https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 26 Apr 2026 15:00:56 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1228811 Wed, 20 Nov 2013 07:52:06 +0000 MamaMoose 1228811@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ms.janedoe: at two weeks old her belly can't handle more than about two ounces at a time anyway so it sounds to me like your output it pretty great for after nursing!! Hopefully your LC will give you some good info tomorrow... But it sounds to me like you should be able to drop the formula, and soon, drop the pumping too. Cluster feeding is GREAT for supply (even though its exhausting for mama). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1228784 Wed, 20 Nov 2013 07:28:00 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1228784@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ms.janedoe: Good luck today at the LC! </p> <p>I don't know what all your issues have been but if she's cluster feeding and you are able to keep her nursing as long as she wants then usually that will stimulate enough demand that you shouldn't need to pump! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1228744 Wed, 20 Nov 2013 05:46:07 +0000 daniellemybelle 1228744@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ms.janedoe: It sucks! No pun intended, haha. Actually, the past two days I stopped pumping after nursing. It was just exhausting &amp; stressful, and I have been doing it for 3 weeks without seeing much impact. I do pump in place of nursing twice in a row at night to measure my output day over day, since I am taking domperidone.</p> <p>It's nice to find someone in a similar position though! I'm going to post on your wall so as to not totally hijack your thread :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1228718 Wed, 20 Nov 2013 03:00:45 +0000 Turd Ferguson 1228718@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@daniellemybelle: dude, isn't it miserable? We go back to the LC tomorrow for our 3rd appt and I'm terrified she's gonna say that LO still isn't getting/taking more than an ounce at the breast... DH travels for work and heads back soon and I honestly don't think I can keep this up on my own, so I'm just hoping we get good news tomorrow... :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1228514 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 22:44:33 +0000 daniellemybelle 1228514@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have been doing the same exact thing, although I work hard to encourage LO to nurse actively for 20 minutes on each side, popping her off if need be to change positions, and doing breast compressions. </p> <p>I start with the 3 drops, then do 2-5 minutes on 4 bars. The Symphony automatically does 6 but I turn it down to "warm up." Then I turn it up to 8, which is the highest comfortable speed for me. I go about 10 minutes or until nothing is coming out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1227712 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 16:13:52 +0000 dagret 1227712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ms.janedoe: oh, then that's really good output after a feeding. Trrrusst me you do NOT want to have the suction up too high. Ouch. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1227693 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 16:09:24 +0000 Turd Ferguson 1227693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: I'm not really limiting it at all, that's just usually the amount of time she'll spend at each one before wanting to move on--and usually at night is when she'll wrap up pretty quickly (or just fall asleep despite the poking and prodding I give her!). The past few days she'll just go back and forth from one to the other all day long (cluster feeding?), hour after hour, so that's a change! I'm not sure if it has to do with my supply at all, but we go in for our 3rd LC appt. tomorrow so hopefully I'll get some more insight from there... I think my main question I'll have is how to know if she's "finished" on one side/emptied the breast.</p> <p>@dagret: She'll be 2 weeks tomorrow!</p> <p>I'm just hoping I can increase supply enough to drop the bottle/pumping at every.single.feeding... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1227671 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 16:04:45 +0000 dagret 1227671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You want them to be at the minimally highest level for you to respond. Higher levels are not necessarily better. How old's your LO? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1227666 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 16:04:05 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1227666@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That sounds about right! </p> <p>Just curious, why are you limiting nursing to just 15 minutes? I know when I first started we took over 20 minutes for each session. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-speedserpowerlevels#post-1227660 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 16:02:06 +0000 Turd Ferguson 1227660@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So long story short, I'm currently breastfeeding each side for about 15ish minutes (or until LO shows no interest), then she's getting a bottle made up of whatever I pumped at the previous session and formula to supplement, and THEN, I'm pumping for 10-15 minutes using a rented Symphony.</p> <p>At this point I think the main point of pumping (if I remember what the LC told me correctly) is to stimulate milk production, and not go for actual output, as hopefully LO is sucking most of it out during the BFing at the start of the feeding...which is good, because I'll usually only end up with a total of about 1/4-1/2 oz from each pump session.</p> <p>How fast/hard should I be pumping? I'm currently starting out at a "3" (the 3 drops on the screen), and then when the pumping "kicks in," I'm at about a 6... I've tried to go higher, but it doesn't feel that great and I don't want to risk ruining my nipples! Does this sound...right? So confused! </p>