Preemies

those who exclusively pumped while baby was in NICU......

my little guy born at 25w4d (now 7 weeks old) is going to be in the NICU for atleast another 4-6 weeks and my supply has dropped a lot. I havent changed anything i am doing and even increasing pumping sessions, power pumping, etc. has not helped. any words of wisdom would be appreciated! I am feeling frustrated because he is eating more than I produce now and they are supplementing formula. I am producing less than 1 ounce each session...... :(

Re: those who exclusively pumped while baby was in NICU......

  • I did not have supply issues while the boys were still in the NICU, it wasn't until I'd been pumping about 18weeks and by that time I just couldn't do it anymore and quit.  I did notice that when I was particularly stressed and exhausted that I would see a dramatic drop in my supply.  I would drink as much water as I was drinking when I was p/g with the twins, about 64oz a day.  There are herbal supplements that you can take that help with supply, but I didn't take them.  Mabye someone here can help with suggestions.  Also, have you checked on KellyMom.com for some suggestions?
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  • Have you tried eating oatmeal? Some drs prescribe reglan? ?fenugreek? ?I am trying to think of all the things I have heard. ?I never really got any great quantity :(?
  • i was on reglan but it made me exhausted. I am taking fennugreek and blessed thistle, eating oatmeal and trying brewers yeast and just having a hard time! the thought of formula is making me sad because i was going to exclusively breast feed for as long as possible. i didnt think that was only going to be 8 weeks :(
  • I think I've heard of something called mothers milk tea?  But I don't know anything about it.  Sorry. 
  • I always had supply issues and never got more than 10ml in one pumping.  I tried Fenugreek, warm compresses, and pumped all the time, but nothing really worked.  I gave DS what I could while he was in the NICU since they told me every drop is helping him.  But when he came home after a month I only stuck with it for a few days before I surrendered and made him a full-fledged formula baby.  The only advise I have it to stick with ith as long as you can and not feel guilty, ashamed, embarrassed, or inadequate, if you cannot provide your baby with BM.  Everything and everyone I talked to made me feel horrible for not being able to do this seemingly simply task.  I shed many tears and was constantly anxious and stressed. It wasn't until DS was home for a month and gaining weight like a champ, that I let go of all terrible feelings. 
  • I didn't have issues when I pumped.  What my lactation nurse and other NICU mom's told me if my supply started to run low was to take a hot shower and while doing that massage my breasts for about 5-10 minutes each.  As for the mother's milk tea my visiting nurse suggested it and swears by it.  She told me to get it at Whole Foods if again my supply was running low.  Drink tons and tons of water.  Stay away from salty foods if you can.  I hope this helps.  Congratulations on your LO :)...
  • As mek10976 said please don't feel ashamed etc. if you can't continue to pump for your son.  I know it is easier said than done.  I give you so much credit for trying your hardest to pump and that alone is hard.  If your body isn't equipped for it than it isn't at least your tried and gave it all your hardest.  Good Luck :)
  • What kind of pump are you using? If you aren't renting one from the hospital, I STRONGLY suggest you start. Their pumps are amazing.

    If you're already renting a pump (and even if you aren't) you may have a hardware problem. Try replacing the membranes, and check the tubing to make sure there aren't any holes in it. Once I boiled my tubing after I accidently dragged it across the hospital floor, and I melted a hole in the tubing. It literally took me 6 months to realize why I always got more out of one side. Duh!

    Also make sure you're eating, sleeping and drinking enough fluids. Good luck! Pumping is SUCH hard work.

  • Drink lots and lots of water.  When you think you can't drink any more, drink more.  I eat steel cut oats 2x/day.  I also drink Mother's milk tea.  You can find it at Whole Foods.  Also, try looking at a picture of your baby while you pump or have a blanket or piece of clothing that he's worn near you.  Will your nicu let you pump at his bedside?  And do as much skin to skin as the nicu will let you. 

    And don't, for even a second, feel guilty or bad that he has to have formula!  You are doing the best that you can and the most important thing is that he eats and grows so he can be home! 

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  • everyone offered very good advice and i really hope some of it works for you. I just wanted to say good luck! i would at least keep trying until you are able to try breastfeeding (that is if it's really important to you). you may be able to produce much more milk for your baby than you would a machine. and find a good supporting lactation consultant at the NICU to help you.
  • I echo everything that was said from the PP about herbal supplements, teas, water, oatmeal, rest... there are so many things that can affect your production. I swear, pumping is the one thing that totally caught me off guard. You don't hear much about it when you think you're going to have a normal pregnancy and healthy BFing baby! Your NICU should have lactation consultants on hand to assist with your issues... hopefully they can give some more suggestions.

    The only additional bit of help I can give is to suggest hand expression. I've only just started really getting into it (based a link that someone posted on this board actually). I massage and compress my breasts during pumping, then when I'm done (15-20mins) I try some hand expression for an additional 10mins or so.

