supply & demand

here i am at the 3 month or so mark of being back to work & sure enough i am having supply issues! a large part of my problem is the tubing connector of my electric pump broke- leaving me the single manual only. i've been traveling so couldn't sit down long enough to find a replacement without spending over $200 on a new pump. finally done & should have by next week. now- the manual is great- takes me about 20 minutes & i don't seem to be getting quite as much as with the electric- but still pumping 12 ounces minimum per day. unfortunately my little bear eats 20-24 while i am at work. he is (mainly) sleeping through the night, but there may be a 3am feed 3x a week. then a nurse at 7 or 8 (i pump one side at 6 when i get up) and 2 more pump sessions while at work. he nurses without fail when i get home at 6- even if he just had a bottle- so i usually pump the other side then too. with all this i have used about half of what i had brought back from my 3 day trip to supplement this week. i still have about 60 ounces frozen in our chest freezer, but my mini-goal is at least 6 months exclusive. this kid is making it hard- growing like crazy (20 lbs) and outgrowing all his clothes- currently in 6-9 months. we've been dabbling in solid foods (peas, prunes, apples & oatmeal have all been tried & pretty universally devoured) but i think he's ready for actual meals. that insatiable cue is definitely coming through loud & clear. and it's also pretty clear that despite my best efforts- diligently forcing myself to pump whenever (and wherever!) i can- work stress, home stress & a rapidly growing boy are seemingly beginning to take their toll. i am not quitting by any means- even after i lost my daytime supply with pumpkin the b00bs adjusted to our nighttime nursing- but i am going to keep pumping & providing as much as i can. i am just hoping that some solids introduction means that his bottles even out to what i can actually provide!
and hopefully the electric fix solves some of the collection issues too! although nothing beats the nice quiet manual for pumping in your airplane seat at 20,000 feet! or in the car. :)