pumping at work -- how long?

thiswillbe · June 2010

How long are your pumping sessions at work? I have been struggling with low supply issues, and at home have been pumping for an hour at a time several times a day just to get enough to provide one 5-oz bottle for each of my twins each day. I really can't afford for my supply to decrease, but I also doubt I'll be able to pump for an hour at a time at work. What should I shoot for? 20 minutes? 30? Is there some optimum length of time?

FutureGosnell · June 2010

I pumped 15-20 minutes at a time, 3x a day. Have you tried a hospital grade pump? Have you had a LC with experience pumping check the horn size on your pump? My friend has horns that were too small and once she went up in size her output increased. Optimum length of time varies person to person.

thiswillbe · June 2010

FutureGosnell:
Have you tried a hospital grade pump? Have you had a LC with experience pumping check the horn size on your pump?

Yeah, I have a rental Medela Symphony and also a Medela PISA (I use the rental regularly, only use the PISA in the car so far). And I have the largest horns they make (36 mm?)-- which is what the LC at the hospital said I needed (haven't seen one since). And I'm taking More Milk Plus and another fenugreek blend. I don't really know why I'm struggling so much to produce anything.

aglenn · June 2010

I pump for 15-20 minutes 3x/day at work. Sometimes I'll do a 4th session if I need to. From what I understand, if you're having supply issues it's better to pump more frequently than to pump for longer periods of time.

erinms · June 2010

I think it varies from person to person- some people respond really well to the pump and others don't. It also depends on the pump. We have a hospital grade pump at work, and I used to pump 20-30 minutes per session.

Sassystace · June 2010

I pump for about 30 min 2x per day in order to get the amount of milk I need (about 15-18 oz). I've tried 3, 15-20 min sessions and gotten the same volume as two sessions. I've found though that sometimes when not much milk is coming out, I need to really relax, close my eyes and imagine nursing my baby in order to get a 'real' let-down to occur and milk to come out at a better rate. Looking at really cute pictures of my son helps too. Also, I would try the next size smaller flanges just to see if it makes a difference. I've used both the 36 and the 30mm and get more from the 30mm--it wouldn't hurt too much to try the smaller size just to see if it makes a difference. Eating and drinking extra also helps my supply.

Angela814 · June 2010

I pumped for a few minutes after the milk stopped flowing. I think that was usually about 20 minutes total.

ShoeFanatic614 · July 2010

Angela814:
I pumped for a few minutes after the milk stopped flowing. I think that was usually about 20 minutes total.

This is exactly what I do. 3 times a day.

c&f2006 · July 2010

I think pumping for more than 30 min probably isn't a good thing. Is milk still flowing. Some women can take a 10 min break after 10-15 min of pumping and come back and get a 2nd let down. Are you getting multiple let downs?

I'm no longer pumping, but when I was I got so much good info from a Yahoo Group - PumpMoms. There are lots of ways to increase your supply (in addition to what you are doing maybe try non-instant oatmeal and replacing some of your water with gatorade) and also ways to be more efficient with pumping (warm compresses, massage and hand compressions). The efficiency aspect was always my issue. I had plenty of milk for DD, but wasn't good at getting it out with pump. I found that I could often get a good bit more (another ounce) by hand expressing after I pumped.

I'd definitely give a smaller shield a try, too.

Good luck!

QueSrah · July 2010

Since you're in DC, you could try talking to a LC at the Breastfeeding Center on K St. I found Pat to be more helpful than the LCs at the hospital where I delivered (VHC).

Hand compressions have helped me get easily an extra ounce per session. Have you tried different pumping schedules? I find that I get as much pumping for 10-15 minutes every 4 hours at work as if I pump every three hours. It's like my body shuts down if I pump too often because of the hassle and stress I associate with pumping. Maybe shorter pumping sessions (an hour seems REALLY long to me) would help your body stress about it less and produce more?

Bears1 · July 2010

I do two sessions about 20 minutes each. In one of them, I usually get a 2nd let down. Then, when I get home I pump again for 20 minutes. If you are pumping at home after you just fed, you won't get much. I look at my pictures on my phone of my LO. It helps.

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