affordable breastpump and increase milk supply question

wcrowdy11 · December 2012

hello all,

new mom with new baby born on October 24... been having a difficult time with breastfeeding. LO has a very strong suck and my nipples were sore for the first few weeks. Peditrician suggested pumping and feeding the LO through a bottle. This has been working great but my milk supply has decreased a lot. I have also been taking Fenugreek and Mother's Milk tea (just added the tea this week). Any advise to increase the milk supply would be greatly apreciated!

I am also renting a hospital pump and I am interested in purchasing my own but can't afford the Medea pump. Any suggestions of a good pump that is not as expensive? Thanks in advance!

kegallagh · December 2012

No suggestion on an affordable pump, as I have a Medela. Just wanted to ask... Are you still nursing or strictly pumping and bottle feeding? Pumps are less efficient than a baby's sucking so it is common for exclusive, or even frequent, pumping to impact supply. If you're also nursing, I would recommend taking a break from the pumping for a few weeks to help your supply come back up.

wcrowdy11 · December 2012

I have been strictly bottle and pumping. I have been putting him on the breast occasionally to see if he would still latch and had lost total interest for the breast. I have been getting a lot of different information , so I am kinda confused. The LC from the hospital suggested the pumping and breast... nothing about the possible break to help build the supply. She felt I needed a better pump the hospital grade because I was using a single hand held.

kegallagh · December 2012

What is your ultimate goal? Do you want to be able to feed him at the breast, or do you want to pump exclusively? I ask because the advice will be different depending on your goal. If you want baby to be able to nurse then you need to be nursing. Frequent breastfeeding is the best way to build your supply. A manual pump is sufficient if you're just pumping to give the occasional bottle. If you are going to pump exclusively then yes, a double electric pump is the way to go.

wcrowdy11 · December 2012

My ultimate goal is the breast milk. How he gets the milk to me at this point doesn't matter. I will start back to work in January so he will need to able to use a bottle during the day but until then, I have no problem breastfeeding.

kegallagh · December 2012

Then I would cut back on the pumping to allow your body regulate your supply to meet the demands of nursing.

mcanant · December 2012

wcrowdy11:
My ultimate goal is the breast milk. How he gets the milk to me at this point doesn't matter. I will start back to work in January so he will need to able to use a bottle during the day but until then, I have no problem breastfeeding.

you will have to have a good pump if you want to continue pumping and feeding and going back to work. A Freestyle, PISA, or purely yours are the top pumps for frequent pampers. After the first, all insurance must cover some form of a pump. You should see if you qualify. You can also use FSa funds to pay. Not sure if ou have any left for the year

shotzie · December 2012

I would contact your insurance company, like pp suggested. SIL just called her insurance and they will cover the cost of a double electric pump. But they have specifics about where you purchase it, and you usually have the choice between two brands.

Ameda Purely Yours is a great pump, and it's a closed system, so you could buy a used one on eBay instead and just replace the accessories. You do not want to buy a used open system pump, like a PISA though. You can google "closed system pumps" to find a list of them.

Lots of women are able to exclusively pump, but in general, it can lead to supply problems for Mom. Unfortunately, pediatricians have very minimal bf'ing knowledge and tend to give bad advice. An International Board Certified LC is your best bet for bf'ing help. Or a LLL leader/support group. All LC's are not created equal, but they should've helped you with breastfeeding instead of recommending switching to EP'ing.

I only mention this because if you have more babies, and need bf'ing help, you'll want to ignore the pedi and stick with an IBCLC who has your long term bf'ing relationship in mind.

Rynna · December 2012

I agree that an LC shouldn't have recommended that you just start EPing. You can try using a nipple shield to get LO back to the breast. As far as increasing supply, if you're taking fenugreek, you need to take enough of it so that you and your milk smell like maple syrup. You can also see if your doctor will prescribe Domperidone, but you'll probably need a compounding pharmacy to make it for you. The most effective way, though, is to pump more often, and to pump longer. Pump for about 5 minutes after your milk stops flowing, and pump every 2-3 hours around the clock. And if you can put the baby to the breast in between, do it.

wcrowdy11 · December 2012

Thanks for all the advise! : I did check to see if my insurance covers a breast pump and from the looks of it, they do not. But from reading your information, if I wait til the first, they may. Please tell me more about this!

shotzie · December 2012

wcrowdy11:
Thanks for all the advise! : I did check to see if my insurance covers a breast pump and from the looks of it, they do not. But from reading your information, if I wait til the first, they may. Please tell me more about this!

When SIL called her insurance, they said right now they'd cover 85 percent of the breast pump cost, but if she waited till Jan 1, they'd cover 100 percent. Some also cover a certain number of milk storage bags too. I'd just call your ins tomorrow and ask if they cover breast pumps and how it works. Good luck!

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