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Oooh: I like this heavy ottoman knit with heavy seaming and — hold the phone — a zippered pocket. Other pluses: the dress comes in navy, black, and teal in regular, petite, and plus sizes, and it also has instructions to hand wash cold and lay flat. Sign me up, particularly for $98! Halogen® Zip Pocket V-Neck A-Line Dress
If you’re not into V-necks or pockets, check out this similar dress with a crew neck and no pockets.
(L-4)
Sales of note for 12.5.23…
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Nordstrom – Holiday sale up to 50% off; 5x the points on beauty for a limited time
- Ann Taylor – 40% off your purchase & extra 15% off sweaters
- Banana Republic – Up to 40% off select styles; up to 40% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything & extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – Extra 60% off all sale
- J.Crew – 40% off your purchase with code
- Lands’ End – Up to 70% off everything; free shipping (readers love the cashmere)
- Loft – 50% off your purchase with code (ends 12/5)
- Summersalt – Up to 60% off select styles & free scarf with orders $125+ (this reader-favorite sweater blazer is down to $75)
- Talbots – 40% off your regular-price purchase; extra 50% off all markdowns
- Zappos – 34,000+ women’s sale items! Check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.
Kid/Family Sales
- Crate&kids – Free shipping sitewide; up to 50% off toy + gift event; free monogramming for a limited time only (order by 12/15)
- J.Crew Crewcuts – 40% off your purchase with code
- Pottery Barn Kids – Up to 50% off toys, furniture & gifts
- Graco – Holiday savings up to 35% off; sign up for texts for 20% off full-price item
- Walmart – Up to 25% off top baby gifts; big savings on Delta, Graco, VTech, Fisher-Price & more
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
AIMS says
Any tips on getting baby to sleep unswaddled? Baby AIMS is starting to get to the point where we should probably stop swaddling but not sure how to best go about it since the only way she’ll fall asleep sans swaddle is if you hold her for a very long time, which isn’t an optimal solution.
Anon in NYC says
Have you considered a sleepsack/swaddle combo (I’m thinking of the Halo one)? This way her arms are free but she still has that snug feeling across her body. I’ve also heard the Merlin sleep suit is really good for the transition from a swaddle.
Clementine says
Yeah, baby Clem likes the Halo slipcase with either one or two arms unswaddled but using the swaddle ‘wings’ wrapped tightly around.
Confession: at least 80% of the reason I let baby have both arms unsaddled was that he looked a little too much like he was at a rally for a political dictator (babe sleeps with arms straight up and/or out.
sfg says
We did the sleepsack/swaddle combo at about 4.5-5 months – went to one arm out, then she started wriggling the second one out after a couple of days, then we went to the wings fastened around her with both arms out. It didn’t take long to have her fully in a sleepsack. I am sure I would have tried Merlin but I was wary of introducing something else that we’d then have to transition later.
Clementine – I loved seeing her unswaddled because she looked a quarterback going back to throw. ;)
Pigpen's Mama says
+1 to the Merlin Sleepsuit. That was a godsend from ~3 months to ~ 7 months when she started rolling over. We went to the Halo Sleepsack with her arms free after that, but only for a few months. Now she’s just in her PJs.
anon says
Another +1 for the sleepsuit. We started at 4 months, used until 6 months when baby both outgrew it and then rolled in it. For us it was a total godsend. Our daycare provider could never get her head around it, and neither could my inlaws, but whatever — it worked for us! We also tried to have just one arm unswaddled, but it didn’t really work for our baby. His issue wasn’t so much whacking himself in the face as being SO DISTRACTED by his hands that he could’t sleep. We moved straight to PJs afterward and have just used warm PJs without a sleepsack from then on.
Maddie Ross says
+2 to the Merlin. Love, love, loved it. We used it from 4 months to about 9. When she started standing in it, we knew we had to move on. It was a god-send during that time.
MDMom says
+1. Used it for about months 4-6.
LC says
Could I give a million votes for the Merlin? My 5-month old has been in it for about 6 weeks, and it is a godsend.
MomAnon4This says
Keep swaddling as long as you’d like.
Grobags and sleep bags are good mediums between swaddling and just sleeping tucked in. For my 10 month old he has a light blanket in the crib that stays tucked around the mattress but we tuck in close around him – but we waited until he could roll over better to do that.
