Pumping question/support

[nevsmom06]

ACK! I am getting so tired of pumping at work to barely get 2 or 3 oz! I'm drinking tons of water, mothers lactation tea, eating oatmeal. I don't know what more I can do to try and get more with the pump. My DD is almost 3 months old, and gaining weight well and very happy. So I know she's getting plenty from me, the pump just isn't!
So now I"m wondering if maybe a different pump might be the answer? I have the medela pump in style.

Any suggestions, tips, or just plain support would be greatly appreciated. I'm getting so frustrated and I just do not want her to get formula for the 2 days a week I work. I should be able to get enough milk to cover those 4 to 6 feedings!

[daisy0306]

This is a good website I EP for DD, pm me if you have any questions. I'm pak right now so I'll write more later

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/b...xcpumping.html

[SublimeBaby]

Have you tried massaging while pumping?

http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastf...roduction.html

Have you tried getting larger, or even smaller pump sheilds?

What pump are you using? I really loved my PISA.

[kerryannkeegan]

I second the PIS. also use a hands free bra. massage, compress. I also pump for 10 minutes stop for 10 then pump for another 10. I get more milk that way

[Jillybean]

I was going to say you might want to try larger shields, I just learned about this recently, but apparently having the wrong size can seriously affect how much you get with the pump. GL!

[lotsa_girls]

First, don't give up. Pumping is hard work.

I found several things that finally worked for me when my DD was still nursing. A warm compress right before pumping, massaging while pumping, trying to pump at the same time every day to get your body to meet the demand, and most importantly I had to be relaxed. It took me a little bit, but I went from barely getting 2 oz to getting over 5 oz in one sitting.

[Keropisunshine23]

I had to get larger sheilds and I massage a lot now. Also, with my pump I have the different motions, the rapid suck to help with let down and the the slower steadier one you use during most of the pump. It really helps me to do the let down for like 30 seconds and then do the reg pump. After my flow slows or stops, I do the letdiwn again for the whole two minutes and the my flow starts up again. I will repeat this till I am empty. It made a huge difference for me when my friend taught me this trick
Good luck!
Summer

[patricianaps]

I honestly just hand-pumped once I started getting frustrated. I felt slightly bovine at first, but it really did the trick for times when i couldn't let down enough with the pump.

I would really recommend that you NOT pressure yourself to produce 100% of the milk! Once I had repeated my mantra enough times to convince myself that my daughters would be FINE with supplementing, my milk production went up on its own.

Also, try getting out 2-3 oz after feeding at home, just before bed, etc. It helped me get my frozen stash up.

[Happygrl6]

Have you tried pumping on one side while nursing on the other? I can easily get twice as much doing that (with a hand pump) as I can when I pump while not nursing.

[Rosella]

I eventually just hand-pumped, too, and it went a lot better because I could 'feel' the way my body needed to feel to get a good let-down, if that makes any sense.

Also, try to make sure you are not rushing through pumping - you have to take some time to relax, which I know is harder to do at work. Toward the end of my working/pumping, I had a to of trouble getting away to pump and was often very rushed, and this would affect my supply.

But more than anything DO NOT STRESS OUT about it! I know it sounds easier said than done, but stress is the #1 killer of pumping supply, in my experience and opinion, and stressing out about pumping makes it harder to pump, which makes you stress out, which makes it harder to pump ... you get the idea!

YOU CAN DO THIS! Just relax, relax, relax, relax, and trust your body.