Breast Pumping

Hi J.,

I started pumping when my little one was about 4 weeks old for the same reasons and was also very unsure of the process and how to do it - I have a manual pump. Long story short, I know have a gallon freezer bag of breastmilk bags with extra milk (this is now three months later). I would say just be patient with the process - I went to Maternal Expressions in Folsom - a Mom's boutique with lactation specialists available at all times. You might stop in there and have her (I think her name is Karen) see if there are any tactical improvements you can make. Otherwise, you are probably doing just fine, it will just take some time. Good job! =)

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I agree with the other moms - the Medela pump will work better than a hand pump. I had a Medela pump in style and would get LOTS of milk, where with my Avent hand pump I would get nothing at all (not even a tiny trickle). Try renting a Medela pump from the hospital for a day or two and see if you like it. If so, check out eBay. All the parts that touch the milk or your body can be put in the dishwasher and sanitized, so it's safe to use a second-hand machine. I think that will solve your problem.

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While my sister was an excellent pumper, I never could pump milk. It was prolonged torture, with hardly ANY milk. Didn't matter what pump either. But it broke my heart. AT FIRST.
Mostly -DO NOT take it personally. So what if you supplement with formula! AS long as you HOLD your child to feed him bottle, it doesnt matter one bit. Also, now daddy & brother can fix bottles!

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Hi J.,

You should definitely get an electric pump and if that doesn't do it take more milk plus tablets. My milk supply doubled overnight and I don't have to take them at all anymore because once my milk supply doubled it stayed that way. I use a medela double pump which works great. I used an older version of a medela pump with my first child as well (she's ten now). If you don't want to buy an expensive pump you could rent one from the hospital or a medical supply place.

E.

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You've gotten some great advice already so I just wanted to add another thought. I have 2 kids - 1 year old and a 3 year old. I breastfed both of them for 6 months. I pumped some with the first and not as much with the second. I would hear about people who had freezers full of milk and be jealous and stress about pumping, when would I do it, how much I was getting, etc. For the second one it was just so much easier for me to just be there and breastfeed him when he needed it. I pumped some so I could have someone watch him very occasionally while I wasn't around but for me personally it just lowered my stress about it when I just didn't worry about it so much. It was always too hard to figure out when to do it especially when they are so young and are feeding every 2-3 hours anyway - if you have to pump in between that it makes it hard. So definitely try out the others suggestions and I'm sure you'll have some luck but just wanted to say to relax and enjoy the baby and don't worry too much about pumping.

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Hi J.,

I would suggest you see someone at Sequoia Health and Wellness (Lactation Dept). Forget the hand held, that is good for emergencies, what you need is a double pump. If you aren't sure about one, rent the one from Sequoia. They rent out the top of the line Symphony Double for $75 a month or $50 for 2 weeks. I belong to the Redwood City Mother's Club and the women on the site often sell their Medela Pump in Style for a lot less than what you would pay in the store and you just buy new tubing. Also, I pump every 3 hours for 15-20 minutes and have increased my supply to 8-9 ounces! I have also been pumping exclusively since I brought my 8 week old home from the hospital. Let me know if you would like me to put you in contact with someone selling their pump.

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Hi J.!

Your body will not run out of milk for your son :o)

It sounds like you have the best routine, it's just that your current pump isn't helping as much as it should be.

Call the hospitals to see if you could rent an electric pump (as opposed to buying one). If you keep your same routine with an electric pump instead, than half of your issues will be solved :o)

There are also pumps listed for sale in the Newspaper. I have seen quite a few in the Modesto Bee recently as I was looking for a Refridgerator :o)

Congratulations and Blessings to you and your son :o)

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You should definately go to an electric pump, preferably hospital grade. You can contact the lactation consultant at your hospital for advice on which pump is best. I am using the Medela Lactina Electric Plus, and it works great. I also have a hand pump and it is horrible! The hand pump usually results only 1-2 oz (in 30 minutes of pumping), whereas the electric results in 4-6 oz (in 10 minutes). Hope this helps.

You might do much better with a better pump - I've used a Medela Pump in Style and find it works better than the smaller pumps I've tried in the past. I can only get an ounce at most with the others but with the Medela, I can fill a 6oz. bag.

Don't worry that if you pump too much there won't be anything for your baby to nurse. Your breasts aren't just storage areas for milk, they are "factories" - the milk is being produced constantly, even if they feel empty, that doesn't matter. Your body will recognize how much output is required and will increase your supply over a few days. Pump as much as you need, nurse as much as you need - your body will meet the demand. Make sure that you pump each time you feed the baby a bottle, or you are sending the signal "don't need milk right now, please make less" to your breasts.

Remember how your baby increases your supply - by nursing more frequently during growth spurts. Pumping in between nursings will have the same effect and you will have enough milk for both.

Check out www.kellymom.com for a lot of great info about pumping and milk supply, it's a great site! :)

Very rarely did I have luck with any pumping. I used both a hand pump and an electric one by Medela. I used the swing one. I would pump for an hour and get maybe a total of 4 ounces from both breasts. So in order to feed my 6 month old son one bottle I'd have to pump frequently throughout the day. It just didn't work for me and it made my nipples sore. I hated it. I just suck it up and know that until my son is a year old I will be the milk machine!

I recommend renting a hospital grade pump for about 2-4 weeks to help increase your milk supply, and try to pump regularly so your body knows to make more. Since you want to pump and nurse, you'll want to pump at least 2 hours before feeding time so you'll have enough to nurse, or pump and give the bottle right away. Since my child didn't latch on well, I pumped every 2 hours. It's double the work, but it was worth it because I finally had "extra" to store in the freezer by the third month. It takes a while, but don't give up! I was recommended the Medela Classic from the hospital and was able to get just as much from the Medela Pump n' Style after a few weeks. Hang in there, J.!

