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First off, congrats! Secondly...it's ABSOLUTELY realistic to think you can pump enough to maintain a milk supply. It's harder than just b___stfeeding - you really have to make sure you eat enough, and drink LOTS of water. Pump every 3 hours for 10-15 minutes per side, and b___stfeed when you are with your baby. Whether a pump is loud or not depends on the pump you have. I have an Avent Isis handheld manual - it's silent; but, I'm a stay-at-home mom so I rarely have to pump. A manual probably won't be a good choice for you, since you'll probably have to pump 3 times while at work. You can rent an electric double pump from a hospital, or buy one from Ebay; electric pumps are more expensive than manuals, but they're usually more efficient, and you can sell them when you're done b___stfeeding.

I work full time, b___stfeed my son while I'm home and express milk for him while I'm a work for the next day. I have the avent isis. It is manual and is silent. I can only pump once during my eight hour shift. So when he's out of milk he gets formula. My son is six months old and I'm still keeping up with demand. It has saved me lots of money. I've only spent about $40 on formula. It is something I highly recomed giving a try.

I also went back to work at 6 weeks. I pump two times at work. I think if I pumped before I went to bed he'd have enough milk. I give him about 6 oz. of formula a day. Some days he gets more and some days he gets no formula. My son eats a lot so you'll probably have no problem. He is now 7 months and I'm just started to get to the point where I'm getting sick of pumping at work and I may cut back to just once per day. I have an electric and a manual and I like the electric better. I guess it's a personal preference because a lot of people seem to like the Avent ISIS. You might want to buy a manual (you'll need a manual just in case!) and rent an electric one for a month. That way you can see which you like better before spending a ton of money. A lot of women plan to b___stfeed and for some reason or another don't stick with it. $250+ is a lot to spend on something you may not use. Luckily my sister had a Medela Pump in Style that she used two times that I am using.

I have pumped while working with both babies. I used a medela manual pump both times, but I am a milk machine and don't have any problems with production. The first pump I had "slurped" every so often, but I got a Harmony free from the hospital this time, and it is silent. Depending on the stage of nursing (I started supplementing with formula when my baby got older), I would pump 1-3 times daily. Also, I am usually able to feed the baby once during the day, since my day care is across the street. Know your rights in your state. In Illinois, you have to have access to a place other than a bathroom in which to pump and have to be able to use your regular breaks to pump. As for maintaining milk, as my baby got older, I pumped less and cut back feedings, until we stopped nursing at 11 months. This baby may be different, since she WILL NOT take a bottle at all! If she keeps that up once going to day care full time, I may stop pumping earlier, since i already have loads of milk saved up.

It's a lot harder and not as nice as b___stfeeding. But I do it because it's best for my son. He has not had a drop of formula yet. I have found that is is easier to pump at work if I look at a picture of him and hold a baby blanket. It helps the letdown process if I imagine him nursing. I get more milk in less time this way. I pump 3 times while I am at work. His daycare is just a block away from my work, so I go there on my lunch to nurse. I also take him to daycare early and nurse him there for about half an hour before I have to go to work. When I go to pick him up I nures him there before we leave for home. These stratagies have worked wonderfully so far. I am giving him the best, and am saving money at the same time. My son is 8 months old now and doing great.

You have all been so helpful!! This was stressing me out so much, and I haven't known anyone who b___stfed AND worked. It's great to know that it really is possible.