Do I need an electric breast pump?

[PrincessChick]

I've got the Avent manual pump and can usually get about 3oz in one go over 15 - 20 mins but only in the morning. Today it's taken me several attempts over the past 2.5 hours to get 3oz. If I express in the afternoon / evening I can get 1.5 oz max. Am I doing something wrong or do I need an electric pump? Would ideally like 2 bottles in the fridge each day and some to freeze.

Personally I think 3oz in 20mins is great - that's the most I get from both sides with a double electric pump. From what I've read and experienced personally it's normal to get more in the morning and less in the evening. Some people respond better to pumping than others.

Is there a particular reason you want/need to express so much? And when you say 2 bottles, how much do you mean? My DD is 8months and the most EBM she takes from a bottle is about 3oz - according to Kellymom.com breast fed babies need approx 1.5 oz breast milk every hour (i.e. 3 oz every 2 hours etc).

If you want to increase your output whilst pupming, things that I find help are massaging the breast before starting, breast compressions whilst expressing, looking at a picture of your baby, or even better interacting with or touching your baby (this last one makes such a huge difference for me).

If you are going to be pumping lots then an electric (single or double) may be worthwhile. Studies show that you get more from each breast if the other is being stimulated at the same time, therefore expressing on one side while feeding on the other or use of a double pump can increase yield.

I found that taking off my top makes my milk come in straight away! like a flood! and i make more milk in the mornings also, i expressed a lot when my son was in his first few weeks and i found it helped with cluster feeding as he wasnt struggling so much to try and boost my supply as the pumping was boosting it too. I used a tommy tippee manual pump and it worked really well for me when my breasts were full.

Childrens centres sometimes hire out electric pumps for free and you can buy the reusable parts for as little as 3-5 quid just incase you wanted to try but did not want to commit to pricey electric breast pump without knowing wether or not it will work better for you x

Thanks sweet. After a couple of weeks of trying to get DD (nearly 4mo) to take a bottle and her refusing, we've had great success and it's become part of her bedtime routine. She'll happily glug 3 - 4oz from the bottle and then have me to get to sleep (feeding from both sides and then comfort sucking). She's a big baby and we've found that a better bedtime routine (basically change nappy, pjs, calm playing, then dark quiet room with DH and bottle, finishing with me and boob) has made her so much happier. Yesterday the routine was messed with and I'd only expressed 1.5 oz in the afternoon. So we left it in the fridge and I did bedtime. She was feeding / comfort sucking for 40mins before I got really tired / frustrated / boobs really sore and handed her over to DH who gave the bottle, which she inhaled and then we started over with me feeding her some more. She's usually asleep by 9.30, last night it was 11ish. I guess I just want some back up milk in case I don't have time to express in the morning (like yesterday) or she's super hungry of an evening. There's an element of me wanting a break and not really getting it at the moment and as she's getting better with a bottle maybe being able to use reserves to get some rest. She's a fab baby but feeding is pretty constant and I'm feeling exhausted and mentally drained. Pah! Bit of a long answer to your question. Sorry for ranting, it feels good to get that out :)

X post ig. Thanks for the tips. I'll try the getting naked and maybe pumping when dd is feeding /napping on me in bed in the morning. We've got a talk about the family centre at our parenting class this week so maybe I'll mention it then.

Thanks you two. I feel better already.

I can definitely understand the desire for a break! We do the same with EBM once or twice a week and I try to put little bits away in the freezer for the occasional night out :)

I've got the same pump and used it for the first time today, couldn't believe it took ten mins to get barely 1oz! I found I had more success from using the pump to get started and then errm, milking myself (yes a bit like a cow!) into the same container. I'm only doing it so I can see if dd will actually take an occasional expressed bottle when needed.