Mom Whom Pumps and Nurses Needs Advise

well, when i was nursing and pumping as well i felt i wanted to increase my supply so i would have some stored up. it was like when i wasnt nursing i was pumping. my ob/gyn gave me a prescription ti increase my milk which worked nicely.. and i think that as soon as his teeth feel better he will want more milk. which will help. it takes a few good days to increase your supply b/c your body has to realize the new demand.. drink lots of fluids throughout the day. that helps too. i would ask your doctor about the meds too. might take like a week but if you keep pumping really well it will increase. even like when you're in the shower.. pump a little. not to store but just to stimulate production. every little bit helps... hopefully it'll turn around.. eat healthy, drink plenty of fluids and keep stimulating production. your body should catch up and up its supply soon..

I agree with pumping more often...even if you only get small amounts, your body will increase the amount over a short time..and Fenegreek works wonders to help...

You may also want to try calling a breast milk storage clinic...they have expressed milk that you could use instead of using formula (if thats what you would like to do)...And if this makes you feel weird, just remember what they used to do YEARS ago...they had people called Wet Nurses...they breastfed the babies of (usually) rich parents instead of the mother...

How long are your pumping sessions? I found that if I kept pumping after my flow slowed down to a trickle that I would have a second let down that would produce almost as much milk as the first. This usually means pumping for quite a long time, everyone is different but for me it would take about 30-45 minutes but I would produce 12-16 oz. per pump. A good pump (I used a rental from the hospital)and a pumping bra so you can stay hands free are essential. Pumping is a big commitment but your efforts are worth it, be proud of your self for providing your baby with your wonderful milk.

One of the best ways to increase milk supply is to breast feed exclusively every single weekend... pumping won't increase milk supply, but your baby will.

I was in a better situation then you because I had about 1 mth of stored milk before I started work, plus my daughter always ate less then what I pumped. What I learned was that the more often I pumped the more milk supply I had. I would try pumping more frequently then you currently are and from both sides each time. After a few days your milk should increase because it will think the baby is actually eating that much. Your body will make enough milk to feed your baby, which is why mother's with multiples can even breastfeed. Your body produces as much as it thinks the baby is eating, so the more you pump the more it thinks the baby needs and the more milk it makes. Good luck and definitely start getting a supply of stored milk you never know when you will need it. I had to have emergency surgery when my daughter was only 5 mths old and the stored milk helped me to continue breastfeeding her without introducing formula.

I always found that pumping more frequently helped me to get more total for the day. Also, make sure you eat and drink to your hunger and thirst. I could tell a decrease in milk any time I tried losing weight too quickly. As for night time, many moms are more comfortable with the baby sleeping all night, but other mos find that sleeping with the baby close by and nursing while asleep can make a huge difference in supply and in how much baby needs while mommy's gone.

If you need more breastfeeding-working moms to talk to, there's a yahoo group just for that:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bfworkingmoms/

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Best wishes.