Pumping Problems?

I did have that problem, and found an amazing solution.
Oat Milk-! Put 1 cup of organic rolled oats into a quart size thermos.
Add boiling water to fill.
Let sit overnight.
Strain the next morning, and have a cup.

Within a few hours (sometimes quite quickly) you will have plenty of milk. You may need another cup, as each of us is a little different.
Warning-! Don't drink the entire batch at one sitting, which is what I did . . .
About 2 hours later I was so engorged I didn't know what to do!

Later I remembered that the best milk comes from animals who eat oats-!!!
Good Luck,
K.

Hello,

I had all kinds of milk production issues, from my milk taking forever to come in, to low production. I basically did everything I could to make production good, and past that you just learn to accept what you must. If frustration is getting you down, and you want to vent let me know, I've been through about every milk related struggle possible.

There are however lots of things you can do to ensure the best milk possible so;

1) Local Le Leche League leaders have lots of good ideas and there website may have what I will list and more. I know a local group meets at First Baptist Church 1 or twice a month, it's come when you can kind of thing, probably other groups around, ?

2) Good nutrition for you, plenty of calories spread throughout the day and good hydration. Calorie intake should probably be more than 2000 a day, and in good calories, not pure sugar and fat. Good rule is stay away from refined sugars and processed food as much as possible. For hydration drink water as much as possible. Tea is a dieretic which will drain the body of fliud and cafine also dries the mucus membranes of the body, hard on the sinuses and throat.

There are also great supplements availible to help with production, I highly recommend trying them, I did take them and saw noticable difference;
B vitimins, this is why it is commonly suggested to take forms of bakers yeast, or drink beer. B complex vitimins could be deficient in your diet.
Fenugreek, blessed thistle,the main two also known to increase production. There is a great local company MotherLove that makes a mix(tincture) of the two above plus a few others, they call it mothers milk plus, and I highly recommend taking the blend as opposed to the fenugreek alone
You can get this and most supplements known to help at Sunflower market, Drake and Lemay, and I think MotherLove company has a website, they are out of LaPorte. If not, I know several maternatity / children's stores cary it. Let me know if you need help getting ahold of some.
I WOULD SUGGEST STARTING THE SUPPLEMENTS RIGHT AWAY.

Also, I used accupucture, I really believe in accupuncture treatment for many fertility / mommy related issues. Great accupuncturist in town, specializing in treating fertility and womens issues, Rachel Blunk, Aspen wellness center, practically next door to Sunflower market.

3) Breastfeed whenever possible first, then pump. If you want the body to produce or increase production it is best to breastfeed or pump every 2-3 hours. When situation allows follow the breastfeeding with 10 minutes minimum per side of pumping, 20 min may be better for some.

4) Nightime...If baby sleeps through the night you should allow yourself 5-6 hours of sleep, then get up to pump. I know, cruel, but going a long time without demand through the night can affect production. Just take a look at how long you go without demand on the body and try to work it out so that you give the body as much demand as your sanity will allow.

5) Ultimately the baby nursing is the best production trigger there is. A good pump is crucial if you are going to rely on it. You may want to look into a stronger pump, renting a commercial grade as used in the hospital.
A doctor can write a persription calling for the use of commercial grade pump which some insurance plans will recognize and cover or give monthly allowance toward. Renting one of these good Medela double electric commercial grade pumps could really help.??

6) If you must supplement consider supplemental nursing system. This allows you to feed pumped milk or supplement to the baby at the breast. This ensures baby is getting enough and gives the body the needed stimulation to help production.

7) Have you had any latch issues? Baby just may not be triggering the body well.?

8) May want to consider introducing a sippy cup around 6/7 months...not to replace nursing, but to offer additional milk. If production goes, and baby must get milk / supplement this is a good option to begin training them on.

I struggled with production always, relying on the supplemental nursing system to ensure she got enough.
Then at about 5 1/2 months she outright refused a bottle, so I could not leave her briefly with Dad or anyone to take care of myself, appointments, etc. Luckily I am stay at home mom, so we could deal.
I gave her a sippy cup, playtex level 1 trainer cup at 6 months with supplement in it and continued the normal 2-3 hour nursing schedule. It was probably a month or so of just sort of playing around with the cup before she began drinking any volume from the cup.

