Nursing Mom Having Issues with Let-down When Using Pump.

What works for me almost everytime is closing my eyes and breathing in a full count of 8, then out for a full count of 8 until I get let down. This relaxes you - for some reason it's harder to relax when you pump. In the few times that this doesn't work I focus on fully relaxing the muscles in my face and shoulders while breathing and sometimes visualize my baby in my head. Good luck!

I used to have this problem! It was really stressful! I found that if I doubled up with my daughter on one breast and sort of stockpiled the other it worked. I also found if I got up early and pumped before I fed her this also produced more milk. I also tried pumping one breast while I was feeding her from the other helped with let down. Still all in all it never seemed like enough and she always seemed to make it through....once in a while I still had to supplement with formula and when she wouldn't take that I had to intro her to sweet potates per the doctors suggestion as an extra back up and she was about 8 months then. Good luck

I know just how you feel about pumping, i use the fenugreek as the recommend dosage but what would work for me, now this may sound silly, i would feed my son off one breast for at 2-3 feeding, this allowed the the other breast be stimualted, and before long that breast was full and ready for pummping, as doing this it allowed the other breast to fill up some beacause i was able to rest the other breast and allow it to be stimulated by the pumping. I would really do this at night when he would eat less (you may be a little sore but it is worth the extra bottles...lol) Don't feel let-down the what you pump is not the same as what they are actually feeding on...be blessed...

This is what worked for me.
tape record your daughter crying when she is ready to eat.
Then play that recording when you are ready to start to pump. Look at your favorite picture of her, Close your eyes and imagine she is feeding and you are not pumping. This has worked miricales for me. I know it is hard but the more relaxed you are the better your letdown will be. I use the time to do streches with my neck and shoulders. Listen to some relaxing music, you daughter cooing, etc.
Just keep relaxed and continue to pump.
good luck

I had problems nursing when my son was first born and worked hard to make it work. To get my milk going with the pump I pumped after every time that I nursed. I know that this seems excessive and I imagine that you don't need to pump that often since you already are producing milk. Pumping right after you nurse is helpful because you already have had the milk flowing. I also drank (an continue drinking) mothers milk tea to help with milk production. It has definately worked. You can get it at Coos Head Natural Food Store on 101. My only other thoughts are to make sure the pump is working corrently and that you have the right size shield for you. Hope this was helpful!

A.,
I used to nurse on one side and pump on the other. You can do that with the electric pumps but it would be rather amusing with a manual pump and your baby... My kids didn't ever have formula nor even solid food until they were 10 months old. Relax, the milk will come. Also, 1 week in the freezer is more than enough, don't you think?

Hi A.,

I pumped at work with both children. I am also a volunteer member of the Nursing Mothers Counsel of Oregon. If you want to talk to some one about this you can call our free hotline at ###-###-####.

With my first, I would only get 3 oz per pump TOTAL! I just was not making much milk despite taking everything and using a hospital grade pump. Needless to say I did have to supplement a bit with formula. We would just give her two or three oz of the formula mixed with the breast milk to make it more palatable for her. I did not want to loose what little supply I had so we used the formula very sparingly. Because your daughter is over 6mo, you could also have your partner or care giver feed her full fat yogurt instead of giving her a formula bottle. I would also highly recommend if you do need to give formula, use one of the Organic brands that are out there now.

Also, you have more milk in the morning than you do at night. A trick is to pump first thing in the AM right after you feed your daughter. That way you can build a bit of a stock pile.

Then, as others have said work on the relaxation. Bring things that smell of nursing your daughter and a large photo of her face. I have heard of people even bring a soft sculptured doll and cradle it while you pump. Play a soothing song at home while you nurse your daughter and them play it on your headphones while you pump. All of these triggers could help your body let down to your pump.

While you have less milk in the evenings, it is higher in fat content, so a little goes a long way!!

With my second child, I had a TON of milk, some times up to 20oz per pump!! So keep it up, your body is an amazing thing, and so is the power of your mind. I have confidence that you can do this!!

