help me learn to pump please : )

abakies33

my lo was born 2 weeks ago, 9 weeks early due to pprom. so far we havent found any health issues, thank goodness. he is being tube fed 36ml every 3 hrs. i am pumping using a medela symphony every 2 hrs. this is my 1st child so i am clueless about pumping, i am only getting 20 ml every pump. is there any thing i can do to increase the amount i am getting? any advice, suggestions, support or links about pumping for a preemie would be wonderful. thanks ladies : )

katie4253

Do you have a hands free bra?  If not, get one STAT.  I love the pumpease bra, but lots of moms love the simple wishes bra. 

Other than that, do compressions once the milk starts flowing.  Also, get in touch with your hospitals lactation consultant. They can help a lot.  

WaitingforGrace

Start with all the links on here..

https://www.kellymom.com/bf/preemie/index.html

I'd change to pumping every 3 hours for 20-25 minutes instead of 2 as well. Also at this age, you unfortunately need to try to get up once a night to pump. Drink tons of water, eat gobs of protein. And prepare yourself. The pumping itself is easy, the mental toll the whole thing takes on you is the hard part.

I successfully exclusively pumped for my twins for 6 months and it was torture, but it's so worth it.

mrsV719

I agree with what everyone said above.

 

You can also try this: https://www.motherlove.com/product/580-More-Milk-Special-Blend.html

 

Finally, see if your insurance will cover a hospital grade pump. Mine did for the entire time that LO was in the hospital and it was SO great to have one at home. It really helped with my supply. 

holn76

I had similar issues and figured out I was using the pump at a very low setting bc it hurt. Once I moved the suction up the milk started to flow more. I had to pump for aleast 30 min each time though. Hang in there. Hopefully you can switch to nursing your baby once you get home. It is much easier that way. Work with lactation as much as possible while your lo is in the hospital. They have a ton of wisdom and give great support.

tarapiag

I am in almost the exact same position as CurlingRoc  and agree with what she said- I have been EP for 7 months now for my 31 weeker and the only thing I would add is to see if your insurance will cover the hospital grade pump for you at home.  That is a definite help!  There are so many good suggestions here as well-talk to the lactation consultant, and see what she has to say.  I pumped every 2-3 hours in the beginning, sometimes for as long as 20 min but never more than 30, usually while reading or watching something humorous; that helped me to relax with my LO in the NICU for a long period of time.   Also massaging the breast sometimes helps- Good luck and keep trying, but I also agree not to be too hard on yourself!