Pumping Question

M., you are doing wonderful just by not giving up on breastfeeding, great job. I have used "mother's milk tea", they are tea bags from traditional medicine, and my milk have increased after 2 days of drinking the tea. I also notice drinking more fluid throughout the day will also help increase milk production quickly. Best of luck.

M.,

Has anyone looked your daughter to see if she is tongue tied. This may be the reason for her not latching.

I would contact La Leche League about your pumping question. www.llli.org for the group in your area.

Good luck,
L. M

I had a preemie and had lots of feeding issues. So here's what helped me:

- Decide what your goals are, what your limits are; they can change with time so reassess every now and then. Know that having a mom that is not stressed out is the *most* healthy thing for your baby. All babies wean it some point and not to feel defeated if it happens sooner than later (this was advice given to me that took a while for me to digest - ironically, that's when the breast feeding "took").

- See a few different lactation consultants and Le Leche groups - gives you a variety of approaches and ideas. Find one that works at a hospital with a NICU - as they know a lot more about pumping.

- get enough liquids and enough sleep - I know it is hard to do. One benefit to the bottle feeding is that you can try to go to sleep early, let a partner (if there is one) do the late evening feeding with bottle and you rest until the middle of night feeding.

- Use a hospital grade pump - rent one. It makes a world of difference when you are having a hard time.

- Use a supplemental nurser before pumping - your baby doesn't struggle to feed and your breasts get the needed stimulation. Not to mention - it's a lot cozier to have the baby on your breast with a tube for milk/formula. I would do it for a 4-8 days until my supply came back up. Use the less expensive one (often free from a hospital Lac. Consultant). - easier to use and clean than the expensive one (I had both). I really can't recommend this approach enough. I said I would not try something so strange, then I got desperate and tried it. Wondered why I didn't do it sooner. REALLY helped me, helped a friend whose son had a really poor latch - after a few months with the nurser he was able to nurse on his own.

- If depression is not an issue - ask for a prescription of Reglan - but double check because I thought I heard there was a complication with it. If not Reglan, try fenugreek and blessed thistle from a health food store. Some babies and some spouses do not like how fenugreek might make you smell like maple syrup (doesn't always happen so don't worry yet).

- Be sure your aren't taking anything that might have an antihistamine in it (like allergy meds or a sleep aid) - this can dry up your milk.

- Keep your baby around when pumping. I got much more milk when I pumped at the NICU by my son's incubator than I did at home or the hospital's pumping room. Here's the crazt pert - my 2 am pumping was done while watching late night television and not thinking about milk at all - and I would get a lot at that pumping session.

- Know that you gave your baby the most important milk already - and try to relax - I wanted to scream every time some one said that to me - and yet they were right. When I relaxed and accepted that my son would get formula mixed with breast milk for most feedings and nurse only a few times a day, suddenly it got easier. He and I both relaxed and he nursed more often. He self weaned at 14 months.

- Know that your a good mom no matter how your baby is fed.

You really need supplements as the other poster said. More Milk Plus capsules will help a lot, within a few days usually. They are fenugreek and a few other helpful herbs. Find the book, "Mother Food" - it's all about natural ways to eat to increase breastmilk. Have you checked out www.kellymom.com? That's the best online resource for nursing, including pumping issues.

Check out kellymom.com. There is lots of helpful information. You could try Fenugreek - it comes in capsules or tea. I have taken the capsules and it worked well for me to increase my milk supply. Also, if you want hands-on free breastfeeding/pumping advice, there's a great support group that meets every day from 1-2 at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. It is run by the hospital nurses/lactation consultants and they are absolutely wonderful - got me through all my breastfeeding difficulties including latch problems. My baby is 3 months old now and I still go once a week just to weigh her and ask various questions. Good luck!

I did the same thing with Both my boys until they latched on. The first time I finally got a Lactation specialist to come to my house and she got him on! it changed my life. The Pump is great for one or 2 times a day if you need to... but the baby is what is really going to get your milk going again! DON"T GIVE UP! the baby will get on if you have confidence and HELP. It will also make your life much easier if you are not doing double duty!

I exclusively pumped for my daughter for a year. She also had problems latching on and that's why I pumped. I drank the nursing tea, took fenugreek, and ate oatmeal(it's suppose to help produce more milk) I really struggled to pump and to get a lot of milk for her.
Are you drinking plenty of fluids?
My friend who is a nurse suggested I lay down with her at night and have her latch on-even if it isn't a great latch, she's training herself to latch on. This worked for me because as she got older she nursed at night and got the hang of latching on better. She's now 18 months and till brestfeeding.

Believe me I know wat you are going through, because the first 2 months were so hard for me. Try to take it pump session by pump session and know that any breastmilk she gets is good for her.
Have you seen a lacation consultant?They can help too and someties see something that reg. doctors can't. And if there's a medical reson why your daughter can't nurse I'm sure they have things to help you produce more.

I would suggest checking with a lactation consultant at your local hospital for further input. Or connecting with a Nursing Moms group. They can be incredibly helpful. For me, the first couple of months of nursing were the hardest. I chuckle, thinking about my husband and I arguing about the right way to do it, worrying our son wasn't getting enough nourishment.

