Need to pump more.

[@llli*sellars]

I really would rather never pump, but that is not in the cards for me.

My dd has begun sleeping through the night, she crashes around 9pm and wakes up at 4am, unless I get her up earlier. So, I have been waking up in the middle of the night to pump, but find that I only get a small amount. I pump in order to make enough for my dd when I am at work. (12 oz. to feel comfortable). I pump 3 times a day at work unless the daycare provider comes into town, which I bf. Then I have time to pump only twice a day. I typically get 3 to 4 ounces a pump.

Here is my schedule: 4am-breast feed and keep her on my breast till we wake up at 6:30am for another feeding. Daycare she eats 9-12 oz during the day (I am away for about 9 hours). Get home at 5:40 and feed, feed again at 7:30, feed again at 9pm when she goes to sleep for the night.

At first, I was thrilled that she was sleeping through the night, in her own crib on her own accord, but I find that pumping at midnight (or whenever I actually wake up between midnight and 2:30am) gives me only 2-3 ounces and that is so frustrating and it leaves me short for the next day, or just squeaking by. What should I do? Any suggestions? I would ideally love to find a way to store a bag a week (9oz) and rebuild my dwindling supply before I went back to work. Any help would be so appreciated. I have used fennugreek, blessed thistle, More Milk Plus. I am currently adding 2 tbls of brewer's yeast to my food. Eating oatmeal nearly every morning and taking More Milk Plus Special Blend. Oh, I don't leak and I don't really feel a let down unless I pump. Anything you can suggest would be so appreciated.

[@llli*rcsmom]

just a few questions to clarify- how old is your DD?, what kind of pump are you using, how long are you pumping for, is there any way that you can pump after your dd nurses in the morning. sorry short- NAK

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

What kind of pump do you have? And are the parts all new? Have you been sized for the right sized horns? Are you doing breast compressions while pumping?

Is baby nursing well when you are with her? Are wets and poops adequate?

Bear in mind you do NOT need a huge stash to go back to work with. You just need 1-2 days worth, to carry you over for the first day back at work, then you ideally pump what you need for the next day at work, with a little stored in case of spills.

[@llli*sellars]

Thanks Ladies,

My DD is 4 months old yesterday. I use a Medela Pump in Style with Breastfriends horns that I believe fit. I frequently watch for the condition of the membranes and aside from condensation in my tubes it's working fine. It is brand new, as of a couple weeks after DD was born. I went back to work at 6 weeks and have been pumping since M-F, but totally free feed my DD at night and on the weekends, but she does like 3.5 ounces expressed milk every 2 hours typically. Wets and poops are adequate, I think she eats just fine, I don't believe she has a problem be satiated. Its been a while since I have a time where I felt like I wasn't feeding her properly. I started to dig around on the site and found the video on breast compression and hand expression which I am eager to try in about two hours when I will pump again. I pump for between 15-20 minutes, double pump and made myself a bra that helps keep the horns in place. Any suggestions are totally welcome, and I really appreciate that you are hear to help with this. Heres to hoping the hand compression and massage helps. I have tried it before but didn't feel like I got the kind of results the women on the video were getting and I have to say I am always surprised to see milk come out when I hand express, which I have never done beyond seeing a bit of milk come out and then stopping for fear of wasting milk.

[@llli*aprilsmagic]

Pumping is a learned art, and it's also something your body adapts to. It can really take a good while to get really good results, and some women just don't produce as well for a pump as they do for a baby. Some women can hand express more milk than they get with a pump, and some women find that if they pump and then hand express they get more milk that way.

Sometimes, changing the bottle and/or nipple slows baby down, as it's way easy to eat from a bottle versus a breast, so baby has a chance to feel full on less milk, although the amount you say there is pretty normal, as most babies take 1 to 1.5 oz per hour that mom is away.

http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milks...bal-rem_a.html

http://lactinv.com/breastfeeding_qna..._breastshields caution -- pictures of real breasts. And I must say that IMHO IME even if it seems to fit well, trying 1 size up and/or down sometimes makes a big difference. If you look at the pictures and then if you could see my nipples, I should only take a 27. But a 36 is the only way for it to not hurt and for me to get any milk out.