Stacyx625
Hi,
I think I've seen you post that you are LC. Do you have any tried and true tips for increasing supply?
I've been back at work since Mid-March. My daughter takes 3, 5.5 oz bottles at daycare-she is there from 8-5-I nurse her in the morning before I leave, before bed and then usually once in the middle of the night. I exclusively BF on the weekends. I pump at 9:30, 12:30, 3:30 at work and then again at 10 PM before bed (I do this pump on the weekend as well). I've never responded as well to the pump as I do when she nurses but in the past 2.5 weeks my pumping output has really started to decrease. I had been pumping 8-10 oz my first pump, 4-5 my second pump and then 4.5-6 ounces my last pump at work and generally 4-6.5 ounces at 10. Now it's been 6 ounces in the first pump, 3 in the other 2 work pumps and 3-4 in the 10 PM pump. I drink 3, 1.5 L bottles of water a day, eat oatmeal every weekday morning, usually have a dark beer once a day or at least every other day, have used the Lactate Support Pills and More Milk Plus liquid and those have worked great in the past but now they aren't doing much at all. I also find I'm having to increase the suction on the pump much higher which is causing a lot of pain in my boobs, even when I'm not pumping. I switch back and forth b/w the Medela Symphony and Hygeia Enjoye pump. Do you have any other ideas for me?
Also, in order to rotate my stash (I have a lot of milk from April, May and June in the deep freezer) I've been giving her 1/2 frozen milk and 1/2 fresh milk which I'm hoping will extend my supply-is there any issue with that?
I'd really appreciate any help you can give me. I was hoping to make it to 12 months but now I'm shooting for 9.
Thanks!
BFP #2: 11/16/11: M/C at 7 weeks
BFP #3: 03/24/12: C/P 03/28/12
BFP #4: 04/26/12: please be our baby
Re: Stacyx625
first off- congrats on putting in such a great effort. Scarlett is a total sweetie!
You sound like you are doing TONS right. So kudos to you.
Some women just don't respond great to pumping.
Here are some tips off the top of my head-
Eat a TON of protein- I always noticed a difference when i upp'ed my protein in my diet when i pumped.
Do you do compressions while you pump? Squeezing and massaging your breasts while you pump can really assist the breasts in draining the ducts. Try to pump hands free (by making a hands free bra if you don't have one) and massage your breasts while pumping. Here is a great video. (has some shots of boobs- so be careful if you are viewing at work)
https://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html
i know you said you are playing with the suction/speeds on your pumps- but faster doesn't always = better. Try a slower suction and/or speed and see if that helps. It might take a tad longer- OR just the opposite. Some breasts really respond much better to slower speeds.
Also- and i ALWAYS suggest this- in the video i believe it suggests hand pumping. I don't know if you are comfortable with that. However I would always hand express when I was done pumping (after my breasts would stop spraying milk) and I could ALWAYS get another 2-3oz with manually expressing. Believe it or not- i know women (who just dont respond well to electric pumps) and hand expressing is faster and easier for them and it outputs more for them. Just an idea. Experiment with it and see. It takes a little bit of practice but it could totally be worth it.
I will definitely try loweirng the suction on the pump. I actually had to do that yesterday b/c my left boob was killing me.
The protein is a really good idea. I try and get some protein in at each meal but have probably been lacking in that area.
I do actually express what I can after I pump but sometimes it's hard to do that at work
What drives me nuts is that I will get 2 letdowns-the first very quickly and the second about 22 minutes into pumping. Then I pump for a few minutes after the last drop and then when I take the pump off I can squeeze streams of milk out. I guess that is just how it is.
I will follow your tips and hope I can stick this out.
Thanks again!!!
BFP #2: 11/16/11: M/C at 7 weeks
BFP #3: 03/24/12: C/P 03/28/12
BFP #4: 04/26/12: please be our baby
the protein part is really helpful. try instant carnation breakfast. peanut butter on whole wheat toast for a snack- chilli with ground beef and beans. hummus,
anything with meat and beans = a great output for me.
also frittatas or egg casserole for breakfast.
also- have you tried power pumping?
pump for 10 minutes- break for 5, pump for 5- break for 5 repeat for an hour? obviously not the easiest to do at work- but can be helpful if you do that at night while you are home- watching TV or reading or whatnot after Scarlett goes to bed. It helps with your supply by tricking your body almost at the increased need for making milk- and a lot of women who power pump experience faster letdowns when they pump during the week at work.
I could totally do a power pump. Do you suggest doing once a day or more like once a week or once every few days?
Carnation would be such an easy breakfast or snack. I'd like to stick to WW but i'm not sure, even with the extra points if it's best to do now that my supply is dropping. I do try and always have some south beach protein bars around and chobani yogurt which has 14 grams of protein (although only 130 calories which might not be good). Now I want chili!
BFP #2: 11/16/11: M/C at 7 weeks
BFP #3: 03/24/12: C/P 03/28/12
BFP #4: 04/26/12: please be our baby
chilli is sooo good. mmmm. if i didn't have wicked heartburn right now i would make some.
The carnation is great in the early afternoon before you pump- because most people have a lower output in the afternoon hours. It gives it a nice little boost. drink it about an hour or so before pumping.
you could easily power pump once a day to jump start it and see how your body responds. Remember it could take a few days to see a noticable increase. Or you could respond right away. Once you jump start your supply a lot of women tend to power pump once or twice a week if that- just to maintain a boosted supply or get ahead of the game.
I always urge women not to power pump too soon in the game (early on with little ones to prevent oversupply) but since you are further along- hook up to the pump while you watch some night time TV and give it a shot and see how it goes.
BFP #2: 11/16/11: M/C at 7 weeks
BFP #3: 03/24/12: C/P 03/28/12
BFP #4: 04/26/12: please be our baby
BFP #2: 11/16/11: M/C at 7 weeks
BFP #3: 03/24/12: C/P 03/28/12
BFP #4: 04/26/12: please be our baby
ehh i have never been a fan of recommending herbal suppliments- mostly because women think that there is going to be a 'quick fix' and they take them and not realize that if you don't do the basics (supply and demand) it isn't going to help. So you need to either nurse more and/or pump more in addition.
I have been really lucky with both pregnancies- the heartburn comes and goes nothing terrible. Tonight is just more so than most times.