Is anyone else expressing at work?

[andreag]

I've gone back to work 3 days a week, and my husband has gone down to two days a week so we are sharing care of charlotte. she is only 4.5months though so still being exclusively breastfed. I built up a great supply in the freezer (60 6oz feeds for a total of 18 days!) but i'm expressing at work as well. This seems to be something of a novelty and I was just wondering if anyone else is doing it, and how they have found other peoples reactions?
Also, how often to do it?
I feed C before I leave, and express off enough for her next feed. she is fed on demand but has developed a fairly steady pattern, with a dream feed (EBM) when we go to bed which takes her through until the morning. Whereas I am missing the 10am, 1pm and 4pm feeds, I am expressing at 11am and 3pm. Will this be enough to keep my supply up do you think?

 

[Nicky_Jones]

I used to express at work when I first went back (Ellie was 5months when I went back). I expressed at 10:30am and 1pm, and I fed Ellie after I had picked her up at 16:30. I also fed her at 7:30am, before dropping her at nursery at 8am. I found I had trouble expressing enough for her at times, especially after being ill, and had to raid my freezer supply to make up the short fall. When this happened I took fenugreek to helop push my supply bavk up.

 

[mamichuli]

Same here, I'm on Fenugreek at the mo, and seem to be doing a bit better. I also express as soon as I get to work at 8am and then at lunchtime. I feed Ani as soon as I get home in the evening at 5. My only problem is that i have now run out of "extra stock" in the freezer, so dont know how long it will be before she is on formula completely. Like you, I built up a supply in the freezer of 4/6 oz feeds, but she is now up to 7oz and so i have been having to use more than one dose per feed.
She is also partially weaned, started with some fruit purees and cereal at sixteen weeks or so, and that helps a little. She is still mostly breastfed, except her bottle with cereal in the morning, which is with formula.

Lisa

 

[Nicky_Jones]

Which breastpump are you using? I started of with the Tommee Tippee one and found that a lot of pumping. After advice on here I switched to the Avent Isis one and that was easier. Don't think I got more off, as such, but I didn't need to pump as often for the same amount.

I used to find that I could get a lot off at 10:30 in the morning but not much off at 13:30. I used to have to top up the lunch time bottle from the morning bottle but it was usually enough (until I became ill, and my supply dropped drastically). I did used to notice that by Thursday (to start with I was only doing 4 days), my supply was worse than on the Monday. I used to always pump both breasts, and sometimes had to alternate breasts 1, then the other, then the first and so on to get enough out.

 

[andreag]

thanks. On to day 3 now and missed 11am as I was in a meeting so doing it now at 12.30. otherwise seems fine other than the that people seem quite embarrassed by it. Is the Feugy stuff on presciption or can you buy it?

 

[beanie]

I expressed at work but it wasso hard as it was a new team, new building with very few private rooms and I struggled. Managed it for a few months though, by which time Seren had dropped most of her day feeds

 

[Nicky_Jones]

Fenugreek is basically a spice used in Indian Cooking IIRC. I bought capsules of it from Holland and Barret.