Breastfeeding - Maineville, OH

I exclusively pumped for 3 months and used a variety of techniques to up my production:

-How long are you pumping? I would pump for at least 15, sometimes 20 minutes each session, 7-8 times a day.
-Drink, drink, drink lots of water. While it isn't the amount of water that makes the amount of breastmilk, you do need to stay hydrated so that your body can keep up with all the extra work you're asking it to do.
-Oatmeal! Have oatmeal for breakfast because there's something in it that can help with milk production.
-When you pump make sure you drain the breast. You can tell when it goes from streaming to dribbling to almost nothing. Pump a few minutes more after you get to the 'almost nothing' stage. By doing so, you send a message to the brain "Hey...we need more milk here! Let's up the prolactin and get busy!"

During my pumping sessions I was getting plenty of milk to feed for the day and bank anywhere from 8-16 ounces in the freezer. I was able to extend my 'breastmilk feeding' to about 5 months after I stopped pumping at 3 months.

Finally, if for some reason you are unable to make enough milk do NOT beat yourself up over the fact that you may supplement with formula. When it comes down to it, your child has to eat so if formula is the last resort and you have to make that decision do not let yourself feel guilty about it or as if you have failed your child. I can assure you that your child will not be ruined or compromised because of it.

Just keep pumping!! Eventually your milk will catch up with the demand.
NEL

I started by pumping in the morning - when your milk is most plentiful. You can do it either before or after you feed your baby (your body will compensate for the increased need) and then maintain that "extra" feeding until you go back to work. You should have plenty of milk stored up that way! Good luck!

The ONLY way I am able to pump is by pumping one side while nursing on the other. It sounds harder than it is...takes some practice tho.
:)

The morning was the best time to pump for me, I could nurse my son and still pump about 4 oz. total. They say if you pump after nursing that it will increase your milk supply also. Good luck!

hi B., don't get upset. just continue to do what you were told to do. pump after he eats. if you feel them start to fill up and he's asleep pump some then. don't feel like you have to be in a mad rush to stock the freezer up before you go back to work. i was in the same boat as you. i would barely get them frozen and would be thawing them out again haha. when you go back to work pump there as well. (hopefully you have a job that will allow that). i never had a stocked freezer full of frozen milk and we did just fine. just keep up with the pumping. and if things get really tough just remember there is formula out there for when your stash is empty. your baby will never starve. good luck! and God bless you and those you love. H..

The reason you're being told to pump directly after a feeding is to increase the demand for milk, so that your body will eventually increase the supply of milk. After a few days, maybe even a week, you should start letting down more milk. Also, check out La Leche League, lll.com, they are an international organization with the sole purpose of helping women successfully breastfeed.

Hope that helps!

T.

I found that morning was the best time for me to try to pump anything extra. Also - the more you do pump (even if there is little there at first), the more your supply will grow, and you will be able to fill those bottles. Basically, your body just needs the signal that it should produce more milk.

B.,

I'm a mom of 3 year old and a 3 month old. I just went back to work in August. I know your fear because I experienced it myself. For me I found that if I fed the baby from one side, I'd pump the other side. I know I didn't want to give my new baby a bottle, but after about 5 weeks, I'd have my husband give her a bottle of breastmilk, then I'd pump from both sides. You might get a little more milk that way. I have also found that storing my milk in 2 oz increments helps to make bottles, instead of storing it in various increments. I don't know how you feel about giving your baby formula, but after she was 7 weeks, I'd have the sitter give her 4 oz of breastmilk and an ounce or 2 of formula in her bottle. That helped me to build a bigger supply. Now she rarely gets formula because I have about 3 or 4 days of milk stored.

I hope that helps. The biggest thing in not to panic about it, I learned that with my first baby and ended up drying up before I was ready to stop nursing.

K.

You really need to pump while he eats. Pump on one side while the baby nurses on the other. You will get much more let down. Don't worry about not having enough for the baby when he nurses, your body will compensate and make more milk. You also may find you get more milk in the mornings when you are most full.

I've had two children, one this past July. I remember stressing about my milk storage after having my first. First thing: Try to reduce your stress. I've read studies that state stress decreases your milk supply and have found this is true. The more you stress about your milk supply, the more harm you do to yourself.

This time around with breastfeeding my daughter, I feed her on one side and then pump the other side. When your son is hungry again, put him on the side you pumped on and pump the other side. Babies can get more milk from you than a pump ever can! He will find something to eat and the nursing and pumping will increase the amount of milk your body produces. Supply and demand. If you're worried about him getting enough to eat, don't be. It usually only takes a couple of days for your body to catch up and your son will get enough during that time.

Drink LOTS of water. You can't make anything if you aren't hydrated enough. What comes out, must go in first. There are also different supplements you can take that are supposed to help your milk. I drink a tea that is fomulated for nursing mothers. Yogie Tea Woman's Nursing Mom. It is an organic tea and I get it from Health Foods Unlimited. I swear, this tea seems to help! I've used it while nursing both of my daughters and felt that it's made a difference.

Wow! You are on the right track. Does your baby nurse from both breasts? Pump from the breast that he/she last drank from. You can up your supply by pumping about an hour after the last feeding or while your little one is taking a long nap. The more your breasts are stimulated, the more milk your body will know to produce. Its all about supply and demand! You should notice an increase in your milk supply within a few days. Remember to drink lots of fluids too!
Do you have a good quality breast pump? Medela makes an awesome one! You plug it in, hook your breast up to the "milker", and your able to adjust the suction. Works wonders!
Good luck! I breastfed both my kiddos and loved it!
K.

B.,
Continue to pump after her eats. This will increase the demand, thus increase supply. The "best" time for most moms to pump is in the morning.

Also, I hardly had any breastmilk stored when I returned to work, but whatever I pumped at work was used the next day so we didn't need a huge backup supply.

You can also try to add another pumping session after he goes to bed (if you have a few hours after he gets to sleep).

One more thing. You can pump one side while he nurses on the other. I've never done this before, but some women actually get quite a bit of milk when they do this.

Congrats on your new baby and decision to breastfeed!