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The shields fitting correctly effected my output more than the brand of pump. I did notice that my Lansinoh manual pump yielded much more than my Medela manual pump (it seemed to have a much shorter pull than the Lansinoh).

I don't have recommendation for type, but I absolutely recommend getting a second if you can afford it. I did, and it made life so much easier. I also bought tons of the bottles so that I didn't have to constantly be worrying that I didn't have a clear one. I also kept extras in my office in case I forgot.

@periwinklebee: I had a PISA from insurance and I bought a Spectra from Amazon. My output was similar for both- no real difference. I liked the Spectra and thought it was slightly more comfortable. I kept my PISA at work and I was glad I did because one day I forgot parts and was able to run out to the store to buy extras. I think there are some adapters for the Spectra that would make getting parts easier but I never looked into it. What pump are you using now?

@periwinklebee: which pump do you already have?

YES!!
I think it had more to do with the pumps had different sized flanges. I use my Medela PISA at work, and an Ameda at home. Because I happen to use the Ameda when my milk was most full, I didn't realize that it didn't actually work that well. I took it on vacation with me, and my supply dropped, I went from pumping 6oz down to 2oz! (stressful vacation after that )
Went back to my Medela once we were home, and everything went back to normal.

The flanges were 1mm different, and I have tiny nipples (apparently) so I couldn't get the actual correct size for me.

I always traveled with my Medela after that!

I also found that the Medela was more powerful, the Ameda seemed to lose power about 3 months in.

I've never used a different pump, but I absolutely adore my Medela Freestyle used with Pumpin' Pals flanges (they slope down more allowing you to be more comfortable and they send 3 different sizes of flange so you can try all of them) and a tight-fitting pumping bra (either the Rumina Pump and Nurse tank - I did not like their bras, just the thank - or the Simple Wishes TIE-BACK bra, which is more adjustable and lasts longer than the velcro closures). The battery power on the Freestyle was great - lasted a long time between charges - really lightweight and portable. I would actually tuck the unit between boobs in the bra and just be hands free. In a pinch my Avent manual pump worked great (its just annoying manually pumping).

ETA, if you go with a Freestyle, DO NOT microwave steam the parts when you clean - they will warp and you will lose suction! Just have 2 sets of parts and hand wash in hot soapy water.

@periwinklebee: Is that your output AFTER breastfeeding your child? If so, I would say that is great output, since that's post feeding.

If you're concerned about supply, you could try doing a power pump session at night before you go to bed 1-2 times a week. I also always pumped at night before I went to bed around 10-1030pm so I would be comfortable overnight. That would usually be enough for a feeding.

@periwinklebee: I'm inclined to say it might be a supply issue. I've wondered about your supply based on other posts. I'm sorry if that sounds blunt.

I don't think you are pumping too often at all. I follow my LO's schedule (both times) and it accurately reflected how much they were getting per weighted feeds. Some people are less responsive to the pump, but I don't think that it would be a scenario of 1 oz vs. like 5 ozs. If it were me in your situation, I'd do a series of weighted feeds with my LO. Scales cost like $30 to $50 and have pretty good resale on BST. I would just want to know where I stand in regards to supply before I further invested in pumping.

I admittedly have oversupply, but I would just want to have a really good handle on how much my child was getting / my supply.

Random, but related, also look at your diet and make sure you are drinking TONS of water and eating an insane amount. I also started making overnight oats for breakfast and that helped a lot with my morning supply.

@periwinklebee:

I did a power pumping session on Friday nights for maybe a month when DS2 was 2 months old I think? I just wanted to make sure I was making enough and it was a little insurance while I watched some TV. Typically it takes 2 days for a power pump to kick in some extra supply, so my thought was by Monday I would have better output.

I will say that for DS1 I had much lower supply than with DS2. I think stress with his lack of sleeping and screaming and reflux was a big factor. With DS1, I had to pump 6x a day for 30 minutes each pump to make 22-24oz of milk. He got formula for whatever I was short and it was admittedly an insane time commitment I put in for 10 months until we weaned fully to formula. With DS2, I definitely made enough for him to be EBF, but I chose to supplement and built a stash instead. For him, I made plenty in 15 minutes of pumping and it was easy peasy to fit into my schedule.

Your supply may be down a bit right now since you just had mastitis. I would really focus on hydrating and for me, eating beef and fatty meat (chicken wings) and Gatorade always bumped up my supply. It worked more for me than oatmeal, although everyone's body is different.

Hi again! How long are you pumping for each session? I think your spacing/time looks good. It took me a little to get into a groove pumping at work but it helped me to have a good chunk of time. Are you using a hands free bra?

If you are trying to pump more milk you can always pump early in the morning before your LO wakes up. I pumped at 5 am for a very long time and I would get a ton of milk. I would give my son a bottle when he woke up and then save the rest. It was good for me because it took some pressure off of later pumps.

Pumping is hard and so time consuming!

@periwinklebee: I didn't fall asleep with him, I think by 10 weeks or so (how old is your boo now?) we had implemented the bedtime routine and we were putting him down around 8pm. It's a little fuzzy but I feel like I would nurse around 5pm, then before we put him down, I was doing the tank-up bottle instead of bedtime nursing which is essential to the routine we did (at that point that was his only bottle for the entire day) --then I would pump around 9 or 10pm and then go to bed myself. I think I generally used what I pumped for the next-day's tank up bottle. As I've told you we also supplemented lightly at that point which is not a crime Sometimes his tank-up bottle would have formula mixed in, no big deal IMO. Not sure if that answers what you need to know, and everyone does things differently--that was just what worked for us. Also oh my godddd PLEASE do not wake yourself up from desperately-needed dead sleep at 4 o'clock in the morning to fucking pump. If you house is on fire or your baby is freaking out, fine, but I know you've been sleep deprived and I'm here to tell you that your supply is lower on the totem pole than your rest.

@periwinklebee: For DS2, I actually often bottle fed him in the morning with whatever I pumped the night before (with formula added if necessary) and then let him play in his little gym while I pumped because I would get so much more milk first thing in the morning than at any other time. I think I even pumped like 20 minutes instead of 15 to get ALLLL the milk. I would get like 1.5-2x as much milk in that pump than at any other time, so it made me feel good to have that insurance going into the day.

I know people who set alarms in the MOTN to pump because their supply was so robust then, but I could not do that.

@periwinklebee: Some times I massage while pumping since it can help get more milk out and help with clogged ducts. Its easiest when I wear a hands free pumping bra, I have the simple wishes one. Compression/massage doesn't allow you to just sit and pump while doing other things which sometimes I need for my own sanity since now E won't take the breast and I am pumping 5-6x a day.

@periwinklebee: I found that pumping until I got a second letdown made a big difference in my pumping output. Even though I never got much milk in the second letdown, it stimulated more production. I would pump for 30 minutes (until my spectra turned off, so I did not have to pay much attention). I didn't do compressions, I usually worked while pumping. I am not prone to clogged ducts, though.