Question about storage

[vs011]

I bought the Milkies trays and want to start the freezing of my milk so I can have 60oz or more when I go back to work or for daycare. I am exclusively pumping milk and giving my baby my milk by bottle now as putting her on my breast became an ordeal. She drinks up all the expressed milk I give her in a day and I pump fresh milk a few times a day each day to keep up with her. How can I start the process to store and freeze my milk if I am empty on expressed milk by the end of the day? I am basically draining my breasts every time I pump. I may have an 1oz left in them each if I sat there for another hour or so and pumped out drop by drop. Are there better ideas for those moms who only pumped for feeding and also were able to freeze their milk for storage?

 

[kajastarlight]

look up power pumping
you can also try to sneak in a middle of the night pump.

 

[vs011]

Thanks, I will try it. I already eat a lot of dairy and add fenugreek to meals. Have you power pumped? It says 10 mins pump, 10mins rest, and repeat the cycle for 1 hour. How many days do you have to do this in order to see an increase in supply? Right now my supply is about 7oz in one hour from both breasts in the morning pump, then around 5oz in remaining pump sessions as the day goes on. I pump 3-4 a day, sometimes 5 if I have the energy left. Can I get even more volume than this if I power pump?

 

[kajastarlight]

my baby is 4 months old so I am way past the engorgement hormones help at this point. I think you are still at that stage? CAPITALIZE ON THIS!! Seriously. Power pump as much as you can. You will make your body think you have 3 starving babies cluster feeding!!! I bet if you can get two power pumping sessions in a day then it will probably only take 3 days before you have an overabundance.
Power pumping has helped me get my supply up from 8oz a day while I am at work to 12oz a day while I am at work. Honestly, it took about 4 weeks to get that result but I have PCOS so I will just always have to fight with my low supply. (unfortunately my LO eats 14oz while I am at work.... )

 

[vs011]

Thanks! I will see how power pumping goes. Do you mind sharing your power pumping method? Did you do the 10min on, then 10min off or something different?

 

[kajastarlight]

It depends on when I am power pumping. I do it during my 50 min commute to work and durring that time I probably do around 10 min on 5 min off. I have land marks that I go by LOL. When I do it at home watching TV I do on for the program, off for the commercials. If I am watching a movie or something without commercials I aim for 10 on and 10 off. (and I know that is not how a TV cycle works, but whatever) I don't know why but when I "clock watch" for exact 10 and 10 times I end up with less production. Strange huh?