Problem with Let down Reflex

Hi J.,I have two suggestions that will hopefully help. Drink plenty of water about an hour before pumping and make sure you are getting your 8 glasses a day. A nice gentle breast massage can help ,refer to la leche methods . Pumping (for me)takes a while when I'm not used to it. Relax and let the pump go until milk comes. Good luck.

J.,
I never pumped regularly, and with my first son I was never very succesful at it. With my second I figured out what worked for me and I got more per session and it was much easier too. I put on headphones (drowned out the ound of the pump and my music didn't bother anyone else) and picked out my favorite music. I made myself as comfortable as possible and closed my eyes and took some deep breaths. The music with headphones was the key for me because it made pumping time a relaxation instead of a chore. Hope you find something that works for you. If not, remember, lots of women nurse when they are home and supplement with formula when they aren't and their children do fine. You are doing a wonderful thing for your baby by nursing her as much as you can even if it's not as much as you want. Enjoy it. My second just weaned in Feb and I really miss it.

Maybe try a different pump? I know with my first I tried a ton of different pumps before I found one that worked for me. Make sure that your pump has a good suction, and fits right too. It took me a really long time to let down with my last, but at the time I did not know that my pump had lost suction from using it through 4 kids. Also, are you stressing out about pumping or work? let down is affected by stress. If you just went back to work you could be carring more stress than you realize!
I hope it goes well for you! It has just been a week, keep trying.

Hi J.,

Your body probably needs time to get used to using the pump again. I would say keep pumping even if you don't get anything. The stimulation will be good for your body and eventually you will start having a let down using the pump as well. They key to pumping is consistency. You may want to also add in a pumping after your baby goes to bed at night - so that you can build up an extra supply of stored milk. When I first started pumping, I got almost nothing, but as I kept doing it at the same time everyday, then my body started to make more milk at that time and respond better to the pump and I gradually increased the amount I was able to pump. Here is a link to an article that I wrote on breastfeeding and working - it has great tips for pumping: http://www.mothersboutique.com/woandbrtifor.html

Let me know if there is anything else that I can do to help.

J.

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Does your pump have different settings for let-down & pumping? I have the Medela pump-in-style backpack & it starts by going through a 2-minute cycle of 'let-down' sucks, which simulate the baby's initial sucking before the milk starts flowing. That has worked really well for me. The pump is fairly expensive (almost $300 online; a little more in stores) but when you add up the cost of formula for the next few months, it may end up paying for itself. I started adding one bottle of formula/day around 7-8 months because I could not pump enough at work (I'm a nurse & I work 12 hour shifts with almost no breaks). I can't believe how expensive formula is! Anyhow, you could also get in touch with a local lactation consultant. Your doctor or the hospital where you delivered should have info on a local consultant. Good luck!

I have also had trouble with let down while pumping, but I find that if I hear my little one making noises...the gurgles and giggles...let down occurs immediately. Maybe you could tape her vocalizing and bring that with you to work.

the pictures don't work for me either. My sense of smell seems to trigger let down while pumping. I take something that is newly-washed and put a sprinkle of baby powder and baby lotion on it. If smell isn't your strongest sense, try something that is (maybe a recording of the baby cooing or crying). Good luck =O}

J., I had a friend that worked and nursed her infant. She didn't have her infant fed when she was gone and let the baby nurse as much as she wanted when she was home. She sort of switched the feeding schedule in order to accomodate her work schedule.
Just a thought.

I had a hard time pumping when I went back to work, also. I would try every day at work, and my milk would fill in, and sometimes I'd get a little out, but i did struggle, even when it would fill in enough to leak into my clothing. ugh.

What I did do was to pump one side when I got home and my daughter was nursing on the other. Then I let her suck on the side I pumped to finish getting the milk out. I did the same thing at night, when she woke up to nurse. And that nighttime pumping, combined with the afterwork pumping time, gave me enough.

the other thing I did was to use a NUK nipple on the bottles at daycare, because they mirrored the human nipple, and it kept the baby's muscles up for nursing, instead of feeding the milk too easily. that was 26 years ago -- and I'm sure there are many more options out there for "exercising" type of nipples today -- and you'll get much better advice on that from your peers here.

