This is my first time expressing Breast milk, I'm looking for any advice you can give!?

Question

I am using a manual pump. I tried to pump a couple days ago. I pumped for about 10 minutes and only got about 1 oz. This was after my son had breast fed for 15 minutes... (it was after his morning feeding) I'm just looking to get about 4 oz for now. My husband and I have a wedding to go to next weekend and unfourtunatley we can not take our son.
I could really use any advice that you may have on doing this correctly. Thanks
Jessica

Answer 1

Electric pumps work best; however, why not just supplement with formula for the day? It never hurts to have a backup plan, and at the rate you are going, you won't get to 4oz. soon. Also, what if the caregiver spills the breastmilk, overheats it, leaves it out, etc., and there is nothing else to feed your baby???? Don't listen to the breastfeeding nazis who will tell you not to supplement. They are fanatics, and fanatics are dangerous, even when their cause is not.

Have fun at the wedding and enjoy time with your hubby without the baby!

Answer 2

I pumped for a year because I worked full time, so I've have a lot of experience with milk supply going up and down. The lactation specialist informed me that your milk replenishes every 90 minutes. Therefore, try pumping in between feedings if you need to. Also, if you continue to pump after each feeding, your body will start to produce more milk. It might take a week, so be patient. Just remember to put the fresh milk in the refrigerator until it's the same temp as any breast milk you have in there before you add to it. Refrigerated breast milk is only good for about 48 hours, so I would take all the milk you expressed per day and freeze it (it's good for up to 2 months). When I needed milk I had stored in the freezer, I took it out the night before and put it in the refrigerator to thaw. Check with your local hospital for a lactation specialist. They are more than happy to answer any questions over the phone. If you need further help, you can usually make an appointment with them.

Also, an electric pump works much better. Many have come down in price, but if you're only looking to supplement temporarily, you can usually rent the good electric pumps from your local hospital for about $25-40/month.

Answer 3

You may not have gotten much because he had just fed. First of all if you are going to do this often, you have to get an electric pump. Manual is way too much work and not as efficient. If it is just for this weekend, keep what you have. Does your baby feed during the night? If not pump then, it will build up your nighttime supply and when you stop you may be engorged a few mornings but that will go away when you stop. You will have to express often to make your body produce more if you will also be nursing him. It isn't the end of the world if you have to supplement with formula.

P.S. Breasts do fill up between feedings. I'm small and can see my boobs grow by the hour and then disappear after expressing. Your body is constantly producing milk, just more sometimes than others, depending upon demand.

Answer 4

Manual pumps are difficult at best. Pump when you are full and not about to feed the baby (sometimes at night this will really work if the baby is sleeping pretty well.) I pump right before I go to bed at night and that way my 6 month old has a bottle ready to go if I have to run out with her the next day. An electric pump really is better. I've said it before and I'll say it again....call your local lactation center and ask for advice and help. They are there for you and you can probably rent a hospital grade pump for $35 and pump to your hearts content for a month and put milk in the fridge to spare! The medela I bought after my first daughter was some of the best money I've ever spent!

Answer 5

If you have already fed him, then you aren't going to get much out anyway. In order to build up a supply you need to pump more frequently. You produce milk according to what your baby needs. So if you start pumping on a more frequent basis, then you should start to produce more milk because you body believes that this is what the baby needs.
Manual pumps are ok, the electric ones work a bit better.
Just don't allow your breasts to fill up. Try pumping at regular times. Pumping takes a bit longer than 10 minutes however. Give it a little more time.
Make sure you have some Lamisil handy....in case you don't already, its the cream in a purple tube lol. You can find it with the breastfeeding stuff at any store. Use it right after as it helps to prevent soreness and chaffing.
If you do start to pump more frequently be aware that you can become very sore. Hot compresses or hot showers will help immensly. Avoid an underwire bra! (in case you weren't already lol). Just make sure that if you start to store your milk, keep it frozen as it will actually last up to a month that way. Leaving it in the fridge it will last only a day or two at most. They have plastic bags that are for storing milk specificaly and you can write the date on the baggy to keep track of it.
Good luck!
Oh and um, yes, boobs do fill up between feedings. It is physically impossible for your glands to instantaneously produce milk when the baby demands it.

Answer 6

How old is your baby? Do you even know if he'll take a bottle yet? Honestly, I'd either take the baby or stay home with the baby if he is very young. Breastfeeding and meeting my baby's needs were always too high on my list to worry about anything else. Why can't you just take him with you?

Getting 1 oz in 10 mins with a manual pump after feeding isn't too bad. What brand of pump?

The best time to pump is usually first thing in the morning as your supply is usually best then.

You could also try nursing on one side while you pump on the other side. Some moms find they get more milk this way.

It's normal to need to pump up to about 3x in order to get enough for one feeding. No breastpump is as efficient at getting the milk out as the baby is.

Check out the link below for more info on pumping.

Nikki - Breasts don't "fill up" between feedings. The milk is made on demand when you latch on the baby or hook up the pump.

Answer 7

relax and take your time, the more you pump the more you will build up your milk supply and getting one ounce and he had ate for 15 mins is good. Just keep up what you are doing, allow him to eat and then pump for ten to 15 mins when he is done, your body will make more milk as the demand arises,(your body does not know the difference between him eating and you pumping). I had to pump for a dentist appt and then surgery and that's all i did, pump after eating. You could also try letting him eat as long as he want on one breast and pumping the other one, your body will adjust to this too. If I can help in any further way, email me, Laura

Answer 8

It's really normal to only get a little bit when you first start pumping- 1/2 to 2 ounces for both sides is the average. 10 minutes sounds pretty short, though. Make sure you're pumping until nothing else comes out. And just pump more.

Do also check the kellymom page I listed; Kellymom has great bf/pumping advice!

Answer 9

great job! it does take practice and time to get used to a pump. your breast will make more milk for baby than for a pump. some women get nothing. so for a first attempt after nursing 1oz is pretty good. just keep doing it after each or everyother feeding until you get enough for what you need. just remember 3-4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. good luck and have fun at the wedding!

Answer 10

For the subsequent feeding, it is high-quality. Breastmilk has a ton of antibiotics and different properties that shop it fortified, that's why it may stay fit to be eaten for countless hours at room temperature, countless days refrigerated and quite a number of different months frozen. My 6 month previous daughter is completely breastfed, and on the events that I even have given her a bottle of expressed milk (on occasion as quickly as consistent with night, on occasion each and every 2 or 3 nights) and he or she hasn't complete the whole subject, I even have refrigerated the leftovers. in the morning for her next feed i've got further freshly expressed milk to fill the bottle, warmed all of it returned as much as the temperature she likes, and he or she's complete it off with out any subject. That stated, I even have continuously used a sparkling bottle each and every time. the only way I see entering into subject is re-utilising a nipple that she's already had the previous feeding with out it being wiped sparkling. So it relatively is common to circulate the milk to a sparkling bottle with a sparkling nipple. Use those leftovers interior of a few hours and you relatively would desire to be high-quality. Breastmilk is spectacular - kudos to you!!

Answer 11

Cabbage makes breast milk come out. I know it sounds really weird. Take cabbage leaves and place them on your breasts. It makes the milk come out. I used it to help express milk to breast feed and relieve the pain when drying up. My Lamaze teacher told me about this trick. Or since you are using a manual pump, stand in a warm shower and pump. That worked for me too. Good Luck!