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August 2014 Moms
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Pumping - what am I doing wrong?

lisa1110lisa1110 member
edited October 2014 in August 2014 Moms
i was just reading the thread about pumping and storing milk. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Once a day I get 4 ounces total (usually at night) and it takes forever. The rest of the day I get about two each time, if that. My LO is 7 weeks tomorrow. Also, when I pump, the milk starts and stops throughout the session. Is that typical? I've seen three LCs and I can't take any herbs or tea because the baby had bad reactions to them. He is slowly gaining weight about half an ounce a day.
When I BF he takes his time and never fills himself up. So now I pump 2xs so I have a bottle to feed him more milk at a faster rate and then BF, takes well over an hour - each time.
Sorry if this thread is a stream of consciousness, I'm fried!
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Re: Pumping - what am I doing wrong?

  • SoSayWeAllSoSayWeAll member
    What kind of pump do you have? I have the Ameda Purely Yours and was having trouble getting much milk out and it turned out that I needed new valves. I am not an expert and am not sure that is your issue, but it might be worth looking into.
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  • Elaina22Elaina22 member
    That's all I get. I just started on my freezer stash early and have only left LO alone needing a bottle for two feedings.
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  • lisa1110lisa1110 member
    I have a medela pump in style. How did you figure out you needed new valves?
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  • SoSayWeAllSoSayWeAll member
    I found out it was a common problem with the Ameda so I bought new ones($8) and got much better results. I don't know if the Medela is the same way. Can you see one of your lactation consultants again and see if they can watch you pump and help you troubleshoot?
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  • Eena1242Eena1242 member
    That's about all I get too. Pumping is so stressful- I hate it! I also get plugged ducts every time I pump.
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  • RachelB104RachelB104 member
    Sorry to tag on with more questions but my mobile app won't let me search or start a new discussion so I just look for what conversation is close.
    I can only pump after the 7am ish feeding and only ever get a little over two oz total. If I pump any other time a day I get less than half an oz. I take Fenugreek but I don't know that it is helping.
    Can I put the 2 oz I pump in the morning in the fridge and add to it through out the day before freezing?
    Any other suggestions on getting more milk?
    TIA
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited October 2014
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  • JadaBlueJadaBlue member
    That's all I get, and that's after pumping eight times a day for three weeks.
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  • lisa1110lisa1110 member
    Thanks everyone. To those that are pumping around the same amount are you supplementing? Are you concerned about weight gain? He has SO many dirty diapers everyday but not gaining very quickly.
    I was so clueless about BF and pumping before the baby. I thought your milk just came in and that was it!!
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
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  • Eena1242Eena1242 member
    I'm not supplementing and I'll do as much as I can to avoid supplementation. We had to do it for a few days after being home from the hospital and it sucked! My LO is gaining well though. He eats about 8-10 times a day.

    One thing a LC told me was to hand express after every pumping session as it will empty the breast better than the pump. I always get nearly an additional half ounce doing so. Maybe you can even try hand expressing after he's done eating. Did the doctor say your LO's weight gain was slow? And try not to stress about it- it's bad for your milk supply! :)
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  • Elaina22Elaina22 member
    My LO has had slow weight gain but my doctor is not concerned. So, I am not supplementing and don't plan too unless things change.
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  • lexxctpxlexxctpx member
    If you have slow weight gain and your LO takes forever at the breast this sounds like the beginning of my breastfeeding journey. DD had a lip tie and posterior tongue tie that we had corrected. She's gained 4 pounds in just over a month. It's called a milk transfer issue and can give you problems with your supply since your body isn't recognizing it needs to make more milk. You could definitely check for that. Google has a bunch of pictures you can compare your LO to. You can bring it up to your pediatrician and they will refer you to an ENT to get it fixed.

    Also, have you tried breast compressions? When your LO looks like he's sucking, squeeze your breast to get some more milk out into his mouth. Once it looks like he's swallowing, stop, then keep repeating each time he looks like he's sucking. You can YouTube that, too.

    Good luck and hope you figure it out!
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  • RachelB104RachelB104 member
    edited October 2014
    My LO has had great weight gain (2lbs 3oz gained from birth to 1 month won't know gain between 1 and 2 months till end of October but he feels much heavier) The couple of times he was bottle feed bm he took a full 4 Oz. I wonder if he drinks so much bfing that I barely have anything left. I have not had to supplement but am concerned that I will have to when I return to work.
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  • becominggoldbecominggold member
    @RachelB104‌ I usually pump about 30-45 min after my morning feeding. LO will normally go closer to 3 hrs before the next feeding at this time, where later in the day he goes every 2 hrs. I am able to get 4 oz when I do this short delay. I also try to drink water when I am up in the night and a big glass w his first feeding.
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  • Elaina22Elaina22 member
    @lexxctpx‌ We are going for an evaluation for those same two things on Thursday! I am glad to hear it made a positive difference for you.
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  • dogperson11dogperson11 member
    lisa1110 said:

    i was just reading the thread about pumping and storing milk. I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Once a day I get 4 ounces total (usually at night) and it takes forever. The rest of the day I get about two each time, if that. My LO is 7 weeks tomorrow. Also, when I pump, the milk starts and stops throughout the session. Is that typical? I've seen three LCs and I can't take any herbs or tea because the baby had bad reactions to them. He is slowly gaining weight about half an ounce a day.
    When I BF he takes his time and never fills himself up. So now I pump 2xs so I have a bottle to feed him more milk at a faster rate and then BF, takes well over an hour - each time.
    Sorry if this thread is a stream of consciousness, I'm fried!

    You're probably shooting yourself in the foot with this. Your LO is preferring the faster flow of the nipple/bottle instead of the natural flow of your breast. Breastfeeding babies takes a while because they take their time so they can tell when they're full. If they guzzle a bottle they are most likely over eating because their bodies don't have time to realize they're full until they're over full. Check out this YouTube video from Kelly Mom about paced bottle feeding. https://youtu.be/UH4T70OSzGs

    I know long BF sessions aren't always convenient, but it's pretty normal for them to take 30 minutes +. We're just now dropping down from 60 minutes to about 45.
    Married November 2009
    Clara, August 2014 
    Baby Boy due October 2017
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  • sjhartlinesjhartline member
    If you want more milk there are a couple thinks you can do. First rent a hospital grade pump. They work better than the store bought kind. Also after you bf, pump for another 5 min. Even if nothing comes out, this will signal your body to produce more. Also pumping more frequently even if it's just for 5 or 10 mins. These are the things they told me to do for my preemie twins and now I'm making 3-4oz per breast every 3 hours. But honestly as long as your making enough for your baby your doing what you need. The more your baby drinks the more your body will produce.
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  • Eena1242Eena1242 member
    Thank you @dogperson11‌ for sharing the video! We are starting to bottle feed and I have no idea what we are doing, but I really want to avoid interference with BFing as best I can.
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  • kimberlybethhkimberlybethh member
    I would try pumping early in the morning. I exclusively pumped with dd for a few months and found that I usually got twice as much in the early morning (between 3:30 and 6) then I did the rest of the day. If your output then still isn't great I would check to make sure it isn't an issue with your pump as others have suggested.
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  • kareik01kareik01 member
    edited October 2014
    lisa1110 said:
    I have a medela pump in style. How did you figure out you needed new valves?
    @lisa1110, Is it a double pump or single?
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  • lisa1110lisa1110 member
    Thank you everyone for your help! I definitely see that I have the most milk between 3 am to 6 am. On a side note, I made oatmeal cookies - the Quaker recipe inside the canister and threw in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries instead of raisins. They are delicious!!
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
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