I brought pictures of my daughter with me when I needed to pump at school. I would sit there and focus on the picture (which was actually her at the breast, too) and that would help let-down. You might want to record your baby's hungry cry, and bring along a blanket with her scent... these all might help trick your body into inducing let-down.

i had trouble with the pump too. my breasts just wouldn't let go. i made it several months with the pump tho but i was always just ahead of my daughter's feeding schedule. one thing that help let-down was to stimulate the nipple i didn't have the pump on.

I have had great luck pumping one side when my kid is eating on the other side. it makes the pumping go really quick also.

Hi A.,
Try the tea your specialist recomended.
Other ideas:
1. Warm compress on the breast.
2. Beer, the hopps or something helps the milk let down, but not more than one can or bottle in a day. Look it up online for specific information, I just know it works.
3. Nurse on one side while puping on the other.
4. Pump in the morning before you nurse, and any other time in the day when your feeling full, so you don't get engorged.
5. Pump when your baby is crying or record her cry and listen to it when you pump.

Basically you neen to relax your body and imagine your baby is nursing. Anything that triggers your breast's to leak, try it. Good luck.

I know a few tricks! One thing to do is to pump one side while your baby is nursing on the other side, try to focus on the baby nursing...not the plastic uncuddly pump. The other would be visualizing...when your not pumping with baby use your imagenation...imagen your nursing your cute sweet baby...that will help w/let down. A warm bath before hand can also help...relaxation & hot water can make my milk still come in and I haven't nursed for over a year. Some reccomend a beer before pumping, I'm not a big fan of beer myself. All the other methods did help me. Especially relaxing & visualizing. Best wishes. Em

My lactation nurse told me to look at her pic while pumping. Or read a journal that I had written to her during pregnancy. Anything that involves you thinking about (even smelling your childs clothing as another lady suggested) should works.

I had the same problem when nursing my little one. I put pictures of him in my pump case so when i was pumping i would take out his picture and look at him while pumping and I would think about how wonderful it felt when I was feeding him. It worked excellant and I was able to build up my milk supply, for when i wasn't home.

Do the herbs as suggested...But you need an article of baby's clothing and a picture to look at. Smell your baby, you need to get in the mood basically for let down. You need to think about your baby, you need that frame of mind. Relax too, don't rush it or feel pressured.
You know that you are pumping so it's mechanical, not real, you need to fool your mind and body that it's your baby that's nursing.

My advice may not help if you need to pump when you are away from your daughter... I had to "train" my breasts to respond to the pump by pumping when my daughter nursed. I used one arm to hold her and one hand to hold the pump. It was awkward at first, but I got the hang of it, and I would get so much milk that way. So I wouldn't take too much milk away from her during a feeding, I gradually worked toward using the pump at the end of a feeding and just kept it going after she was done. This might help. Be proud of yourself that you breastfed for a solid six months!

Warmth helps alot. Also you can massage you breast to help. Can you express manually?
I made some pads with fennel seed that I can put in the microwave then in my bra. Using your pump in the bath may help too.

I had this problem also. I found out that I was using the wrong size sheild-too small. Try using a the next biggest or the one after that when you pump. Most of the areola needs to be being pulled down the cylender (sp?) part of the pumping shield. Also, you can try while you're pumping massage your breast in a downward motion-like when you're hand expressing-it may help. Other than that, just make sure to get lots of water and try not to stress I've heard it can make your milk supply deminish.

Your body responds because of you cuddling with your baby, smelling the sent of your baby and the overall experience. It's really hard to be sentimental with a pump. SO, it's a good idea to set up a comfy pumping routine. I had to do this in a bathroom at work, of all places. I brought a burp cloth that smelled like my baby. Took a picture of her. It became my break time to think about her while I was away from her. If you are stressed, it will be harder for you to let down. I know, it's hard. The good news is that you are giving your baby enough milk. It might just take some practice. Remember, it's all supply and demand. Your body will keep producing if you are pumping and nursing. Even though you aren't getting much, you are telling your body to keep producing milk. SO, even if you have to give her a little formula in a pinch, just be sure to be pumping during that time. Even add in an extra pumping. Best of luck.

