https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:11:11 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-830842 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:22:24 +0000 Smurfette 830842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@keepcalmcarrie: I hate it too! Not to mention I feel guilty having to do it three times during the day. Even though I don't take lunch to make up for it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-830814 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:03:41 +0000 keepcalmcarrie 830814@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Gah, I'm worried about this! I just started back at work yesterday -- pumped 16 ounces in 3 sessions yesterday and had the same output today. I get about 4 ounces from my morning pump, then 6 for each of the two afternoon sessions. I hate pumping :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-830213 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:20:01 +0000 ladyfingers 830213@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. I don't know exactly what the dip has been attributed to -- not nursing during the day (pumping instead), LO has become a very fussy nurser (going through wonder week IMO), I was also sick on two separate occasions one week apart and am not getting as much sleep as I used to now that LO wakes up more frequently throughout the night -- but when I first came back to work I would typically pump 14-16 ounces during the day, then an additional 4 ounces at night. Now, I have to work very hard to pump 12 ounces during the day and 2-3 at night. I'm 4 months post partum/been back at work 4 weeks.</p> <p>I tried taking MMP a couple of weeks ago and it was already working on Day 2 (pumped 7 versus 5 first thing in the morning, 5 versus 3 at night), but had to stop because LO had a lot of gastrointestinal upset. I also stopped taking the tea because, even though it's less fenugreek, I suspected that's why his stool had been green since I came back to work, and I was right.</p> <p>So right now I'm:<br /> - eating oatmeal every morning in addition to a granola bar<br /> - taking the more milk (non-fenugreek) tincture (oh god the taste... the taste)<br /> - power pumping once or twice a day<br /> - trying to drink even more water than I already do<br /> - trying to be more relaxed about it</p> <p>His daycare teacher recommended that I start sending 5 ounce instead of 4 ounce bottles because she said that the past few days, he's been hungry sooner than his usual 3 hours. I fear that part of that is because he's not getting as much from me in the morning so he's hungry for his first bottle sooner than usual.</p> <p>So we'll see how this goes. So far today I've pumped 9 ounces (5 then 4) and I have one more pump session. This is the first day I've taken the More Milk and the second day I've power pumped and had oatmeal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-830024 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:45:53 +0000 T.H.O.U. 830024@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MsLipGloss: Its hard to remember exactly. We did a combo of puree and BLW. Usually just sending a couple of ounces of puree and then let her try some finger foods. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829977 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:37:53 +0000 MsLipGloss 829977@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: This is off-topic, but what did you feed your then 9 month old for a *meal*? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829961 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:34:40 +0000 T.H.O.U. 829961@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: You may be able to cut it back to just 2 bottles when she is a bit older (maybe around 9 months). We did a schedule kinda like this: </p> <p>Morning nurse with mom<br /> Breakfast of solids at daycare<br /> Bottle #1 (5 ounces)<br /> Lunch of solids at daycare<br /> Bottle #2 (5 ounces)<br /> Nurse at home<br /> Dinner<br /> Nurse before bed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829940 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:31:24 +0000 Smurfette 829940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@littlebittyhouse: Interesting! I eat oatmeal every morning already. I am drinking more water now that I am at work, then when I was at home. I am just hoping I don't see a dip in supply. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829930 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000 MsLipGloss 829930@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: That hasn't been my experience . . . BabyGloss has evened out at 5oz (she has, on occasion, taken 5.5 ounces, but never more than that). I think it has something to do with the fat content in your milk increasing as your LO gets older (so she stays fuller longer on about the same amount of milk). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829925 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:29:16 +0000 littlebittyhouse 829925@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Smurfette: Months 1-6 their intake is pretty much the same <a href="http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/" rel="nofollow">http://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc/</a></p> <p>After solids are started it slowly starts to decrease. We went from 16oz a day to 12oz a day over a period of about 4mo. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829917 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:27:38 +0000 littlebittyhouse 829917@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My supply was really strong up until around 7/8mo pp. I find that if I am taking care of myself (calories//water/supplements) my supply stays pretty steady now. I always pump more on Mondays and after a long weekend I have bigger outputs.