It's ending :( I don't know what to do :(

[Little-Pink-Hen]

I'm back at work fulltime started 4th Jan
dd has been having express from my stores I done before going back, I also express 3 times during the day, when I first wake up, during my lunch break and as soon as I get home
I've now have 16 bags of milk left and dd uses 5 during my 8 hour shift so I'll run out next week
meaning I'll only be able to feed her during the morning and night and weekends and her to have bottles of ebm as much as she can
but I'll have to get formula
I'm not ready to do this, I don't know what to get or anything! She is only 6 months I feel like crap about this :(

[Little-Pink-Hen]

Bump

[EmyB]

:hugs: I feel for you! I have to go back to work when bubby is about 6 months too (still got a bit of time to go) and I am really worried how the breastfeeding is going to continue.

But I don't understand... why do you have to use formula? Why are you running out of milk? Can't you just keep expressing at work to replace the EBM she drinks?

[*babygirl*]

How does she go with her solids? Maybe the solution might lay in reducing the mls in her bottle and teaming it with some solid/ water? So you expressed stores last longer... Or make one feed a day formula for a little while, while you keep expressing and build your stores up? I hope you guys find a solution!

[Tegan15]

Do you know any other breastfeeding mums that would be able to express milk and give it to you? It's a healthier option than formula.
What kind of breast pump do you have? Is it a double? I've heard that double pumps can work better.
Are you able to go visit your LO during work hours and give them a feed?
It must be so hard for you :hugs:

Emyn - the reason Lisamd is running out of milk is because expressing isn't as good as actually breast feeding - some women can't express enough to bottle feed their babes. I haven't expressed in a long time but when I did I could only get 50-60ml max even first thing in the morning before a feed.

[Little-Pink-Hen]

She is on solids :)
she has breaky, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner
but still has five bottles during the day plus my bf
routine is
wake morning bf (I've already pumped)
breakfast
bottle/bf
sleep
wake
lunch
bottle
bottle
sleep
wake
afternoon tea
Bottle/bf
dinner
bed


I'm thinking I'll cut the one straight after lunch change it to a water and than bottle for bed
and than have a small juice at afternoon tea so she is down to just 3 bottles at work

the other thing is, ppl not understanding how bm works and thinking I have an endless supply and that she must need 200+ mls just becos bubs have ff do that
in my bags of ebm they are roughly 150 mls and she generally can't drink more than 170-180 anyway but sometimes at preschool they give her two bottles together which I don't think she needs but she cries her eyes out to say she does. And I think that's her getting used to bottles ending where as I'm on tap iykwim

[Tegan15]

can you put a slower teat on the bottle - put a new born one on so she has to work harder for the milk and will then take longer to drink it?

[Little-Pink-Hen]

Yep tegan my supply is weaning out now :(
I can get between 50-150-200 mls of milk but I can only pump before I feed in the morning on my lunch break and as soon as I get home so it's not a catch up of what she is eating :(
she is a preschool with me (I'm a preschool teacher) so I feed her if she awake on my lunch which is rarely ...

[Little-Pink-Hen]

I have slow flows /newborns on there ;)
and I used a medela swing pump I actually had to buy a new one as I burnt the old one out before 6 months of use

[EmyB]

Emyn - the reason Lisamd is running out of milk is because expressing isn't as good as actually breast feeding - some women can't express enough to bottle feed their babes. I haven't expressed in a long time but when I did I could only get 50-60ml max even first thing in the morning before a feed.

Oh dear. :( I didn't realise that. I don't even know any strategies that are supposed to help this kind of situation...... I guess I'll run into the same trouble when going back to work at 6 months too. :(

[Tegan15]

Is it possible to change your lunch break, or ask them to stretch her sleep out to a bit later so you can feed?
Have you looked at the aba website and kellymom website for any advice?

[Little-Pink-Hen]

No I can't move it with have pretty ridgid lunch breaks so the room runs on time
I'll look at the aba thanks heaps :hugs:
I was hoping to at least April 8 months before I got to this stage :(
once she is older I'm expecting she would need it less idk
I'm also going to start my motilium again as I've noticed today I don't feel like I have milk anymore enough just for a feed
it's all so stressful and although I said I wanted to bf until 12 months Ill will be feeding as long as she wants for morning and night even :)

[Annabella]

Okay I'm not an expert on this, I've been very lucky to not have to return to work. But first of all DON'T STRESS!!! That will only affect your milk supply in a bad way. Second, don't beat yourself up over it, you have done so well to get to 6 months, and worst case scenario, if you can only feed her morning and night breastmilk, thats still GREAT and you should rejoice in that!