I would note that it does take a little time to get the let-down coming, and probably your stress of the balancing act, the frustration with pumping, your fear that you might not have enough milk, and that nagging sense of worry, or "not being good enough" may also be hanging in your head when you sit down to nurse. Nursing is different from bottle feeding. It's cuddlier and more relational than bottle feeding, and it does take more effort and more muscle on the part of the baby. don't worry if your child starts to nurse, then stops and looks at you. Then tries again. Some of that is reaffirming the relationship. smile and look her in the eye and reassure her. (and you !) And let her try again. she'll catch on. And the more she nurses, the more milk you'll have, so you'll notice that it's harder to live without her on Monday at work, than on Friday at work, but overall, your milk supply should adjust to the demands. And if not, she is 5 months old. At 6 months she'll be starting to eat cereal and then other foods. You've done well to balance the act of nursing and being a working mom. You gave her the first 5 months, almost 6 of her life, to have the healthiest food known to humanity. You have done a great job, Mom. Remember that nursing is an "on demand" business, sometimes moms want to stop before the kids do, and sometimes the kids are ready to give us up before we are ready to stop. neither is a failure. It just happens. Of my 4 kids, my oldest nursed the longest, which was only 1 year, and she and I have the testiest relationship of all 4. The other three nursed less than that, due to stress demands on my time at work, and convenience for the babysitters. Whether you stop nursing sooner or later really won't impact the quality of your relationship with your child over time. Just keep loving her ! She's a wonderful gift and you are a wonderful gift to her as well !!

J.,
Relax and remember that the pump is very different from your daughter. I know you know that but it is easy to forget. Even the best pump is going to be much less effective at stimulating your let down than your baby You do not love your pump, you love your daughter. She will always be better at getting your hormones and your milk flowing.

You are both under stress right now, because life is changing for you both. It is perfectly normal for you to both be a little out of sorts right now. Worrying about not being able to let down can actually delay your let down. Try to relax, you are going to get through this. If she nurses for comfort, she will most likely choose you over the bottle. Mommy's breast means much more to her than just a full tummy. It is the place where she has found comfort and security these last 5 months. She has learned almost everything she knows about being loved in your arms. No one and nothing can replace the tremendous gifts you have already given her and that you give her everyday!

Try not to worry while your are nursing - easier said than done I know. Instead try to focus both of you on how wonderful it is to be together. Try to figure out what you like best about nursing this precious little girl. It is really easy to get caught up in "getting things done" as your little one gets older. Don't fall into that trap. Right now I suggest going back to the mind set of your first few days together. Make the nursing time that you have together a priority and enjoy it. Many, many woman have successfully worked and breastfed their babies, you can too.

You've already gotten a lot of great advice about pumping and maintaining your milk supply. I would second the idea of getting rid of the night time bottle. The extra nursing will be good for your milk supply and give your little girl the idea that when you are together, you nurse. When you are pumping some women find that pictures of their little ones help but others use different reminders of their babies. I bet you are going to find that you are one of these women. Some women use something that smells like their baby (maybe a blanket or worn undershirt), some women have success with hearing their baby, others find imagining what it feels like when the baby latches on works. I used to call home to listen to my son coo. I also found leaning forward and massaging my breasts helpful. Try to figure out what thing about her really make you feel all warm and fuzzy. That warm and fuzzy feeling is caused by the same hormone involved in your let down.

Keep up the good work and enjoy your daughter!

I always found it to be harder to let down when pumping as my babies got older. In some ways it's nice because it also means less leaking because you see a diaper commercial or another baby at the store starts crying. But it is just annoying when you want/need to pump. In the beginning you might not even have a need for the extra milk and it seems to come so quickly and easily.

The main ways that I find to increase my supply is to nurse often and to drink as much water as I can. You could even try pumping a bit at home - especially when your daughter hasn't nursed recently (first thing in the am or between feedings in the afternoon/evening). Perhaps you can help to get your body used to letting down with the pump with practice. One thing that sometimes helps me is to close my eyes and take deep breaths to really try to relax.

I find that taking very deep breaths, closing my eyes, and really trying to relax helps my let-down. Also, pumping at the same exact times each day will help your body know to be full and ready to let-down at that time. Hope this helps! Congrats to you on your dedication to breastfeeding!

Try not to worry about it. When I went back to work I pumped and never got more than 4oz from pumping -- so my daughter took formula while I was at work. I nursed her 100% on the weekend with no issues. I continued to nurse her until she was 11 months.