I continued to nurse her with supplement until she was able to really drink well consistantly from the cup, about 10 months and then continued to breastfeed throughout the day without supplemental feeding system, and offerd her the sippy cup at all meals.

We slowly weened more to the cup and now she only nurses for occasional comfort, to go down for naps. The transition has been pretty smooth.

Hope some of this is useful, helpful, and hopefully you can apply something that would work in your situation. Don't be too quick to give up, my little one is now 14 mths and even if I couldn't give her lots of breastmilk, what she got was the best I could give her.

She has been very healthy, gets sick next to never (only once actually) and is very happy kiddo.

Best of luck,
M.

J.,
If you have to pump-which you do, now that I see you work full time, then yes just pumping will make your supply less. But you can boost it when you're with your little boy. Only pump at work (have a picture of him to look at while you pump) and then when you're with him DO NOT pump. Have him at your breast as much as possible, through the night too. Pumping does stimulate milk production to continue but nothing like the natural suckling of your little guy. So at nights and weekends let the pump rest and have him nurse as often as possible. If you can get him to nurse every 2-3 hours that would help your body realize it needs to produce more, just like it does when he's getting ready to have a growth spurt he'll nurse more and that lets your body know to produce more to meet his needs. Good luck. You could always call La Leche League and ask them if they have any other suggestions, some mothers swear by mothers milk tea and fenugreek (sp?). Good luck and remember you're doing great to be able to still nurse/pump for him at 5 months! way to go.
One more thought, my Mom used to take brewers yeast, I think you have to take 6 of them and after each meal...just follow the directions on the bottle-I've seen it at WalMart.

I nursed my first daughter for a year and worked full time too. The key to keeping your supply going is, nurse with your son as much as you can. I understand you are working but that is the key, that is what keeps the milk coming. Also, be sure you are drinking plenty of fluids(all day), mainly water, this will ensure you have adequate milk supply for your son. If you try both of these and are still having problems, you may just need to add part formula to the bottles. Near the end of my year of nursing, I was producing a lot less but I believe that was because my daughter didn't need as much milk, so I started adding whole milk to the breast milk so she had plenty of milk during the day. I hope that helps and Good Luck, nursing is such a wonderful bonding experience. I only nursed my second daughter for 6 1/2 weeks but I truly believe that it gave her the right start, with her health, etc; Even if you don't continue, remember you have already given your son such a beautiful advantage by nursing him 5 months. Hats off to you... : - )

When I was pumping, I found it harder to pump when I had more stress. When you pump, just like when you breast feed, you need to be relaxed, unhurried, and not thinking about stressful events.

J.,

there is a yahoo group called PumpMoms that you might find really helpful. I've been a member through pumping for 2 kids and it is really helpful.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PumpMoms/

T.

Hi J.,

I had the same problem no matter what pump I used (both were Medela's). After what I have learned from this exeperience was that a few things I was doing wrong may have caused my milk supply to lower.

Here are my suggestions from my personal experience:

1.) Stay hydrated. Drink atleast 1 gallon of water. If you live in Las Vegas you will know that it's very dry here and expecially in the winter you need to drink lots of water. And stay away of caffeine (that includes coffee, tea and chocolate)
2.) Purchase Mother's Milk drops from Whole Foods. You can put that in a tea or juice and it helps increase the production. They also have a tea called Organic Mother's Tea.
3.) If you notice your supply is low while pumping then ry getting a routine before pumping. Take a warm shower or bath. Or just take a wash cloth and dip it in very warm water and massage your breasts with it to stimulate the milk glads. Find a private and relaxing place in the house to pump. Maybe you can look at a cute picture of your baby and listen to some relaxing music.
4. Get enough rest and try to get some help at the house so you are not stressed out. Stress is not good for your health but also lowers your milk production.

i also work full time and had to pump. i noticed that while pumping that my milk was just not coming in enough. the only thing that seemed to help was a tea. i noticed that when i constantly drank it i did produce more milk. you should be able to find it at any super market or at walmart. it's mommy nursing tea.

I have that problem too. I've been back to work since September 4th and my daughter will be six months old on the 23rd of this month. I'm out of my frozen milk supply. Just make sure you are pumping as much as possible, I even try pumping at home on the weekends. She started cereal about a month ago, and she only gets it during the week while I'm at work. Nights and weekends she breastfeeds only as to help keep my supply up. Also make sure you are drinking enough water, getting as much sleep as you can, eating well, and try some mother's milk tea if you need to. It helps for me! Good luck!

