Feeding and Nutrition

Re: Breast pump help please

tiggerbunny — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 02:29:29 GMT

I recommend the Lansinoh breast pump it mimics the way the baby feeds also includes a letdown feature.

Re: Breast pump help please

MummaBears — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:27:12 GMT

Thanks everyone for your help! I am willing to try to keep on the breast feeding train as long as I can successfully produce milk for my Son and he is satisfied with the results! Take care!

Re: Breast pump help please

littlepea86 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:31:29 GMT

hi! dont get frustrated. i have been pumping since mine was 5 days old. it takes practice. i use a medela instyle, and its a really good pump, and yes they make different sized shields to make it more comfortable. it is awkward at first, and umcomfortale i thought, but it takes getting used to. it will come. keep up the good work! any questions just ask

Re: Breast pump help please

alilbit00 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:36:02 GMT

Hi Everyone and thanks for all the advice. I also made another post it's under superdaddy 7/19. I guess my husband was logged in and I didn't notice it. I still have a milk supply and as in the superdaddy post I have sat with a lactation nurse and she was at a loss for words. She seem to think the shields were the correct size. All she could say is that the pumps don't work for some moms. I've tried the sleepy baby and it doesn't work. I've tried different pumps. I am relaxed and don't feel pressured. I can hand express milk but it takes so long. But thanks again

Re: Breast pump help please

Arroyo619 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:12:48 GMT

i have the medela manual pump that allows you to tug the nipple like if you we're nursing until you see milk come out. Then use the other handle to enter in the milk flow. I think it work better then having to force the milk out.

Re: Breast pump help please

Jess_BabyRN — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:24:38 GMT

Wow! This has been a popular post. I wanted to reply to you, April251, as well as anyone else that this applies to (which is just about everyone!).... You have given your baby an incredible gift by supplying her with breastmilk. In Susan Blackburn's text on fetal and neonatal physiology she speaks to the abundance of benefit from breast feeding. What truly amazed me is the research that she sites that reveal that it only takes milliliters, MILlILITERS!!! of breast milk for baby to benefit from it. Thus, any volume of breast milk that you are able to give that baby help her tremendously! Keep up your hard work, Sending gently hugs, jess

Re: Breast pump help please

april251 — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:55:00 GMT

Hi,

I have a 5-month old who I feel has not gotten enough from me to begin with. Breastfeeding is a 2-way street and if they aren't extracting enough from you, your supply suffers. My baby (I think) would get tired of waiting and wanted it all at once from a bottle. The pump does not get as much from you as your baby would as it's just so mechanical. I pump every 3 hours and get (on average) ~3 ounces each time. I have to mix some formula with my breastmilk. I was disappointed at first, but now feel proud for sticking with it and knowing she is at least getting benefits from the breastmilk she does receive.

Re: Breast pump help please

JocksMom — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:00:53 GMT

I agree here. The more you pump the more the body will produce. It can get old pumping all the time, but that's the trick. That and drinking WATER. WATER, WATER, WATER! Seems like the more water I drank the more milk I had. I have pumped from the beginning (10 mo baby), but I go in spurts when I don't pump as much and my supply gets lower. When I want to build it back up I pump at least three times/day and drink water like I'm never going to get anymore! :)

Re: Breast pump help please

uncpeach09 — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:15:18 GMT

It is definitely because you didn't pump from the beginning. I pumped from day 3 and I ended up with an OVER supply. I had to stop nursing because I was producing way to much, and my baby wasn't getting any hind milk. Maybe if you nurse and pump right after for about 15 minutes to get extra milk it will trick your breast into thinking it needs to produce more milk. Thats what I did and ended up with ALOT of milk.

Re: Breast pump help please

MummaBears — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:43:46 GMT

I had NO IDEA that there were different sizes of breast suction cup dealies or that they were called sheilds/flages!!! LOL!! I am having a heck of a time with my breast pump too. Those flanges won't stay on my breasts unless I press them up against my breast with some kinds of force. That was part of why I haven't been using the pump and not breasting feeding my son. Then, its also not producing enough milk which frustrates me and then, stressed out, causing my milk to be less than adequate. I guess I am embarrassed and maybe thinking that my stress level is way to high for me to produce milk for my son. I hear you on your plight alilbit00...I truly do!!