Hi J.!
I think switching to an electric pump could help-the big Medela unit I rented worked better than the small battery operated one I had, so I'm sure it would work better than a hand pump. 4 ounces isn't too shabby, it can add up-and don't think your son needs an 8oz bottle each feeding-he's probably fine with 4oz. I wouldn't advise that you make yourself get up in the middle of the night, you need your rest, and too much stress can affect your milk as well. When my daughter was born, I pumped after she nursed-she'd often fall asleep after only one breast, so I pumped the other side and would get maybe an ounce at first, and I would also empty out the other breast too. If you pump after he nurses, you won't have to worry so much about there not being enough milk for him...because in the 2-4 hours before he is hungry again, your body will have time to make more milk. And you can adjust that too...if it seems your son didn't nurse for very long before he fell asleep, and you think he may get hungry again sooner than normal, just don't pump that breast. Also, if you pump and very little comes out, then he wants to nurse, let him-babies can access milk even the pump can't! Don't give up, it takes a while for the body to respond to the increased need. Before I knew it, I was filling up those storage bags because I was producing more than she needed, and I had to pump because my breasts were uncomfortably full!
Good luck and don't stress!-L. L.

Hi J.,

I suggest pumping in the morning about an hour after your baby's first morning feeding. So if he wakes at 6am then pump at 7 or 7:30am. You will have the most and richest milk in the AM. You need an electric pump. It does both breasts at once and takes no effort, just 15 minutes, and you can read the paper or eat breakfast at the same time. I suggest pumping just once a day in the AM. After 7 days you will have 7 bags and it adds up fast. You will produce more milk as your baby and pumping demands it. Your baby has a much greater suck than the pump so don't exclusively pump on one side and nurse on the other.

The only other suggestion that I would add to the others (which are all great suggestions) is to increase your fluid intake. When you're nursing and pumping at the same time you need a lot of fluids...

before you buy and electric (which in my opinion is better then the hand pumps) i would rent one to try..

I never had much luck with hand pumps (like the avent) but great with the rental medela and then the medela pump in styles.

You might not be getting the stimulation you need from a hand pump to let down..

I would really get a better pump than the hand pump. You can always rent them at either your hospital or other baby stores. I rented one from the hospital and it was the hospital grade and it really did the job. Sorry I don't remember the name. But going back to the pump, upgrade really and that should help with your milk supply. As far as how often to pump, since my son wasn't able to latch on, I'd always pump whenever it was feeding time for him. So in the beginning, it was every two hours. Granted at times I might not get much out of it but at least my body kind of knew that it needed to increase the supply. Also, make sure you are getting lots of rest and drink lots of water. I also took fenugreek which also helped to increase my supply. Don't give up though but I was in the same boat with you.

I would definitely invest in a good quality electric pump if you intend to express enough milk to also bottle feed. Your supply will be biggest in the am, so I would suggest you feed and then pump first thing in the morning. I would also feed and then pump throughout the day. I wouldn't pump during the night since eventually you will be cutting back on those feedings and since it is supply and demand, you don't want to have a huge supply overnight when your son no longer needs it. Make sure you are drinking and eating enough throughout the day as it will help you produce more too. Once you get an electric pump and give it a shot and are still not getting enough I would contact La Leche League to see if they have any good suggestions for you. I know there are a couple of supplements you can take to help increase your supply, but I don't know anything about them since I did not take them. The other big thing is to relax, if you are all stressed out about not producing enough, you will have a hard time letting down and not be able to pump very much. Also having your baby nearby when your pumping often will help letdown, especially skin to skin contact or the sound of him crying. Good luck and try not to stress over it.

I would be consistent with the time you pump every day...like an hour or two after you put him to bed at night. I think it's the consistency more than the frequency especially since your little one is still so little. It'll happen.

PLEASE DO NOT BUY A USED BREASST PUMP ON CRAIG'S LIST - IT IS UNSANITARY BECAUSE THEY CANNOT BE STERILIZED INSIDE THE MOTOR!!!!!!!!!!!RENT A HOSPITAL GRADE PUMP THAT IS SEALED OR BUY YOUR OWN!!!!!!!
Your body will adjust & make more milk - you are basically tricking it into thinking the baby is eating more. There will be a lag time of about 4 days before your boobs catch up completely. This will also happen when Baby hits a growth spurt and nurses like he's been starved all day. The extra milk in the freezer will come in handy so you don't get too sore from the extra enthusiastic sucking.
I highly reccommend buying or renting a good electric pump.
Also, you can boost your milk production with a few diet changes. Eat brown rice, sweet potatoes & apricots when you feel a little depleted. DRINK YOUR WATER!!!!!!
And you can get "Mother's Milk Tea" by Traditional Medicinals at a good health food store and Fenugreek capsules(it's a chinese herb).
I had very lazy milk production so I did all of the above and found the food items coupled with the Fenugreek capsules made the biggest difference - I also sipped 4 oz. of Pyramid apricot wheat beer before bed so I had enough milk in the morning to pump and then nurse my son when he woke up. My girlfriends found that the tea worked the best so experiment to see what your body responds to. We all found that we had to drink enough water to fill a hot tub to keep things flowing and avoid clogged milk ducts.
Finally, the BAD news is, you DO have to pump on a 2 hour schedule to get your body in full production mode. That little hand pump will give you carpal tunnel disease!!!
Good Luck!!
Let me know how it goes - I am glad to see I wasn't the only one with low milk - my girlfriend who lives on junkfood was throwing out milk because she was making more than her daughter could consume before it spoiled.
Check with La Leche League for proper storage & shelf life of breast milk - by the way!!