I'll join! My son is three months old now, and I'm exclusively breastfeeding. Going back to work in September and I'll pump when I do.... Just went back to gym today, so far I've only walked (and eaten when I worried about the size of my rear end!).

July 9 - 144
July 16 - 140.5
July 23 - 140.5
July 30 - 139

YAY!!! FINALLY weigh in the 130's. I have been hovering around 142 to 144 for the past half year! So this JC diet is working for me. I just kept cheating with the calorie counting after a while. I'm still cheating now, but the JC diet is 1200 calories, so with all of the extra 'cheats' I am losing a little, but still able to BF Luke exclusively @ 8 months. Hooray =0)

Okay, so honest admission: I am SO burned out on breastfeeding. With the new dieting, Luke is up every 3-4 hours during the night to nurse. He is satisfied and is getting enough total, but only with night nursing *sigh*
Then after getting all of that interrupted sleep, my 3yo is up early and ready to roll!

Banananut: I also had every issue known to man with my first son. Never was able to nurse exclusively even with 120% effort. Went 11 months, but with supplementation. He was an extremely sleepy baby. If there was no such thing as formula, he would have been in big trouble.

JenDiet: We are an active family. Both of us are healthcare professionals with pretty busy lives. I guess we do 'interesting things' but the truth is, I spend most of my time unloading the dishwasher, preparing meals, and breastfeeding....not so interesting! =0) Oh, and Luke has also been so fussy lately, but I think he is teething and maybe a little hungry as well. Cries every time I put him down which drives me bonkers! So much for housework! My lower back hurts with the Bjorn and the Ergo =0(

Kifli: Great job hitting the 130s! Congrats!!!!

My baby is now 8 months, and we've started feeding her solids. Not much, just a few spoonfuls of baby food at dinner. Sometimes she wants it, sometimes she doesn't.

I hear what you're saying about night nursing. My kid has always done it (both did it), but I think more for comfort than for actual sustenance. This one won't even take a binky, so she's always looking to me to pacify her sucking urge. TMI, but sometimes my nipples are SORE.

can anyone answer my question. I can only pump 3oz out of his favorite breast and 2 oz out of the other. this is in one hour. is this bad?

Hi Jen,
I may not have the answer to your question, but for me personally, I only pump 4 oz total after the last feed. So if Luke nurses at 7pm and goes to sleep, I then pump at 10pm, which is 3 hours later and I get about 4 oz. I think that Luke never drinks more than 4-5oz at a time, but I'm not entirely sure without weighing him =)
My friend who breastfed her little girl for 21 months would get 8oz! She was an overproducer though. So I think 5 oz is great! The amount you pump varies depending on time of day and how long after you nursed. My lactation consultant told me to pump right after I nursed the baby. So that is what I did for the first 3months.
Everyone does it different. Supposedly your body will start producing more if you pump at the same time regularly because you are telling your body to produce more (supply and demand) but it takes a little while before you see results. I don't pump too much lately, due to sleep deprivation. The first 3 months after Luke was born, I could pump 6-8oz in 20-25 minutes. Now I only pump 4 oz in 15-20 minutes.

Are you actually pumping for a whole hour? If you are, do you have a good double electric pump and do you think you are getting full let down? Because one hour is a long time, if that is what you are doing. If it is taking one hour to let down, then maybe you need to do massage and warm shower or warm moist compress beforehand. keep up the same time and see if you start producing more in 3-7days. Nonetheless 5 oz is still great in my book. Although 1 hour of pumping sounds like torture =0( What we do for our kids!

With my first baby, I could never get extra milk. I have a small freezer full with my second one. I think it was just because of all the extra pumping after every nursing session during that first 3 months with the second one. That and he was just a better nurser and not so sleepy. I give myself a 20 minute max time for pumping now.

yeah, it was one hour, but i just wouldn't let down. I can't figure that one out..i think i need a warm shower and a massage before I try. Plus, i try so hard to find the time to do it, its like as soon as he is done nursing and sleeping I go for it, but then i'm afraid he'll wake up while I'm in the middle of it, and I won't get to do it. :(--he's done that several times to me before. then, I'm not sure if I should pump it, cuz I don't know if he is still hungry or not.

banananut, are you kidding on your blog? no noticable changes. YEAH YOU CAN SEE TONS OF CHANGES. your calves are killer, and your thighs are shaping up nicely. I can even notice change in your belly. looking really good!

