Struggle to express milk

[LightUpLightUp]

Hi

DS2 is 11 days old and has taken extremely well to breastfeeding. I want to introduce a bottle sooner rather than later to enable DP to look after him and also for when I return to work.

This evening I have tried to express milk with the electric avent pump which had great reviews however I only got a few drops!! This has panicked me a bit. Could I be doing something wrong? Is it too early and my milk supply is still small? Has anyone else had this issue.

TIA!

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

Lots of people struggle to express . What have you tried and people can offer some ideas and tips.

[LightUpLightUp]

I haven't tried anything but sitting there and pumping, I was naive in thinking that was enough! What else can I try to help?

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

Ooh loads. Some people find that fine. But there are loads of tips:

• try different times of day. Lots pf people find first thing best
• try getting your boob nice and warm with a wet flannel and give it a good massage as you pump.
• try different positions: sitting straight, lounging back. And hold the pump at different angles.
• try and start on the breast you used second in the last feed.
• try feeding on one side and pumping the other at the same time.

-Try looking at photos of your baby or having him in the room. Or the opposite, peace and quiet. Weirdly I have also heard people say they found sexy thoughts helped (must be the same hormones! )

Sure there are loads of others. You might find it takes a few sessions to get enough for a feed.

Good luck.

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

Oh, also technical stuff. Check that you are getting a good seal and the nipple is being sucked right into the pump. I also have to turn mine up pretty high and fast (different brand). You might need a very fast suck to get a let down then slower - to mimic what a baby does.

[AnythingNotEverything]

How long did you try for? It's can take a while to get a decent amount. That said, some women are perfectly capable of feeding a baby but can't get anything when they pump.

[TiredandGrumpy2014]

I've fed dd for a year but never got more than an oz out pumping. Some people seem to have plenty of milk but just can't pump! I think it's partly technique and I just haven't practiced that much but I've tried a couple of different pumps and still struggled. I decided early on I was happy to give some formula so gave about one bottle of formula a week from about 1 month to 5 months and then mix fed a bit more, giving one bottle a day from then and then gradually dropping bf. I'm now at one bf a day.

[mrsmugoo]

I'm feeding my thriving 7.5 month old but can't pump more than 50ml unless it's first thing in the morning after 12 hours no feeding or if I pump instead of a feed (e.g. at work) even then, 100ml would be a good amount.

[Imeg]

I struggled at the beginning, and in the early weeks 30ml was about the maximum, so don't expect to get masses. I was doing it because the baby wasn't putting on weight very well and I was supposed to be topping up, so I was generally quite stressed about it and I found that I got on best if I did it while watching tv, presumably because I relaxed a bit. In fact I vividly remember my first success of getting more than a few drops was while watching Top Gear!

[LightUpLightUp]

Thanks for all the advice. I tried again today and relaxed a bit and used a warm flannel and massage and managed to get 2oz - will keep trying !

[PenguinsIsSleepDeprived]

Well done!

[OliviaRinHerts]

I tried to express tonight (I'm leaving ten week old with MIL on Saturday for 6 hours so need to build up around 250ml)

Appalling I didn't even manage 25 ml tonight whereas normally I could manage 100 ml at a time so there are good days and bad days BUT make sure you are drinking enough water. I think (hope) that was my issue today. I also heard that barley water helps with milk supply so I've been drinking cordial ( robinson barley watEr) on that basis. Not sure if it does help but it certainly helps me drink more

Good luck!