How to stock up ur BM before going to work?

[dreamaries79 0]

Hello ladies,

I need some advices on how to stock up ur milk supply in ur freezer before going back to work? Currently I'm able to produce 2.5-4oz of BM each pumping session of 3 hrs gap... but usually my bb is able to finish my supply daily... so how can I stock up some of my supplies in the freezer when my supplies also cannot fulfil bb's hunger DAILY as I need to give him FM too.....

Also, I'm on Fenugreek too to increase my milk supply, previously my milk supply lagi pathetic, only able to produce 2-2.5oz each pumping session... so currently I'm able to produce 3oz x 8 pumping session = 24oz/day, is that enough/normal? As i read some other thread, most mothers are able to produce 5-8oz per pumping session.... i find mine very pathetic... hahha

oh for ur info, my bb now is 2months old, he drank 3oz each time in 1.5hrs.. that's why my supply aren't enough for him. n need give him FM.. also i dun direct latch as he is wif bb sitter now...

[dreamaries79 0]

No one can help ah? :(

[bearbear 0]

Ermm... I haven't reached that stage yet so might not be able to give much help... but what i see my colleagues do everyday is they will pump in office mother's room around 10am+ and 3pm+, store them in the office fridge freezer, and give to bb sitter for the next day supply. She told me she also has not enough to stock up so have to send daily....

[dreamaries79 0]

Thanx bearbear for u reply... i guess ur colleague has the same prb as me.. now i also everyday pump like crazy just to have enough supply to bring over to bb sitter the next day.. i really envy mothers that hav so much milk supply!! haha

[Sheep 0]

dreamaries79,

Do you direct latch on your baby when he/she is with you (night time/weekends)?

What i was advised by a lactation consultant was to start pumping twice a day two weeks before i start work. One bottle to feed baby to get her use to bottle feeding and one more to store in the freezer. I didint have much milk initially but when my baby latch on then the milk supply increase. I dont have much freezer stock and neither do i have a lot of milk. Like you the max in can pump is only 24 oz a day from 5 pumping sessions. When i get home from work at night, i will direct feed my baby.

[fluene 0]

Perhaps you can skip one or two sessions of breastmilk daily and give your baby fm to build up the stock. I feel that it is better to get the same amount of breastmilk consistently everyday than to get more on one day and none on the other day.

[dreamaries79 0]

sheep,

i seldom latch bb now... as he doesn't like being latch.. and he doesn't have the patience to latch that long... usually after 10mins, he would start wriggling n cries.. so i ended give him BM using milk bottle... that's why my milk supply not alot...

fluene,

Thanx for ur advice, i will try this week :)

[islandgal 0]

my son also only latch on no more than 5-10 mins each session as well lor

my son cries as well sometimes..usually that's how my son is when he got enuf of milk when i stil continue breastfeed him..then he make noise that he dun wan anymore

i only bring ian back on weekend, so weekday no chance to latch on but my supply maintain at 50oz per day (oversupply) ..i thot wan to reduce it, but currently just maintain it, many ppl tell me try not to decrease it becoz it will be useful with that extra stash of milk there

make sure you have enough water intake per day.. as i find this contribute quite alot

i eat alot .. as in i don care, just eat only, as i get hungry easily .. so carbo intake is quite important

have u practice correct way of pumping milk?? it is advice to pump for 7mins, stop for 1 mins massage, then continue pump for 7mins

[starryeye 0]

same as you am also facing similar problem.

but wat i do is that i will express milk first, every 4 hrs (each express session takes about 20 mins), usually about 3 oz or more (which i store in fridge) and then let my bb latch after. i really dont know if this is the right method so ladies, pls point out if not. but it really works for me, it increases my milk supply.

i noticed its easier to express the milk first and then let bb latch coz bb's sucking power is obviously greater than the pump stimulation. i also noticed even after i express, when my bb latch i still see him drinking a lot, easily 2-3 oz...how to know? 2 signs - the milk on the corner of bb's mouth and also look out for the obvious sound of bb swallowing his milk. and also numbers of wet diapers and poop.

