Getting Back into Pumping After 7 Months

I supplement with formula and feel like my son gets the best of both worlds. I buy the organic similac and I really do feel good about feeding it to my son.

Hi lori!
It has been a while since I breast fed, but one thing I did to increase milk supply when one twin was in hospital was to pump WHILE breastfeeding the other twin. I had rented an electic pump which the other five kids refered to as my 'milking machine'...I found pumping to be a REAL chore (and the machine obnoxious) but it worked.
Hope this helps!! Good luck!
Michele

Pumping will never be as effective at emptying your breast as the baby will. Moms who nurse full time may not get a lot while pumping either kellymom.com is a great resource for breastfeeding moms and has some great suggestions. There are also herbal supplements you can take to increase your supply. Check out that website, I think you'll find what you need.

I was having the same problem about this time as well. I started taking Fenugreek seed pills, u can find them at any vitamin store. Take 5 pills 3 times a day for the first day and 3 pills 3 times a day with the rest. I took them until i quite breast feeding. my lactation specialist is the one that told me all about this, it's not harmfull to you or the baby. Also, try not to stress too much...if it comes down to it maybe using formula a little a day in order for you to produce more of a supply might help both of you. I used soy simalic due to my sons dr said it's more like breast milk for the baby. Good Luck!

Have you tried taking fenugreek? There is also a lactation cookie recipie on the net (google "housepoet's lactation cookie") that I made many times, and was very yummy. If you also pump right after she nurses, this will stimulate an increase in production, like telling your body "hey! make more!" For the fenugreek, I used to take 3 pills 3 times a day. When everything, and I do mean everything, about you smells like maple syrup, you're taking enough. You can get it at any health food store.

Try pumping when you are relaxed and someone else can attend to your daughter. Preferably, before she has nursed. You are going to need to build up your supply for the new pumping demand. I would try to pump at the same time each day.

You can also try to pump only one breast, while she nurses on the other breast. Takes a bit of coordination, but with a large chair or sofa and lots of pillows you can do it!

Congrats on your nursing. It is always great to plan ahead on your nights out, etc. . .Also after you have used a bag of pumped milk, when you return from you outing, pump before feeding her. I think you will find you may have more milk. Just remember to relax!

L.,

Be vigilant girl. Those few drops are worth it. Emotions sometimes get in the way of our bodies ability to stimulate an increase in milk production. Relax. It is normal for your lactation to drop if you drop in pumping. Praise the Lord that it will return if you continue pumping.

Go to your local health food store or WHole Foods, Akins, etc. and buy some fenugreek tablets. Take two every four hours. The fenugreek will make your milk have a slightly different smell and taste, but do not be alarmed, LLL actually found out through studies that babies do not mind the change and some actully prefer the taste. The side effect of the smell and taste are far outweighed by the fact that fenugreek stimulates lactation, HORAAY for natural medicines.

You can also find Mother's Milk Tea, by Traditional Medicinals at a lot of grocery stores. It would be with the organics or the health food sections if not in the tea area. It has a cheif component of fenugreek.

Good luck and way to go for nursimg so long. It is such ajoy to do. My milk dried up recently with my last one....all three made it to over a year.

So, I decided about this time I wanted more freedom and was going to try to start storing milk for when he was weaned (which actually didn't happen until 1.5 yr). I started taking mother's milk or drinking the mother's milk tea, at the recommendation of my lactation consultant, its all natural and I found it at Rebecca's, but I hear Whole Foods sells it as well. It just helps bump up the supply a little and you can vary how much you take (within recommendations on the bottle) to get the increase you desire. I also found I liked the tea. Good luck!!

i am soooo jealous! date nights! anyway, you may want to try pumping an hour or so BEFORE you nurse. your body might have an easier time "clueing in" to your daughter's demand for more milk than a pump. she may not get a full feeding the first two times ou try this but your bodyy will catch up. that's what is so great about breastfeeding. that and all the money you save which you can now spend on DATE NIGHT!!

Hi Lori,
If you pump more frequently your supply will pick up. That's what I loved about nursing - my body always adjusted to my baby's demand! Good job sticking to your date nights, that is so important! Good Luck!

Another idea to add to the suggestions already made... You can try out nursing teas. They helped increase my supply. Yogi Tea and Traditional Medicinals are a couple brands to try. You may have to go to a health foods store (like Whole Foods). Good luck!

I only glanced through the responses, but it looks like some really good advice. By this stage, your body is VERY effective at making *exactly* how much milk your baby needs. Do you nurse when you get home from your dates? If so, maybe baby doesn't need a bottle anymore while you're gone (if it's a reasonable time?)

Other than that, as silly as it sounds, I've found that we train ourselves to the pump. I've pumped a freezer supply when my kids were first born, because I produce a super huge excess after birth. Once I stop pumping the excess though, it's like my body recognizes that the pump is NOT the baby, and I can't get a let-down to save my life.

Two things I can think of to try- pump while baby is nursing on the other side to take advantage of the baby-induced let down. After a couple days, it should increase your production just a bit. If you start the morning feeding on the right side, pump the left. When you move baby to the left side, by then the right will probably be drained since baby is so efficent at this stage. But, guaranteed, you won't have drained very much from your pumping effort, and baby will be able to make you let down again. Next feeding, start baby on the left and pump the right.

Second thing I can think of, is to hand express. After establishing nursing, I've always been able to get more milk from using my hand than a pump. I think the reason may be that our bodies learn to let down for pressure, not just suction. Unfortunately no pump is going to be able to excert varying pressures on the breast like a babys mouth would.

Hope that helps!

Since you are nursing on demand, you will not be able to increase your freezer supply. This might be a good time to start supplementing with formula. Since you are continuing to breastfeed for now, it will allow you the flexibility to go out when you need to and enjoy your freedom.

Hi Lori,

Have you tried pumping while you are feeding your baby? The let down response works much better when baby is suckling. I always found that if I needed milk and I needed it fast, I would get three times the amount of milk when I fed my baby and pumped at the same time. It never seemed that my baby was not getting what he needed, so it was the easiest thing to do. I hope this helps.

Regards,
B.

Lori,

I know how frustrating it was to me when my milk supply started diminishing. My son couldn't nurse due to a cleft palate, so I exclusively pumped for 6 months. I went through feeling very guilty and trying to increase it, too. In the end, I had to supplement with formula. After I got over the initial guilt, I was fine with it. I know you probably don't want to do that, but one bottle once a week will be fine. I even did half breast milk and half formula for awhile. You've done, and are doing, an incredible thing for your baby, so don't beat yourself up, or stress out, if you have to use one bottle of formula a week.

Good luck!

T.

Try pumping one breast while the baby nurses on the other. It doesn't give you that warm, nurturing feeling - necessarily; but it's worked for some.

Good luck.

M.

Hi Lori,

Is it possible that you are hurrying yourself? Maybe your milk is not letting down.

Aren't their some herbs that increase milk production?

Do you think writing on the calendar might help you remember to pump your breast?

The Le Leche League may have some suggestions at ###-###-####

or www.lllusa.org/VA/WebTidewaterVA

Hope this helps. D.