Re: Breast pump help please

claudillitas — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:38:10 GMT

I use the Medela Free Style and it's wonderful b/c I can do other stuff while I'm pumping- since it's just the little gadget to be moved around. When I started pumping the lactation consultant told me the breastshields I was using were too small for my breast, so make sure you have the right size.

Re: Breast pump help please

evonders — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:35:47 GMT

My little one wouldn't latch correctly, and I ended up with open sores when she was only a week old. I had to pump exclusively for the next 3 weeks while I healed. My mother-in-law is a L&D nurse and told me to go with Medela. I got the Pump In Style bag. It's pricey, but works wonders! I too had a hard time at first, but quickly realized that if i was stressed and the baby was crying, I wouldn't let down. I had to force myself to sit back, close my eyes, and relax. Because it's a double pump, and my husband was back to work, I bought a "hands-free" pumping bra. It enabled me to relax even more b/c I could soothe my baby girl, put her pacifier back in her mouth, adjust the suction, even change the channel on the tv w/o having to risk spilling or dripping all over the place b/c I had to move my hand.

Another tip: pump EVERY time your baby needs to eat. That way your body keeps the same schedule as your baby. I pumped until I was empty every time b/c I knew I was going back to work in Aug (I'm a teacher), and if I'm going to pump, I might as well start storing some for daycare. Within days, my milk supply was way up, and I was pumping more than she needed. After those 3 weeks of only pumping, she went back to breast, and I continued to pump after she was done twice a day and now have over 200 oz in the freezer (and still have a month to go before school starts).

Just be patient, get a good pump, and relax :)

Good luck!

Re: Breast pump help please

Angelle_r — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:45:40 GMT

I am in the same boat with my first child....I was home 3.5 months and now am now having to pump and work. I have had so much anxiety over pumping that I was having trouble letting down at all. It has helped me to pump on my days off, after my baby is put down to sleep...that way I'm most relaxed and it gives my body an opportunity to get more accustomed to the pump (you won't be able to pump hardly anything but it boost supply). I work 12 hour shifts so I wake him up to feed before I go in to work, and pump on my way in...that way my breast are fully emptied at least at the beginning of the day. I also feed him directly from the breast as much as he wants on my days off and after work...he will be your best tool at keeping up your supply! I've been back for 3 weeks and it's still hard, but getting more manageable. There is no doubt that this is a labor of love. My baby is dairy and soy sensitive so I was feeling extra pressure, which only added to my stress. People tell you to relax, and that's truly what needs to happen, but it's definitely easier said then done! Good Luck!

Re: Breast pump help please

tabithadunlap — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:12:10 GMT

i have to agree with the previous post. I had my baby early and was not able to nurse her until 2 weeks when we went home. At the hospital I had the worst time with pumping. I used the hospital Medela symphony but brought my Lansinoh. my pump would not work at all but i did find that the medela pump worked some but my supply started to slow down even with a routine pumping schedule. turned out that i had the problem of the flanges being too small. because i had become engorged 3 days after birth, when my milk came in full force, my nipple had streched and the normal flanges wouldnt work. but once i got the larger ones it worked out fine. I was even able to buy larger ones for my pump after just renting for a week. note i had been in hospital with their pump a few weeks before going home. hope for the best for you. this is my first child and my nursing experience has been great now that everything is working properly.

Re: Breast pump help please

PediNurseJulie1 — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:57:24 GMT

One thing that might help for you is to try a bigger sized flange - the part that goes over your breast when you pump. If you have bigger nipples, than when you use the standard size that comes with most kits (24), it can end up pumping only your nipples and none of your areola - reducing your supply and not getting any milk out. A lactation specialist would have bigger sizes (27, 30, 36) and you could see if that doesn't help a bit. Sorry we didn't have more suggestions for you!