Breast Pumping?

Question

Im going to ask this for my wife and I. She started using a pump, Medela, and she is only getting about 1 oz total from both breasts. Does anyone have any tips for her? I would like to help feed, but without the milk in the bottle...that can't happen... :-/

Answer 1

Medela is a reputable brand, used by many hospitals, so this shouldn't be the problem...make sure she is not hurting herself with too much pressure as this can prevent a nice let down and flow.

Before putting the pump to the breast, try gentle nipple stimulation or hand expression first to encourage the hormone to be released which leads to milk let-down (oxcytocin).

Try making sure she is expressing every 3 hours to start with (from start of one expression to the start of the next). She could even try 5 mins per breast, then swap, then 5 mins, then swap, until each breast has had about 20 mins or more of expressing, this works with some people who have stubborn milk let down.

Use warm compresses and/or very gentle breast massage in the direction of the nipple area.

I found when I was expressing that I was watching the collection bottle for every drip that was coming out. I was hardly getting any out, then by chance the phone rang and I got completely distracted (still pumping while I was talking, but not looking or thinking about it). When I looked down there was 80 mls in the bottle - bit more than the ten mls before the phone rang!

Distraction is the best key to expressing the most milk...books, conversation, baby awake nearby entertaining mum, tv, etc...

Also - how long ago did she have bub?
- is she only expressing after breast feeds or is she trying to express full feeds that are then bottle fed?

This is important to know as it can affect the answers people will give...

Answer 2

In my own experience, I could not get much more than an ounce pumping either. And I have tried it with 4 children. If I was planning on going to a wedding or somewhere I couldn't bring the baby, I would pump first thing in the morning when I had more milk. I would have to do this for a week or more just to get enough bottles to be able to leave the house without the baby. And I couldn't do this until the baby slept through the night at age 6 months or older. I really believe that some women just cannot use those pumps. I'm proof of that.

Answer 3

There are a lot of good ideas already but has she tried pumping on one side while the baby nurses on the other?

I didn't start pumping until our baby was 5 weeks old and the age of your baby may have something to do with it (length of time breastfeeding). It takes 4-6 weeks to get your supply stabilized in the beginning.

As well, even then I only was able to pump 2-3 oz. if i was full from the pump. I did put baby on the breast when she was hungry right after and she was able to draw more milk. Pumping in the morning and after naps worked well. Never at night since I was not full at that time.

Answer 4

I successfully soley pumped for 10 months so yes it is possible contrary to what some might say. Yes some women have a harder time with pumping, however in my case I didnt have a choice when my son wouldnt latch on! Anyways so tips for your wife to try....drink PLENTY of fluids..at least 64 oz of water a day. The more liquids the better supply. Also if she just started, be patient. Pump for 5-10 minutes on each side to start and then increase the time when the supply gets up. Make sure she's pumping every 3 hours to start and then can go for longer period of time. Prior to pumping she can place a warm moist cloth on breasts to trigger the let down..as well as massaging the breasts.

Good Luck to you both. I know my husband truly enjoyed being able to be an active part with the feedings and it gave me a rest..although when it was feeding time, it was pumping time!

Answer 5

i had the same problem. While I'd love to feed my son on demand....sometimes I just didn't have enough. Here's what helped me....

A warm shower before pumping. Drink A TON of water!!! So much that you almost can't stomach it. Before you know it....you're engorged and have too much milk. =P Also, make sure she is relaxed when she pumps. Stressing over how much milk she has in the bottle is only going to stiffen the flow. Instead, relax, and don't watch for a little bit. Just let the pump do it's work and check on it every now and again. Just to see how much you've got. Make sure you're not overflowing and all. And lastly....Lots of suction. If possible....adjust the pump to as strong of a "suction" as you can stand. And don't give up too soon. Sometimes it too all of 30min for me to get 4 oz. But within a day of two...I was pumping 8 oz. no problem. Hope this helps!!

Answer 6

Have her check if the size of the flange is right. The ones that usually come with breast pumps are too small for many women. She can check this by watching her nipple while pumping - there should be at least 1/4 inch of space between her nipple and the sides of the flange, and it should suck at her areola too. After pumping, if there's a ring of milk around the inside of the flange it's considered normal, but a ring of dead skin is a sure sign that the flange is too small.

She may also need to adjust the suction and/or speed. Have her try different settings to see what works best. Triggering letdown before pumping can help a lot - this can be done by nipple stimulation of some sort; 'tweaking' them, rubbing, etc, or latching the baby on until she lets down...have her do whatever works best for her.

Answer 7

How old is your baby? It is best to start pumping after the 4th week when the supply is well established.

Tell her to pump first thing in the morning when she is most full. If baby is hungry right after her body will make more milk to be used for nursing.

The next best time to pump is after a nap as again, she will be most full.

Before pumping, have her warm her breasts. I use a very warm washcloth. This helps the let down occur faster.

Good luck to all of you!

Answer 8

First of all from my experience, i liked the Avent manual pump better it's cheaper and much better.Here r some tips ur wife can do to get more milk;
1- Feed ur baby whenever he wants to be fed.
2- Try to have hot shower before pumping , it helps getting more milk.
3-If she can and u might help her try to pump from one breast while feeding the baby from the other one. (it's difficult only in the beginning).
i hope this will work with u guys

Answer 9

Start by pumping on the side the baby is not nursing on, or following the baby's release from the breast- that way the let down has already occurred.

Once she gets used to that she needs to relax, learn to visualize the baby- have a picture of the baby (I had one of my son's mouth open really wide). She has to think about how the baby NEEDS her milk, etc.

Answer 10

Just keep at it. Its really hard to get your milk to let down in a pump, its unnatural and you get uptight trying to make it happen.

What works well is for her to take the baby and the pump into a quiet room and she can hold the baby on her lap or lay him near her while pumping. The sight and sound of the baby, especially if the baby is crying, will help her milk let down quicker.