problems pumping. ..

taranicole110

My first lo, now 2, was exclusively bf for a year and a half because I could not pump for the life of me. I am now 36 weeks with my second and am still back and forth about breastfeeding. I want what is best for my baby and I would love to have that bond, but how can I go anywhere without lo if I can't pump? Had anyone had trouble pumping with their first, but had luck with their second? I am so distraught right now

llambrose

taranicole110 said:

Wow! Thank you for all the advice. I could not pump more than a few drops. After months of trying everything in the books, I gave up. I have no problem with supplementing, but reading up on it they said to wait up to 8 weeks before introducing formula. Won't lo deny formula by that point? Hopefully this time around I will have better luck with pumping.

I know I introduced formula before 8 weeks. She had some in the hospital and some when we first got home because things were over stimulating and she got too hungry and had problems remembering how to nurse. One thing I made sure to do was to never bottle feed her myself until she was much older. It was a tip my mom remembered from nursing all of us. Dad, grandparents, visitors would feed her a bottle but mom never did. Early on, I would even stay out of the room. I don't know how important this is but I feel like we had a very successful combination of nursing/supplementing and it doesn't seem like that hurt the process at all.

kellyfo14

I had a much easier time with all things breastfeeding the second time around. I second that you should talk to the LC. Did you try pumping with the hospital grade pump with your first? I would not forgo breastfeeding all together because you don't have a stash or have trouble pumping if it is something you are committed to. Why not use formula to supplement if needed when you are away? What part of pumping was a challenge? Was it simply that you weren't getting enough milk?

mshepherd20

I wasn't able to pump much with my first so we had to supplement approximately a bottle a day when I was at work. With my second I was producing more when nursing and with pumping. Unfortunately, I think each baby is different with feeding/pumping so it may be hard to predict how your body will do this time around.

4littlebears

I wasn't able to pump with any of my 3, but I never had a good pump. I'm hoping the new electric pump my insurance paid for will work better, but it really has never bothered me to be attached to my infant until they start solid foods. 6 months isn't really that bad in the grand scheme. It's temporary.

robsbabygirl08

I only get a half ounce at a time when I pump, if even that. It takes me a couple days to get a three ounce feeding (which is what LO takes). I'm just happy to give what I can and have come to terms with the fact that I have to supplement for the health of LO. It's not ideal, but it's working for us. Good luck, I hope you find something that works for you as well.

BackseatDriver

Could you try pumping one side while you BF from the other side? Were you able to manually express milk when full? Some people have better success that way. If you want to pump and you are having issues it might be worthwhile to see an LC as a pp suggested. I would bring your pump with you. They might be able to check to make sure that it is working properly, that you have the correct fit, and that you are pumping long enough. If a higher quality pump is the answer they might have one that you can try to see if that works better. I have heard that for some people their state of mind really helps. Being relaxed or hearing their baby cry can potentially make a difference for some moms. Good luck!

mshepherd20

Also, if you're trying to build a stash, your largest milk supply is between 12:00 and 4:00am (I believe) so it's best to pump after a middle of the night feeding. I did this last time around and was able to pump the most during this one session that I was the rest of the day.

nah82

I never had much luck pumping, I bfed both my boys and supplemented with formula when I would be away.  Of course, I could not be away for long or I would get very engorged.  I only worked 4 hour shifts with #1 and SAH with #2 so I would only be away for a few hours at a time.

llambrose

I breastfed my first and was able to pump some but I hated it. I felt like it took forever to get a good amount and there were other things I wanted to do more than sit and pump. (Note I could only afford the Medela single electric at the time, this time I have a double which might make it more tolerable). I ended up breast feeding her when I could and supplementing with formula (at first I would mix what I pumped with the formula but eventually I dropped the pumping) when I had to be gone. It worked out really well for us and gave us a lot of flexibility. I am hoping to follow a similar path with this baby because it worked out so well with our first. Good luck!

jmcmoe

BackseatDriver said:

Could you try pumping one side while you BF from the other side? Were you able to manually express milk when full? Some people have better success that way. If you want to pump and you are having issues it might be worthwhile to see an LC as a pp suggested. I would bring your pump with you. They might be able to check to make sure that it is working properly, that you have the correct fit, and that you are pumping long enough. If a higher quality pump is the answer they might have one that you can try to see if that works better. I have heard that for some people their state of mind really helps. Being relaxed or hearing their baby cry can potentially make a difference for some moms. Good luck!

This exactly and also I was told the first time by my sister (who is a midwife) to think about the baby while trying to letdown because a lot of people get nervous and feel weird because it's a machine. You need the release of oxytocin for let down so if your mind is not at ease and in the right place, it may not work!

tripletoe

What kind of problems did you have with pumping? No output? Even if you cannot pump successfully with this next LO, you could always supplement while you are away. Some breast milk is better then no breast milk. 

taranicole110

Wow! Thank you for all the advice. I could not pump more than a few drops. After months of trying everything in the books, I gave up. I have no problem with supplementing, but reading up on it they said to wait up to 8 weeks before introducing formula. Won't lo deny formula by that point? Hopefully this time around I will have better luck with pumping.