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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Just can't get enough...ebm

52 replies

curiousorange · 14/06/2006 23:01

Hi, I'm new to this site, hope someone can share some wisdom. I'm going back to work full-time when my dd is 6m old. I want to carry on bfing as long and as much as possible. I've been using a medela hand pump and getting 2-3 oz a time only, I think I need an electric double pump, but which one? Has anyone tried the whisper wear pump? Thanks

OP posts:
Hattie05 · 14/06/2006 23:43

Hi, how old is your baby? how long have you been expressing for and is your baby currently drinking any of the ebm?

I returned to work when my dd was 3 mths, but i was parttime and flexi hours. Since she was four weeks i started expressing and dp would give one bottle a day to get her used to the bottle.

I too often only got 2 or 3 oz at a time, i'd bag it up and freeze straight away and then get two or three bags out to defrost per feed required in bottle. Before i returned to work, i used to express as often as poss, i would bf baby on one side, then put her on the other boob and express more from the first boob whilst she still fed. I found this easiest as she had 'started' the flow making it easier. I also seemed to get more out if i expressed whilst sitting in a warm bath.

Whilst i was at work, i always left emergency cartons of formula in case ebm ran out. By the time dd was 6mths she had had a couple of these cartons and i was exhausted with expressing so decided to start giving her all formula whilst i was away and then bf when i was with her. This worked fine for me, and i continued breastfeeding her until she was two. I was lucky enough to be able to plan my working day so i had time to come home at least every six hours and feed dd as there was nowhere suitable for me to sit and express to relieve my boobs. If you're working full time and not able to do this then you will probably still want to express anyway whilst at work.

Whatever you choose to do, by 6mths your supply is unlikely to dry up if you're still bfeeding morning and night.

Sorry if this is waffly! In answer to your actual question, no i havn't tried that pump, but i think it is normal to only get 2 or 3 oz's, as your baby gets older you may find you get more out and you will be surprised how much you end up collecting in your freezer.

kiskidee · 15/06/2006 09:54

the ameda lactaline pump. been expressing at work since dd was 4.5 mos and she is now 14 months. thanks to the lactaline.

Original poster
curiousorange · 15/06/2006 14:20

Thanks, My dd is now 4 months, and luckily she will happily take expressed milk, (tho only with a haberman feeder which is meant to be for babys with cleft lip/ palate i think) I have tried expressing while feeding and do get a bit more but it's pretty awkward. I'll be working a mix of short and long days, but will sometimes have to leave dd for 12 hours, so I am planning to express at work.- There is a private room I can use. It's good to know that even if I can't keep up with demand I can continue to bf on days off/ and morn and evening. Have ordered the whisper wear pump -it claims to be hands free so will see how we get on....

OP posts:
Original poster
curiousorange · 15/06/2006 14:22

In answer to your other question Hattie, I've been expressing intermittantly since 6 weeks , but not very regularly, For the last week i've been pumping every morning and have just stared doing a night pump after my little one has gone to sleep. Maybe i'll start to see an increase in milk soon?

OP posts:
Hattie05 · 15/06/2006 18:12

I think at the most i would get 4 or 5 oz when expressing but that was random moments.

In the weeks before i returned to work i went on expressing madness, expressing basically whenever i could be bothered! At every feed time and again in the evening once baby in between the bedtime feed and the next one.

This really helped boost what i had in the freezer and then when i returned to work i could just do one express of an evening.

Good luck! Smile.

As you are plannning to express for longer than i did, you will probably see the amounts you get increase as your baby starts drinking less and when he's weaning.

conni · 15/06/2006 19:03

Ameda pump is v. good, is used in hospitals and you can rent it from John Bell & Croydon in London and other good pharmacies.

mojomummy · 15/06/2006 19:43

I've just been to an ante natal class & apparently you can just top up EBM into a sterlised bottle throughout the day. According to the latest guidelines you can top it up for 24 hours & then it can remain in the fridge for 5 days ( Shock ) A study was carried out which showed that there were more antibodies after this time as it's a living food. HTH

Original poster
curiousorange · 15/06/2006 19:53

Managed nearly 4oz between 2 expressing sessions today and froze that, My dd was watching me pump and looking a bit perplexed- someone's stealing her milk! Seems to be easier if I think about something else while i'm doing it. A watched pump doesn't fill...