Anonymous says
Halo Sleepsack swaddle – when she’s ready to stop swaddling, just do the arm swaddle part a bit looser each night over the course of a week and she’ll get used to being able to move her arms. Then try one arm fully out and the other arm loosely swaddled, then both arms out. We swaddled with the Halo Sleepsack swaddle until 7 months – when baby started to get his arms out on his own and want them out, we switched to using it as a regular sleepsack.
HSAL says
Baby HSAL is 5 months and we’ve tried a few things – the convertible Woombie (we used the regular and loved it for swaddling) lets you loosen one arm at a time. The Love to Dream swaddle has these little arm pockets that let your baby keep its hands near its face (perfect for our hand chewer), and yo u can zip off the arms to let them free. The Zip a Dee Zip is an interesting one. She’s totally enclosed but it doesn’t limit her movement much. They’re really cute and I do like them, but she was kicking so much that she was getting her legs up and kind of stuck, so when she’d kick out she’d pull up around her neck, if that makes sense. I think those would be better for a bigger baby – she’s on the smaller side and I don’t think a bigger baby would be able to get their legs up in there so much.
RR says
Sleep sack. Our babies always liked the fleece Halo ones that are sleeveless. It didn’t seem to matter that there wasn’t a swaddle component, but maybe you could wean down to those with one of the swaddle ones.
AIMS says
Thanks all! Will try arms out swaddle tonight and the sacks and other stuff if that doesn’t work. It’s hard to say if she is ready yet because she does like to bust out of her swaddles sometimes but then won’t actually sleep long/at all without being all bundled up. But she is almost rolling over at night so I feel like we should get on this.
Youngster says
One more to add to the chorus of Halo Sleepsacks. We swaddled until she started rolling on to her tummy, and then went cold turkey to a Carter’s sleepsack. (They are a lot tighter than a Halo Sleepsack.) When she outgrew those very quickly, we switched to Halo and haven’t looked back. My now 20 month old still loves sleeping in her sleepsack at home. (At daycare, toddlers sleep on cots, so no sleepsack there.) We put her arms through the sleeves while she’s standing, and she steps back into the sleepsack with her feet and says goodnight to her toes. Halo also has toddler ones with holes for the feet, but we haven’t tried those yet. I’ve heard kids can’t keep blankets on themselves at night for a long time, so the sleepsack is a nice in-between step.
Batgirl says
I’m about two months away from my due date. I’ve read some pregnancy and childbirth books, but nothing on early parenting. Are there any “must reads” or should I focus on sleeping late, eating at “grown up” restaurants, and going to the movies instead, hoping to just figure it out as we go along?
Philanthropy Girl says
The only thing I read that I found really helpful was Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, and one book that spoke specifically on my-religion-specific topics (probably not helpful unless you are an adherent to the same religion). The Weissbluth book is the only one I recommend consistently.
Anons says
+1 to Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. I started with an extremely difficult sleeper and now have a toddler that sleeps like a dream and is so well rested and happy. It took us awhile and was a long road, but so worth it, and this book was our best guide (although I also read others). Whenever I hear a parent complain about their 2+ year old who is otherwise healthy but still not sleeping well, I really wish that they could have read this book.
Anonymous says
I liked the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League (tons of really useful info) plus Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp and No Cry Sleep Solution by Pantley.
Carrie M says
+1 for these two suggestions. I skimmed them before the birth, and then read them more thoroughly when I was in the thick of it. I also bought Baby 411 – very easy to read in small snippets of time when you have a specific question/concern, and the advice was typically pretty consistent with what my pediatrician said.
AIMS says
I didn’t read too many books but I found Baby 411 helpful for the first few chapters about what to expect in the hospital and in the first two weeks. It’s comforting to have it on hand as a reference, too. Some of it was totally not my cup of tea (the bathing how-to is needlessly elaborate), but otherwise it’s pretty standard advice that helps you to know what to expect/do (to the extent you can).
Otherwise, I’d say enjoy all of the stuff you mention. If you have the time/energy/resources, maybe take a weekend trip. Traveling with baby is totally possible but involves bringing a lot more stuff so enjoy just picking up and going. Also, go see your friends. We’ve been able to go out to eat and even go to the movies since baby, but it’s much harder to find one on one time for my friends.
