How do you pump?

babylala07 · February 2011

I'm seeing a lot of posts about women who can't seem to pump much milk. And I was wondering how everyone goes about pumping. I have a Medela Swing, and maybe it's not the most powerful pump out there, but I pump 3 times a day and get a total of about 18-19 oz and this is in addition to on-demand breastfeeding for an 8 month old. I freeze 12 ozs for my stash and 7 ozs I use for a night bottle. When I pump I find I have to massage the milk out. If I just sat there and let the pump do its thing, I probably wouldn't get much out. Does anyone else do this also? Are women who can't pump much milk not doing it this way?

AimeeL85 · February 2011

I don't have a problem pumping; I sometimes stop and massage, but what I also do is constantly pull off and re-suction at a slightly different angle when the flow stops, and this always gets it going again. This is why I don't use a hands-free bra, because it doesn't allow me to do that. The few times I used one, I got half the milk I normally would.

khelfrey · February 2011

I have a Medela PISA but also have to massage the milk out of my breasts in order to get the most out of them. In the very beginning of a session, I might not have to and I will get about an ounce, but after that if I want to get up to 2-3 ounces I have to massage. I also pump one breast at a time and switch it up after a couple minutes. One breast will stop flowing, so I switch to the other until that one stops flowing. Then I go back to the first and will get more milk out. Back and forth until they both stop flowing..usually about 15 minutes....This is the only way I'm able to get 3 ounces per session.

How do you pump?

Re: How do you pump?

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