BananaNut - agreed...I can also see some change in your photos! It's there. Also, I love reading your blog. You are too funny! With the exception of any kind of exercise (still have never done it longer than a couple of weeks), I can relate with you! I have a toddler who doesn't nap, and an infant. I am a night owl, love crappy foods (no offense), etc. Thanksgiving would be a good goal date for me as well. But also currently breastfeeding, so weight loss is slow...we'll see how it goes.

CatP -:welcome2:

Thanks, ladies!

When it came to pumping for me, I was pretty unsuccessful. The only thing that worked for me to get any more than 2-3 oz at a time was to put one breast on "hold" for 8-10 hours, and then pump only for that breast.

Typically, for the last nursing session at night, I'd give the baby my right breast only. Then, for any middle of the night nursing sessions, I'd stick to the right breast, too. By the time we woke up in the morning, my left breast would be so full that I could easily get 6-8 ounces.

But I still only nurse from one side at a time. I never switched midway during a nursing session. It worked for me, but might not work if you have serious supply issues.

banana, i might try that. I finally got him to take a bottle. The nipple I used was Dr. Brown's. I was using BreastFlow. I might try that one again tomorrow. I HAD to give him a bottle today, because my supply went way down due to me not being able to eat too much because of a stomach virus.

does it automatically go back up? or is there something special I need to do. I have already started to eat oatmeal, and drink my nursing time tea.

Jendiet- mine would go back up. I would just make sure to drink lots of water and nurse frequently.

ok, still worried about supply, but he seems satisfied. I got him to FINALLY take a bottle. Am eating oatmeal and Nursing time tea. I don't want to give up exclusively bfing.

If your supply has gone down a bit then it's best to avoid the bottle until it goes back up - pumping/expressing still isn't as efficient as the baby himself nursing (which is why women with large supply can sometimes not even pump 1-2oz!!) so just keep him to the breast as much as possible until things are back to normal. Until then, good luck!!!

Got mastitis =0( On 10 days of antibiotics. Can't nurse on that side b/c it is excruciating. I know this is related to inefficient emptying while pumping on that 2 day trip to Southern Cal.

JenDiet- So I always got great advice from the lactation consultants at the hospital in Berkeley where my baby was born. I just spoke with one of the lactation specialists today.
She told me to keep nursing more than bottle feeding if possible b/c baby empties breast more efficiently than the pump.
However, I'm not able to nurse on the left side right now, b/c it's too painful.

So here is what she advised if my supplies go down:
Buy Fenugreek (@Whole Foods, etc.) around the 500-600mg capsules.
Take 2 capsules with every meal.
So you should take 6 total the first day.
7 total the 2nd day.
8 total the 3rd day.....you get the point.
Keep taking and increasing by 1 capsule per day until your milk supply is where you want it.
DO NOT EXCEED 16 Capsules per day.

For me, she said I can tell if my supply is enough if I am getting 2oz from pumping right after I nurse the baby in the morning. For me that 2 ounces is for storage, or if I want to top the baby off with 2 oz of formula at night (I have never done this, but may try to see if he sleeps a little bit longer). So you figure out the amount of Fenugreek to take if you think your supply may need to be upped a little due to a lower supply or if you were supplementing so that your supply doesn't go down.

If you are still exclusively breastfeeding, then you may not need to take Fenugreek, and just do as the poster above recommended....avoid the bottle, nurse on cue, and your supply will go up naturally. My baby is almost 9 months old and I have never had to take Fenugreek or anything else if I just follow his nursing needs. It went back up naturally.
This mastitis is what may kill my supply and force me to take the Fenugreek.

kifli: sorry to hear about mastitis! That is so painful! Feel better soon!

Banana: Your kind words were so good to hear. I'm not feeling well at all, but I need to take care of the baby and toddler, as well as feed the baby on one side, give a bottle of bm for the other side, then pump every 3 hours and in the middle of the night twice. Feeling pretty low right now. Thank you, again.