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Breast feeding/pumping help
About a day or two into our hospital stay, we realized that Evie wasn't getting enough from the breast. Due to her size and premie status, she isn't able to latch or suck well yet. Since then, I've been pumping and trying her at the breast a couple times a day.
I used the Medela Symphony in the hospital and it worked great. Since we've been home, I've been using my Ameda Purely Yours Ultra. I noticed yesterday that I'm getting hardly any suction on one side, and the overall suction isn't great. I'm only able to get around 90 or so ml after pumping for 20 minutes. I've been switching the flanges 10 minutes in so the crappy one gets used on both sides.
Evie is taking about 50 ml per feeding right now. I know I'm making more than this, but I'm freaking out that I won't be able to keep up with her. How do I work on increasing my supply while I'm mainly pumping? She's been getting on the breast a couple times a day using a nipple shield, so hopefully that will help. Also, am I hurting my supply with this crappy pump? I'm hopefully renting a hospital grade one today, but won't get it until tonight. I'm not going to doom my breast milk, right?
Re: Breast feeding/pumping help
Because of Kennedy being in the NICU and her heart defect, I had to pump a lot in the beginning, and eventually ended up ONLY pumping. It's a pain but it was worth it. I hope that you're able to get her nursing efficiently soon! I know the nipple shield helped us a lot in the beginning.
You'll be fine with your supply though. Some pumps work better than others. I loved my Ameda at first, but because I'm very large breasted I found that the flanges didn't fit as well as the Medela ones did, and I was able to produce more with them. I used the Symphony when K was in the NICU and then used the Ameda for a week or two, before switching to the Pump in Style. How many days postpartum are you now? It took a little while for my supply to really go up. How often are you pumping? They say you should pump every 3 hours around the clock for the first 12 weeks to establish supply. I will be honest, I didn't do it that often, and I still managed to have a huge supply, but to start out, I would definitely try to pump more often, especially to avoid engorgement, which can make latching harder.
As far as increasing your supply - Mother's Milk Tea is good, and can be found in most grocery stores. You can also order supplements like More Milk Plus, but I don't think you need to go to that extreme yet. Make sure you're drinking lots of water and eating every couple of hours. I used to notice that if I didn't eat or drink enough, I'd see a dip in supply. Oatmeal is supposed to help increase supply as well.
Let me know if you have any other questions, or if any of that didn't make sense.
What she said!
I have the Medela Pump in Style Advanced and I love it. Well, as much as you can love pumping. Definitely ditto the eating and drinking enough. In the beginning I was SO freaking thirsty ALL the time. This past week I actually haven't been eating or drinking as much and I've noticed a huge dip in my supply. I've even had to supplement with frozen milk for the first time. Just give your body time and pump every few hours.
Well, I am the lone low supplier, but I will chime in. I had supply issues from day one. I have no idea why. Like you, I was reluctant to give Macy a bottle and in the end, it did lead to exclusive pumping by me. I made it 6 months BFing and it was hard work. I had to pump every two hours without fail to meet Macy's demands. It sucked having to get up a few times through out the night while Macy slept so i could pump. But in the end, I am glad I put in the hard work to make sure my girl got BM.
I also tired every remedy under the sun to increase my milk supply and nothing seemed to really work. Sorry I can't be of much help!
Oh, and the pump I used was the Medela PISA. It was worth the money, however I think when (and if) I have baby number 2 I might need to invest in a new one.
Also, don't feel bad if you have to supplement with formula. I would have to from time to time and the bottom line is, as long as your daughter is getting her dietary needs meet, then you are doing the right thing
GL and hang in there!
Baby Macy is here!
12/09 - Macy (daughter) | 4/10 - Began TTC Baby #2 | 12/10 - Chemical Pregnancy | 1/12 - Miscarriage at 14 weeks | DX - PCOS & Hyperthyroidism
My DS is almost 6 months and I am still breastfeeding him when I am home. When I am am work I pump by using the Medela Symphony which I rented from the hospital. I am too trying to increase my supply because being out for 2 weeks around Christmas and then coming back to work I am just barely meeting his needs for the bottles I fill for school.
You can try fenugreek which you can buy at the health food store. However make sure to pay attenion and start slow as if could affect the baby by making her gassy. There are also things called lactation cookies which you can make and the recipe is on epicurious.
Hang in there! It took me 7 weeks to finally get the whole breastfeeding thing down and I am so glad I stuck with it because once it worked it was so much easier than what I was doing, feeding off me, giving him a bottle and then pumping. That process took an hour at a time and I was going crazy!
I used a Medela PISA and it made a big difference! Keep trying to get her on the breast though, exclusive pumping is NO fun!!