my second week of working full-time was easier. i feel more confident that i can be an exclusively breastfeeding and working mom. my pumping sessions at work allow me to take a break and think of nothing but boo and the release of prolactin and oxytocin during let-down supposedly help me relax. the mamas on the babygaga.com breastfeeding thread have been wonderful. i've found support, advice and some much needed laughs.
i read "The Milk Memos: How Real Moms Learned to Mix Business with Babies-and How You Can, Too" and highly recommend it to any working/breastfeeding mama. it covers literally everything and helped remind me that there are other moms in the world who work and breastfeed and many of them are having as an emotional go at it as i am.
i wonder if sleep deprivation is causing my short-term memory to fizzle out. on two separate days i forgot to bring bottle caps and then the actual bottles (!) to work. to compensate for the lack of caps, i rubber-banded tissue around the bottles and did my best to make sure the bottles remained stable during the ride home. i didnt even try to compensate for the lack of bottles and just drove home to feed boo. i read in the milk memos that 1 mom actually pumped into coffee cups when she forgot her bottles!
to avoid my mistake, here's a list of items that shouldn't be left at home:
-breastpump w/all the parts: pumps vary but generally all include the following:
.2 breastshields (breast flanges)
.2 pieces of tubing
.2 sets of valves
.ac adapter
.collection bottles (with caps!)
-tissues or burp cloths to wipe up spills and dry breasts after pumping (seriously)
-something to clean your pump parts with, a few options:
.small container of liquid dish soap
.antibacterial wipes
.microwave sterilizer bags
-cooler bag w/ice packs
-lunch bag (if you're storing your milk in a community fridge)
-car power adapter (if you're pumping in the car...)
-pictures of your baby! (these can help with your milk let-down)
i'm thinking of buying a 2nd set of all pump parts just in case i lose anything or say the adapter stops working.
boo's daddy brought up the question of how much milk boo should be eating during the day. he felt the older she gets the more milk she'll drink. i found a calculator on kellymom.com which also gives the following information:
"Current breastfeeding research does not indicate that breastmilk intake changes with baby's age or weight between one and six months. After six months, breastmilk intake will continue at this same level until -- sometime after six months, depending in baby's intake from other foods -- baby's milk intake begins to decrease gradually.
The research tells us that exclusively breastfed babies take in an average of 25 oz (750 mL) per day between the ages of 1 month and 6 months. Different babies take in different amounts of milk; a typical range of milk intakes is 19-30 oz per day (570-900 mL per day)."
the good news is that i'm still over-producing, meaning i'm expressing more milk than boo needs during the day. i was worried that my supply wouldn't be able to keep up.here's my current work day:
6am - wake baby and feed; pump bottle (approx 5 oz) for while im away during the morning
7:30- go to work
10 - pump at work (approx 6-8 oz)
12pm - go home for lunch and feed baby; drop off 10am milk
2:30 - pump at work (approx 4 - 5 oz)
4:30 - go home and feed baby; freeze 2:30pm milk or store in fridge for the next day
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