Hellobee Boards

I think your plan sounds great! It's less important in my opinion to have exact set times and more important to get the sessions in. I know some people also pump right when arriving at work too which can help. Plan to start with 3 sessions definitely and hopefully eventually you can go to 2. You can do this! In terms of other coworker, don't let it stress you out in advance. I think you guys will just work out a tentative schedule and you'll have to be flexible but you can make it work.

Another vote for exact times not mattering. You will be fine! And if there's a day that's nuts you can always revisit the option of taking your pump with you. Does your pump room not have space/chairs for two or is it a privacy preference that has you worried?

Do you have a hand pump? Might not be a bad idea to carry that in case you occasionally get stuck with a client or something and have to pump on the go. Then you wouldn't need to carry the electric pump.

Buy a cheap single pump (I have an electric evenflo that uses batteries). Leave that in our bag and use it if you need to/have the opportunity to. Then plan to do full pumps during your fluctuating times.

Full disclosure, I have a freemie and pump in the car between my work locations.

@LindsayInNY: first you should at least pump to replace every feeding. So if she's going to take three bottles at daycare you should try to pump three times. If you're supply is low or you can't pump for a long time (less than 15 minutes) you may need to add a fourth session before or after work or overnight.

So for a schedule I was never that precise. I would nurse before work around 7, pump by 10 (or anytime between 9:30 and 10:30). Pump at lunch at 12:30. And the. Again around 3-3:30. I would be home to nurse by 6.

I think at first you absolutely should plan on lugging your pump around. You don't know when you might get stuck or just have a good break time to pump. It's really not that weird to ask for a room once you've done it a few times.

For sharing a room, we did share a room at work but it had cubical dividers. Maybe if there isn't a wall or separator you could at least put the chairs back to back so you aren't really facing each other. At work we scheduled the room in 30 minute blocks. So at lunch we did double up.

Actually, I've never had to use any of my frozen milk yet either. If you baby is already old enough that your supply is established, you will be just fine spacing them out. The only discomfort I have is putting on my pumping bra if I go 8 hrs not 6 between pumps and even then still 1.5 oz per hour.

Having an inconsistently schedule was the hardest thing for me in terms of pumping. I would try to put something regular on my calendar and it just got trampled over constantly. I found myself pumping less and less often, and at first I'd have the same output, then after a week or so it would go down. Eventually my supply got really bad and then got decimated by a sinus infection plus decongestants and I gave up.

It was extremely stressful for me, to the point when I was in tears over people scheduling my entire day and not knowing what to do about it.

I don't say that to discourage you, but if you run into stress and problems trying to pump at work, not to feel like you're the only one. I feel like so many people on this board EBF for at least a year and pump and they manage to make it work. But I have a really demanding and stressful job and I just couldn't do it all.

definitely plan to pump 3 times and I would not recommend pumping at 4 if you intend to feed her when you get home for the day. I pump on my commute, at 9;30, 12:30, and 2:30 and while I'd love to drop a session I do not make enough to do that. I also just learned how much more milk I make by hand expressing once I get done double pumping so that is something to consider as well. Have you thought about the fremmie pump you couldn't hand express but you could pump while you travel. http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

Please don't be shy about asking to use your clients' pumping room. It's the only way that pumping will become more normalized in the office.

I had I do that a few times when I had all-day meetings on site, and people were really nice about it. I found that the least awkward phrasing was to remind them that I was back from maternity leave and ask if their office had a "mother's room" or other private, empty space I could borrow for 20 minutes.

It may not make logistical sense to it with your schedule, but I hope you are not too shy about asking (in a professional way) to get your needs met for the next few months.

(Sorry, but being the mom to an EBF child has made me a little bit lactivist!)