Breastpump too small? Expressing trouble.

[metalelephant]

I would appreciate your help: I have been having problems breastfeeding my lo, so need to express.

I'm using an avent double pump for the last month, around 4 times per day, on top if breastfeeding, with very little effect.
The most I have expressed is 80 ml, usually it's 40-60ml. DD is 6 weeks tomorrow.

The problem is that my nipples are fat (wide and stubby) and the left one actually gets stuck inside the pump flange. To get it out I have to pull, and it takes some effort to get it unstuck. The nipple comes out with a little indentation at its base. It's not just that it hurts, I wonder if thats contributing to not getting more milk out.

The odd thing is I used an earlier model 3 years ago and it worked fine for 4 months, I was expressing lots and it didn't consume my nipple...

Can one's nipples become bigger in time?!

Would you recommend a double pump for bigger nipples or should I persevere?

I have a medula pump and you can get different size breast shields to allow for different size nipples. Don't nipples get bigger whilst you're pregnant and stay that way?

Thank you alot, they are quite stubbornly semi flat when not in use, and then inflate into stubby monsters when in the pump. I might try a hospital grade Medela then, and ask for bigger shields. There's no such option for my avent ones

Ardo and Medela both have sized shields/shells/whatever they are called. They both do double electric pumps (Ardo's have a closed pump unit so you can safely sell them on afterwards without any contamination issues).

I don't know of any other brands that do sized shields though.

Thank you TruthSweet, didn't know of Ardo, that's great as I had heard of the mould issues with Medela.

After researching more, I found out that Ameda also do bigger breast shells, so I ordered the hospital grade one and , if good, will get the lactaline.

That's great - I will add Ameda to my mental list of sized breast pumps (oh the exciting life I lead!)