my bb also demands for 3 oz every 2 hrs and before going to bed at night, usually about 11pm, he can drink up to 5 oz, but then he will only wake about 3am for next 'makan' session. during morning feed i will let him drink BM in bottle because my bb tends to fall asleep when i let him latch during these few sessions. its gettin ridiculously tiring because it takes up more than 45mins per session, my arms are in pain! so during this time, i will still wakes up to express milk and store. and i also give bb drink FM (babynat-organic) twice a day, as top up, usually at night and also in afternoon. not more than 5 oz a day. babynat is not heaty hence no constipation issue.

i ask my paed if its ok to top up FM, he said yes and he also said this....pls do not feel guilty giving ur child FM. this piece of simple advice makes me feel so relieved, that i am not a bad mother. u see, i was under tremendous stress during the first few weeks coz i wasnt gettin the support to BF my bb. my MIL stays wit me and she came from old school, so she reckon BM is not really the way to go. when stress, my milk supply decreases and bb was always hungry. i felt so so guilty and so useless as his mom. so it was really bad. so, dont stress, eat enuff and top up more FM if u need to so that u can express and keep BM in fridge. i am taking anmum lacta and oatmeal every morning as well. guess it helps to increase the milk too :) so good luck dream dear, hope this helps.

ladies, side track a bit....how do you all express milk in office? u see, my office is not baby friendly at all and theres no such thing as taking breaks to express milk. so i have to time my express schedule properly (i would think during lunch and late evening). my colleague express at ladies room (toilet), hmmmm...not very ideal! and how to store it? in fridge or freezer? then when i bring back home wont it affect the milk, like its de-frozing it? and how do you all sterilize the pump? and are there any special container to store the milk? i am currently using bottles. thanks :)

[islandgal 0]

starryeye,

i think 5-10 mins latching is fine lor, though earlier i was abit worried, but with the diaper count, i guess he's getting enough milk

lucky for me i have nursing room in office.. there are 3 cubicle in there, but sometimes full oso

can you ask for a small meeting room during the time u wan to pump??.. just ask to use the room for 20 - 30mins

like myself, sometimes in office, the small bar fridge is full, (nursing room have a small bar type of fridge, those in hotel..but sometimes quite full, many nursing moms nowadays)

i will take out my ice pack put in cooler bag, then store the my milk in there, maybe you can do that rather than freeze it directly in office

earlier i pump every 3 hours in office, and that's really time consuming..i used 15-20 mins going to nursing room, setting up, pump then back to my place

but now i have change it to 5 hours interval, where pump at 12pm and 5pm in office, maybe you can slowly adjust increase your pump interval

i don sterilize my pump.. i just store them in a container, put it together in my cooler box or fridge.. keep cool, the milk in the pump wont spoil that case, so wont effect the milk later on (next pump session)

i'm using those mom's precious & bumblebee breastmilk storage bottle when i'm in office, sometimes i will transfer to BM storage bag

[Sheep 0]

starryeye,

My office too has a mother's room with 3 cubicles. Luckily now not many nursing mothers so usually got cubicle to use. I will store my milk in the fridge in the room. I wash my pump with Pigeon liquid cleanser and soak n rinse with hot water. I pump at 8.30, 1.30 and 5pm. I dont freeze these freshly pumped EBM as i will give to my parents to feed baby the next day. I will freeze if there is extra only when i get home

I think you can do what islandgal does, keep it in your storage bag with ice packs but make sure your ice packs can last the day.

[islandgal 0]

i think get 2 ice packs where u can alternate and use it :-p

[janicelly 0]

dream,

You dont have a pathetic supply la, mine is around there too :P. May I know are you double pumping? Double pump offers better stimulation. Keep on taking fenugreek, drink lots of liquids & dont skip your meals. You can try to take oatmeal like starryeye suggested too. Do you pump at night too?

starryeye,

If you intend to send milk to nanny the next day, dont freeze cos fresh is always best. Just put inside the fridge or cooler bag. As for pumping in the toilet, IF you dont have a choice, just make the best out of it. I pump at my cubicle (no mother's room either) & store inside milk bottles too. As for sterilization, I will only do that at home. Just like islandgal, will put all pump parts (those that touches milk) inside a container & put inside fridge.

