The ins and outs of exclusively expressing

[winipeg1]

just a quick question

iv just looked at double electric breast pumps and they are quite pricey and i dont want to spend that much if its not for me

can the same be done by buyin 2 single breast pumps and use them at the same time? (i have been looking on ebay and 2nd hand 1's are alot cheaper)

 

[asacia]

just a quick question

iv just looked at double electric breast pumps and they are quite pricey and i dont want to spend that much if its not for me

can the same be done by buyin 2 single breast pumps and use them at the same time? (i have been looking on ebay and 2nd hand 1's are alot cheaper)

I found that I couldn't get the hang of double pumping with two manuals. I tried with two electrics, but they were Avent ones with the motor attached and too heavy to do both at the same time. I do have quite big boos though, and need to be able to balance one side while I get the second in position. I needed a double with decent suction.

 

[angelstardust]

just a quick question

iv just looked at double electric breast pumps and they are quite pricey and i dont want to spend that much if its not for me

can the same be done by buyin 2 single breast pumps and use them at the same time? (i have been looking on ebay and 2nd hand 1's are alot cheaper)

right now I am using this

And it is awesome! Doesn't have any fancy things to it like two pahse expression etc, but as a cheap (£65) basic double it is comfy, powerful, easy to use and given that my average output from 2 breasts was 30-50mls, one is sitting at 40mls and one at 30mls after only 8mins. for me that is amazing!

Pretty quiet, only has a vacuum control not a rate of suction control, but I'm good with that.

I did try using a swing and a mini electric at the same time but nowhere near as good (plus the swing was a bit crap anyway). This double is cheaper than the swing too.

My next choice would have been this https://www.expressyourselfmums.co....ID/225/sid/28/ameda-lactaline-breast-pump.htm

But it was a bit more (£95) and I am tight.

 

[nikkiangel83]

I have hired mine from the local breastfeeding support group. All it costs was a refundable £10 deposit. Maybe this would be better for you? I get to keep it for 6 weeks if someone needs it or longer if not.

I have a question, I've started expressing so I can have a store for when I need to take strong painkillers (codeine/tramadol). Have I left it too late and will I find it harder to pump? I don't have much milk on one side due to baby's preference and I am hoping that pumping will help this also.

 

[kirsten1985]

just a quick question

iv just looked at double electric breast pumps and they are quite pricey and i dont want to spend that much if its not for me

can the same be done by buyin 2 single breast pumps and use them at the same time? (i have been looking on ebay and 2nd hand 1's are alot cheaper)

right now I am using this

And it is awesome! Doesn't have any fancy things to it like two pahse expression etc, but as a cheap (£65) basic double it is comfy, powerful, easy to use and given that my average output from 2 breasts was 30-50mls, one is sitting at 40mls and one at 30mls after only 8mins. for me that is amazing!

Pretty quiet, only has a vacuum control not a rate of suction control, but I'm good with that.

I did try using a swing and a mini electric at the same time but nowhere near as good (plus the swing was a bit crap anyway). This double is cheaper than the swing too.

My next choice would have been this https://www.expressyourselfmums.co....ID/225/sid/28/ameda-lactaline-breast-pump.htm

But it was a bit more (£95) and I am tight.

I have just bought the mini double electric one, I'm glad you said it's fairly quiet as I read somewhere else that someone said it was too noisy, lol. I hope I'm going to like it!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Got a question for the expressers ...

Do you find that you produce more milk overall (daily total) if you pump more frequently? I don't, and I know a friend who doesn't either. If I pump every three hours, I get about 60-75ml; if I pump every four hours, I get around 80-100ml; so my daily total doesn't vary. I'd like to increase the amount I get, but not sure how, given this!

I'm on Fenugreek - I was up to 9 capsules a day and still didn't smell of maple syrup - and Domperidon (9 tables of Motillium a day), and the combination has got me up to the above totals, but again am stuck for how to increase. Is it safe to up the Fenugreek to 12 a day? It would be flippin' expensive to do so though, they're not cheap.

For the record, I am using a Medela Lactina double pump; I'm pumping for 5 minutes beyond dripping; and I am pumping in the wee small hours around 3am.

I feel like I've read this thread, I've read Kellymom, I've read sooooo many sites - and I'm now out of ideas?

 

[Lullaby2010]

My supply only came in today (my little one is a week old already and screamingly refuses to latch on which breaks my heart so I have decided to express) I expressed for 40 mins tonight and all I got was about 1ml !!! Is this normal to start with??? Or are my boobs just not working??

 

[Marleysgirl]

My supply only came in today (my little one is a week old already and screamingly refuses to latch on which breaks my heart so I have decided to express) I expressed for 40 mins tonight and all I got was about 1ml !!! Is this normal to start with??? Or are my boobs just not working??

Normal for a first time! Maybe a little low, but most people only seem to get around 5-10ml to start with, it increases with regular massage and regular (feed frequency) pumping. Read back through the thread to get more tips.

 

[New2Bumps]

I'm expressing every 3 hours for 30 mins and getting about 30/40 ml and keeping this in the fridge. Can I then add my next sessions milk into the same pot in the fridge or does it need to be in a fresh pot by itself?

 

[Marleysgirl]

I'm expressing every 3 hours for 30 mins and getting about 30/40 ml and keeping this in the fridge. Can I then add my next sessions milk into the same pot in the fridge or does it need to be in a fresh pot by itself?

