I went back to work last week and am struggling to pump enough to leave for baby. My pump is in great condition, I’ve checked all the parts and I’m still coming up a few ounces short each day. My supply seems good and baby is EBF when we’re together. I started taking Fenugeek yesterday so that will hopefully help. I’m pumping every 3 hours and trying to increase my food and water intake. Any other suggestions??
-
I know this may seem silly but my milk output was always more when I watched a video of DD while pumping. It was like my body was like let's make milk for this little cutie.
-
I agree, watching a video & looking at pics made a huge difference in getting a let down while pumping!
I also used mother's milk tea, I drank 4-5 cups per day for a week, and that helped get my output up to where my DD needed it.
I also recently realized that I pump more if I drink water while pumping. So not only staying hydrated, but literally drinking while pumping helped too!
You'll get there. Good luck!
-
Having a tight fit in the pumping bra so the flanges were pressed up really well against my breasts helped, while trying not to compress or bind my boobs otherwise (so they could really fill up). Have you tried the pumping pals flanges? They were more comfortable and some women swear they get better output.
Drinking Gatorade and eating beef always boosted my supply.
My first thing in the morning pump was always the most productive and then the supply would decrease over the course of the day, so I always prioritized getting a good long pump in the morning to get as much milk as possible that way.
I threw in a power pump session on Friday nights in the hour before bed while watching something on my laptop and by Monday, it would make my supply better.
-
I agree that a pumping bra and looking at pictures/movies helped. Eating oatmeal and drinking a lot of water also seemed to help.
I know you checked all your parts, but double check the little triangle valves. Those have to be replaced more often than one would think. If you take them off and they are gapping, it's time for new ones. -
@MommySLP: I'm sure you already are, but I had to take a LOT of fenugreek to notice a difference. The only other tip I have that hasn't already been said is stay warm! My pumping room at work had the A/C fucking blasting from May to August, it must have been 63 degrees in there. I ended up using a telephone room on a different floor that was a normal temp, and even then I needed a huge fuzzy cardigan. Big difference in output.
-
Thank you! Some of these are things I haven’t thought of and I will try!
@gingerbebe: totally forgot about Gatorade—I will try that, I’ve heard from a couple people it helps! I do have the pumping pal flanges, and I like them sooo much better!
-
Stay warm, be relaxed and comfortable - put your feet up, listen to music, close your email, watch videos, read a book, eat a cookie. Make sure your flanges are the correct size, if they are too large or small it can impact output. Fenugreek and also goat's rue can help a lot! And yes hydration is key.
-
I was never able to just strap the pump on and sit back and relax. Pumping always needed to be a very hands on experience, doing breast compressions the whole time. I wore a handsfree pumping bra and would hold one flange in place with one hand and then run my hand from the base of my breast out to the nipple (under the handsfree bra) first on the inside of the breast (between the two) and then on the outside (armpit to nipple). I'd do that a few times for one breast, then switch to the other, rinse repeat. There was a huge difference in my output if I did these compressions while pumping vs. just letting the pump work alone.
Also, do you wait for a second letdown? After the milk stopped flowing freely with compressions, I would turn the pump back to letdown mode to get a second letdown. I would get another ounce or so out of each session doing this. Usually it took a couple minutes for a second letdown to happen.
-
This was where I found myself with my older daughter, and the only way I kept up was adding sessions, either morning or before bed. It was a lot! I start back to work next Tuesday after my second and I'm hoping to make enough just with my work pumps as I'm not sure i want to do all the extra pumping this time around.
-
What worked for me is to not wear a pumping bra, but instead to massage the boob's while pumping. I also found doing anything but watching the pump helped. Candy crush was my main activity. Then oatmeal and fenugreek also help.
-
If baby is sleeping well in the evening, I would try to add a pumping session right before bed. I started doing this as soon as DD2 started sleeping longer stretches and I think it's helped maintain my milk supply plus is extra "insurance" for daycare bottles. I think it really helps that I don't have to stress over whether I will have enough, because stress can decrease your supply as well.
I also recommend power pumping if you have the time (do it at least 3 nights in a row for real results). You don't have to keep this up, but it helped me when I was exclusively pumping for DD1 whenever I saw a drop in my output to help build it back up.
-
This happened to me with DS1 when I went back to work too. I was pumping every 3 hours around the time he would normally nurse and found my afternoon pumps couldn't keep up. But I found if front-loaded my day (say 2 hrs apart in the morning and more time in between in the afternoon) I would get more total ounces with the same number of pumping sessions.
-
@JennyPenny: this is what I tried to do today. Pumped multiple times in the morning so I don’t feel as stressed in the afternoon.
Thanks for all the suggestions! Giving them all a try.
-
repeating....
- massage/compressions (still used a pumping bra, though)
- oatmeal cookies with fenugreek, ate every day during pumping so I wouldn't forget
- pumping session right before bed.I tried power pumping and it didn't work for me.
Reply
Subscribe to our newsletter
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
14 comments