(In reply to your message dated Wednesday 2, August 1995)

-Dear Paula Tripp,

I am not a LC or even a bf Counsellor (yet) I am a Trainee with Nursing Mothers
Association of Aust.("Remote Area" trainee who is very remote if you see I'm
currently in the UK).  I had watched the responses to your question waiting for
someone to come up with some hard documentation on the problem and you got a
lot of personal stories, so now I feel qualified to put in my personal story.

I returned to work 20 hrs week when No.1 son was 7 months old (and fully bf) I
returned to fulltime (38hrweek)when he was 12 months old.  I continued to
lactate until he was 17months.  Solids were not introduce until approx 8 months
and then very slowly, he wasn't very interested.  I had excellent support at
home, at work, and in the child care centre (near to home and approx 1 hour
from work).  I had access to a secure room which was keyed entry only (I took
the key with me) and an electric pump.

My immediate supervisor (husband of an NMAA Counsellor and Group Leader) allowed
me untimed breaks whenever I wished to express, which was fairly erratic in the
early days of working. (Talking about baby would induce a fairly forceful
letdown)I'm telling you all this to make it clear that I was very fortunate (or
perhaps I just got that which is every womens right!) in having lots of support,
encouragement and a relaxed, comfortable expressing regimen.

I found that towards the end of the week I was getting less milk and that as
time went on I was having to make a concerted effort to relax more, bring in
baby photo's, visualise the breast filling up with milk etc, to get a decent
amount of milk.  If the weekend was harried (or more so than usual) & James and
I had little time for "catch-up" feeds then the following week there would be a
depleted amount of milk expressed.

None of you are my grandmother and I can't suck eggs anyway, but I will have to
reiterate the obvious since no-one else has. A child extracts milk much more
efficiently than any pump. Since the amount of milk obtained by expressing is
then less than the infant would normally drink if given free untimed access to
the breast, the supply will be reduced over time.  Most working mums I know will
tell you that the baby just feeds all weekend - great! it builds the supply back
up for the following week.

Expressing milk is boring, anti-social (since you take your breaks alone),
considerably less comfortable than feeding, and lacks the emotional benefits
(you can't stroke the pumps hair, or wonder at its integral beauty, or tickle
its toes) so its very easy to stop expressing because the supply has gone down
to a trickle, when a baby would continue for much longer.There are also times
when life gets in the way and the usual stresses of working outside the home
sometimes make it hard just to achieve a letdown.

You said that the mother found extra feeds and extra "pumping"(don't like that
term, sorry) didn't help.  Why hasn't extra feeds increased her supply?  I dont
necessarily think it's an expressing issue.  Having said that, yes, of course
long term expressing will decrease the supply; especially if the opportunity for
catch-up feeds is limited.

I did try to prune this, but feel its all pretty much relevant

Carmel
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| carmel Barber    EMail [log in to unmask]
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