Hi A.,
First of all let me congratulate you on going back to school. That has got to be hard with a little one. I haven't had much trouble with nursing, but I had the flu last month and was so dehydrated that I wasn't producing enough milk. My mother found a tea at our local health food store that helped. It is by Traditional Medicinals, and the name is Mother's Milk. She made me a stout cup with three tea bags, and within an hour I thought I was going to explode with milk. I am not sure if it will work the same for you, but it is worth a shot. Another thing that helps me when I pump, is having a really warm washcloth. I put that on my breast and let it warm it up before I pump. It is much easier than when everything is cold. Hope this helps. Good luck! :)

Dear A.:

As a former breast-feeding mom who nursed
(and pumped!) for for 11 consecutive years,
I can tell you from experience that the only
successful way to pump and get MASSIVE amounts
of milk is to pump WHILE you are nursing. - It
takes a little coordination at first, but once
you get the hang of it, you will have more milk
then you will know what to do with!

Hi A.. I am a bit of an "expert" on milk supply issues. I breast fed my twins for the first year of life and I worked so hard to get every drop for them. I have a couple of thoughts for you. Definitely take the fenugreek to increase supply but you may also want to take some type of tummy tincture that has fennel or other herbs to counteract the gas that will happen w/ the fenugreek. It can be BAD news and you also don't want your baby to get gassy either. I used to order all my herbs from herblore.com (Pam Caldwell is the herbalist and she is a WONDERFUL resource for lactation). Her stuff is a little more expensive but it is really good quality. She even has a nursing tincture as well w/ some of those other great nursing herbs in it. The other thing I would get is the hands-free pumping bra from Easy Expression (www.easyexpression.com). This thing was the BEST for me and I used mind every single time I pumped (which was a lot!). The benefit for you is that your hands will be free and you can use your hands to massage the milk down as you pump. This encourages the let down. For me, I got barely any milk at all if I just tried to pump without massaging. You could also put warm/wet washcloths on your breasts just before pumping to try and trigger a let down. I was never one of those people who responded well to the pump but my twins never nursed well, so I basically just pumped the best that I could for a year. One other thought... when my twins were in the hospital NICU (born premature), the doctor there told me to try and hand express my milk after I was done pumping to get the fatty hind-milk out. This was really difficult at first but the more I tried to figure it out, the easier it got. I eventually became really skilled at hand-expression and I would always end a pumping session by hand expressing and would usually get another let-down that way. Sometimes, if I was away from my house for a longer period of time and needed to pump, I would just go to a bathroom and hand express for 10-15 minutes and I could usually get out the same amount of milk as pumping. It was pretty convenient. By the end of it, I joked that I could milk cows for living! Lastly, I would just remind you how important it is to get as much sleep as you can. I am convinced that one of the reasons I could never make enough milk was due to the fact that I didn't get enough deep sleep during that time. I haven't really slept well in about 5 or 6 years, but I definitely didn't get enough sleep during that year that I was lactating. This is your body's best time to produce milk and your prolactin levels are highest during sleep. Hooray for you for doing this for your baby. When it is all said and done, you will feel so good about doing this for her. I know for me, it was the hardest thing I have ever done, but SOOOOO worth it.

Relaxing is important. Placing a warm wet cloth on your breast helps, as does closing your eyes and visualizing your baby, or watching your baby or a picture of her. also, hand pumps are much harder to use then automatic ones. My mom successfully nursed all 8 of her children and couldnt get a drop with a hand pump. (although the automatic one worked). Good luck.
and remember, you have done an awsome job nursing her for 7 months. Formula wont hurt her. There is a whole generation that was raised on canned evaporated milk and sugar.

