Women in TechNov 26, 2019
Synopsysgirly@syn

how long you breastfed

working women who breastfed their children, how long was your journey? This was our topic of discussion during lunch hours and I really got depressed hearing stories about not given enough time to pump or high stress level leading to wean off as the reasons for calling it off before 6 months. what are your experiences?

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Synopsys girly@syn OP Nov 26, 2019

oops sorry, first time making the poll. but you can check polling results by clicking view result. it is not letting me edit now, sorry about that.

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fckugys Nov 26, 2019

With my 1st, I nursed for 9 months, 2nd 15 months, 3rd almost 2 years. Does your company have a room where you can pump? That and having a professional grade double pump helps immensely. You should be able to take 3 20-minute breaks a day to pump. What is keeping your colleagues from having enough time?

Weedmaps AUFy44 Nov 26, 2019

Not me but my wife - our kid was weaned ~12 months. That’s just when he stopped being super interested in breast milk and sorta weaned on his own. From what we’ve gathered, this is pretty normal. We have many friends that were pregnant around the same time. My wife is the only working mom that continued to breast feed beyond a few months. Issues we heard from other women: Many women don’t realize how little milk a newborn needs. They think they aren’t producing enough milk and so they switch to formula. Many women have trouble with latching or find it painful (that’s a latching issue) Those that were still breastfeeding when they returned to work, quit because pumping is a pain in the ass. You have to pump multiple times a day. If you’re actively nursing, you have to pump at least 3 times during the work day. Usually, 20-30 minutes each time. If you don’t get a chance to pump, it can be incredibly painful. Not pumping regularly can lead to mastitis. It’s hard to overstate how difficult breastfeeding is. Again, most women we know stopped well before they returned to work. Take advantage of the breastfeeding classes/consultants your health care offers. There are also nonprofits and support groups that service new moms that can help. For pumping at work...ideally you can block off consistent times during the day for pumping. If you have to work, try to leave busy work for those times (email, simple coding, paperwork). My wife bought a bra that could hold the pump in place so her hands were free. Ideally your company has nursing/pumping rooms that are private and quiet (the law in CA). Get a good support group in and out of work if you can.

Leviton gfrw12 Nov 26, 2019

This has been my experience as well. Great advice. A good resource is a book called "womanly art of breastfeeding". It provides a lot of clarity around common misconceptions, such as lack of supply, supplementing with formula (don't), etc

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fckugys Nov 27, 2019

Kudos to you for being so knowledgeable and supportive of your wife’s breastfeeding journey. Spouses like you make a big difference. :)

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luvzindagi Nov 26, 2019

Nursed elder one 4yr+, younger one going strong at 20months

Tableau @Tableau Nov 26, 2019

I went till 15 months and then I felt like it was enough since after a year they can have whole milk. We also had a very rough start with tongue ties. When I went back it was tough, trying to get back into the groove of working and then figuring out the pumping thing as well. It doesn't take just 20 minutes, setup and tear down itself takes at least 5 minutes. If you're lucky enough it might all go faster. I had the pumping bra too, it was helpful but still you're not part of the conversations going on outside the room. People try to schedule meetings right around that time, even though you pump at the same time everyday. The business is not goin to wait for you, they just go ahead without you. Career gets hit. Three times was hell, so I cut down to two pretty fast, feed him before I leave and then after I come back. After 6 months I thought it will be easier but my son was a picky eater, so I had to keep pumping the same amount. Finally around 9 months he was eating solids better and I was able to store milk and around 12 months, dropped to one and then none. The freedom felt so good. The next time I will try to extend the leave to 6 months if possible, so I can pump just two times and start storing milk from the beginning.

Cisco Persistant Dec 1, 2019

Breastfeed in the morning, evening and night. Formula during the day. I think US culture forces parents to either end of spectrum like 100% breast feed, no meds birth, 100% formula, only home made purees and so on. Middle ground does not be happy option.