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breatsmilk problems

Kendra322Kendra322 member
in May 2015 Moms

My son is EBF. However, I do pump while at work so that I can send it to daycare with him. I seem to be struggling all of a sudden to produce enough milk. I'm keeping up with my regular pumping schedule, at night when I'm home with my son and on the weekend he eats straight from the source...nothing has changed..but my milk supply has been lower. I started taking Fenugreek which has done nothing...anyone having this problem???

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Re: breatsmilk problems

  • kremerj1kremerj1 member
    I had that problem after a couple weeks of work. For other reasons I decided to stay home, but if I had continued to work I probably would have had to supplement with formula.
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  • HOLLYSODENHOLLYSODEN member
    It could be your pump. What kind of pump do you have? It could also be the white valves or any other part of your pump that might not be functioning properly. If your son is not having a problem when he's actually breast feeding then it might not be your supply, it might be the pump. I had an Ameda purely yours and it was horrible and my supply was dipping. I then bought a Spectra pump and it's been awesome and actually has increased my supply.
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  • Kendra322Kendra322 member
    That's the exact pump I have, Ameda Purely yours! Thank you.
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  • CanadaMom17CanadaMom17 member
    Try renting a pump for a week if you want to be sure, one of the hospital grade ones, see if that helps.
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  • Sammadden27Sammadden27 member
    Are you sure the people feeding him are pace feeding? When babies just guzzle breast milk down they usually do want more cause they're used to the experience taking longer. The milk going in so fast just stretches their stomach instead of making them full.
    As for the pump, go to the hospital you delivered at and have the LC check your flange size. I was told by many LCs that procuring a hospital pump is not worth it especially if you use the madela PIS. The only difference is the hospital grade pumps motor is built to last longer since multiple people use it in its lifetime.
    Also a pump will never empty your breast like a baby will. Emptying signals your body to make more so you might need to add a pump session or two. It will kill you but middle of the night, very early morning pump sessions yield the most.
    Hope this helps!
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  • supersarah77supersarah77 member
    I second the notion that it could be the pump. Aside from a hospital grade pump, I don't think there's any pump that's as effective as a baby. Milk production is a supply and demand thing, so if the pump isn't "demanding" like baby would, then your supply would drop. I have a Medela Pump in Style and my supply did drop very slowly over time. I ran out of freezer stash and had to supplement with formula one bottle a day at around 10 months with DD.
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  • kkokeykkokey member
    Here is a good link about increasing supply when pumping.

    https://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

    Also, supplementing from freezer stash would most likely lower your supply even further.
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  • shelley423russshelley423russ member
    I had this problem...two things: with the ameda pump, I had to call the company because I thought there was an issue with the motor and they have a one year warranty. They told me it wasn't the motor but the triangle pieces that drip milk into the container needed to be changed because they affect suction. I did this and it did help my pump. Also, start compressing the breast the baby is feeding on. It helps empty out the breast and empty breasts create more milk. I also will stimulate the other breast while she's eating. I got this advise from a lactation specialist and it helped a lot. I was able to stop taking fenugreek thankfully.I hated smelling like maple syrup!
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  • kailanickkailanick member
    I also find that I pump more when I think about my baby while pumping.
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  • ashleyk251ashleyk251 member
    I also had to call Ameda about my pump failing and was told the clear triangle pieces should be replaced once a month and that did the trick. I exclusively pump because my baby has a sweet little suckle and wasnt getting enough milk out on her own so I started pumping and because my supply was going down due to her not sucking hard enough. Fenugreek and blessed thistle together helped my milk come in strong but I dont have to take it anymore. I started back at work 6 weeks ago and havent had a supply issue. I wake up at 430am (7hours of sleep) and pump for 30mins before getting ready for work and I get the most milk for the day, around 10oz. Sometimes I even power pump at this time. Good luck!
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  • nolababybabynolababybaby member
    Someone a few weeks ago mentioned checking the size flanges you're using, so I ended up ordering smaller ones. I'm pumping twice as much! I think the Medela website has a guide for measuring your nipples... Pretty weird but worth it!
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