Anons says
+1 on Baby 411. I almost forgot how helpful this was the first 9 months.
mascot says
It’s really a hands on learning experience for the most part (I promise, you will be a pro at changing diapers and washing a baby in a matter of days). If you want a practical book on the early days, Heading Home with your Newborn is good. My husband also took a one night daddy bootcamp class, but I think the focus there was learning about how to best support mom physically and emotionally.
Some hospitals also have childcare classes or even videos you can watch while in the hospital.
I’d definitely recommend taking an Infant Child CPR/First Aid class.
MDMom says
I read a breastfeeding book and Heading Home With Your Newborn, which served as a nice reference. Happiest Baby on the Block and the Weissbluth book were also useful, though I didn’t read them in advance. We ordered the infant cpr dvd that comes with the little practice doll. If you have identified a pediatrician, check to see if they offer classes on breastfeeding, newborn care, and infant cpr. Mine does, though I didn’t take then. Most hospitals do as well.
JEB says
Happiest Baby on the Block was really helpful for the first 3 months. Although I think there are summary videos online that show his basic techniques. It just made so much sense, and his techniques worked like a charm the first few months! Other than that, I had What to Expect – The First Year on hand as a reference (to look up when to call the doc, milestones, etc.), but honestly I could have easily found the same info online. And we also have a little pocket-size emergency book on hand (easy to follow instructions and pictures for choking, CPR, first aid, etc.).
Anon in NYC says
I can’t think of any “must reads” that will be helpful for the early months. So, I would just relax. I took classes on baby care, breastfeeding, labor, etc. and, while I was glad that I had done so for my own peace of mind, a lot of it was common sense. Also, not sure what your hospital offers, but my hospital had short classes on most of the same topics post-birth. One thing I wished I had learned pre-baby: this “football” hold was wonderful for helping my daughter with gas (http://tinyurl.com/jh7rw25).
Butter says
Thanks for this! Was just at the pediatrician trying to get gas relief tips for the little guy.
Also second the baby 411 book. And it might be useful to have some general tome on hand. I’ve been so wrapped up in feeding issues that I forget to keep an eye on other things as the weeks go by.
Anon in NYC says
I hope it works for you! It really helped my LO – much more so than cycling her legs.
Lkl says
Ha. For us, tummy time was the best gas relief ever.
anon says
Wait to meet your baby! That’s my main advice. I turned out to have a good sleeper with no reflux who rarely cried. Woohoo! We were all prepared for the worst… and didn’t need it.
Now I’m pregnant again and assuming the opposite will happen. But I’m going to cross that bridge when we come to it!
anon says
Oh, I take that back. Rent the Happiest Baby on the Block dvd. For sure.
Anonymous says
I would read baby sleep books. They had some information I wish I had known off the bat. My two recommendations are: 90 Minute Baby Sleep Solution and The Good Sleeper: The Essential Guide to Sleep for Your Baby–and You.
Batgirl says
Thanks, all, this is very helpful! I’ve really been struggling with pre-baby anxiety (mostly over things on our to-do list not getting done, etc) since we also moved out of state just as my first trimester was ending, and I want to be prepared but not miss out on what are probably my last few months of semi-carefree living. I’ll definitely check out some of these books — and our hospital offers newborn classes, but they seemed like overkill. We’re just doing the childbirth class for now. Thanks again!
Batgirl says
I should add that we’re also signed up for an infant CPR class!
Meg Murry says
If you or your husband don’t have much experience with babies, the newborn classes might not be too much overkill. My husband admitted after my son was born that he’d only once held a baby that was under a year old – and that kid was probably closer to 9 months old, and he wished he’d been able to practice on a real baby (or at least a doll) before having our minutes old baby put in his hands.
Anons says
Not a book recommendation–but maybe browse care.com or sittercity and have a few names that you might be able to call for a mother’s helper. My baby was much more difficult than I ever could have imagined, and after her birth I didn’t have the time or energy to look for help, although I desperately needed it. You can also start browsing for toddler books, as that comes up before you know it and it may be nice to have a few already on the shelf.
Anonymous says
This is amazing advice. I too needed help while on leave but was too overwhelmed to try to find it. (In retrospect, not sure why I didn’t get on my spouse about this, but I probably didn’t have the energy for that, either.)
