Experienced Pumpers - advice?

LTGirl · May 2011

So I've gone back to work part-time and am now pumping during the day 3 days/week. (Baby is 8 1/2 months old and eats three solid meals a day in addition to nursing). I feel like I"m not producing enough, via the pump, to keep up with her demand. Luckily, I do have a small stash in the freezer to supplement, but I'm not sure what will happen when that runs out.

Just wondering if anyone who is a pro-pumper has any advice - do I pump more often (kind of inconvenient), supplement with formula (would prefer not to do that unless really necessary)?

I was hoping to make it to one year of BF this time around, but if I can't keep up, not sure if that's realistic?

Thanks for any advice!

kat81 · May 2011

experiment with the speed & intensity of your pump, keep the pump running after the milk has run dry (might be more effective than adding pump sessions), drink more water, massage/compress the breasts pushing towards the nipples during pumping. I keep pumping if I have any hint that the breasts aren't emptied. I get a lot in the beginning (5-10 min) and then it is very slow going until I'm done (more like 20 min) but I always get more by keeping it running longer. GL!