expressing & supply problem maybe?

[LionsnTigersnBears]

Hi

I've got a 9 week old who is ebf at the moment but I have a problem. I'd thought from reading up before that I'd be able to express enough milk for a feed so that dh could take her & I could get a break sometimes. But dd is taking all I produce, usually both breasts at each feed, & during the day no more than 2 - 2.5 hours between feeds. So by the time there's something worth expressing, its too close to her next feed to be ok. We can never get ahead enough to get more than 50mls in the fridge and on the one occasion dh gave her that she screamed hysterically for more. What can I do? I've tried using fenugreek to increase supply but it didn't work for me.

Any help much appreciated!

some people never have much luck with expressing. it's no indication of how much milk is in your breasts, and you shouldn't have to wait really before you can express
pumps just aren't as good at getting milk out as babies are and that's probably why you haven't produced much

when I had ds2 i was expressing for a friend's little boy. ds2 NEVER went more than 1.5hrs between feeds, so i'd feed him in bed in the morning. come downstairs, have a cuppa, sit in front of tv and express. mornings were definitely my most prolific time.
he would often then want to feed again after i'd done expressing. and although i wasn't getting any more milk out through the pump, he was fine and would come off with a big milky mouth!!!

anyway, my point is that you don't need to worry too much about timing between feeds, or if your baby will want feeding. your supply will cope with it. but it might take a while for you to be able to build up enough for a whole feed. the more you express normally the more you make, but as I say, some women just never really get much out at all.

Well, some people just don't find it easy to express - it doesn't necessarily mean a general supply problem.

It's hard, though, isn't it?

I found mid morning to be the best time - your supply is generally best in the mornings, and mine had her longest and most reliable nap then (3 hours - this is before she consolidated her night time sleep), so expressing then is good.

The other thing to try is, express from one breast while she feeds on the other - often that helps the breast letdown. Then let her feed from the one you've expressed from, because there's never no milk there, and she might have to work a bit harder for it, but she'll get enough she'll just take a bit longer than usual. And that will stimulate your supply in its turn.

Good luck. It's an exhausting time, so hang in there, and even if you don't manage it, things tend to get a lot easier at around 12 weeks. Not long to go.

I've found that because DS is better at getting milk out than the pump, that if I express an ounce or two before he starts feeding, then he's quite happy to feed to a bit longer.

I also found doing it in the mornings helps as I always have more milk than he can take straight off (makes it easy for him to latch on as well).

Thanks !thisisyesterday 1.5 hours! God here's me feeling sorry for myself! Major kudos to you!

I'm going to try the express one side feed the other idea Tortoise as dd is v. bad at napping during the day- only ever naps on me or on the move in the car (imagine driving while pumping- the arrest report would make the tabloids! :) )

12 weeks you say- what happens at 12 weeks? Please tell me dd starts sleeping more- it would make my day!!!!

Thanks again all!

ahhh now you say that but in america where many more women pump as they have to go back to work really soon, there are electric hands-free pumps that you can plug into the car!!!! lol

as for frequent feeding, yes, it was hell! but fear not, he only did it for 10 months
daytimes i can cope with it, nighttimes well... as you knw it's just hideous! it does get better tho

12 weeks - mine started sleeping a little bit more, but mostly she stopped screaming herself purple for three hours every night. Prior to that, she wouldn't sleep before midnight, and that after hours of pacing, and me telling her meditative stories about seasonal changes ("and then the first tiny buds appear on the branches, so greygreen you can hardly see them against the grey branches") and also cosleeping. it wasn't a good time.

Truly the land of the free! This may explain some of the mad driving I've seen over there Tortoise I'm going to hang in there for the 12 week mark & hope for the best. Tonight we're attempting to get her to sleep in her moses basket before 10pm so fingers crossed

Thanks!

Try feeding her from the least full side while you take an oz or two from the fuller side. She'll be better at extracting milk than the pump so she'll just feed for a bit longer to make sure she has enough.

Instead of washing and sterlising the pump just stick it in the fridge in a zip lock bag if you are going to use it later that day.

I found I had more milk in the morning so if I took 2.5oz in the morning from fuller breast, I then combined 2 lots of 2.5oz to have a full feed.

But yes, I find pumping a pain so would only do it if I needed to go out somewhere, not really worth it for any other reason.

Thanks MumNWLondon,

Ziploc bag great idea and much timesaver! It is a stonking pain in the boobs, I agree. Its just I really want to keep bf'ing, but I'm spoiled rotten and used to having a lot of time to myself so I feel like I'm going to wig out royally if I can't get some time for quiet introspection soon :) Hence the desperation!!!!