A few things that helped me:
Looking at a photo of my baby while pumping
Taking Mother's Milk from Motherlove
Massaging my breasts a bit before pumping
Drinking tons of water
Pumping twice per day for 15 minutes each time

I found that my milk was as much as I used... Increase your pumping/nursing and your production should go up. Sometimes you dont get it all and so next time there is less.. then less.. and less each time.

When I first went back to work I would drive home for lunch and nurse my son. Plus I would take a morning break and afternoon break to pump. When I was off work we nursed only.

Breastfeeding will give you the best stimulation to maintain full milk supply. If you are working full time you might notice a drop especially by the end of the week due to being away from the baby. Bring a picture of your baby to work and tape it on the wall or to the pump and try to visualize your little one nursing rather than pumping. Believe me, milk production has a lot to do with hormones and emotions. Make it as much like nursing as possible and pump as often as you can. When you are at home nurse as much as you can and you'll probably notice the supply is back to normal or increased by the end of the weekend. Drink plenty of fluids, eat enough calories and try to reduce stress. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you getting sick or have been sick? These can all affect milk supply. Overall what affects milk supply the most is stimulation and frequency of emptying your breasts. If you want more milk take more out and more frequently. There are also herbal supplements and medications you can take if nothing else works. Try breastfeedingonline.com, or breastfeeding.com or askdrsears.com. Good luck and congrats for breastfeeding!!

I had this problem with my second daughter. I learned from a lactation consultant, that the amount of suction from a pump is less then when the baby nurses. There for your body doesn't think it needs to produce as much. Try to nurse as much as possible and only pump when you HAVE to. Hope this helps a little!

When my first child was little, I had the same problem, but it was due to taking birth control pills. I figured it out with my second child, and switched to the "mini" pill and then didn't have any problems pumping. I worked full time with both of my children after my 12 weeks of FMLA time was used up. The mini pill has less of one hormone (estrogen?). I don't remember which one, but I'm sure your doctor could tell you if you ask.

Good luck!

It is hard to answer your questions without more specific and detailed information. But I will give you some info.

If you have a very high quality pump and ONLY pump when you are away from your son, as often as he usually nurses, for a full 15 minutes, things SHOULD work, although some moms still have problems.
That being said, it is normal for milk supply and delivery to fluctuate. The average production is 2 ounces per nursing session. You can try doubling up on nursing when you are home on the weekends, this will give your milk supply extra boost and recovery for the time spent away from your son.

The big indicators of milk supply efficiency:
1. Is he peeing
2. Is he pooping
3. Is he healthy
4. Is he happy
5. Is he growing

If all of these are true then you don't have anything to worry about. Lots of moms start supplementing without needing to. You can find several Lactation Consultants in Las Vegas that in one visit can determine the efficiency of your milk supply.

It would be a good idea to also hookup with the La Leche League group in your area for free support and networking.

Also you can do your own research here: www.kellymom.com

You are exactly right. The actual nursing is much more stimulating to produce breast milk than pumping. Always nurse as much as you can when you are not at work, and only pump when it is absolutely necessary. You can also increase your milk production by pumping at home also, after you nurse your baby. Hope this helps, Marci Beatty, RN in Labor and Delivery.

Hi J.,
It seems that nursing (because of the emotional connection with your baby) triggers some hormones that help you keep your milk production in higher levels than if you pump. So try nursing as much as you can. A recipe for raising the amount of milk that has helped me is orange leaves tea sweetened with golden brown sugar, you can easily drink 8 cups of it per day. I breast fed my two boys for 14 months and stopped because I needed a break. My twins, who came after the boys were breast fed for 6 months. I noticed with them that my stress level affected the amount of milk I had, so working full time might be a reason for the waning, too.

Peace,
G.

I am a Lactation Educator and Doula. I recommend the following product from Mother Love:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_so_22?ie=UTF8&rs=37609...

They are excellent and help replinish milk supply in a matter of days! I have seen some of their items at Sunflower Market and perhaps Wild Oats. So, if you don't want to order online, ask your local health food stores about it.

Good luck!

OK J.,
This advise coming from a Lactation Consultant....