OP posts:
Hattie05 · 16/06/2006 00:10

Very true curiousorange! I used to either sit in front of the tv or mumsnet pumping.

Weeross · 16/06/2006 11:33

something to think about ... I lost the valve from my manual pump down the drain and needed to express as we were going out that night so reverted to hand expressing and I got more milk than I ever got with my pump !!! I used a V.large bowl and managed to express 7/8oz at a time !

WriggleJiggle · 16/06/2006 20:22

Weeross - I was wondering if I was the only person out here who seems to find it easier to use a manual pump than an electric pump. I find I get a much quicker 'let down' with the manual pump.

moondog · 16/06/2006 20:23

CO,you can rent very serious heavy duty double pumps from the Association for Breastfeeding Mothers.
Do you want helpline number???

Weeross · 16/06/2006 22:22

WriggleJiggle - I never used an electric one but managed fine with manual pump ... but did find that expressing by hand ie not using the pump at all just my hand produced a lot more milk

WriggleJiggle · 18/06/2006 19:23

Haven't tried that. Will give it a go - Knowing me I'll probably end up with more milk on the floor than in the container though! Blush

notanotter · 18/06/2006 19:40

i am pumping now - i hired the ameda egnell and pump maybe 8 -10 oz a day 6 of which i freeze - i love the pump its a double and ver quick and easy (find it quite wearing though...be warned!)

Elliebean · 20/06/2006 16:16

Just a quick thing that might help the quantity of milk. When I had to express at work I took photos of my dd to look at and this certainly helped. I had read it in a book somewhere and thought it was mad but it even suggested just looking at pictures of any baby would help.

Kelly1978 · 20/06/2006 16:20

have you actually tried a manual pump? I used normal avent hand pump and could pump up to 14 oz in half an hour. I was feeding twins exclusively on ebm not actually putting them to the breast at all (too much hard work with two odler children). I kept that going for 6 months with only a little deterioration of supply then decided to quit for my own sanity.

Bellybee · 22/06/2006 20:32

Hi there - I found hand expressing great, but very sore on hands, started getting RSI! The Ameda Lactaline was a brilliant double pump, firstly because I could alter suction AND speed (on medela mini you can only alter suction), and secondly, I used it with the FANTASTIC easy expression bra - an amazing bra you wear whilst pumping which holds both funnels in place, so you actually have the use of both hands again! I found that this took a lot of stress out of expressing, and actually increased my yield by about 1.5oz per breast - eventually I could easily express 6oz per breast in a single session....

hunkermunker · 22/06/2006 22:46

Curiousorange - are you a Lee and Herring fan perchance? Welcome to MN, btw - good luck in your quest for a good pump.

jabberwocky · 22/06/2006 22:56

I used the Ameda Purely Yours - I think it is similar to the lactaline. It really worked very, very well. It was not unusual for me to get 7 oz. per session. One thing to remember is to do breast compression while you pump. Some good ideas in this thread

Coriander73 · 23/06/2006 09:06

Try the Avent DUO electronic breast pump....

mummyhill · 23/06/2006 12:17

Another vote for the ameda lactaline here I used it for 12 weeks then gave up expressing as I needed to spend more time with my older child.

cazboldy · 23/06/2006 17:48

Hi. I am also new to this site! I have 4 children ( youngest one 5 months ). I have always produced more milk than I have needed and get along just fine with the avent manual pump..... but definitely agree with previous posting that says its much easier if baby is drinking on the other side. The flow is much faster.

popsycal · 23/06/2006 19:26

i have used an avent hand pump to express at work for the last 10 months...

NappiesGalore · 24/06/2006 10:32

no time to read other posts so apologies if repeating.

have you tried finding your local NCT woman and renting one off her? i rented an ex-hospital one off mine, a great big heavy thing which you leave in one place, so no good if you need portable BUT if youre having trouble getting milk out with other pumps might be worth a go. it was the only one which got any out of me after my first baby. v affordable too.

i now use the medela mini electric as and when needed, but this is my 3rd baby and i find the milk comes a lot easier this time... worth a try tho as its portable.

HTH