Question on Medela Breast Pump?

Question

My wife decided that breastfeeding was not for her. We decided to by the pump, she's only getting 2 ozs or less per session, is that normal? She started to pump on saturday afternoon, and she pumps 2 to 3 times per day. What can she do to increase the milk supply?

Answer 1

TELL HER NOT TO GIVE UP!!

It's normal for the beginning...

Creating breastmilk requires her to drink obcene amounts of water.

She should pump at the same times everyday (So her body can anticipate the "feeding" and be ready for it

She should pump for a few minutes after milk stops (to trigger the body's need to produce more)

She needs to distract herself, read a magazine, relax, think about the baby while pumping...DO NOT obsess on the amount she's getting...that's counter productive.

She needs to relax...stress kills your milk production.

Pinching her nipples or hand expressing for a minute before a pumping session will trigger the milk "let down"

She can drink Mother's Milk Tea (Yogi Tea makes an excellent one) (Available at the healthfood store or online)

Also ...breast massage or compression is also key to expressing all her milk.

Breastfeeding whether directly or pumped is so beneficial for your baby and so rewarding for your wife...it takes tons of dedication and it helps to have support...it's great that you guys are both making the extra effort!

Congratulations! And good LUCK!

Tell her to keep strong...pretty soon she'll have more milk than she knows what to do with!

Answer 2

She is probably not pumping for long enough. Breasts usually have 2 let downs- milk flows, stops for a few minutes, then starts to flow again. Pumping should take about 20 minutes. Also, if she can she should pump more frequently- 4-5 times a day to establish adequate production. Breasts will produce as much milk as is needed. Pumping more often gets more milk flowing. The more she pumps in the beginning, the more milk she will produce. Once she is getting a good amount of milk, she can cut back on how many times she pumps- though she still should pump at least 4 times a day.

A warm washcloth on the breast before pumping will also help with let down. Also, drink plenty of water to stay well hydrated.

Answer 3

Drink more water
Take fenugreek capsules (2-3 at a time every few hours until she smells like maple syrup). You can get them at GNC and they're not expensive.
Eat oatmeal. Oatmeal cookies and granola bars with oats are good, too.
She needs rest, you should help her out and let her take a nap tonight!
Also tell her this: Pump on one side only and use the free hand to squeeze out every last drop. Tell her to get the breast tissue under the armpit, because there is milk way back there, too. Once she's certain there is nothing left in that boob, switch and do the same thing on the other side. Once both sides are done once, go back to the first side and it should be working on filling up again. Keep going back and forth until there is like, nothing left. I always did then when running low and it ALWAYS gave me a major boost in supply the next day. You're going to need to baby sit when she does this because pumping is hard work!

Make sure she pumps at night, too. Otherwise her milk will dry up. 2-3 times per day is NOT enough. She needs to pump every three hours until she has a well established milk supply, then she can maybe drop some night feedings. You need to make this possible for her by being as supportive as possible, because pumping exclusively is very hard and losing your milk supply and having to switch to formula will be very, very expensive and the guilt might incapacitate her for a while.

Many frequent short pump sessions are better than one long one.

Answer 4

I did the same thing. My son would not latch on so I had to pump and put it in a bottle. SHe will have to pump alot more than 2-3 times a day to get the supply up. More like 7 or 8 times a day for at least 10 min at drink lots and lots of water. She may even have to breastfeed some to get the milk supply up b/c the baby can get more than the pump.

Answer 5

When women start breastfeeding or pumping at first, there is only a little amount of milk that comes out. I remember when we first took my son out to see our friends... I didn't want to breast feed in front of everybody, so I went to bathroom and pumped... for 10 min each breast. Well, that sounds like a lot of work, but there was only a little milk in the bottle. After a few months when we talked about it my friends confessed and told me that they found it strange ...and kind of funny that after 20 min. I only got so little. Now, my son is three and a half months old and when I pump I get around 4 Oz's and he's developing very nicely.

Milk supply is determined by the baby's demand. The more she pumps, the more milk she will get. In the beginning I fed or pumped evey couple hours. At two months every three and now it's every four hours.

Also, make sure she is eating right and that she drinks plenty of fluid.
Good luck to you !

Answer 6

She needs to be pumping every 2-3 hours for 10-15 minutes. Just like a baby. Actually a breastfeeding baby may eat as often as every hour. Also a baby is by far more efficient at stimulating supply.

If possible she should at least nurse the first 6 weeks to ensure a good supply. And even then at least part time breastfeeding is better than exclusive pumping.

There is a tonne of good info here:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/index.html

Including ways to increase your supply.

Answer 7

I do the same thing. I only get about 2oz at a time. She can try drinking mothers milk tea and taking fenugreek herbal suppliments. I started doing that last week and have seen a slight increase. She could also try to pump a few more times a day. I understand how hard it is to even find time to pump 2-3 times a day though. I can't ever find time to pump more than 4 and usually only get in 3 times. Good luck!!!

Answer 8

It has been my experience that it is a matter of supply and demand. The more the demand, the more milk will be produced.
Also, with a pump, it helps to do it in a relaxed private place. I nursed all five of mine-had to pump for preemies who stayed at hospital for over a month.
If you think of how often the baby eats, start by using the pump that often, then go from there.

Answer 9

Depends on how old the baby was when last bf-in. If it was a newborn, that sounds like a normal amount, but not frequent enough. She also needs to pump on both sides at the same time, and try to totally relax right now, and give it 15-20 min until she gets used to it.

Answer 10

I use the Medela 2-Phase Expression pump, drink about 64oz of H2O and take fenugreek herbs. I get 12-20oz in 12hrs while at my job. At home I nurse every 3-4hrs. Sometimes while nursing my baby I pump the other breast and get 3-5oz.