Anonymous says
Postpartum doulas are also great for this. They can also provide great nursing support, light housekeeping, strategies for calming baby, and some do overnight work. Look for someone who has the DONA International certification.
Rakma says
Heading Home with your Newborn was great for practical baby care advice, but you probably don’t need to read the whole thing. My husband found it more helpful than me, because he hadn’t had much baby care experience.
MomFriendQ says
Anything I can say to a friend who likes to get into it in Face book groups with other moms in the class, the neighborhood group, etc.? She’s new in town and our kids are friends, but they’re probably leaving again this summer and I’m not sure if she’s already cut her losses (it’s a cliquey moms group, I’m not great with them either but I’m polite and not adversarial, which is, ah, different from my friend online) or really feels like these small issues (teacher appreciation week, neighborhood guidelines) are the hills to die on. She’s funny and personable in person, definitely complain-y but doesn’t come across like high-conflict.. until she posts a rant. In a classroom group. For 1st graders. Should I ignore, tell her what’s up, ask her what’s going on, any advice.
MDMom says
Ignore. I cant see the benefit of initiating a conversation about this. What would be the goal of that conversation? She is likely to get into conflict with you over it. If she says something about it or wonders why the other moms aren’t including her in stuff, then you should say your piece. Otherwise, just let it be.
tiredpumper says
Question for former exclusive pumpers: looking for anecdata about what happens when you drop a pumping session when baby’s 6-12 months (so, once the supply is firmly established and has been steady for a while). Baby is 7 months, and I pump 3 times a day now. I’m reluctant to start “weaning,” if you even call it that with pumping, but it would help my life tremendously if I can drop down to 2 sessions and maintain ½ to 2/3 of the current supply levels for the next couple of months. I know that the consequences of doing this are to a large extent unpredictable and vary from woman to woman – but since I know no one who has tried it at all, it would be helpful to hear any experiences that anyone has had trying this. Thank you in advance for sharing!
MomAnon4This says
It is weaning. It will affect your pumping supply. If you’re also currently nursing (you say you’re looking for “exclusive pumpers” but only pump 3x day so I assume you’re also nursing), it may or may not affect your nursing supply.
In my experience (2 kids now) kid’s intake increased until 9-10 months, then severely decreased.
1st kid was exclusively breastmilk until 10.5 months.
2nd kid was exclusively breastmilk until about 6-7 months. I just couldn’t handle the stress of pumping. I felt a lot better, slept a lot better, etc.
If you want to try dropping a session, or going longer between sessions, to get from 3x/day to 2x/day, try going every other day at first for a week. Then see what happens.
Anonymous says
You should definitely be able to maintain most of your supply if you drop to two sessions – if you can, let baby nurse three times on the weekends as that will help keep supply up but shouldn’t be so much that it will get uncomfortable if you pump twice a day during the week. You may have to adjust the time of your sessions (like 10 and 2 instead of 9/12/3)
Anonymous says
adding that if you are exclusively pumping and can swing the third session weekends, that will help keep your supply up. You could also pump twice a day M/Tu and Th/F but three times on Wednesday and weekends.
shortperson says
I dropped day pumping completely at 12 months and 6 months later still have enough supply for naptime on the weekends. It is completely individual, hard to predict unless you can ask your mom or older sisters. (I was pretty confident it would be fine based on my olders sisters’ experiences.)
Legally Brunette says
At your baby’s age, I was EP’ing 4 times a day and getting about 35 ounces. It seems unlikely that you would be able to drop one pump and maintain supply, although I’m no expert. It would amount to weaning. If you decide to go that route and are worried about maintaining supply, I highly recommend Go Lacta vitamins. I tried fenugreek, oatmeal, etc and those vitamins were the only ones that helped. Best of luck.
sfg says
I found it very difficult to pump 3x a day even though I had a private office. By 6-7 months I was pumping 2x a day at work without any supply issues and was usually getting the same amount that I was getting in 3 sessions. I did pump before going to bed, though, because I was always so concerned about having enough milk for the following day. On the weekends I also pumped after the first morning feed for 3-4 months after going back to work (I went back at 3 months) because again, I was overly concerned. In retrospect, this was likely overkill. I also took the More Milk Plus supplement while I was pumping because it seemed to help maintain supply as well.