Hi A.,

I am not certain I'm reading your request correctly...you say you are concerned that you only have a week's supply and will need to put your daughter on formula, but you are only going to evening classes. So I guess I'm missing something---are you going on a trip or will you be staying away from home most of the week? Otherwise, why would you need to keep more than a week's supply?

Anyway, I agree with the fenugreek and blessed thistle, but can add a couple more I've mentioned here before--borage and good, hoppy beer. Borage is something you can get planted in your own garden, if you have any space at all, and it will happily take over your world! Fortunately, it is a beautiful plant with pretty blue edible flowers, and it has a very simple, shallow root system so you can easily pull it up wherever you don't want it. But the leaves, dried, and made into a very strong tea called an "infusion" can be drunk daily and is excellent for building milk supplies and supporting the adrenal glands (your "stress" glands). I would also suggest each evening, having a bottle of good, organic ale--it will both support your milk supply and help you relax enough for a good let down response.

One thing that helped me when I had trouble with pumping was to wait until my breasts felt very full (sometimes in the middle of the night, unfortunately), and get in as hot a bath as I could stand, or wrap a hot wet washcloth or cloth diaper around my breast. This seems to stimulate the let down.

Good luck, and try, try, try not to give in to formula because that will reduce your milk supply and lead to less and less capability to nurse.

Fiora

Good morning.....I don't know if my suggestion will help you, but it's worth a shot. Maybe it's just the difference between the physical touch/connection of nursing vs. the cold pump. If you are pumping away from home, bring a picture of your daughter with you. And if you have it, bring a recording of her voice (cooing/talking/etc.). (Like on your cell phone.) When you go to pump, look at her picture, listen to her voice and visualize her breastfeeding. Then your milk may let down. If you are pumping at home, try holding your daughter and again visualize.

Good luck! :)

Try having something that smells like your baby with you when you're pumping. Also a wonderful picture of your baby to look at is helpful. And, this is the hardest one, try not to worry about the fact that you are not letting down, it will make it harder to let down.

Relax, focus on your baby. Think about nursing and how nice it is -- get those hormones flowing!

--K.

I had this problem with my oldest, I now think it was my pump. I had the avent single hand pump then. We only had one day where I was away each week so we just gave her formula that one day. Now I have the medela single electric pump and get more milk when pumping even though I don't feel as "full" anymore. I do like mother's milk tea too. It won't hurt to give her breastmilk mixed with formula maybe or formula only while you're gone, I know it's not what you planned but may be necessary. I've heard the nestle good start tastes the sweetest, more like breast milk. Good luck, you're better off than most people having nursed her for 7 months, I can't believe there are people who are able to nurse and don't!

I have heard that looking at a pic of your baby and/or smelling their clothes helps.

I struggled with this too. One thing that did help was to listen to music or even watch tv - I found if I got distracted, I would relax, and then the milk would come. If you do find this works, try the same music (or tv show) the next time - sometimes your body can condition itself to respond to various cues. Good luck and GREAT that you are so committed to breast-feeding!

Hello!

I had this problem and the lactation specialist suggested that I use a warm towel to get things moving along faster. If you think about it you probably leak while in the shower so give it a try! Good luck!

I had my youngest last Feb (2007) and returned to work that summer. I also had trouble with let-down. But I found something that worked well for me. I had a picture of my baby on my cell phone and I would open it up when I was pumping and think of him. I would imagine breastfeeding him and it came pretty easily after that.
On the days I was home I started a routine of pumping every morning before my son got up. It seems to be easiest to collect milk bright and early in the morning. Hope that helps!
G.

When I was pumping I was having problems with let down and I found that it was because I was "waiting" for the let down to much and that I needed to relax. I bought the stuff to be able to do it hands free and I would listen to music or read. I found that helped a lot to relax. Good Luck!

Call a La Leche League Leader in your area. They handle this question all the time. You can go tho their website and find a local leader and a group http://www.llli.org//Web/Washington.html or you can call the Seattle helpline ###-###-####. A volunteer leader can answer your question. They also have a national helpline 1-877-4-LaLeche. These services are free and they are able to help moms with normal breastfeeding issues. If it turns out to be more complicated or medical then they suggest you see a lactation consultant.

