Pumping Problems - Portland, OR

Hi E.,
My first baby had a cleft palate so I pumped for him for about 9 months. At first I had way more than enough, then around 4 months I had to start giving him about 3-4 oz of formula a day otherwise I wouldn't have enough milk to send to daycare. It slowly kept decreasing but I kept pumping until like you say, there was almost nothing there. The last week I did it I was hardly getting a bottle of milk a day and I figured it just wasn't worth it anymore. I think one of the reasons mine dried up is because I got pregnant again when he was 6 months old and I've read that can make your milk dry up (not for all people, but some), but still it did seem to start reducing around 4-5 months old. I think it is great that you are pumping, but also do not feel bad about supplementing with some formula if you need to. It doesn't have to be all one way or all the other, just do the best you can do without causing too much stress around it. Good luck~
Celena

Hi E.,
You've gotten great advice already. I'd second the suggestion of checking out kellymom.com. There's excellent info and the forums are very useful for questions.

A few other thoughts:
You didn't say how old your baby is - babies go through growth spurts at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, etc. and it does take a bit to get your supply back in-tune during these times. Did your son start solids or has he increased his solids recently? He may be adjusting his nursing accordingly. But it sounds like he's nursing fine, so it doesn't sound like weaning at all.

Also, have you had your period yet? A sudden drop in supply is normal during "that time".

I would also recommend including more pumping during the day, if possible. Eating oatmeal helps boost supply. And I always had success with Mothers Milk Tea.

Have you changed the valves on your horns recently? That can make a big difference in the efficacy of your pump. It is recommended they be changed every 6 weeks to 2 months.

Good luck, and congrats for giving your baby a great start!

A.

Hi there,

I've been pumping for several months and I've noticed that I go through periods when my let-down really slows down. And sometimes it is slower at certain time of the day. If you get nothing when you pump, I would guess that it is because you are not stimulating a letdown and not because your breasts are empty of milk. Unfortunately, being stressed about it makes it even harder, so do your best to relax. I also find sometimes pumping for a few minutes, then giving it a rest for a few minutes, then returning to pumping works.

As far as only getting 3 ounces during naptime, I would wonder how long it had been since you had last fed him. I gather that when you usually pumped at night and got 5 ounces you had been away from him for some time. Whereas I'm assuming during naptime the duration since the last feed had been less.

If you do find your milk supply is decreasing there are lots of things to try before you give up on breastfeeding. I highly recommend More Milk Plus herbal supplements - they've worked for many women.

Good luck!

N.

I had problems pumping after 10am. Anytime before that was fine. So I would wake up early on the weekdays and do it at 6am and then at 9. I never did get any milk after 10 unless I was nursing. Everyone's suggestions here are also great. Good luck!

It's not too late to keep pumping and get the milk supply back up. If you got one drop the night before, then a little more in the morning, there's hope. Just keep at it. I would take the pump to work if I were you, and pump in the women's room - during break and lunch time to bring the milk supply up. Going all day without feeding, also causes the milk supply to dwindle. For me, my breast milk supply kept dwindling, so pumping kept it up even when I was working. I was able to breast feed 1.5 years with it. Then I quit because I needed to for health reasons, not because of the milk supply.

The more you pump, the more your milk supply will go up. Also try Fenugreek, and make sure you get plenty of rest.

Many women have trouble producing for the pump. I never had supply problems when my son breastfed, but after the first couple of months I could only ever get an ounce or so when I pumped. Check out kellymom.com for some great pumping suggestions.

When my supply seemed to drop I tried pumping more frequently for shorter periods of time - not pumping to "empty", but about 1/2 way there. Honestly, I also got up in the middle of the night to pump for about 3 months, because I was always bursting in the mornings. It seemed ridiculous to not be sleeping through when HE finally was (!!), but it was satisfying to have that extra 5-6 oz in the fridge in the mornings, and if I pumped at 2:00a or 2:30a, I'd have enough again for our morning nursing session at about 6:00. I hope this helps!

Hi E.,
I don't know if this will help you at all, but just in case I'll tell you what happened with me.
When my little punkin turned about 1 the same thing happened to me. I ended up weaning because of it. Looking back it is obvious why my milk was running so low, WE WERE MOVING INTO A NEW HOUSE! It isn't the moving that caused it but the stress. Even though I didn't axactly know I was stressed, I was. Are there ANY changes in your life? worries or stresses? That can really really affect milk supply. I hope everything gets back to normal for you. :)

Sounds like your milk isn't letting down. I believe this is a fairly common problem. First of all try not to stress about it; that will only make it worse. It should help if you find a quiet place and relax the best you can then think about your baby. You may try massaging your breasts, too. Sorry, I'm not more help, but that's all I can think of right now. Hope it helps some.

Hi E.,

I'm sure that you got plenty of great tips and advice from this forum. I'll just share a tip that I've heard: try to put the pump on and lean back and fall asleep. you may not fall asleep, but for some reason, it really helps some people to get a good let down when their body's not giving it up for some reason. Just thought I'd throw that out there for you to try if you like. I'm gonna leave a link here for a local la leche league group for you. It's pretty hard for anyone to really assess your situation over e-mail and though we all may have had similar experiences, we may not have had yours. This way you could actually call someone local and they might be able to help you out further. Hope this helps!
http://www.lllusa.org/web/PortlandOR.html
This will show all of the local meetings and the leaders' contact information.

D. Rylander
A Blessed Birth Doula Services
###-###-####
____@____.com

Just because you are not getting as much milk doesn't mean that you have a low supply. Try to pump in a warm, quiet place. You can try using heat on your breasts, moist or dry heating pad or warm wash cloth, maybe take a shower before pumping. Stimulate the nipples by gently rubbing. Focus on your baby, either looking him or a picture, imagine him nursing.

You can try nursing on one side and pumping on the other, or switching sides more often when you are pumping (if you use a single pump). Try relaxing, or deep breathing for 5 minutes before you start pumping.

Some people get the most milk in the morning, so pump before he nurses in the morning. He will still get milk since it work kind of like a faucet, it would just be more hindmilk.

Hope that helps, you can always call Nursing Mothers Counsel or Oregon.

E.-
I had the same problem just recently with my 9 mo. old and I went to talk with the lactation nurses to find out what I could do short of fitting in another pumping session (that I don't have time for at work) or taking herbal supplements (Fenugreek, etc.)
If you have an electric pump with a let down feature - try pumping for 10 minutes, well after your first let down, once the milk stops spraying, hit the let down button again. Often this can trigger a second let down - signaling to your breasts that baby is still hungry. If you do this everytime you pump - you will increase your supply. It already worked for me and I've only been doing it a couple of days.

If you don't have a let down button - try speeding up the pump for a few minutes (but not the strength) after your first let down to try and stimulate a second and continue pumping as usual. You could even try three or four let downs - if you have the time!

I hope it helps! I know it's hard watching your supply dwindle!