I stopped pumping during the day when I changed jobs when LO was 9 months, and am still able to feed on demand whenever I am with the baby now at 12 months. I was still pumping at home until about a month ago – now that I have dropped that as well, I am no longer prone to clogged ducts, either, which is a HUGE plus b/c I got them ALL the time.
tl;dr: try it – you can always go back to a third session or incorporate another session somehow outside your workday if you need to.
Carrie M says
It sounds like you have a great supply, if not an oversupply, so it may not affect you that much, but it will likely affect you some. What about cutting the middle session down in time (i.e., if you’re doing a 20 minute session, cutting it in half)? Then at least your reminding your body that demand is there, but it’s not taking up as much time? That at least could be a way to ease into cutting from 3 sessions to 2 to see how your body reacts.
I was an EPer from the time my baby was 4mo to 11mo. So I totally feel your desire to cut down on sessions. But I agree with others – our bodies are all so different, it’s hard to say for sure how you’ll react. When I went down to five sessions a day, I saw a little decrease, but I was scared to drop below that number because I had low supply.
If you’re not already supplementing with formula, is that something you’d consider? It would certainly take the stress off of you to meet your daily quota. We supplemented for a long time, and it was nice not to be so focused on the numbers. My LC’s mantra was that it’s the presence of breastmilk – not the absence of formula – that helps the baby, so I took that to heart. Good luck!
HSAL says
It must have been you who shared that quote within the last month or two. It’s really stuck with me, so thank you (and your LC) so much! We’re adding powdered formula to her breastmilk right now because she was gaining pretty slowly, and once she’s 6 months I plan to start adding a formula bottle for a day and decrease my work pumping.
Meg Murry says
Like you said, it’s almost impossible to say – but one thing to be aware is that it may not hit you all at once, so you might get 1/2-2/3 as much for a week or two and then have the amount drop off from there. When I went from 3x a day to 2x a day, it probably took 2-3 weeks from my supply to level off after that drop.
That said, I’m all for pumping less often during the workday if it means you can keep nursing/supplying b-milk in some form longer. So if you think its a choice between dropping to 2 pumps now or trying to keep with 3 and then giving up altogether in a month, go for the 2x a day.
tiredpumper says
Thank you, everyone, very helpful indeed! I am mostly exclusively pumping – I nurse baby 2-3 times a week when I can, but there’s been a few weeks where I don’t at all. When I dropped from 4 to 3 sessions, I was surprised that the supply pretty much stayed the same overall, but I figured going from 3 to 2 would be more drastic. But the advice to pump more times or nurse more during weekends is good, and likely feasible – thanks !
And I’m not worried about discomfort – don’t know if it’s just me, but I’ve found that big boobs means that it takes a whole lotta milk to cause discomfort, so it is really just the supply concern.
tiredpumper says
that’s in response to all the posts re: my pumping question above..
JEB says
I EP’d. My supply didn’t drop much at all when I went from 4-3, but it dropped significantly when I went from 3-2. It was the beginning of the end for us, and I had to exhaust my freezer supply and start supplementing with formula. I kept it up until just past a year and was able to still get a few bottles-worth each day, but there was definitely a huge drop. I’ve heard the same from others about dropping to 2 pumping sessions. Obviously we’re all different, but I’d say it’s a strong possibility.
That being said, after the initial guilt I placed unnecessarily on myself, I had no problem supplementing with a little formula and was glad to only pump twice per day.
mostly pumping says
Another pumping question!
I have 4 month old twins and have been able to feed them entirely breast milk. My supply is really good, but now that they are close to sleeping through the night (or “sleeping through the night”), I would like to do away with a night pumping session so that I can sleep 7 hours straight.
At this point I go to sleep by 10 (so last pumping session from 9-9:30) and wake up at 3 or 3:30 ready to burst. The problem is that it takes 45 minutes to get back to comfortably empty, and then it takes me a long time to get back to sleep. And then it’s time to be up for good!
I know I should decrease gradually and have been trying, but it doesn’t feel that successful.
Any advice?
Thanks!
Carrie M says
What kind of pump are you using? If it takes that long to feel good and empty, I wonder if you would benefit from a pump with better suction?