Do you have a double or single breast pump? If just the single, it might help to get a double one like the Medula Pump in Style. I'm pretty sure they still make those and sometimes health insurance will kick in a little of the cost. Ask to see what the insurance company says. It couldn't hurt to mention that she is having a hard time latching on. Insurance companies may listen more with that in mind.

And drink lots and lots of fluids, trying some of the dietary suggestions already listed below. I found that relaxing music helped immensely and getting enough sleep made a difference as well. Plus, try having a favorite picture of your daughter or even tape her crying or making sweet sounds if she can't be there while you are pumping. Having your child trigger your flow could potentially help with your milk production. Also, warm cloths on your breasts may help the flow as well.

If you ever get her to latch on successfully, make it as pleasurable an experience as possible for both of you. If you are stressed, your milk will not flow as well. It can become a vicious cycle.

I used to nurse in a big old leather rocking chair with a pillow on my lap and our son on top of the pillow, snuggled in my arms. I would make "letter tapes" to him, talking to a tape recorder about various new things he was doing or what was going on in our lives at that point in time. (I still have them for him to listen to. Our 12-year-old likes to listen to bits of them every once in a while.) They include me talking but also him making his little baby sounds. If your daughter never latches on, you could do it while you are pumping to help get your mind off of the pumping. (Of course, you'll also have the sound of the pump. Nothing like the sound of a milking machine to draw a chuckle or two!)

Generally, the more you pump, the more you will produce. Breasts generally respond to supply and demand. But it takes some diligence, even when you feel like you're not pumping much. As for latching on, I know it's frustrating but if you can keep trying to have her latch on, that might be the final trick. The sucking of a baby is MUCH stronger than any pump can replicate, and that's the best trick for getting your flow up.

The problem with supplementing with formula is that it fills your child faster than breast milk. Plus, when they are at their hungriest is when they suckle the strongest, thus, getting your breasts flowing the most. So, supplementing can be counterproductive to your flow.

However, not everyone can breast feed for various reasons. We have a friend who's daughter never was able to get enough nourishment from breast milk alone, so supplementing was the only way to go. She went from almost listless to healthy with the switch to formula.

I hope everyone's suggestions give you some solutions. Best of luck!

My first child was very similar. My son did get a bit better at latching on as he got older...he was just a late bloomer in that department. I think he was 3 months old before he really figured it out. I saw lactation consultants (3) and tried the supplements. In the end, the biggest suggestion I ever got was a mom who said drink tons of water...more than you think you need. I spent 1 whole day pumping once an hour all day long and drinking tons of water..sure enough my milk started coming in more. Also I had to learn to relax more and think sweet thought of my baby while trying to pump. I kept a picture of him sleeping peacefully attached to my pump case. Initially pumping was stressful b/c I was worried about getting enough...being stressed only makes it harder for the milk to let-down. Good luck...it will be ok!

I exclusively pumped for my son, now 6, for the same reason, so I really feel for your situation. I found that my local La Leche League leaders and LCs were supportive of pumping, but not very knowledgeable about it - their strength is primarily on getting baby on the breast. *Definitely* get in touch with an LC if you'd like to work more on nursing.

Many moms make pumping work, and have found each other online. 6 years ago I discovered EP'ers and Pumpmoms on Yahoo! Groups, and another community on iVillage. There's frequent discussion about increasing supply.

When you pump more frequently, did you do it around the clock? every 2 hours for 24-48 hours? What about a day of pumping for 10, 5 minute break, pump for 10 more?

I've heard of fenugreek, mother's milk tea, oatmeal, beer(!), and domperidone as galactagogs.

My disclaimer is I was "blessed" with oversupply (it has it's own disadvantages), so I've never tried the supplement route.

Good luck, you're doing great!

I had the same problem with my daughter. She is 4 now but when she was born I tried to breastfeed and like you she wouldn't latch on (mostly because of the shape of my nipples) and the sheilds didn't work either. I stuck with the pumping, but only did it for a month because of the same problem you are facing. In fact my problem was worst, because by the end of the first month I could only get less than an ounce, so we transitioned into nothing but formula. I don't regret my decision to try and breastfeed, nor my decision to switch to formula. My daughter is smart and stayed clear of most viruses....so to me, making sure she was happily fed was most important. I hope that you get some helpful advice, but don't let people make you feel like less of a mother if you choose to stop.

Unfortunately the pump is not going to be sufficient. Your body isn't designed to respond to the pump. You can take galactologues like oatmeal or fenugreek to increase your supply, but it's going to be an uphill battle, especially since you're all ready supplementing.

Have you seen a Lactation Consultant or gotten your hands on an SNS? (supplemental nursing system). I highly recommend it for getting her back on the breast.

I also struggled with pumping (with the Medela pump in style as someone else mentioned) when I went back to work full time and was pumping bottles for day care. I tried many of the tactics mentioned in other responses--pumping more frequently (and/or less frequently!), herbs/teas, oatmeal, relaxing, etc. but it was still an uphill battle and nothing worked...for the first several weeks at least. But then, somehow, my body settled into a pattern and got used to the pump and I started to produce more milk. I also still supplement a little bit with formula, just so I dont drive myself crazy. I agree with the others that the body will produce more if you can hold or be near your baby while you pump. Best of luck!