The ins and outs of exclusively expressing

[CupCakeFairy]

I know I'm jumping in at the very end of a long thread, but wondered... When do you stop pumping? I mean, is a year too long, granted that I'm slowly dropping a pump every wee while, but am I nuts? How long would you pump for?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DragonflyWing]

I know I'm jumping in at the very end of a long thread, but wondered... When do you stop pumping? I mean, is a year too long, granted that I'm slowly dropping a pump every wee while, but am I nuts? How long would you pump for?

Thanks in advance!

I pumped for a year. I think as long as you're willing and able to do it, then keep doing it

 

[CupCakeFairy]

Cool! I've started second guessing myself as I still have a few months to go to make it, but it was my goal at the very start and I can't shake it! Lol!

 

[seaweed eater]

I know I'm jumping in at the very end of a long thread, but wondered... When do you stop pumping? I mean, is a year too long, granted that I'm slowly dropping a pump every wee while, but am I nuts? How long would you pump for?

Thanks in advance!

You're not nuts! It's so much more tolerable when you are at 3 or even 2 pumps per day. You're unlikely to maintain a full supply with that schedule but you could combi feed, or use frozen milk if you have enough (they are all "combi-fed" once we introduce solids anyway, when you think about it). Either way, LO will absolutely get the benefits of your milk even from a small amount.

 

[CupCakeFairy]

We had to introduce formula at four months I think, to get used to and when I returned to work we introduced bottles more routinely. I now only express once, at night, and got to continue this through to her first birthday! thanks!

 

[seaweed eater]

Oh...I see. I would be careful with just 1 ppd. I haven't heard of many women who can maintain any supply there unfortunately mine was gone in less than a week. If long term pumping is important to you I'd add another session. But if 1ppd is all you want to do then just ride it out! Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones

 

[CupCakeFairy]

Ppd? I'm not getting as much as I used to but I'm not stressed anymore. I'm lucky I think, but stubborn and determined. It wasn't the journey I expected but having recently dropped my morning pump I feel more able to spend time with her before I leave.

I will also have to stop if this pump gives in

 

[Mimzy3]

hello ladies i'm devastated i had worked so hard and had my supply up to 40 oz a day and only 4 pumps. Came down with a bad case of influenza and mastitis on Friday. Friday and Saturday my supply was lower but only by about 10oz I could handle that then all of a sudden Sunday morning my dominate breast that would get 8oz in one pump in the am, got only 1 oz! Since then I've been back to pumping every 2-3 hours and taking LOTS of fenugreek. My supply is not even half of what is was. Can never get more than 1oz per pump out of my once good breast. And only about 2-3 oz out of the other one. I really really hope my supply comes back

 

[seaweed eater]

Ppd = pump(s) per day

Mimzy, I'm so sorry my supply was devastated by illness in the end too. I was ready to wean anyway so I just let it go, so I don't know what would have happened with it. You still have the prolactin receptors from your early days so I'm hopeful that you can get yours back! I hope you are feeling better at least

 

[DragonflyWing]

Mimzy, I'm sorry your supply took a hit! I had the same problem back in June, I got two bouts of mastitis back to back and my supply was cut by half. I did manage to build it back up with fenugreek and a strict pumping schedule. I hope you can too!

 

[Mimzy3]

Thank you ladies! Today is looking better already no where near what it was but a lot better than Sunday. I'm more hopefully now.

Was able to get 7 oz total this am 2oz from the crappy extra slow one (that was once my good one ) and 5oz from the right. Back to pumping 7 times a day though

 

[eve89]

Thank you for sharing this inspirational story...

 

[missbabes]

Owie, I had up with a milk blister on my nipple over the weekend, which I hadn't noticed and ended up with a blocked duct. Felt like my milk was coming in all over again and was in a lot of pain. Thankfully managed to sort it out yesterday evening (what a relief!), but it has really made me feel for you ladies that have kept getting bad cases of mastitis.

 

[Mimzy3]

missbabes glad you got it sorted out!

I'm still only producing half of what I was once making. And back to pumping 7 times a day. Its been a week now so I don't think its going to get much better

My once awesome breast that would get sometimes 8oz in one session still only makes 1-2 oz per pump. Is it possible that some of the ducts are permanently damaged in that breast? I feel like my right breast is pretty much back to normal but the left one is just broke?

 

[steph.]

Hi all I am new to all this and very happy I found this thread! I ebf for two months, then after a 30 hour flight from Australia to south America my supply dried up and I started supplementing with formula. As she reached 4 months she started refusing the breast and wouldn't latch. I couldn't believe it, I bf my first for 16 months and desperately wanted to provide breast milk to this one for at least 6 mths, especially as their dad is a type 1 diabetic, and I want to do anything I can to lower their chances of developing it. So I started pumping. After a week I got rid of the formula supplements and am so proud of myself. She still feeds at night with a nipple shield so I am really lucky I dont have to heat up bottles overnight but even so this is hard work! I am pumping 5x day and get about 700 ml. At the moment I am hand expressing but have ordered a double electric pump and cant wait! Can you ladies share your babies feeding routines and amount they take? Can I overfeed her?

