Bacon & Milk

I've now been back to work for a little over a full week and slowly but surely I'm adjusting. It's not easy what-so-ever but it's not unbearable like I thought it might be. I miss being home with my baby, I feel like I'm going to miss a lot of firsts since I'll be at work but so far all of her firsts have been with me and J. She laughed for the first time this weekend and praise the Lord we were able to get it on video, I've watched it about 20 times since it happened #dontjudgeme.

I've had to develop a pumping and feeding schedule now that I'm back to work. My goal has been to be able to breastfeed her more times than she's getting a bottle each day and so far that has happened. Let me tell you, I feel like the bag lady when I go to and from work as I have my purse, my computer bag, my lunch bag, plastic baggy full of pump parts (I actually popped this into my computer bag or purse depending on the day) and my handy dandy milk cooler.

Pump & Feeding Schedule

• I get up at 5am and pump which ever side Cree isn't going to feed on that morning, I've been getting about 4.5 oz. I was freezing this but now I'm keeping it for one of her bottles during the day that I send with her to her Grandma's each day, this prevents me from having to thaw much from my stock pile.
• Feed Cree either after I pump if she's waking up or get ready and feed her at 6am.
• I pump at 8am, 11am and 2pm both sides and get about 5 oz each pump session. 
• Feed Cree as soon as I get home from work which is around 5pm, then again around 7pm and then once more at 9pm. The 9pm feeding is shorter than all of her other feedings as she's just topping herself off before she goes to sleep. This I think has been a huge help in her sleeping through the night but I have a hunch she'll soon be cutting out this feeding.
• If I go to bed right after she goes down at 9:30, I don't need to pump before bed. If I go to bed later, I will pump before I go to bed and freeze whatever I get out, usually about 2-3 oz.

 As you can tell, my child doesn't miss any meals, have you seen her cheeks? 

 She makes the best faces, hands down. 

Keeping Up My Supply

I started  back to work on a Thursday and by Friday afternoon my supply had dipped down which was absolutely terrifying since I need to get at least 15oz. out at work each day during my sessions and I only got 10 oz. that day. After much research, I decided that on Monday I would start literally chugging as much water as I could and that I would start taking Fenugreek as this was recommended literally everywhere I looked on Pinterest. I drank over 100 oz. of water on Monday and got 15 oz. out like I needed to on Monday. We went grocery shopping on Monday night and I bought the Fenugreek (it was $6 at WalMart) and took two capsules and on Tuesday I got almost 17 oz. during my sessions. I kept up the water drinking and Fenugreek the rest of the week and I was at or slightly above 15 oz. for all three sessions combined--- coincidence? I really don't think so. Other things I'm doing to help increase/maintain my current supply: 

• I eat oatmeal and yogurt every morning for breakfast. 
• Drink tons of beverages, whether it's water or something else I down it with a quickness to stay hydrated. When I'm at work my goal is 100 oz. or more, this makes me have to pee like I'm pregnant still but I don't care. I got a 50 oz. container to keep water in at my desk from the $1 store, so I need to drink at least two of these a day if not more.
• I eat snacks in between meals, specifically granola bars or wheat thins with Laughing Cow Cheese. 
• Prenatal vitamins are a must to make sure she and I are getting enough DHA, etc. (Bonus: We also add Tri-Vi-Sol or Poly-Vi-Sol to one bottle a day per our pediatricians recommendation.)
• I eat a lot of protein and veggies for lunch and dinners- I've started making Chef salads for lunch each day. (More on meal planning in upcoming posts).

Bringing home the bacon and the milk takes a lot of work and dedication, but it's worth it.