Is it necessary to continue pumping at work after my baby turns one? No!
Will I lose my supply? No!
Will I be able to continue breastfeeding on my days off? Yes, of course!
I needed the answers to those questions and more before I stopped pumping at work but I couldn’t find any answers. Now that I have experienced it all, I wanted to share my experience and advice!
Note: This is my experience with not pumping at work anymore. Some moms may need the extra milk for their little one when they are away. Do what feels right for you and consult a lactation consultant if needed.
Once Elliott turned one and after talking to his pediatrician, I decided I wanted to stop pumping while I was away. For a 12-hour shift, I was pumping about 3 times while at work (when he was younger, I tried to pump 4 times while at work). Some days I would pump on my way to work and/or on the way home, depending on my commute because I would be away for longer than 12 hours. I would try to plan my pumping times around when he nursed last before I got up for work.
How Do I Wean Off the Pump During Work Hours?
I started by dropping my last pump of the shift and spread out my other two. Then I eventually dropped the first one and just pumped in the middle of my shift.
Example shift: I clock in at 7:00 AM, Elliott last nursed around 5:30 AM so my first pump would be around 10:00 AM, my second would be around 1:00-2:00 PM and my last would be around 5:00-6:00PM. So I would drop my last and make my first around 11:00 AM and my second (now last) would be around 4:00 PM. Then after dropping my first, I’d only pump around the middle so 1:00-2:00 PM.
Elliott was 14 months old, and my first shift without pumping was a total accident! We were slammed in the ER and I didn’t realize I had not pumped until almost 8pm (I worked 11AM to 11PM at the time). I felt fine and did not feel engorged or even really full so I just skipped the next 3 hours and just nursed as normal when I got home!
I haven’t pumped at work since and we’ve been nursing strong! Elliott is a couple of months over two years old as of this post.
How Much Milk is Enough?
My son’s pediatrician told me as long as he still nurses 3-4 times in a 24 hour period or nurses 2 times with 2 servings of dairy (cheese, yogurt, whole cow’s milk), soy milk, or expressed breast milk from before then nutritionally, he is great. This article on dairy servings for toddlers breaks it down well!
Will I Still be Able to Nurse on My Off Days? What About at Night?
Yes! Your body will regulate when to produce milk. I would still nurse my little one on demand on my off days and each night after work with practically zero issues! Some days, when he was a little impatient due to a lower supply of milk, he would get a little fussy/cranky while nursing but it didn’t last long and he adjusted as well.
I’m currently working night shift, working a 7 on then 7 off schedule, and Elliott doesn’t get to nurse for 7 nights in a row but on my off nights, he’s still able to! Usually, on my 7 on stretch, he’ll only nurse 2 times in each 24 hour period and my supply is still adequate to continue. He’ll usually “binge nurse” my first day or two off after the 7 on; I’m guessing he knows that’ll bring the supply back up!
Will I Lose My Supply?
Your supply will decrease from what it once was but that’s part of the breastfeeding journey. You don’t have to wean just because your supply decreases, you and your child will adjust as needed. I nursed Elexious until she was three and Elliott is a little over two years old and we’re still going strong. During the last few months of my nursing journey with Elexious, she only nursed at night and it wasn’t even every night. After she weaned, I still produced milk for a few more months! The human body is amazing.
Breastfeeding Resources
One of my favorite resources for breastfeeding is KellyMom. There are so many answers to so many questions on her site. She also references in each post where she got her information so you can find even more resources to read!
La Leche League International is another great resource.
There’s also the La Leche League USA website as well.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact me!
