Nursing - Willoughby,OH

The more you pump the more you produce each pump. Pumping will not produce the same amount as when actually feeding your son so don't worry that he isn't getting enough. I would increase the amount of times a day you pump although I'm not sure that will help you much for this coming weekend. Breastfeeding is supply and demand. The more you demand, the more you supply. Have a nice weekend :)

Hello, you received so many responses that I didn't read them all. I recently had to pump and I had not done so for several months. This is what I had to do to get enough milk. With my pump I hold my finger over the hole and let go and repeat. I had to make the *pumps* short in order to start getting milk out. Also, when your baby cries he stimulates milk production (you love your baby not the pump) and when he is nursing he massages your breast. Try those two things and pump more than once a day. Generally the most milk you have in your breast during the day is when you wake up in the morning, so I would pump then. Try to wake up before the baby does and pump. And it is okay if your breast feals empty b/c there will still be some for the baby when he wakes up. Good Luck!

Fenugreek works great!! You can get it at a health food store. It is a safe and natural herb. I used it when I was nursing and about the next day I could tell I produced more. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Aliesha,

Your son is definitely getting more milk when he nurses than your pump pulls out. Here are two things that helped me:

I pumped first thing in the morning. I sat cross-legged on the floor, with a pillow under one knee, then placed my baby on that leg with her head elavated. I would then pump the other side while she nursed. That pumping actually gave me more milk than the two last pumps of my day combined.

The other thing I did was to put the foot/pedastal pieces on the pump containers and pump both sides at once. Then I'd rest those on my legs and cross one arm in front to hold (not smash) them against me while I used the other hand to massage the milk out. That really helped too. Also, try relaxing and closing your eyes and imagining it's your baby nursing at first. That really helped the letdown of milk for me.

Hope those help you. Good luck and don't give up. You're doing a fantastic job!

K.

Aleisha,
It's been a long time since I nursed my daughter (4yrs old) so I can't give you any specific advice. However, while I was nursing, I would regularly go to a Nursing Mother's support group at Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield. It's free and run by one of their many lactation consultants. It's really nice because you can talk to other mothers and the lactation consultants about all of your questions and concerns and get lots of feedback and support. When you get there, you can weigh your baby before you nurse. Then you weigh him again after nursing to see exactly how much he ate. The consultant can help you decide if he's getting enough.

If you contact Hillcrest Hospital, they can give you the information about the group.

If you're not in the Hillcrest area, you may want to check with your local hospital for a support group. Also, my daughter's pediatrician's office has a lactation consultant on staff. You may want to check with your pediatrician's office too.

Best of luck to you,
C.

Also if you seldom pump I am assuming you seldom give your child a bottle, you may want to make sure he'll definitely take the bottle when you are away especially over night. You may want to try to bottle feed a little before the weekend comes. Good Luck!

Go to any health or vitamin store and get some Fenugreek. It is a daily supplement you take to help more milk come in! I used it w/my first and it seemed to work and will also be using w/my 2nd son when he arrives in a wk. :)
Hope this helps

Make sure you are drinking enough water. Also I notice with a manual pump I did not get as much as electric. Also skin to skin contract can help produce more.

Hi there! You only get about 30% pumping of what the baby gets when he nurses, so don't judge what he gets by what you get when you pump. At this age, your body has learned to produce just what he needs, so there isn't as much when you pump as in the first few months when your body was just producing like crazy. I found that I got the most pumping early in the day when I first woke up. Just pump as much as you can, and you can combine milk the same temperture (cold with cold, room remp with room temp) sometime sit would take me a whole day to get 1 bag!

Fengreek is a herb that La Leche recommends to increasing milk, but I don't know much about it. Good luck!

Aleisha,

Great job hanging in there with the nursing. It sometimes can seem overwhelming being the "main" food source for your little one, but know everything you give him is just what his little body needs to grow and develop. Here's my suggestion on the random pumping thing - first of all, don't freak - he is getting enough from you. If he's growing, having wet and dirty diapers and by now you're doctor has never expressed concern about him not getting enough, that you are doing everything right! :) When you first pump - and this is my experience as a mom who nursed all four of her babies - you don't always get a ton of milk - in all actuality, 3 oz is a pretty good result for just minimal pumping. You did exactly what I would have recommended, pump when he's having some solids. If you are worried about a low milk supply, and you know, it will probably taper off a bit when you introduce solids, just keep pumping during that feeding of solid foods.

As for planning ahead for a night, you just have to plan ahead - which means pumping ahead. If today you got 3 oz. then put it away and try again tomorrow for a bit more. You might have to do that 4 or 5 days ahead of time to plan for a night away. Just remember that as your little one grows and nurses less and less, your body knows just the exact amount. It's all about supply and demand. You definitely sound like a great mom and have asked really good questions. Asking questions is how we learn - and hang in there with the nursing - it's so worth it and you and your child will reap its many benefits.

Hope that offers you something!

There are a couple of things you can do to help increase your milk supply and that is to eat oatmeal and drink lots of water just to start. I found that there are a couple of really good teas; Traditional Medicine Mother's Milk Tea and the other Yogi Teas Nursing Mother's Tea. You could also pump a couple of other times during the day.

As for the amount you are pumping, that is not an indication of the amount of milk your son is getting. The sucking action of the pump is not the same your son's, which is why it is so much harder to maintain your milk supply when pumping alone. Unlike cows we need to have the baby on the breast to produce that liquid gold.

I had several problems when I was breastfeeding my son so I feel like an expert on this! haha. There is a supplement called FENUGEEK (you can get it just about anywhere) and it helps increase your milk supply. i will warn you though you tend to smell a little like maple syrup once you have been on it for awhile (a little odd but well worth it for the increase in milk). Also, you can drink a tea called Mother's milk tea and it will help increase your supply. Also drinking tons of water can always increase any fluids in your body! I hope this helps!! Let me knwo if you have any other questions!

A pump is not a good indicator of how much milk you are producing for your child...
For example, I was exclusively nursing my daughter at 11mo...nothing other than breastmilk...and I could still only pump 3oz...and that was 3oz total from both breasts with 45min of pumping! She was able to get much more than that!
Always look to wet diapers as an indicator of if baby is getting enough...not how much you can pump or how full you feel.
To increase supply, nurse/pump more...its a 'supply and demand' system. I think it is 1oz a day you can increase...or decrease...

Aleisha,

Drink more water--lots of water. Pump more often. Don't worry; you may only get out 3 oz when you pump, but that doesn't mean that is all you produce when your baby is eating--it's different. You can take milk thistle or fenugreek seed capsules to increase production. Make sure to freeze the bags of milk flat so they thaw quickly in warm water and tell your caregivers NEVER microwave the milk as this can cause hot spots and burn your baby (and microwaving plastic is bad).

Huge congratulations for your persistence and nursing your son. I nursed my boys until they were about 2, and have been so blessed that neither one ever has had an ear infection.

Best wishes,
K.

One thing you have to remember about pumping in addition to nursing is that you're telling your body to produce more milk than your baby needs. You'll find that when you pump while your away from baby, you'll get a lot more! I barely got an ounce and a half when I pumped at home, but when I pumped at work, I'd get 6 or so oz.

Fenugreek works well to increase supply. I think usually the dosage is three pills three times a day. You'll know when you're taking enough when you start to smell like maple syrup. The mother's milk teas work pretty well, too, if you can get around the taste. I ate a TON of oatmeal. The kind you have to cook works better than the instant stuff.

Good luck!