[starryeye 0]

islandgal, sheep and janice, thanks dearies...

where can i get the cooler bag ladies? how much ice packs can lasts for a day? hmmmm

[islandgal 0]

islandgal, sheep and janice, thanks dearies...

where can i get the cooler bag ladies? how much ice packs can lasts for a day? hmmmm

i bought this >> http://www.fabulousmom.com/catalog/product...roducts_id=1170

now fabulous mom have storewide 10% discount, u can check out others oso

[Sheep 0]

islandgal, sheep and janice, thanks dearies...

where can i get the cooler bag ladies? how much ice packs can lasts for a day? hmmmm

starryeye,

I use this cooler bag.

http://www.fabulousmom.com/catalog/product...products_id=719

But i use avent bottles to store as mine is an avent pump. But can store only 3 bottles la, just enough for me. But i only use 2 ice packs. I noticed that it tends to melt by the end of the day. So i usually put my ice pack in the freezer.

But there are different types of cooler bag.

Maybe u can use 2 packs in the cooler bag and keep 2 packs in your office freezer and then replace the one in the cooler bag during lunch time?

[islandgal 0]

sheep, i think the set is a good buy hor.. the set already quite worth it, on top of that, they are giving 10% for the package as well

but i already bought the bottles last time..so i didn't buy the set again

i just bought my cooler bag last nite in puchong branch, i used to use rm5 daiso those cooler bag, but after long thought, i invest in a good one, can use for long term and more durable

[dreamaries79 0]

Islandgal, oh ur bb also like mine ah? i tot I latch him incorrectly till he kick his legs away frm me...

I tried latched him last nite again, he cries n kick away frm me, so i tot he is full but when my hubby fed him wif FM using bottle, he is happily sucking away 3oz... is this sign of hating breastfeeding using latch method?

wow, 50oz/day!!?? That's alot! haha really envy, how u do with bb only coming back to u during weekends? i pump till one breast is nearly dried, then change to another breast n back to the first breast lor, i massage while pumping to make sure 360 degreee is 'loose'... yes, i always felt hungry n thirsty... i ate n drank alot, sometimes i curi minum cola too... ;p

[dreamaries79 0]

Starryeye,

My MIL n parent also discourage me in giving BM... yes, maybe that's why i felt abit depress n stress in giving bb BM.. they always said FM is enough, no need give BM, somemore when warming up BM using warm water can give bb colic etc as maybe BM is not warm enough before give bb drink....

Janicelly,

yes, i pump at nite too, average every 3 hours i pump my breast... so i manage to bring around 6-7 bottles of 3oz to bb sitter the next day.... i pump my breast alternately to make sure i dried up both breast before going back to sleep....

Girls,

Just these 3 nites, i noticed my bb's sleeping pattern had changed.... he just turned 2 months old 3days ago... he sleeps around 8pm++ after his milk drinking session n then never wakes up until 4am-6am for his next feed... before that, he sleeps around 8pm+, then wakes up around 1am for his next feed, after the 1am+session, he would wake up every 1.5hrs to be fed...

THEN last nite, he slept around 7pm without drinking any milk until midnite when i wake up for my midnite breast pumping session, he stil sound asleep.. so i decided to wake him up to feed him... but he doesn't look like he is hungry ( but his last fed is at 5pm+ after coming back frm his bb sitter), but i stil fed him 3oz of BM... then he fell back to sleep until this morning 6am... is this normal for him not feeling hungry for that long? or is he just being a grown up baby, doesn't need that much of feeding anymore.... any idea??

[janicelly 0]

dream,

A lot of us here fed our babies with EBM & somehow our babies are all ok. Tell your parents & PIL, IF your baby is nursing direct from you, the milk temperature is your body heat, so does that means that'll cause colic?

Babies always change their sleep pattern. How is your baby's weight gain? If you are concern, do wake your baby up at least once to feed at night cos your baby is still very young. One of our member here (meiteoh) was adviced by LC to wake her baby up at least once to feed (her baby started sleep through the night too. You can refer to BF thread).