This doesn’t solve the problem immediately, but what about waking around 12:30, hand expressing or pumping in bed for comfort, and then hopefully sleeping from 12:45 to whenever you wake up? That way you don’t have to schlep to wherever your pump is set up and sit there for 30+ minutes. Over time, your body will supply less, but the hand pumping might give you some comfort until your supply dips enough that you’re comfortable sleeping through the night?
Maddie Ross says
I had over-supply issues, so I can relate to the ready-to-burst feeling. I remember once laying in bed nearly crying about whether to wake my still sleeping daughter up one morning because I just couldn’t stand it any longer. In any event, with over-supply issues, I’d be hesitant to do things cold turkey (like just try and tough it out one night) – that’s when mastitis happens (at least for me). I’d probably see about gradually bumping that mid-night pump back 30 minutes or so over a few nights until you are going all night. Your body will adjust, it just takes some time.
Another Twin Mommy says
First of all – congrats! Amazing that you’re able to make enough milk for them both for the last 4 months. Pat yourself on the back for sure – being a twin mom is not easy.
I second Carrie M’s suggestion to look into a different pump as it should not take that long to feel empty. I used and loved the Medela hospital grade pump. It’s no good for travel but mine lived next to the bed for overnight pumping. Milk was fed to babies first thing in the morning (room temp for less than 6 hours). You can also put a cooler next to your bed so you don’t even have to leave your bed. Attach clean flanges to pump before going to bed. When you wake up, sit up, pump, milk in cooler, lie down. Keep lights low or get a lamp with a red lightbulb – keep your eyes closed while pumping and it will make it much easier to go back to sleep. That said, I get that you’re trying to get a longer stretch of sleep. Try pumping at 10pm, sleeping until 4:30 – pump and then hopefully sleep a couple more hours? cut down the duration of your overnight pump as a route to dropping the session. Pumping shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to feel comfortable enough to go back to sleep so definitely look into the pump situation.
OP says
Thanks for the responses so far! I am actually using a Medela hospital grade pump at home and using my hands as I do, so I really don’t know why it takes so long. I have found that a warm compress can help speed it up, but I don’t want to do that at night and stimulate supply.
I think I’ll just keep trying to decrease time or amount pumped slowly…. I have also had mastitis and am in no rush to get it again! I’ll try to keep the lights out and eyes closed — that’s probably much more conducive to sleep than my screens.
Would welcome any other thoughts!
Anonymous says
Replace your membranes if you haven’t already – they tear so easily but it can be hard to see.
Anon says
I was in a very similar situation to you. EPing for my 2 month old who started sleeping 1am till 7am but I’d go to sleep at 10 (dad bottle feeds at 1). I was also waking at 3am ready to burst and each time I pumped it took me 45 min with breast massage. I pumped 6 times a day and spent 4.5 hrs/day pumping. So frustrating. Fast forward. I spoke to my very intelligent OB who suspected I had ongoing mild inflammation of breast tissues which was aggravated by the increasingly more violent massage (harder to get milk out = massage more! right?). She recommended taking ibuprofen in the standard dose 30 min before pumping 3x/day and use a higher dose of 600mg (3 Advil pills) for the 9:30pm pump. I also started taking Lecithin supplement which is supposed unclump milk and make it easier to get out. All this totally worked. I’m still pumping same amt/day (1130 ml/day) but each session is now only 25-30 min and I was able to drop one of my night sessions without feeling uncomfortable. I don’t have to massage as violently. My total daily pumping time dropped to 2-2.5 hrs. That’s 2 more hours I can sleep or spend with my baby.
OP says
Fascinating! Thanks! I’m going to call my OB to ask.
Appreciate everyone’s feedback. It sounds like I’m putting in more/harder massage and more time than ‘normal’ or necessary. Here’s hoping something can be done about it!
Anonymama says
I am surprised it takes you that long to empty out… With breastfeeding two different times i don’t think I ever pumped for more than 20 minutes at a time, and usually it was about 10-12 minutes. And for comfort I would only pump about 5 minutes and be fine. So I think you should definitely start cutting back on how long you pump in the night. It will be uncomfortable for a few days (weeks?) but as long as you nurse/pump to empty in the morning you shouldn’t get mastitis or plugged ducts.