I suck at pumping... tell me your ways

[pibblemom]

Long post ahead:

I have a hard time keeping up with my 4 month old when pumping. She did gain almost a lb in one week so I know a) it's not a supply issue and b) maybe it was temporary because of a growth spurt.

However, that said, I still only average 2-3 oz per pump session combined. Sometimes even less and only get an oz (like before bed, after she's already basically tapped the keg).


I feel like I'm doing all the things, but maybe some of you can see what I'm missing if I lay it all out here.

-I take Motherlove More Milk Plus 2-3x/day.
-Eat oatmeal with flaxseed and brewers yeast once every day or so
-Drink a ton of water

On work days I try to get up before baby to pump ahead of time, this is where I tend to get most of my milk and I was getting 4-5 oz or more. The last few weeks it's dropped to 3 if I do actually beat her awake. Most days she wakes me up and I pump one side while she nurses the other. I still usually manage to get 3 oz from one side this way.
At work I pump every 2-3 hours, and am usually able to only get 1/2oz per hour of work by the end of the day.
When I get home I'll pump as she nurses right before going to the gym, and then again at night after she goes to bed.

Non-workdays are similar, but I nurse on demand, and the middle of the day pumps are limited by what we're doing for the day. I try to get as much as possible in my off days to help accommodate what she needs on work days, but my mom and MIL still find they run out of milk and need to dip into the freezer while I'm not replenishing it anymore.

So, what am I not trying?

Fwiw, my manual pump is Madela, my electric is the Spectra S2. I also use massage and hand expression during and at the end of each pump.

[unringthebell]

How much does she eat when you are at work? Oz and how often?

What you are pumping sounds normal. At least for me. I drink yogi nursing support tea. I think that's helped a little. But I still have to pump on non work days to make up my shortage for the week.

[pibblemom]

Jun 6, 2017 20:56:21 GMT -6 unringthebell said:

How much does she eat when you are at work? Oz and how often?

What you are pumping sounds normal. At least for me. I drink yogi nursing support tea. I think that's helped a little. But I still have to pump on non work days to make up my shortage for the week.

Last week she ate 10-12 oz each day while I was only gone for 5 hrs 😳

If I had to guess for an average day, I pump 7ish oz and she's eating 10-12, plus sometimes takes a few oz while I run to the gym even though I nurse before I leave.

[unringthebell]

That seems a little high on ounces for that amount of time. Mine for the most part has always done 3.5 oz every 2 hours. She had a brief period where it was 4 oz. do they do paced feeding?

I never leave at night regularly because pumping output is so low for me I'd never replace the feeding. So I workout after bedtime if I have time between her bedtime and her brothers.

I just got the maymom car adapter for my spectra I only get about 1-2 ounces in the car but it helps and it's not time I'm losing.

So I'd try the tea and car pumping. It sounds like you are trying really hard already and I know that feeling sucks. I think it was the worst for me around where you are now.

Power pumping has also been suggested to me but I haven't tried it.

Oh, how long are you pumping when you pump? Do you go back to massage after milk stops flowing to try to get a second let down?

[billyhorrible]

So, in theory, they're supposed to take an ounce an hour. Which means for 5 hours, she should be taking roughly 5 oz. Now she may take a little more, but shouldn't be eating twice that.

Instead of trying to figure out how to pump more, I would talk to your caregiver about paced feeding and distraction instead of feeding. Stomachs are like balloons, so overfeeding stretches out a stomach that is not made to hold much, into a stomach that takes a lot more to fill. Which will make it very difficult for you to keep up, no matter how much you pump.

I've had that conversation on behalf of both of my sons. I told the day care that I was providing 16 oz for the day, (which was 4-6 oz more than my child drank when home with dad or my mom) and she would have to make it work.

[vvvvvfee]

it sounds like she's being overfed rather than you're not producing enough. make sure caregivers know about paced bottle feeding! kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/feeding-tools/bottle-feeding/

what flow nipples are you using? you should be using the lowest flow nipples your LO will tolerate.

+1 to how long are you pumping? make sure it's 15-20 minutes. do you breasts feel fully empty when you're done pumping? if you're having trouble relaxing/letting down, try reading or watching tv on your phone while pumping so you're not as stressed about your output.

average BM consumption is about 1-ish ounce per hour you're away (at this age LO would be consuming somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 oz/day, with the full average range being 19-30 oz).

i would also try to nurse LO immediately before you leave in the morning, and as soon as you get home at night. depending on how much she nurses overnight, you could consider waking her just before you go to bed to get in a dream feed. basically, try to load her up as much as you can while you're home so then you don't have to pump as much during the day. LO is much more effective at stimulating your breasts to produce milk than the pump, so getting LO to nurse directly more often should help your output. not to mention it's a hell of a lot easier than pumping.

[pibblemom]

Thanks for the answers ladies. I will talk to my MIL about paced feedings and also see what flow nipple she's using. We had had problems going breast to bottle and back so she may have settled on a nipple that is too easy to drink from.

ETA: I pump 15-20 mins each time. At work it can be less because I can be short on time (I own my business, but as such, there are always emergencies at inopportune times 🙄) Morning and night pumps they're definitely empty. I try for more than one letdown, but rarely get one.

[lolacachia]

I agree with others that have posted. Look into paced feeding, it's going to become a problem if she is continually overfed. Her stomach will stretch and she will genuinely start to need those higher amounts to feel full, you won't be able to keep up pump wise, etc. It's a vicious cycle.

What you are pumping sounds right on track, it's baby's intake that needs tweaking. However, in terms of pumping, looking at pics of my baby always helped me to get a really good letdown.

[sunfrogger]

I agree with all the ladies above. Make sure the caregiver is using the lowest flow nipple and is pace feeding. Also - give them a cut off time. For example, my mom would not give my DD a bottle past 330 since I would be there by 430.

[Dramaphile]

Are you doing hands-on pumping? As in, massage before you start, then when milk flow starts to slow or stop massage or apply pressure to get more out. I used to get another 1/2 ounce or more this way. Also, watching videos of my LO always helped get an initial letdown faster.

[dandb925]

The PP's have given great advice, I just wanted to offer support! Pumping isn't easy and you're doing a great job.

[pibblemom]

Jun 8, 2017 7:21:10 GMT -6 Dramaphile said:

Are you doing hands-on pumping? As in, massage before you start, then when milk flow starts to slow or stop massage or apply pressure to get more out. I used to get another 1/2 ounce or more this way. Also, watching videos of my LO always helped get an initial letdown faster.

I am. I also hand express at the end to get the last bit

Today LO only took 6 oz in the 5 hr time, so hopefully it was a growth spurt last week. I gave MIL a dr browns bottle with preemie nipple and she said she took it without complaint.

Thank you for all the support. It helps to know I'm not alone, nor am I broken.