</p> <p>If I need a boost I power pump and might drink some mothers tea. </p> <p>I do have oatmeal everyday for breakfast - not for my supply but because I like it! So that might help?</p> <p>I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that our bodies know how much our babies need. Now that my LO is older and eating solids I think my body knows it doesn't have to make as much milk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829901 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:24:09 +0000 Smurfette 829901@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: Right now, she gets 3 4oz bottles. So the bottles can't really decrease, only increase in milk, right?</p> <p>@MsLipGloss: I thought that she would start drinking more and more as she gets older, no? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829892 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:22:22 +0000 purrpletulips 829892@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't really notice an overall dip in supply but do know that my supply varies by day. I keep a spreadsheet to track my pumping and my output tends to increase as the week goes by. I am really good about drinking water while at work but not so much at home when I'm running around more so I'm sure that plays into it.</p> <p>As others have said your LO shouldn't need more ounces overtime but the distribution may change. The suggested amount is 1 oz for each hour you will be gone. I am away from DS for 11 hours and he gets 11-12oz; when he was younger he'd get four 3oz bottles then once he could go longer between feedings/we started solids he gets two 3-3.5oz bottles with his solids and one 5oz bottle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829870 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:16:58 +0000 mrsjyw 829870@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't notice a supply issue until AF came back... months 3-5 were okay with pumping at work (esp because i'm only in office 3 days a week)... Ever since my supply tanked last month this has been my regiment and we haven't (knock on wood) so far had to dip into my small stash and DS still gets 25+ oz a day:</p> <p>calc magnesium supplements half of the month around AF time. (2x daily)</p> <p>on pumping days, i take 2 fenugreek tablets, MMP when I can handle the nasty taste, and drink mother's milk tea 2-3x a day.</p> <p>i try to drink 20 oz of water each time i pump as well (3x).</p> <p>i'm not sure the fenugreek is really doing anything, i think the major thing is the tea/water/hydration.</p> <p>i pump 3x a day, 3 hours apart, 20-25 minutes until my second let down. I nurse the other sessions. DS has 3 - 5 oz bottles while I'm at work. we nurse in the morning and before bedtime. and he also eats 2 solid meals a day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829864 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:16:05 +0000 MsLipGloss 829864@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: Right. My LO will not take more than 5 ounces in a feeding (she just hit 9 months). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829860 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:15:16 +0000 MsLipGloss 829860@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know if my supply really dipped at first (although it definitely did after a month or so), but I have never been able to pump enough to cover all of LO's feedings (at least not after the first few weeks or so . . . I managed to eek out just enough in the beginning, but after she went up to 4.5 and 5 ounces, I just couldn't meet the demand). LO gets a mix of BM and F . . . I would divide up whatever I pumped into 3 even amounts (for her 3 next day's bottles), and then just add formula until the bottle contained the appropriate total amount.</p> <p>I felt horribly inadequate when I started supplementing, but yanno, LO is still getting all of the benefits of BM, and I was doing everything I could to provide for her (while still maintaining my sanity). I am at a good place with it now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829848 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:12:10 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 829848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My first week or so back, I struggled with pumping enough during the day and added an extra session before I went to bed. I didn't do anything drastic, but I did</p> <p>-start eating oatmeal for breakfast<br /> -let my son nurse often (3-4 feedings over night)<br /> -stop working during pumping and read hellobee or other websites to relax</p> <p>After a few weeks, my supply regulated to where it needed to be. A month or so ago (after 5-ish months of pumping) I started taking 1 Mother's Milk Plus pill a day, because my supply dipped very low. I don't take them anymore now and am back to what I need. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829836 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:10:34 +0000 T.H.O.U. 829836@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Remember that the total number of ounces should not increase for breastmilk. So if you are sending 16 ounces now, that number may actually decrease to maybe 3 5 ounces bottles (15 ounces total) when they get older. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-work-did-you-notice-a-dip-in-supply#post-829827 Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:08:50 +0000 Smurfette 829827@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Did you notice a dip in your supply once you went back to work and just pumping during the day? If so, what did you do to offset it?</p> <p>Worried I won't be able to keep up once R starts eating more at a time. Right now she gets 4 oz bottles. </p>