Expert: Sally Wendkos Olds - 10/15/2005

Question
I have an 11 week old. I had to go back to work very quickley after she was born , within a month. At first I was able to pump & keep up. However recently I have somehow fallen behind on supply and demand. Each night I just have enough bottles for my husband to get by with. hat can I do to increase my production so I can continue to breastfeed? I really do not want to have to stop.

Thanks
Christine

Answer
Dear Christine,

First, congratulations for giving your baby the best start in life by breastfeeding her!

I wrote an entire chapter about breastfeeding for the working mother in my book (see below). I'm attaching an excerpt about a typical nursing schedule that works for many women. Of course, you have to tailor this for your own needs. Some women find that it helps to have a photo of their baby in front of them as they start to pump -- it seems to increase the flow of milk.

Even if you cannot produce enough milk at this point to give your daughter breast milk exclusively, you can feel free to supplement with one bottle of formula a day. She has received a great start, she will continue to get the health benefits of breast milk, and unless you think she runs a high risk of allergy, the formula supplement should have no ill effects.

Good luck!

Sally

Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters.
----------------
from THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING:

YOUR NURSING SCHEDULE
While there are as many different ways to arrange your breastfeeding schedule as there are mothers and babies, a fairly typical one for a full-time mother of a small baby with fairly regular habits may go something like this:
  * Wake up in the morning one hour before you need to begin to get ready for work. Take your baby back to bed with you for a quiet, leisurely feeding.
  * Nurse your baby again just before you leave him at the caregiver's home or at the day care center. This one is optional, depending on how much time has elapsed since the first morning feeding, and on you and your baby. If you do have time, it's a nice way to say "Goodbye, I'll see you soon."
  * If you're leaving your own milk for your baby's feedings, express or pump two to three times during the work day (on morning and/or afternoon coffee breaks and/or at lunch-time).
  * If feasible, nurse your baby at noon, either by going to her or having her brought to you.
  * Nurse your baby right after work, at the child care site if you have a long ride home or, preferably, at home. (You will have asked the caregiver not to feed your baby for a couple of hours before you're expected.)
  * Nurse just before you go to sleep.
  * Nurse one or more times during the night. (Optional, depending on your baby's schedule. Many women find that getting up once during the night is not exhausting, especially if they and the baby go right back to sleep afterwards, which is easier if they are sleeping in the same bed.)
  * Some working nursing mothers schedule "reverse cycle feeding," by which they feed their babies frequently during the evenings and at night so the babies won't be hungry during the day. Some babies seem to save their "up" time for these night-time nursings, which are easier when mothers bring the baby into bed with them to nurse rather than awakening completely. If you can concentrate on the bonus of together time instead of the lost sleep, these snuggled-together sessions can be highlights of the nursing experience.
  No one is typical, and every woman has to learn what works for her.
  * One flight attendant, for example, went back to work after three months, making three trips a week. She chose night flights so that she would miss only one or two feedings, used a breast pump every three or four hours, put her breast milk in bottles that she packed in ice till she got home, and then froze the milk for use during her next flight.
  * Another mother nursed full-time for her baby's first six weeks, then substituted formula for two daytime feedings a day for the next two weeks, and went back to work after two months. She continued to nurse only three times a day -- morning, evening, and bedtime.
  Clearly, there's no single "right way."