The First question should always be - what kind of pump are you using? Are you using a pump designed for long term daily use? Examples include a Hospital grade rental, Medela Pump in Style Advanced, or Pump in Style Original. NOT OK would be any kind of hand pump, or single electric pump. Even some of the Medela Double Pumps are NOT designed for daily use. and is pumping comfortable for you? Does it hurt in any way?

Second, how often and how long are you pumping when you are away from your baby? With a Five month old you should be pumping about every 3-4 hours and for about 15 minutes. Even if nothing is coming out. Very common that I see a mom who starts pumping and after about 5-7 minutes the milk stops so she assumes she's done and then quits pumping. We know the average person gets 2.3 milk letdowns per pumping or nursing. It is important to get that second letdown while pumping. If that is difficult for you, try this.... pump with a high speed, lower suction for a minute or two - as your milk lets down, increase your suction to the maximum you can do comfortably. As the milk slows or stops - SHUT THE PUMP OFF - rest your nipples for a couple minutes. Like as if you were burping, or switching sides with the baby. After just a couple minutes, put the pump back on, again with the high speed but somewhat low suction. So you can really feel the light sensation that will get your milk to let down again. Pump for at least 2-3 minutes after the second let down has STOPPED. If by chance you do get a third letdown - celebrate - and wait for it to stop before you complete your pumping session.

I'd also highly recommend the More Milk Plus by Motherlove Herbal http://www.motherlove.com/products_extracts.php ... I also carry it here at my store. www.everymotherandchild.com - there is liquid tincture, alcohol free, or capsule form. It is much stronger than just using Fenugreek capsule alone. I have seen MANY moms have great success getting the milk boost they need!

Also, don't stress about it too much. Breastfeeding/Pumping are incredible psycological... While you are pumping you can't focus a lot of energy on how much your NOT getting or you won't let down easily to the pump. Focus on thinking about your sweet little darling, how he smells, how he feels nustled into your breast. This will help your production a lot. tuck one of his blankets or toys into your pump bag, also his picturre. I know it sounds corny, but it really will help!

Sorry this turned out so long, but if you need anything, please feel free to call!
J. at Every Mother & Child - Mesa, AZ

I recommend La Leche League. You can find a meeting near you by going to http://www.lllusa.org/

With my first, I wanted to breast feed SO much. But, my milk never really came in - I got 4 ounces one day (yes, I said day). When I went for my 6 week check up, I was told that I might have trouble due to using hormones to get pregnant (she may have said that at the beginning, but I was floating in the clouds and couldn't hear her!)

I miscarried #2, and then was surprised with #3. So, finding myself pregnant again, I was excited to get to try to breast feed again. I figured everything would be grand as I hadn't used hormones.

I was drinking about a gallon of water a day, and alternating pumping with trying to get her to latch on. So, there was "action" happening about every 2 hours. I tried this for about 2 months, and never really got much. I went to a lactation consultant and we worked together. I had one or 2 times of getting about 2 ounces, but that's it.

I get so frustrated with people who want to have knock down, drag out fights over which is better, the breast or bottle. No one seems to take into consideration the fact that there are people who WANT to breast feed, but for some reason or another can't.

I think that if I were you, I'd call La Leche League or a lactation clinic and talk with them. They are VERY supportive and helpful and may have some ideas they can pass along over the phone.

Believe me, I know that it's frustrating, but if you worry and fret over this, it will only make things worse.

Hi! I'm the mother of a 7 mo boy and my milk starting dwindling around 4-5 mo's. I also work full-time and pump most of the time. I only breastfeed twice/day. The pediatrician had me start Ryan on baby food at 5-6 mo's to supplement my breastmilk. I also tried Mother's Milk Plus, an herb available at Wild Oats or other health food store. After that, I also used Reglan, prescribed by my doctor and that helped for a bit, too. Now, he's eating enough food that my lower milk production seems to be okay. Hope this helps.

Most women can't maintain their milk supply when pumping. Our bodies are just not set up that way; we make more milk when it's not required on a "schedule". I also worked full time and pumped twice a day while at work. I went to my son's daycare and breastfed him over my lunch break. I ran out of milk when he was about 7 months old and I was supplimenting with formula by about 5 months anyway. Sad to say, but this is likely what is happening with you as well. Talk to your doctor or midwife about it though; maybe they'll have some ideas for you!

