difficulty pumping

[wishiwas]

My lo and I have been working on getting back to exclusively breastfeeding, and although we're going around the clock like we did when she was first born, I thought I'd still stock the freezer for an occasional night away. However, I just tried to pump, and hardly anything came out! Is this a result of how much she's at the breast? I know that I continuously make milk, but why am I all of a sudden unable to pump anything? She's been asleep for two hours, I thought I'd have a pretty good amount by now...

 

[austinsmom]

You could try warm compresses (even your hand can be warm enough) and massaging the breast before pumping. Have you ever pumped before? You could have the wrong sized flange.
Pumping within the first 6 weeks can be difficult to say the least (especially if your LO is going through a growth spurt).
Not only that, you don't want to cause an oversupply issue before your milk has a chance to regulate itself.
If I were you hun, I'd put the pump away for at least a few more weeks. Some women find they can actually express more by hand then using a pump.
HTH

 

[wishiwas]

Thank you for your reply. I've actually pumped fifty percent of lo's feeding since birth, we've just started exclusively bfing for the last four days. That's why I was so surprised I couldn't pump anything! But you are right, I don't *need* to pump, so we'll just continue on with what we are doing now. Thank you again!