[kimandjer]

My name is Kim and I am new to exclusively pumping.  My baby is 4 months old today and I have been pumping now for 2 full weeks.  My baby has gone on a nursing strike and since then I have been pumping.  I'm picking up a medela symphony rental pump tomorrow so that I can try to increase my supply.  I am currently using the medela swing pump (didnt think I needed a double, then my baby stopped nursing...) and the swing works but takes FOREVER cause its a single and I feel like I spend all my time pumping.  I also have a 3 yr old at home with me so I am really hoping the rental helps so that I have some extra time with my toddler.

I am taking fenugreek, blessed thistle, and eating oatmeal and taking cliff bars (some women on my october baby group have mentioned these work for increasing supply).  Side story: my baby was due Oct 19 and came 4 weeks early and was born sept 23rd.  She was a good weight 6 lbs 10 oz.  She breastfed without any problems until recently when she upped and went on strike. 

I read the article of pumping for beginners, but I am hoping to get more support, tips and tricks, and scheduling help in order to maximize my breastmilk production.  Currently I am pumping 7x a day and I barely get 2 oz total from each pumping session.  Sometimes I'm lucky and will get 3oz in one session. 

Hopefully you all can point me in the right direction and I can be successful at this pumping thing.  I have to supplement my baby right now cause I cant keep up to her with what I am producing.

Thanks!!

[kimandjer]

My name is Kim and I am new to exclusively pumping.  My baby is 4 months old today and I have been pumping now for 2 full weeks.  My baby has gone on a nursing strike and since then I have been pumping.  I'm picking up a medela symphony rental pump tomorrow so that I can try to increase my supply.  I am currently using the medela swing pump (didnt think I needed a double, then my baby stopped nursing...) and the swing works but takes FOREVER cause its a single and I feel like I spend all my time pumping.  I also have a 3 yr old at home with me so I am really hoping the rental helps so that I have some extra time with my toddler.

I am taking fenugreek, blessed thistle, and eating oatmeal and taking cliff bars (some women on my october baby group have mentioned these work for increasing supply).  Side story: my baby was due Oct 19 and came 4 weeks early and was born sept 23rd.  She was a good weight 6 lbs 10 oz.  She breastfed without any problems until recently when she upped and went on strike. 

I read the article of pumping for beginners, but I am hoping to get more support, tips and tricks, and scheduling help in order to maximize my breastmilk production.  Currently I am pumping 7x a day and I barely get 2 oz total from each pumping session.  Sometimes I'm lucky and will get 3oz in one session. 

Hopefully you all can point me in the right direction and I can be successful at this pumping thing.  I have to supplement my baby right now cause I cant keep up to her with what I am producing.

Thanks!!

[akhtarsa]

Hi Kim!

Welcome.  There are a lot of wonderful resources for you here.  I just wanted to check in and share 2 things with you.  First 1-3 ounces in total for a pumping session is very normal for a mom who has been nursing.  Please don't get down on yourself for your pump output.  I had a single also and found that a double helped me significantly.

Second, I wanted to see if you were getting support on getting you baby back to the breast from the nursing strike, assuming you are not planning/looking to EP indefinitely.  My DS went on a long nursing strike and did eventually return to the breast but I found this board when I was EPing for almost 2 months with him because it is grueling.  I don't know that I would have made it half as long as many of the amazing ladies here do.  But I wanted to let you know that it is possible to find your way back even from a long nursing strike!

HTH!

[kimandjer]

I am in sudbury ontario and we dont actually have any lactation consultants here. We have nurses who specialize but honestly it stresses me out more having someone manhandle my breasts and tell me what to do. Most times I try to get Callie to take the breast but she's at a point now where my letdown is so slow that she gets frustrated and refuses the breast. I'm trying my best and aiming for 6 months of breastmilk. I'll re-evaluate if I do well, so far its been 2 weeks and already this feels like a lifetime! I'm hoping that with reading and "talking" to women who do and have done the EPing, then I will be able to keep it up.

Thanks though for the encouragement. I would love for Callie to BF again, but I am willing to still get her the breastmilk even though its hard work.

[igbaby]

Oh I hear you.  At least in the part about not wanting someone to manhandle you.  With my first LO I was felt up so many times I wouldn't consider it with the second.  My first LO was tongue tied and it wasn't discovered until he was 5 weeks old.  Until then everyone told me, my flat nipples and large breasts were the problem.  I felt like a total failure.  I tried a little with my second, but not much.  I just couldn't deal with someone trying to show me where I was going wrong.  Pumping has been so much better for me.  I will be hitting the 12 month mark in February and I started pumping from the beginning.  It can be done!!!!!!!!!!!

[emd2004]

Welcome to the board! As the previous poster said, your output is normal for someone who has been nursing, as your body responds differently to the pump than to a baby. Hopefully your baby will quit the strike soon!

Exclusively pumping is definitely doable in the long term (I did it for 12 months, like the previous poster) but it is a lot of work, so you may wish to keep trying to get her back to the breast. One thought is using playtex breastflow bottles or really slow flow nipples so that she doesn't get too used to the ease of feeding from a bottle. I'm not sure how long you have been taking the fenugreek etc, but it can take a couple of weeks or more for some people to see a response from that too. Some people also like more milk plus. Also, have you tried powerpumping?

It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right, and the longer you pump, the more you will get the hang of it!