Keep on nursing! You can make it through this difficult period and it will get better soon!
C.

Hi,
I had the same issue on and off when I went back to work and had to pump multiple times a day. What helped me was to just keep at it; there were times that I produced more milk than my daughter Amina could drink and then there were times where I felt like I couldn't produce enough. It defintiely helps to find a place that you can relax. I know this is probably hard at a community college, as it was for me at work in the bathroom, but try to breathe deeply and think of your daughter and waterfalls of milk! Good luck and good for you being committed to breast feeding.

Try pumping while you nurse your daughter. There will be plenty "left over" when you switch your daughter to the side you pumped on and you will benefit from the natural let down that occurs on both sides when you nurse. I have done this in the past and it has worked fantastically!

I would only let down when pumping if well hydrate and then very purposefully relaxing: letting my shoulders relax, breathing deeply, and then thinking about my baby in very positive ways. It was like magic.

J.

I have the same problem. The solution I came up with is to use the Avent Isis pump (trigger style) and pump one side while my daughter nurses the other. She stimulates my let down and then I can get some milk. One day a week, I am away from her long enough that I use the double electric pump at school. I had a hard time at first, but once I started drinking about 1 1/2 to 2 liters of water a few hours before pumping and was able to visualize her while pumping, my let down came. It did take a couple of tries before I was successful.

Consider yourself lucky to have a week's worth of milk in the freezer, I pump week by week and so far things have been fine. Now that my daughter is almost 1 (3 weeks away), I am going to start her with goat's milk as a supplement (she still refuses solids).

If you don't mind responding, could you please tell me what power pumping is?

Good luck with pumping and with school!

Hi A.,

My first question is...what breast pump are you using? If you have a double pump, does it allow you to vary the speed and suction? If so, you want to start the pump at the fastest speed possible until your milk starts to flow---then change the pump to a slower speed. Repeating this pattern 2-3 times will mimic what your baby does during feeding. Please feel free to respond to me privately if you have additional questions. I would gladly give you more details.

Take Care,
D.

My son suffered from tongue-tie, which led to many nursing challenges even after it was corrected. I ended up exclusively pumping for 7 months, so I have learned a few things along the way. First, and probably most important is to relax. If you are uptight, stressed, worried about your milk supply, then you will certainly have problems. Whatever gets you calm and centered. Sometimes I would just zone out in front of the TV and let the pump do its thing, not even thinking about let-down.

Secondly, warmth to the breast and breast massage. Try taking a warm shower before pumping. Massage your breasts while under the warm water. If you don't have time for a shower, you can also try warm compresses.

Thirdly, try fennel tea. This is different than fenugreek. It specifically aids in the let-down process. I think you can also get it in tincture form. If you don't know where to find it, look it up on the internet to find a supplier near you, or for mail-order. I live in Switzerland so I can't tell you where to get it in the US.

Last resort is oxytocin nasal spray. Again, I don't know about its availability in the US. This is a sure-fire way to get let-down. It can't be used long-term, but it can give your body a kick-start until you get more used to the regular pumping thing.

By the way, I have used all of these tactics at one point or another in my pumping journey. Hope this helps a little bit. Good luck

Try a visualization. I found this one in the book I got from the hospital, and it works for me. It sounds a bit odd, but it's worth a try. Picture yourself on a beautiful secluded beach. Your sitting on a relaxing beach chair, and your milk is running out into the ocean turning the ocean completely white with milk. I thought it sounded silly, but it works every time. They also suggest thinking about your baby, or looking at a picture of him. Hope some of those help!

hi A.,
i suggest getting in touch with your local la leche league leader. they are a great, free resource!
good luck,
J.

A., I am having the same problem when using a pump. Sometimes it takes 2 days to get 4 oz. I wish I had some advice.