Lastly, there has to be a way to do it, even if you do have to give her one feed of formula a day, just so you can at least pump the same amount as she is drinking. Maybe you could try something like this, just as an example, obviously you change the exact times to suit you and add in the sleeps where they are meant to be-

when you wake up (7ish?)-- breastfeed and breakfast [EXPRESS SOME MILK]

10am-ish- EBM

lunchtime(1pm-ish?)- lunch THEN AFTERWARDS bottle formula
[EXPRESS SOME MILK]

mid-afternoon(4pm-ish)- EBM

dinnertime (7pm-ish)-breastfeed and dinner

bed (maybe have a bf here as well if she needs to go sleep?)
[EXPRESS MILK]

If that doesn't seem do-able, even if she just has the morning and night feeds, and maybe one expressed bottle a day, thats SO much better than nothing, especially as she is now having food as well. Having formula once or twice a day won't hurt her. You should be so proud of yourself, pumping 3 times a day is FULL ON!

[moozle]

Awwww :hugs: I totally felt the same way when BF ended for me. It is not the end of the world if you have to give DD formula for those feeds when you are working. DS self-weaned and I tried to express but only managed a month before my milk supply was not enough for DS so I had to suppliment with formula and then by 10 months, he was on formula alone. I was devistated for months but I'm over it now. As you said, you can keep feeding morning and night and on weekends. I'm sure you'll get into a routine that will work for you both. If you want to make sure you've explored every option, contact the ABA and see what advice they can give you. All the best.

[JabberJaw]

:hugs::hugs:

I am with the other ladies who said call the ABA.

Also, eat oats, take some flaxseed meal (sprinkle it on stuff or in milkshakes), keep your water up, goggle "lactogenic" foods, they are ones that support milk supply and make it fatty and filling. Rest, try not to stress.

I sucessfully fed my eldest till 3. I started working when she was 18 months old, she refused EBM, so i use to feed her before childcare, have my lunch break AT childcare feeding her, then feed again once we got home, she did fine and eventually she would sleep at childcare without me needing to go, so she dropped that feed also. By 2 yrs old she was only having morning, late arvo and bedtime feeds.

It is normal for you to feel like there is no milk or your supply is low, it happens when breastfeeding is established properly, it is also normal to not get the let down feeling. My boobs feel empty and have shrunk but i am still feeding bub on demand and there is certainally milk because i can express it.

You are doing a fantastic job, dont stress. Even if it does not work out the way you plan, you have given bub the best start in life :)

[Little-Pink-Hen]

Thankyou everyone :) yes i do need to get into a better routine oats EVErY Day! More water (I drink 2 lts every day as it is lol and a better fattier diet :)
thank you for all you hugs and support :hugs:
jabberjaw thanks I know you've helped me heaps on my stress over my supply over the last six months :D

[Jaspat24]

Hi Lisa, i totally understand what you're going through. I RTW when DS was 4 1/2 months and i still struggle to get enough Ebm to leave for him. In fact, i leave either ebm or formula, depending on how much ebm i've got and if i've bought a tin. I do only work 2 days a week though, and never 2 days in a row so that is in my favour.
So you said your bub is 6 months? at that stage, i was leaving x3 150mls of ebm for my DS and he could have as much food and wateras he could take. I have read on these forums that some ladies only leave what they get out and then bubs make up for it later.
i drink 4-5L of water everyday and i've only just weaned off motilium for good.
another thing (which you may not like) is maybe you're leaving her too much milk? how do her nappies compare to when she's at home with you? exactly how old is she? and what are her daycare times? and feed times?
(sorry to be so in depth but just trying to help)

[Little-Pink-Hen]

How long where you on motilium? I weaned down and gp dosnt want me to go back up but I want to to help establish a better routine iykwim

bub is 6.5 months (i rtw just before five months)
I do x2 7am-3pm shifts.
I'll wake her at 6, give her a mini feed of 20 mins if I can or a ebm
7.30 cereal
8-8.30 bottle for bed (150-170 ebm)
she will sleep for 2-3 hours if she wakes around my break I take her and bf otherwise she wakes has lunch than ebm (they will give her 200+ mls :rolleyes:)
she might have another sleep or bottle before 3
asap when I get home( 3.30) I'll pump than bf and give yoghurt later

If I'm a 10am-6pm shift
I pump at 7ish
bfeed her at 8ish than breakfast
9.30-10 I'll bf her to get her to sleep or she has a ebm
she will than be in bed until 1-2pm wake up have lunch or my mum wakes her and takes her home. (I pump at lunch) When my gets her home she will give her two ebms and a yoghurt during 2-6pm
I get her and get home 6.30, I pump while giving her dinner than bfeed than bed

[Jaspat24]

