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Breastfeeding
AlwaysSunny925
member
Is there any hope?
AlwaysSunny925
member
Hello ladies -
This is my first post here. I gave birth to twin boys two weeks ago at 25 weeks. I was given a pump a few hours after my c/s and was pumping at the hospital. I rented a hospital grade pump and have been at it ever since, but have honestly not been pumping as much as I should. Instead of 8 times per day it's been more like 5 or 6 if I am lucky. I get an ok amount at each session, probably an average of 5 ounces. However, this is nowhere near where I should be for twins. The LC said I should be getting 1L a day.
Is there any hope to increase my supply? I was told that I only have the first two weeks after the LO's were born to really build it up. Also, the more I pump, the less I get at each session.
TIA!
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Re: Is there any hope?
Wow! Well firstly, congrats on your boys, they are precious
Second...i used fenugreek and that helped build my supply while i was pumping at work for DS. I forget the dosage i took, but it was the reccomended amount on the bottle.
Also, pump as often as you can!
I have heard of women who swear by oatmeal (breakfast type oatmeal, granola, cookies...), blessed thistle, mother's milk tea. I would check with your LC before trying any of these though. I dont have any experience with bfing a preemie, so im not sure if the sameadvice applies.
Sorry i couldnt be more help, but good luck!
I don't know the answer, but you can only do what you can do. I would try to pump more often if it's possible. I'm sure it's hard to do with the boys in the NICU, but that's really the only way to build and establish a supply.
Congratulations on the little cuties. Good luck to all of you!
It sounds like you are doing great with pumping! Your suppy should increase until around 12 weeks. 5 oz is a lot for the beginning. I believe the average is 2-4 oz per session at the beginning, since most breastfed babies eat 8-12 times per day.
The more often you pump, the more it will signal to your body to make. If you don't have time to pump 8 times, try not to stress about it. If you have an extra hour, you can also power pump - 10 minutes off, 10 minutes on for an hour. This will act like a baby's growth spurt and signal your body to make more milk.
Are you pumping hands-free? That can help you save time too!
GL! And congrats on your twins!
Good to "run into you" over on this board from the Preemie board! :-)
Try to hit those 8x / day of pumping! It worked for me. I had a baby at 26 weeks, and was able to EP for him while he was in the NICU. I pumped 8x / day at first, and, at about 6 weeks, I dropped down to 7x / day. After he came home, we were able to nurse for several weeks before I went back to work. Now, I'm pumping while I'm at work and nursing at home. Your pumping sessions don't necessarily need to be evenly spaced throughout the day, either. Sometimes, I'd end up cluster pumping in the evenings.
5 oz / session is a lot for a singleton, but I don't know anything about twins. When I was pumping exclusively, I'd get about 3.5 oz / session (more in the morning), and I got a lot of comments about my big supply. At this point, they probably aren't taking much milk, right? So, you'll be able to put a lot in the freezer to start building your stash.
Do you have a hospital grade pump? That was great for me.
Good job for you for making it this far! I know it's hard. Congratulations again on your twins!
Likewise
At this point only Aiden is getting my milk consistently. I've actually started freezing at home bc the hospital was running out of room for my milk. And I did rent a hospital grade pump. I guess I just need to really make sure I pump more. And hopefully my supply will increase.
Thanks for the tips!
I agree with PP that the best way to increase your supply is to pump more. I know 8-12 times a day is a lot, but it doesn't last forever. I can't imagine the added stress that you are under with two LOs in the NICU. If you can, try to squeeze in 1-2 extra sessions a day. Also, see if you can get as much help as possible at home, chores, cooking, etc. so that there is more time for you to pump and spend time with you LOs. Remember that any amount of breastmilk is good! Good luck to you and your family