Breastfeeding and Pumping

jessfrks · January 2016

My baby girl is almost a month old. She latches good and I know she gets enough because she's gained weight and she has many poo and pee diapers. The problem is I cannot pump. The most I've been able to get out is 1 to 2 oz. I have tried electric and manual pumps. I go back to work in about 2 weeks. So I was really hoping to have a good supply by then. Any suggestions?

MissMheMhe · January 2016

Have you tried anything to boost your supply? I haven't tried anything yet, but I have some Mother's Milk Tea ordered and I plan on making some lactation cookies (chocolate chip w/ oatmeal, flaxseed, brewers yeast added). Also, try a power pumping session...pump for 10 minutes, rest for 10, pump 10, rest 10, etc for an hour. Good luck!

willashbaby · January 2016

You also have to make sure the flanges are the right size and you may want to do a breast massage as you pump.

clabgust · January 2016

Look up on YouTube about hand expression. I saw a video the other day maybe on Pinterest about using massaging and hand expression to help you with pumping. I didn't do this with breastfeeding my last but it was really interesting how much it can improve your pumping ability.

wrappingmama · January 2016

You should make an appointment with the lactation consultant at your hospital. I did this with my first and brought my pump. She showed me exactly how to use my pump properly. Theres a special combo between the first phase for letdown and the second pumping phase. I'm one that needs to go through the letdown phase 2 or 3 times to empty my breasts. Insurance will most likely cover the cost of that appointment.

jessfrks · January 2016

I talked with lactation consultant and she gave suggestions but none of them seem to work.

jessfrks · January 2016

Thanks for the suggestions ladies. I will try them!

Wicked4589 · January 2016

Increase your water intake and pump every 3 hours. My nipples are so sore from his poor latch that I am now pumping and feeding from a bottle. It's saving my sanity and allowing my nipples to heal. I notice when I drink more water, I produce more milk. I eat a lactation cookie every day. Going to start making my own as they are cheaper and better tasting. I also eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast. Do a gentle massage on your breast while pumping. Also, the sound of baby crying should help produce more milk. When my little guy starts crying my tshirt gets soaked. There are teas you can drink too.

I talked to a LC too and wasn't impressed. Her suggestions did nothing for me. Every woman is different so just keep trying new things to find what works for you.

Honeyb416 · January 2016

It helped when I applied heat while I pumped. I always had to pump for 20 minutes.

jeanbug12 · January 2016

Are you skipping nurising sessions at home when you pump? If not, you wont get much milk and you won't get as much milk pumping as your baby is able to get out of your breasts. You will likely be able to pump more at work when you haven't fed your baby for a while then you do trying to pump at home. When I was pumping at work, I had a video on my phone of my DS nursing, it helped me with let down and I was able to pump a bit more when I watched it while I pumped.

kmo8986 · January 2016

I had a friend that this happened to. No matter what she did she produced nearly nothing pumping. When she went back to work she decided that her daughter would get formula during the day and she nursed her when she was with her. It just wasn't worth the hassle to pump at work for a measly ounce or two, and still have to give formula.

mamakculb · January 2016

Lots of good advice on here already. What time of day are you pumping? Typically you'll have better results first thing in the morning, especially if baby had a longer stretch of sleep right before. It can help to nurse on one side while pumping on the other and then switch.

jessfrks · January 2016

Thank you so much for the replies everyone!!

BBEA2006 · January 2016

I second massaging while pumping. I got so much more when doing that as I also have always struggled with getting enough when pumping. I also pump afer LO eats to trick my body into producing more and that also helped.

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