The ins and outs of exclusively expressing

[missbabes]

Well ladies I'm now just waiting for my milk to dry up now, so I guess it's more or less the end of my journey here. I just express enough to ease up the uncomfortable feeling after just over 3 days and because it's so little at just 40-50ml I end up throwing it which is something I thought I would never do. I've already retired the pump as I've found that hand expressing is so much quicker to do at this stage.

I'm down to my last 2 frozen feeds so DS is just getting it as a treat, and he's made the transition to cows milk fine. He's even dropped a feed so is down to 2 bottles a day. My little boy is just not all that little any more.

Good luck to everyone that is still continuing to pump, and to those that are considering taking the same route.

how did you hand express faster than pump? Ive heard of this & I've tried but no way can I do it faster...

During those early months the pump was much faster even if it could take up to 20 minutes per boob (only had a single pump). Hand expressing only worked for me when I was relieving my boobs while waiting for my milk to dry up.

 

[missbabes]

Whether I pump every 2-3 hours or every 4 I get the same result.
So through consulting I was told I could drop to every 4 hours. Usually tho I pump 8 times a day. Nothing I've done has helped. Increasing pumps didn't help, I always pump 20 min and drain. I compress while pumping. Fenugreek did nothing. I've plateaued.

Really you shouldn't drop to 4 hour pumping until LO is about 12 weeks, as this is normally when your supplied has steadied out. I always found that 3 hours was best in the first few months, and really due to the uncomfortable fullness at that stage if I even attempted to go over 3 hours meant that I didn't even have to clock watch. The only to help up your supply is to keep at the 3 hour mark, going longer between will slow your supply rate. Also don't ignore the during night one if you have been, as this tends to give the most amount. I used to do it straight after DS's middle of the night feed.

 

[SoupDragon]

Please please help!

I've been pumping for DD since she was born, as she's tongue tied and can't latch. She will be 6 months next week, and even though 6 months was my 'target' to get to, I'm not ready to stop, even though I really hate it.

Thing is, I'm finding it more and more difficult to get time to pump. She needs constant entertaining, and will only sleep on me. I use a manual pump when I can during the day, and a double electric after she's gone to bed for the night, as it's pretty much impossible to sit down long enough to use the electric when I'm chasing her around. I can't put her in her cot as she will scream if I'm not playing with her, or she'll crawl around and get herself stuck.

She naps on me, so I've been trying to pump one side with the manual pump while she sleeps, and I can get in a few minutes here and there at various points in the day.

I'm finding this is affecting my supply...it's poor enough anyway, as I had no support to establish a good supply in the beginning, and I can't take fenugreek - it helps, but it gives me the most awful stomach pain. I get 15 oz on a good day, where I used to get 18, but there are often days when I'm only getting 10-12oz now DD eats 30-35oz so I have always had to top up with formula.

Please can someone advise on how to pump properly when alone all day with a very mobile, energetic and demanding 6-month-old!

(forgot to add, I can't have her too near me when I pump if she's awake, as she grabs for the bottles and the tubing, and has pulled the electric off my boob before now...OUCH! Otherwise I would find it easier e.g. I could put her on a cushion and feed her while I pump...I wish I could!)

 

[Mimzy3]

Soup can you put her in a pack n' play while you pump? Even if she gets upset and cries a little at first, she will get used to it. And if its only 15-20 mins while you quick pump with a double electric pump she will be fine. I know its hard to hear our babies cry but if you want to continue giving her breast milk you need to be able to pump. I would put DS in his pack n' play and turn some music on and give him some toys while I pumped. If you do it on schedule she will eventually get used to it and not cry anymore. Or you could put her in a jumper or walker?

Keep up the good work! I know how challenging pumping is!

 

[SoupDragon]

Thanks Mimzy!

I do sometimes try her in the exersaucer...sometimes she tolerates it, sometimes not, it's hit and miss! Now she's crawling that's pretty much all she wants to do, lol.

We don't have a travel cot (is that what a pack n play is?) but are looking at getting something like it in the very near future to keep her contained when I need to do things around the house etc and can't keep my eyes on her all the time, so I will give that a go when we get one.

It's so frustrating, I've tried fenugreek and domperidone...fenugreek upsets my stomach, and I've just had to stop taking the domperidone because we figured out that's why she's had diarrhoea for 5 weeks :/ But I know good pumping habits will do me more good than taking meds.

 

[missbabes]

Pack n play is certainly a travel cot. And I can back up that a travel cot with toys in is a great way for little ones to be distracted during pumping sessions, even when they want to crawl.

Good luck to you Soup Dragon, and congrats on getting this far. Not many women make it to 6 months pumping. Hopefully once you're able to pump as you'd like you'll pump more, as stress really can make pumping a struggle.