I remember I experienced this before but it didnt last, hehe.

starryeye,

I am using Medela cooler bag + element. For nanny's side, I use another cooler bag (tried to find photo for you to see but cant find, I think nobody sells anymore) + Techni ice.

[Sheep 0]

sheep, i think the set is a good buy hor.. the set already quite worth it, on top of that, they are giving 10% for the package as well

but i already bought the bottles last time..so i didn't buy the set again

i just bought my cooler bag last nite in puchong branch, i used to use rm5 daiso those cooler bag, but after long thought, i invest in a good one, can use for long term and more durable

Island girl, yup i think it is...I was short of storage bottles then so i bought that set.

I have this one too

http://www.fabulousmom.com/catalog/product...products_id=946

Which i gave to my parents to use when they bring my baby out. But they also use the normal cooler bag i bought from Bangsar Village to take my milk back daily. I use both Mom's precious ice pack and techni ice sheet. Personally i prefer the mom's precious ice pack as it has that black bag to keep the cooler bag from getting damp.

You should have bought when fabolous mom was having their moving out sale. I think it was on at least 15% discount then.

How many bottles can u fit in your bag?

[Sheep 0]

dreamaries,

Have you thought of investing in a warmer instead of using hot water? Will that help to convince your MIL and parents? My parents use a warmer to warm up my EBM. Even if u use warm water to warm up, u can test the temperature of the milk before feeding. If not warm enuf then just warm up again. But then again, EBM is not suppose to be hot, but a room temperature.

My mum was not exactly supportive of breastfeeding in the begining. I mean its not like she discourage, just that she didint understand why i get so upset when my confinement lady wants to top up with FM.

But after our visit to Dr Koe (my baby's paed), she seems to be more supportive to the extend that she told me that i should try to breastfeed baby Sophie till she is 1 year old instead of 6 months.

[islandgal 0]

sheep, didn't thot i will need it that time.. sumore moving out sales last time the shop close at 6pm, after work is impossible to go puchong anymore.. so have to drop it lor that time.. but lately the sales they had, no longer have JA BM storage bag, 25 bags selling for rm8.90..it was a good buy last time!! i bought like 15 pack that time :-p

my bag i fit 4 bottles and a square container that i keep my breastshield in there ..

[Sheep 0]

sheep, didn't thot i will need it that time.. sumore moving out sales last time the shop close at 6pm, after work is impossible to go puchong anymore.. so have to drop it lor that time.. but lately the sales they had, no longer have JA BM storage bag, 25 bags selling for rm8.90..it was a good buy last time!! i bought like 15 pack that time :-p

my bag i fit 4 bottles and a square container that i keep my breastshield in there ..

Wow so have you finish using them since u bought 15 packs? Im currently using this one

http://www.youhaveababy.com/you-have-a-bab...-free-p-71.html

But i only store max 5 oz in it.

Wow can fit so many things? My cooler bag can only fir 3 Avent bottles. I need to carry another backpack for my pumps and i put the cooler bag into that backpack too.

[dreamaries79 0]

janicelly,

I'm refering to my EBM that already put in the fridge waiting for bb's feed... my MIL n parent discourage me doing that as they thought my bb's colic is due to the 'cold' EBM given to him as maybe BM are not warm enough.... my BB was borned with 4.3kg, 5kg at his first month n now he is 6.2kg in his second month, a little bit above the normal range... :) i will see tonite whether will he be awake for his feed...

Sheep,

If i'm getting a warmer, i need to bring the warmer to the bb sitter as he spend most of his time drinking his EMB with bb sitter, when he is at home wif me, he only drinks at 5pm, then 7pm n sleep throughout the nite till the next morning 5am... after that he will be at bb sitter's place... he usually drinks two session of FM n one session of BM wif me...

i'm thinking to give bb BM till he is 3-4months old... as we are planning to have a second bb next yr n hoping to be born before CNY 2011...

Girls,

I have another question... Can I mix two different batch of EBM together to make up to the volume? i.e I pumped BM at 5pm wif 2oz.... then at 8pm, I mix another 1oz of EBM to the previous EBM (5pm's batch) to make up to 3oz and bring it over to BB sitter the next day?