 

[Mimzy3]

Steph

I welcome and congrats on continuing to give your baby breast milk! Most of the women here just exclusively pump so our feeding routines would be different from yours.

But my son eats anywhere from 30-35oz a day. Eating 5-8oz per feeding. I pump 5 times a day and yield 30oz on average. I used to make 40oz till I had a bad case of the flu and almost lost my supply, had to work had to get it back up to 30oz but I never fully recovered. I've been having to use some milk from my freezer stash.

question ladies my milk smells weird when its been frozen. Not sour but kind of metallic smelling. Its been in freezer backs in a deep freeze so I know the milk didn't go bad. Any thoughts? DS will still drink it but I feel like he spits up more and doesn't drink as much of it?

 

[missbabes]

Steph

I welcome and congrats on continuing to give your baby breast milk! Most of the women here just exclusively pump so our feeding routines would be different from yours.

But my son eats anywhere from 30-35oz a day. Eating 5-8oz per feeding. I pump 5 times a day and yield 30oz on average. I used to make 40oz till I had a bad case of the flu and almost lost my supply, had to work had to get it back up to 30oz but I never fully recovered. I've been having to use some milk from my freezer stash.

question ladies my milk smells weird when its been frozen. Not sour but kind of metallic smelling. Its been in freezer backs in a deep freeze so I know the milk didn't go bad. Any thoughts? DS will still drink it but I feel like he spits up more and doesn't drink as much of it?

Breast milk does have a rather odd smell to it after it's been defrosted. For me it smells a bit more soapy, a fact that I hadn't even been aware of until very recently. I was scared that I'd have to throw out 100 feeds cause of it, but DS quite happily drinks it anyway.

There's a specific name for metallic smelling milk, which I forget, but there have been some threads about it on here and how to deal with it.

 

[missbabes]

Hi all I am new to all this and very happy I found this thread! I ebf for two months, then after a 30 hour flight from Australia to south America my supply dried up and I started supplementing with formula. As she reached 4 months she started refusing the breast and wouldn't latch. I couldn't believe it, I bf my first for 16 months and desperately wanted to provide breast milk to this one for at least 6 mths, especially as their dad is a type 1 diabetic, and I want to do anything I can to lower their chances of developing it. So I started pumping. After a week I got rid of the formula supplements and am so proud of myself. She still feeds at night with a nipple shield so I am really lucky I dont have to heat up bottles overnight but even so this is hard work! I am pumping 5x day and get about 700 ml. At the moment I am hand expressing but have ordered a double electric pump and cant wait! Can you ladies share your babies feeding routines and amount they take? Can I overfeed her?

That sounds like a good amount of milk alongside breastfeeding, but can't really be sure, that's more something that ladies in the main breastfeeding board might be able to tell you since in this thread we don't have much experience with both.

Our routine up until a week ago was having 4oz (120ml) whenever DS demanded it, which on average was 2-3 hours during the day. Typically he was having 7-8 feeds a day. He's now started having first tastes with purees, and even with that small amount he's dropped a feed, so we've upped his night feed to 5oz (150ml).

It is entirely possible to overfeed when giving breast milk via a bottle, as the amounts could possibly get mixed up with what a formula fed baby would have which is considerably more.

I found that https://kellymom.com is a good source of information, especially with working out amounts.

 

[pcsoph2890]

Hey all,

Slightly worried as I mix ff, bf and ebm. When I express I only get at the most from both breasts 3floz....... I am amazed that others can get between 8-10floz per session. But I am very sporadic between pumps as I mix the three so have no real routine.
My daughter is now 4 weeks tmrw and would ideally love to bf exclusively but I've had loads of problems with latching, extremely sore and cracked nipples that my daughter just seems to have extraordinary long sessions . On the boobs that I begin to get sore again and paranoid I'll get sore again - hence the mixing of the three.

I'm gonna try to pump more during the day. I'm already taking fenugreek - how much should I take to really boost my supply.... I'm taking about 6-8 tablets a day.

I've never really leaked, occasionally I do. I never have felt "full" nor emptied after a mammoth feed (either express or bf)

I will try to express more tmrw and see whether that increases my supply..

 

[seaweed eater]

PC, 3 oz is good if it's after only 3 hours or less many pumpers have an oversupply since there's no reason not to, but you just have to make enough for baby.

If you are not emptying, though, then it will be difficult to increase your supply. Maybe see a LC to make sure your flanges fit right. Add more compressions and massage. Try hand expressing or single pumping at the end of a session. https://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html You are only 4 weeks in so it is definitely possible to increase your supply by emptying better and more often.