 

[SoupDragon]

Hi again I now have a travel cot and it works reasonably well, though if DD thinks she's being ignored she lets me know about it! However have managed to keep on a couple of weeks more. However now, I'm thinking I'm doomed to failure. My double electric is losing suction, and I'm waiting on replacement tubing etc to see if it's that but I think it's the motor, and I'll need an exchange. I'm in the UK so it's not done through insurance etc, and is going to be a pain in the bum, to put it mildly. I will have to go to the 'local' store of the chain I bought it from, which is 20 miles away (I actually bought it online) so it can be looked at by one of their staff, before they'll agree it's faulty and replace it. For now I'm making do with the manual but it's not enough... I can't do 2 hours a day on it!

Plus I have been feeling rough all weekend and this morning have been put onto antibiotics for a strep pharyngitis/tonsillitis...I'm alone all day with DD and barely have the energy to change her nappy and keep her entertained, much less pump. There's no-one really who can help me with her while I pump.

My supply has totally tanked further, to 5oz. I'm frightened my milk is going to dry up completely and I don't see how I can save it

 

[Mimzy3]

Soup When I got the flu with DS my supply took a HUGE tank! and it took a lot of dedication to get it back. So your illness is prob not helping your supply issues. Hope you feel better soon. I know pumping with a manually is not ideal I don't think I could of lasted pumping if I didn't have my double electric pump.

 

[barbikins]

I manage one letdown during pumping. Some times two but it's around the 25-30min mark. I'm getting the feeling women get more than that?
When I was BF lo id have multiple let downs. I feel if I did while pumping is yield more?? Any ideas?

 

[Mimzy3]

I manage one letdown during pumping. Some times two but it's around the 25-30min mark. I'm getting the feeling women get more than that?
When I was BF lo id have multiple let downs. I feel if I did while pumping is yield more?? Any ideas?

Are you using a double electric? How often are you pumping and how old is baby? Have you tried compression/massaging the breast while you pump?

 

[SoupDragon]

Argh...now I'm on antisickness meds that are incompatible with breastfeeding, so I'm going to have to dump all my milk for the next 4 days

 

[barbikins]

I manage one letdown during pumping. Some times two but it's around the 25-30min mark. I'm getting the feeling women get more than that?
When I was BF lo id have multiple let downs. I feel if I did while pumping is yield more?? Any ideas?

Are you using a double electric? How often are you pumping and how old is baby? Have you tried compression/massaging the breast while you pump?

LO is 4 months old, I pump 3 times a day now. I yeild same amount as when I pumped 4 & 5 times a day! So to make my life easier and better, I pump 3 times.
A friend of mine says I may not feel a let down after the initial but it still could be happening. I have to keep an eye out....
And yes, double electric pump. Absolutely do massage breast while pumping.

 

[Mimzy3]

I manage one letdown during pumping. Some times two but it's around the 25-30min mark. I'm getting the feeling women get more than that?
When I was BF lo id have multiple let downs. I feel if I did while pumping is yield more?? Any ideas?

Are you using a double electric? How often are you pumping and how old is baby? Have you tried compression/massaging the breast while you pump?

LO is 4 months old, I pump 3 times a day now. I yeild same amount as when I pumped 4 & 5 times a day! So to make my life easier and better, I pump 3 times.
A friend of mine says I may not feel a let down after the initial but it still could be happening. I have to keep an eye out....
And yes, double electric pump. Absolutely do massage breast while pumping.

I can't believe you only have to pumping 3 times a day! I was still pumping 7 times a day when LO was 4 months old. Are you having to supplement? You may pump the same amount pumping 3 times a day or 5 times a day at first but its supply and demand... so the more you pump your body should get the signal that it needs to produce more milk and eventually start making more. And like your friend I don't always feel the let down either but I can see it. So try looking for it next time.

***Correction*** I just re-read your original post you breastfeed as well and then just pump while at work or something? Most women on this thread exclusively pump so I guess I just assumed. Sorry!

 

[lucylu79]

Hello all, hoping there are some people still lurking on here!

My ds no2 was 2 weeks on Sun and I currently feed him expressed breast milk during the day and top ups of premade formula during the night. I tried Breastfeeding and it went well for the first few days (except for the nipple pain!) but lo took an age at each feed, got upset waiting for the milk to come and in the end I decided to express.

I'm using a medela swing which seems to be going well, I am however starting to doubt my supply even more than before.

I think i've done myself no favours by being busy and not pumping as good as I should be in the past few days so last night I decided to do another night pump.

I can produce roughly the following:
6-7am - 3/4 Ounces
10-11 - 1/2
3-4 - 1/2
7-8 - 1/2
1-2am - 2/3

The max i've ever pumped in 24 hours is 12 ounces but over the last few days it's gone down to about 8-9.