Yes, you can add later milk to earlier bottles - but remember that in terms of calculating how long you can keep a bottle before using it, work it out by the earliest pumping session in that bottle. (iyswim)

 

[harmonybunny]

I really wish i had found this thread earlier. I too was emergency sectioned and couldn't feed my LO directly from the breast. That on top of not having a natural birth really upset me so i was determined to pump exclusively. In the hospital i really wanted to use my pump but the nurses kept insisting i perservere with the attempts to make the LO latch on when all it was doing was distressing us both and making the LO afraid of feeding. The nurses even tried him with formula before i got to use the pump! I finally got to use it and began feeding that way but i feel like i haven't had very much support at all. My LO is now 12 weeks old and i'm having to combination feed because i'm just so drained. All i get from the health visitor is, "have you tried him on the breast again?". It's really demoralising and i now feel lke a total failure because i'm having to give him around 2 formula feeds a day. My milk supply has dwindled a bit because i had to stop pumping through the night as i was reaching the point of exhaustion. Is there any way to get the supply going again so as that i don't have to use any formula at all? Giving him the best is the most important thing to me, i just wish i was able to pump through the night again but it was getting to the point where i had to sacrifice that in order to have the energy to devote to the LO during the day.

 

[Lottie86]

Ask your gp for domperidone, it's great stuff for boosting your supply

 

[Marleysgirl]

Hi Harmony

There are various ways of trying to increase your supply, some of which are mentioned in this thread - regular pumping, power-pumping, Fenugreek supplement, oat-based foods, etc. These are also occasionally discussed in various "low-supply" threads that appear in the BF forum area.

Me? I'm on Domperidon. I was producing around 60-70ml, six times a day, just before my baby was discharged from NICU. But around the time of discharge and during the week afterward, my supply went down to about 40ml a time, and I started using up all my frozen supplies. The prescription Domperidon has reinstated my supply, and I'm now up to 100ml x 6 - which doesn't sound much, but my babby was premmie and is still tiny, it's all he needs! I've got NutriPrem2 formula on standby in case his appetite increases (but I've also got 1.5l in the freezer).

I was trying him on the breast once a day, but he never did latch properly. I was fortunate to be supported by the Outreach Midwives, and now by my HV, in my determination to keep babby on as much EBM as possible. They weren't so bothered about me breastfeeding, just about him getting the milk. Probably slightly different circumstances given that he was in NICU for 11 weeks.

With regards to your overnight tiredness, can your OH help at all? We have a good set-up here whereby OH does the bottlefeed, whilst I pump, both in the same room. We have some quite good conversations at the time (instead of staring at the tv), and it makes him feel part of the process. It does mean that we're out of bed for about 20-30 minutes in the middle of the night.

 

[Marleysgirl]

Hi Harmony

There are various ways of trying to increase your supply, some of which are mentioned in this thread - regular pumping, power-pumping, Fenugreek supplement, oat-based foods, etc. These are also occasionally discussed in various "low-supply" threads that appear in the BF forum area.

Me? I'm on Domperidon. I was producing around 60-70ml, six times a day, just before my baby was discharged from NICU. But around the time of discharge and during the week afterward, my supply went down to about 40ml a time, and I started using up all my frozen supplies. The prescription Domperidon has reinstated my supply, and I'm now up to 100ml x 6 - which doesn't sound much, but my babby was premmie and is still tiny, it's all he needs! I've got NutriPrem2 formula on standby in case his appetite increases (but I've also got 1.5l in the freezer).

I was trying him on the breast once a day, but he never did latch properly. I was fortunate to be supported by the Outreach Midwives, and now by my HV, in my determination to keep babby on as much EBM as possible. They weren't so bothered about me breastfeeding, just about him getting the milk. Probably slightly different circumstances given that he was in NICU for 11 weeks.

With regards to your overnight tiredness, can your OH help at all? We have a good set-up here whereby OH does the bottlefeed, whilst I pump, both in the same room. We have some quite good conversations at the time (instead of staring at the tv), and it makes him feel part of the process. It does mean that we're out of bed for about 20-30 minutes in the middle of the night.

 

[harmonybunny]

Thank you so much for the advice, ladies. I'm going to get an appointment with the doctor and see if i can get a prescription. I'm getting roughly 100ml every 3 hours but when my LO is guzzling 180 plus and waking every 3 to 4hours in the night for feeds it just doesn't stretch. I do get around 300ml first thing in the morning though which gives me roughly two feeds to start with. It'd just be good to have some spare to refridgerate so i didn't have to supplement with formula. As for the OH helping in the night, he is a gem but sleep the sleep of the dead! Murphy could be screaming his head off and he wouldn't hear so that's a non-starter methinks. Maybe i'll just shake him roughly until he wakes !!

 

[MumInBreda]

This is such an interesting thread. I pumped for my earliest baby and had to pump for 8 months!

 

[harmonybunny]

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the tips, ladies. I started taking fenugreek a few days ago now and it's really makng a difference! I'm also trying to eat porridge in the morning too, every little helps ! Here's hoping we're back on track again. Thanks again for the advice and support xx

 

[alibaba24]

wow im so glad i read this. I guess iv done a few things wrong i stopped pumping when milk stopped coming out i didnt know i should keep pumping no wonder my supply isnt increasing!

xx

 

[Dream.A.Dream]

I've learned lots from this thread. Thanks

 

[cath]

Thanks so much for this thread, I've learned loads from it