    It's taking a bit to get used to... it's not the easiest thing ever. But, lots of people use it as their exclusive way to "pump" and are incredibly successful with it, so I figured why not! These video links might help you out... (they're NSFW)

    Maximizing Milk Production With Hands On Pumping
    Hand Expression of Breastmilk

    Good luck and just keep with it!

  • i pumped while Carter was in the nicu and only got 10-20ml each session - so don't feel bad!  I was always a bit embarassed bringing it in, but some is better than none.  However - i'm now breast feeding him - and even tho i still pump NOTHING i'm able to produce enough to exclusively bf.  I just wish I could build up a supply of pumped milk...i'm still trying!!

    My ob prescribed reglan - but i've heard the side effects can be awful so i didn't even try it.  I tried fenugreek capsules without success.  Warm commpresses, relaxing, picture of baby, etc - but nothing works,

    The lc at the peds office gave me "more milk" - its a liquid combo of fenugreek and other herbs - i can't tell yet how its working as its only been 2 days - but its worth a try.  i know pumps aren't as efficient as baby - so don't give up!

  • I pumped with my daughter exclusively for 3 month with a manual pump. When my milk production started going down at 6 weeks my doctor gave me raglan. Which helped tremendously. She wasn't a NICU baby but had a very bad cone head where her bones overlapped making it to hard for her to suck.

     

    This time with my son I have been using the same pump I used with my daughter. (Avent Manual)  My supply has been slowly gaining and I seem to be able to pump more after I have been at the hospital to see him. COntact with babies helps your body produce more milk. So if you have a friend who has a baby holding him/her might help. Also pumping ever 2 hours instead of 4 can help some people get their supply back up. I know with my daughter I was able to pump way more than I am able to with my son.

  • everything they've suggested is good. my doc and lc warned me that there would come a time when my body would figure out i was pumping and try to stop my milk supply. for me it happened around 4-5 weeks. i used fenugreek and it came right back.

    they told me to just pump through it (more often, not longer), drink enough water that i feel like i'm drowning,  eat well, get rest, and don't get stressed. tall orders for a nicu mommy! they've assured me that if i eat and drink enough, and pump enough, my body will continue to make milk. also, babies are 40% more efficient at getting milk than a pump. so keep that in mind. you could feel like you're getting basically nothing, but your little guy could get a full feeding. if you can try some non nutritive sucking it might also stimulate your supply.

    my mil owns a supplement/healthfood store. she recommends fenugreek, blessed thistle, mother's milk tea, and brewer's yeast. (which everyone also said.)

    i have the medela pump in style. i love it, and can't tell a difference from the hospital pump. (i used the hospital one a few times while i was in, and periodically still use it when i forget mine and i'm up at the nicu.)

     

  • i am the mom to a 25w2 day baby. I had the same issue -- bad supply that got worse after weeks of pumping.  I did two rounds of Reglan, which helped at first, but even that stopped working. I did Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle and drank gallons of water and did everything they said.  Unfortunately I could never get my supply up again.   The neonatologist told me that sometimes moms of very early preemies just can't do it, and he gets a little upset with the lactation consultants that keep telling you that if you just pump more and drink water that things will magically turn around.  With extreme preemie moms, you have the double punch of a body not quite ready and the pumping not really giving you the same effect as a nursing baby to fight against.   Talking to him helped me feel somewhat better -- not being able to breast feed was one of the hardest things for me to deal with.  I sobbed the first time they had to give him formula in the NICU when hit the point where he was consuming more than I could pump in a day. 

    Don't give up hope, and hopefully you can try Reglan or maybe a better pump, or other suggestions people have posted.  But if you don't have luck, at least know there are others on this board who have gone through the exact same thing. 

  • I'm sorry :( I don't have a lot of suggestions because I had so much milk - but I drank a TON of water and I pumped every 3 hours religiously, except fro 1 5-hour stretch at night....I hope it gets better!
  • I pumped while my daughter was in the NICU for about 4 weeks, and then continued for another 2 months. She wouldn't breastfeed.

    Whatever pumping you can do is awesome.

    What helped me the most was pumping during my visits to the NICU. They should have a pump there that you can hook up to while you sit by your baby. It is very powerful. Also, this sounds really bizarre but it worked for me: visualization. I would think about my breasts getting really full of milk before I'd pump. I would picture the pump bottles full of milk. And I was not by my baby, I would go through the whole routine of going to the NICU in my head. Sometimes, I'd even say it aloud, like "I'm walking through the doors. I'm washing my hands and then gelling. I see the nurse. I sit down by my daughter. She looks at me." Etc. It really worked.

    Another important thing is are you sure you have the right size horns? I just used the ones that came with my pump rental, and when I bought the next size up, I got a lot more milk. Like 1 oz. more, at least, in each session. The horns are inexpensive so pick up a size up and a size down and see what happens.

    Personally, I wouldn't take Reglan. It's not indicated for increasing milk supply, and the FDA put a warning out in February about its long-term or high-dose use leading to a muscle problem. There are plenty of other less potent homeopathic remedies out there if you want to try one of those.

     

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