How long where you on motilium? I weaned down and gp dosnt want me to go back up but I want to to help establish a better routine iykwim

bub is 6.5 months (i rtw just before five months)
I do x2 7am-3pm shifts.
I'll wake her at 6, give her a mini feed of 20 mins if I can or a ebm
7.30 cereal
8-8.30 bottle for bed (150-170 ebm)
she will sleep for 2-3 hours if she wakes around my break I take her and bf otherwise she wakes has lunch than ebm (they will give her 200+ mls :rolleyes:)
she might have another sleep or bottle before 3
asap when I get home( 3.30) I'll pump than bf and give yoghurt later

If I'm a 10am-6pm shift
I pump at 7ish
bfeed her at 8ish than breakfast
9.30-10 I'll bf her to get her to sleep or she has a ebm
she will than be in bed until 1-2pm wake up have lunch or my mum wakes her and takes her home. (I pump at lunch) When my gets her home she will give her two ebms and a yoghurt during 2-6pm
I get her and get home 6.30, I pump while giving her dinner than bfeed than bed

I've just had 2 1/2 weeks holiday and have finally weaned off motilium. I started taking 3 a day then went up to 6a day and slowly cut down. I started them when DS was 3 months and he's 10 1/2 months now.
Lisa, i think you should maybe try not to give her any ebm when you are available to feed her, babies are much better than breastpumps and can stimulate your breasts much better than a pump can. Now that she's obviously on solids, you can start to offer cooled boiled water with her meals as well. If she is gaining good weights then i'd seriously consider reducing the bottles down to 2. At that age i left my DS x3 150ml bottles at 8am, 11am and 2pm. He's never fed milk after 2 pm cos i pick him up at 530pm and BF straight away.
I would try a 'loose' routine everyday that can be flexible enough for your different shifts and for when you're at home. At home do you do a feed play sleep or play feed sleep or feed play feed sleep kinda thing? If you can see if there are any patterns to your days at home that can carry across easily to daycare then i'd do that. How many sleeps does she have in a day? Can the staff 'distract' her with food and water instead of giving her ebm just before 3pm?
personally, me and my DS have been 'go with flow' and being on holidays i've noticed some patterns to our day and with a little tweaking we have a loose routine.

[LittleBug'sMum]

Hi Lisamd:wave:!
Does you bub not breastfeed during the night at all?
When I went back to work DS was 7 months and not keen at all to drink from a bottle. I was working full time and expressing twice a day (about 300mL total for the day - 7:30am-6pm).

DS was waking up about 1 to 2 times at night for a feed before I went back to work, and he immediately increased that to 4 times a night.

I might be wrong, but I think when they feed overnight it boosts your supply even more than during the day?

Could you try introducing a dream feed before you go to bed at night?

DS ended up waking an average of 7 times a night :sleeping: even if I was at home during the day, and only having about 4 (fussy) bf's a day, or if having a bottle, only having about 300mL. We ended up having to do controlled crying to break the habit, but now he sleeps right through :D.

[Little-Pink-Hen]

Thanks jaspat
yeah she is kinda on a loose routine now to suit both shifts at at home
she generally wakes feed(depending if she wakes hungry), play, feeds sleep
in the morning she generally is only up for 2 hours
she has 2-3 sleeps a day 1 big one after breakfast and another decent one or two mini ones but mostly it's just two
I'll be only offering 3 bottles during the day now ;-) and more water and more snacks of yoghurts or gels which she'd love
originally she was slow to gain weight and is only still 6.5 kilos but is putting weight on now at a good steady rate of 100+gms p/w average

Little bugs mum
She originally started feeding twice at night when I first went back and now has dropped them and sleeping through, so I might offer them again thanks for that idea ;) she never like dream feed when she was a newbie but might get the idea now that she is older

[Little-Pink-Hen]

I've just had 2 1/2 weeks holiday and have finally weaned off motilium. I started taking 3 a day then went up to 6a day and slowly cut down. I started them when DS was 3 months and he's 10 1/2 months now.
I started when she was 11 weeks on 6 a day (2 3 times a day)
gp has said this is the last script :( so hopefully I can cut down but I do realise the effect even when I forget a day

[Jaspat24]

I started when she was 11 weeks on 6 a day (2 3 times a day)
gp has said this is the last script :( so hopefully I can cut down but I do realise the effect even when I forget a day

THats pathetic! I'd beg for more, or see another BF friendly GP who'll get you more. I got motilium from one GP ( my lady GP) then when i saw my man GP with DS i just asked him for another script and they both always gave it to me. Also when i couldn't get in to see my usual lady GP and saw another lady GP she asked if i wanted another script too and gave me one. I've never had a problem getting scripts for it.
When you cut down you have to do it so so so slowly, like one tablet every 4-6 weeks, if you notice a drop in your supply, then go back up to what you were taking and try again in 2 weeks. Check out jack newmans articles on BF and motilum, just google his name.
As for bub and bottles and daycare, i'd drop he down to 1-2 bottles a day no matter what, increase her food and water and even go so far as to when you have your breaks, go in and BF her even if she is asleep. That will help your supply and lessen her requests for bottles.

