eating at basically the same time every three hours everyday, but he's not going to bed at a specific time yet, and it's fairly late that he's going to bed, because it's when we go to bed. We do have him in a nightime routine of bathing him, putting him into PJ's, reading him a book, nursing him and then going to bed. But when did you start putting your baby down in their crib at a certain time each night and how did you start that routine. When did you get them on an eating and napping schedule and what was that like?

4.) Nursing - Wes seems to nurse for a really long time...people say 15-20 minutes, but it takes Wes at least a half hour. I know that he is getting milk, because I see it in his mouth, coming out of his cheeks as his nurses, etc., but it just takes him SO long. And he is also a fussy eater...I could never take him and nurse in public at this point, because he shakes his head back and forth, and he he screams like he can't find it sometimes, but he's right on it. I'm not sure what that's about, but it's like he's just getting SO excited, so it takes a lot of patience to feed him. We are up close to an hour nursing in the night, so that's tough, but I love the bonding that I have with him, and I'll do whatever it takes to successfully breastfeed. Any advice or suggestions on making this process easier for both of us?

Anyways, if anyone has any advice or suggestions that would be great. I'm just looking for any ideas that people have or ideas on how you did things, so I can hopefully do things a little easier than I'm doing now. Thanks in advance for any ideas you might have! And what post is complete without a picture of my little guy! :)