I've been away working this morning for 4 hours and when I got back I was uncomfortable and lo was crying so I breastfed him for the first time in 3 days and he didn't cry much, he happily fed for 30mins roughly each boob and fell asleep. If that continued I'd be happy to make more of an effort to feed him at least say 3 times a day, my question however is this:

How can I up my supply to keep up with lo? If I start breastfeeding again do you think it would help? What about expressing? Can I fit both in do you think with my supply seemingly quite low for a 2 week old?

Any help appreciated!!!

 

[Mimzy3]

breastfeeding will for sure help your supply. The baby is better at expressing and stimulating milk than any pump. And you need to be pumping or breastfeeding every couple hours every time the baby eats. If you didn't breastfeed all day and only pumped 5 times in a 24 hour period that is not enough. And the breast needs to be emptied completely every time. That way the body gets the signal to make more milk. Also if you plan on pumping exclusively you're going to need a double electric pump. Pumping exclusively is such hard work and takes a lot of dedication but it can be done I did it for 14 months! But if I could of got DS to latch I would of done that over pumping exclusively any day. Good Luck!

 

[missbabes]

breastfeeding will for sure help your supply. The baby is better at expressing and stimulating milk than any pump. And you need to be pumping or breastfeeding every couple hours every time the baby eats. If you didn't breastfeed all day and only pumped 5 times in a 24 hour period that is not enough. And the breast needs to be emptied completely every time. That way the body gets the signal to make more milk. Also if you plan on pumping exclusively you're going to need a double electric pump. Pumping exclusively is such hard work and takes a lot of dedication but it can be done I did it for 14 months! But if I could of got DS to latch I would of done that over pumping exclusively any day. Good Luck!

In complete agreement. Will just add that I did manage for 12 months with just the single pump so it is possible, but it means double the amount of time than it would take with a double pump.

 

[missbabes]

BTW good luck to you Mimzy on the impending birth! hope you have better luck with the latch this time assuming that you will be breastfeeding

I know I'll be giving it a shot again. And if I do have trouble again I'm definitely investing in a double pump

 

[Mimzy3]

BTW good luck to you Mimzy on the impending birth! hope you have better luck with the latch this time assuming that you will be breastfeeding

I know I'll be giving it a shot again. And if I do have trouble again I'm definitely investing in a double pump

Thank You!! Will be any day now. And I'm going to try my hardest to get this baby to latch. And get him clipped if tongue tied right away

And good luck to you too!!!

 

[SoupDragon]

Just wanted to update that even after my despairing posts above, I made it to a year! I never quite reovered my supply, 14oz was the most I ever got in one day after I had tonsillitis, but I managed to get my broken pump exchanged for a medela swing maxi, which was much kinder on my poor old nips than the lansinoh 2-in-1 was (Mothercare were fantastic about the exchange, no trouble at all!), and I managed to muddle through using the manual and the medela. It actually got easier after I went back to work when DD was 10 months, as I then had proper breaks in the day to pump.

Anyway, I started winding my supply down just before her birthday, and apart from a small session with the hand pump to clear a bit of a blocked duct, I haven't pumped in about 2 weeks...DD is 13 months old on Sunday, and had her last bottle of ebm 2 weeks ago.

Can't believe I managed it...ok, it wasn't 'exclusive' pumping as I had to give formula, but it was more than I ever thought I'd be able to do after it became clear that bf wasn't going to work.

For #2, whenever in the future that happens, I know so much more and will be doing my utmost to make bf work...I will be asking to see the bf advisor/LC at the hospital to have LO checked for tongue tie, and am hoping to be able to ebf.

 

[missbabes]

Just wanted to update that even after my despairing posts above, I made it to a year! I never quite reovered my supply, 14oz was the most I ever got in one day after I had tonsillitis, but I managed to get my broken pump exchanged for a medela swing maxi, which was much kinder on my poor old nips than the lansinoh 2-in-1 was (Mothercare were fantastic about the exchange, no trouble at all!), and I managed to muddle through using the manual and the medela. It actually got easier after I went back to work when DD was 10 months, as I then had proper breaks in the day to pump.

Anyway, I started winding my supply down just before her birthday, and apart from a small session with the hand pump to clear a bit of a blocked duct, I haven't pumped in about 2 weeks...DD is 13 months old on Sunday, and had her last bottle of ebm 2 weeks ago.

Can't believe I managed it...ok, it wasn't 'exclusive' pumping as I had to give formula, but it was more than I ever thought I'd be able to do after it became clear that bf wasn't going to work.

For #2, whenever in the future that happens, I know so much more and will be doing my utmost to make bf work...I will be asking to see the bf advisor/LC at the hospital to have LO checked for tongue tie, and am hoping to be able to ebf.

Congrats on making it so long. Even with supplementing it's one heck of an achievement