[Little-Pink-Hen]

I do love my gp I've had her for years now I'll be telling her next time that every time I drop down so does my supply
yeah was thinking about doing dream feeds on my lunch breaks instead of expressing she only used 1 on Monday. I got to work just after 9 bf her than put her to bed so I could start at 10 she slept until 11.30 had lunch the girls tried to let her have water until my break but she wanted milk so had ebm and fell asleep (12pm) until 4 than I fed her on my after noon tea break she than had a yoghurt and waited till I finished at 6 was a bit grumpy from 5.30 but no way was a giving her a bottle when we were leaving in less than 20 mins ;)

[Jaspat24]

I do love my gp I've had her for years now I'll be telling her next time that every time I drop down so does my supply
yeah was thinking about doing dream feeds on my lunch breaks instead of expressing she only used 1 on Monday. I got to work just after 9 bf her than put her to bed so I could start at 10 she slept until 11.30 had lunch the girls tried to let her have water until my break but she wanted milk so had ebm and fell asleep (12pm) until 4 than I fed her on my after noon tea break she than had a yoghurt and waited till I finished at 6 was a bit grumpy from 5.30 but no way was a giving her a bottle when we were leaving in less than 20 mins ;)

Pity about your GP, i actually printed out a heap of info on motilium from Jack Newmans website to give to the doc if they refused me, so maybe do that and take it with you.
Thats great about the day at work! also are you taking fenugreek and/or blessed thistle? Personally fenugreek did nothing for me except clear my nose and give me diarrhoea, but blessed thistle seemed to help instead. a friend said its related to your blood type as to what works best.
you are so lucky to have your dd in the same location as you work. My DS goes to daycare near home and my work is about an hour's drive away in traffic :( i'd put him in care closer to work except i don't want to drive that distance with him in the car and all my back up people live near us and are close to daycare

[Little-Pink-Hen]

Yep I'll do a print out :yes: :thumbsup:
having used blessed thistle or fenugreek yet not too sure what I'm looking for. I'm having oats every morning with linseeds and I'm having bf cookies like they are going out of fashion I'm waiting for brewers yeast to come back in stock at our local health food store

[justmum]

Once cooked, I add a heaped tsp of brewers yeast to my porridge (with a tbsp of maple syrup to mask the taste :laughing:) every morning for a good supply.

That way I can avoid the 2 kilos I inevitably put on when I make a batch ok cookies and scoff the whole lot in 2 days flat.

[Little-Pink-Hen]

Lol yeah I've put on 10 kilos eating them :o
but in waiting on the brewers yeast :(
I tried woolies and coles and two health food stores no brewers yeast :hair:

[JabberJaw]

I wouldn't stress to much about eating the cookies! They are good but if you are eating oats every morning, sprinkle them with flaxseed meal, have a smoothie and add the brewers yeast. Linseeds are good but they don't break down enough to get all the goodness from them, so the (flaxseed)meal is the way to go. Its pretty tasteless stuff (much like fish food) and you can basically add it to most everything you eat, BUT build up slowly or it can cause some bowel trouble! It is fibre, high fibre so you need to build it up slowly to get your gut use to it!

Brewers yeast, as i said can be added to smoothies, which is better for you than the cookies, the cookies are just a nice way to eat everything. I have made normal (packet/premix) muffins and chucked in some flax meal and brewers yeast with the same results.

And i should mention Raw peanuts (if i haven't already) they are great for making nice fatty milk (they are lactogenic :D) BUT they need to be raw, cashews are good too, though i find peanuts best. (if you have no allergies in yr family)

And stay positive, bub will know when you are tense as will your crazy hormones, making milk drop!


I had to mention peanuts to keep Bubmum happy hehehe

[Little-Pink-Hen]

I used to snack on peanuts and cashews but can't at work ;)
yep will start to add flaxseedmeal and bewers yeast when I get it I've added the flaxmeal to oats a few times but it forms a big yuk lump in the middle lol

[Jaspat24]

Once cooked, I add a heaped tsp of brewers yeast to my porridge (with a tbsp of maple syrup to mask the taste :laughing:) every morning for a good supply.

That way I can avoid the 2 kilos I inevitably put on when I make a batch ok cookies and scoff the whole lot in 2 days flat.

:laughing: i've done this too! I would add a tablespoon of flaxseed meal and a big teaspoon of brewers yeast and a squirt of maple syrup! It tasted ok and i didn't have to make the biccies!

Lisa, like Jabberjaw says, just try to relax and go with the flow! Leave as much (or as little) milk for your DD as you're comfortable with even on a day by day basis and just feed as much as you can when you're with her!