10mo just returned to work... not pumping as much?

[615marsh]

Okay, so I'm teaching T/R mornings for 4hrs. BUT... Colin eats the MOST in the am hours. Last week, he drank 7.5oz and 6.5oz those mornings, and he does feed right before I drop him off and right after I pick him up AND he's eating at least 1 jar of food and cheerios/puffs while there. My child eats CONSTANTLY all day, including nursing (still nurse 6-8 times during the day and 1-3 times at night). He's actually slimmed down since his 6mo appointment.

I hadn't pumped for a good 2mo before going back to work.... But the last time I was pumping, I could easily get 4oz in one sitting... now I'm LUCKY to get 1.5oz total... I am pumping before I feed him and tandem. Today, I've pumped 4X and about to pump for the 5th time and right now have a total of 3.75oz... not even a full bottle yet (typically takes 4-5oz at a time). I do still have frozen milk from when I worked in the spring, but I'm going through the stash quickly.

I started drinking Mother's Milk Tea before going back to work. I've continued to pump 3X a day even on the days I don't teach. Saturday, I started Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle (both 2 tablets 3X a day) on Saturday and still see no change in my supply. I'm drinking 4-5 liters of water a day in addition to the tea. When will I see a change in my supply?

Should I keep pumping long after I drain the breast? Is it bad that I get everything I can with the pump in 5-7min? I even pumped 20min longer the other day and hardly got another drop the whole time. What can I do?

[LittlePinkDog]

Here's a some webpages that I found helpful when I wasn't pumping enough...
http://kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html
http://www.workandpump.com/6month.htm

This technique totally rocks!
http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastf...roduction.html

I found that when the milk stops with the pump, that's a good time to try massage and hand expression.

Say you're separated five hours (guessing the travel time), perhaps you could nurse at drop off, he could have solids, then he could have expressed breastmilk, then another solids snack. Maybe he could have a little water in a sippy with his solids? He'd probably be ready to nurse again at pick up. You could ask your caregiver to work with you on his feedings to see what would meet his needs best.