I've got a 6 year old and a 6 month old and work full time. I have had the same problem with both girls. When I go in on Monday (after nursing all weekend), I get more milk than I do at the end of the week (after pumping all week). This tells me my pump isn't as "efficient". I found that the more I stress about it, the lower my supply, so it's best to just relax. W/my first daughter I had to start supplementing w/formula and finally went to no pumping and just nursing in the morning and evening. With my second, I started pumping really early and very regularly to build my supply early. I have also pumped in the evening after my 6 month old has eaten all she wants for the day--it's not much at first, but builds gradually. I'm sure you've received a lot of advice, but wanted you to know you are not alone.

My oldest is now almost 8 and I worked and pumped with him the firt 5 1/2 months and was a VERY PRO BREAST MILK mom. My supply never seemed to dwindle - I think I had enough to feed twins (which I later had), so don't feel guilty that it is because you are pumping and not breast feeding. Everyone's body is different and even if you were nursing you could be experiencing the same thing. When my daughter came along 3 years ago, she never got the hang of breast feeding (which was ironic since she was my 4th!) and only lasted 9 days before she was hospitalized from not getting enough and then I switched to formula. If you've been going this long and just can't keep up, it's okay! My daughter is probably the healthiest of the three so the idea that formula doesn't build immunities as well as breast feeding, in my experience, is not true. Best of luck to you. The most important thing is that your son is getting nutrition - either through your milk or formula. I hope that helps!

When my twins were born, they were 12 weeks early, so their mouths were so tiny, and I have very large nipples, so latching on was such a problem with us that I had to pump only. However, I was making 5-6 ounces from each breast every 2.5 hours. So it is possible. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't get a lot of milk from pumping, because I know that yes you can. And I know that all bodies differ. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe those other moms were just un-lucky. I pumped for 8 months and still had enough left in the freezer to feed my TWINS breastmilk until they were 10.5 months.

Changes in stress and activity level could be triggering your reduction. During the holidays you are probably stressed, and much more active what with going out and shopping whereas during the rest of the year, you might have stayed home and watched TV or just sat down for a while. All that burns extra calories that would normally go towards your body making milk. So you might want to sneak an extra couple of snacks into your diet (good stuff though, not a candy bar from the check out line). If you know that you are going to be leaving the house for more than 2 hours, eat a banana and take stick of string cheese with you. Or maybe even introduce another SMALL meal into your day.

Also, since you are back at work, make sure that you are drinking enough water. Since you are more busy than normal, you probably don't think about it, but you might be drinking a lot less water than you used to. Buy a 20oz bottle of water at the beginning of every day, and refill it AT LEAST four times throughout the day, and more than that if you can. Try to drink a full bottle of water, then twenty minutes later go pump (that way your body has time to absorb it and it isn't just sitting in your stomach).

Like I said, I got 10-12 ounces every 2-3 hours, and water was my key. I noticed that when I didn't drink enough water that day, or when I didn't drink a bottle of water before pumping, I wouldn't get as much. That, and just RELAX!! Know that it takes 20 minutes to pump, and don't try to rush it or think of anything else but your baby during that time. Don't think about work or what you're going to cook for dinner or what's on TV that night, just think about your baby, and know that you are doing a wonderful thing for him that no one else can.

Hope I helped some. Good luck and best wishes!!!
A. Rae

J., i don't know if anyone responded to your question but i work at a maternity store, and have learned that the baby gets about 2/3 more out of the breast than the pump does so it may seem like your milk flow is dwindeling, but it is probably not. If you have anymore questions or need help my boss has been a lactation consultant for a long time and is wonderful. You can reach her at Becoming Mothers in Boulder and her name is Stephanie. We also rent breast pumps so if you feel that you need a stronger pump we have them.

try pumping after a warm shower and drink lots of fluids. breast feed as often as you can

Before I went back to work, I had SO MUCH MILK! When I went back to work full time, I brought my pump, so I could pump at work. I started to notice less and less until one day, I pumped less than 1 oz. I could not get my supply back up, no matter what. I tried the Mother's Milk tea, which helped a little, but I eventually had to stop. My goal was to nurse for 1 year, but I ended up having to stop when my daughter was 7 months. Also, I pumped every day before I went back to work and put the milk in the freezer, so my daughter actually drank my milk until about 9 months old.