I nursed both my kids though I had a really low milk supply (we now think it had to do with low progeserone). I would nurse on one side and pump on the other. This helped me to pump much more because the baby was triggering my letdown reflex for both sides. Then the next feeding I would switch the pump/baby to the other side. I did need to suppliment with formula a bit at first but this really helped to build up my milk supply and my freezer supply!

Good Luck and good for you for sticking with it!!

Hey A.,

I have this same problem when pumping. For me to get even 6 ounces (both breasts), I have to be somewhat engorged and have not nursed/pumped for about 4 hours (I do this when I work one day a week). Babies are better at getting milk out than breast pumps are, so my daughter can get milk out anytime, anyplace...but like I said...for the pump to get milk out I have to have a lot of milk stored...the "let down" is stronger this way. You can try pumping in the morning (when in most cases the most milk is produced) before you breastfeed. I even bought a really expensive Medela duel electric pump thinking that would help pump more milk, but I think thats just the way it is. Anyway, don't know if this helped, but I just wanted to let you know you weren't alone! Good Luck!

E.

Try having a picture of you baby to look at while you pump and a recording of her crying when she's hungry.

You can have her with you a few times and have her wait while you pump to get your milk to let down for the machine and then feed her instead of continuing to pump, and then visualize and remember the situation when your baby is not around. (hence the photo and recording)

Worked for me.

I am an R.N. I breast fed three kids. The oldest now 20! It may seem basic, but you need to keep yourself hydrated. Every time you breast feed, you should be drinking a bottle of water. Extremely important. I think this will help. Also make sure you eat enoough protein every day.
Deb

Here's what worked for me when I was in the same situation. I fed my daughter on one side and pumped on the other during every feeding. Which you can imagine doubles your feedings but it worked. Then each feeding I switch sides. It seemed that it was double let down and then my milk supply went up too. Hope this helps.

Maybe you've already heard all this.....but let-down is such a mental thing too. I find I have to really concentrate on thinking about my daughter. I imagine her nursing and try to think about what that's like. I have pictures of her all over my little back offic where I pump. I also find that I can literally induce let down with a few deep breaths. Lastly, I always drink water while I'm pumping. Hope that helps and good luck!

This sounds really weird but it works. When you first start pumping, bend over so your breasts hang down like a cow. It can be akward, but you'll figure it out. Also, some people I know get let down when pumping if they look at a picture of a baby. This didn't work for me but it's worth a try. Lastly, if you have been using your pump for awhile, get a new valve thingie. Apparently they can lose their seal, which reduces the suction (your LC can tell you where to get parts for your pump). Good luck.

When I had that problem I would try to pump while looking at pictures of the babies (I had twins) or actually pumping with them in the room. Also, since I had twins I had to pump every 2-3 hours so I think my body got used to it. Another trick from the lactation consultant was to do a "breast bath" just before pumping. If you can find a way to soak your breasts in hot water for a few minutes before you pump that made a huge difference for me. Hot towels work too but not as well.
Good Luck!

Try letting baby nurse on one side while pumping on the other. That almost always works, and then you can gradually start without baby latched on.

I have used fenugreek to stimulate milk supply with good success, also Traditional Medicinals makes a tea with fenugreek in it called Mother's Milk which is good too. How long are your classes each night? Is it possible that instead of introducing formula, your daughter could be held over by starting a solid like rice cereal or mashed banana, or other baby food? If it is bed time, could baby be put to sleep another way and then of course she'll be very ready to nurse when she wakes to night feed. If you continue to work on increasing supply- and for let down, try to relax as best you can- its like the old saying that a watched kettle never boils, if you are stressed about letting down, the tension can make it harder- and if you are only short a little bit of milk, or you are not gone long enough for your babe to starve, I really recommend not introducing formula. Also Mothering magazine's website has info and chat groups for specific topics like yours.. good luck..

It is hard to let down if you're not relaxed, so learning to relax might help. It can be hard when you're frustrated. It might also help to have your baby nearby, or at least have a picture of baby to look at.