expressing- short milk flow

[mummymog]

When I express the actual time milk flows for is very short- a minute really. A nurse said 'well the milk won't flow if its not there'. I'm sure there's more milk, if I kept going I get a second let down after 10 minutes.

How long does everyone else's milk floow for when ppumping- should I be hhoping to go longer?

How old is your baby? Has your milk actually come in yet? Why are you expressing? Sorry to quiz you but I feel people might be able to help you more with a bit more info. I started expressing in hospital when my supply was already established so I'm not sure if my experience will be much help! Are you using a hospital grade machine for the expressing?

Agree -we need more detail in order to help :)

If you're only a few days postnatal, then your milk may not be in yet.

:( at such a remark from the nurse, though.

Having said that....most women find that the flow (actually drips and trickles and occasional squirts) stops and then you swap sides and do that one...then back to the first one again. So what you are experiencing sounds normal.

Babys ten weeks old. Been expressing to give baby top ups. Its a hospital grade pump (at least its in the hospital) she's in with poor weight gain- she doesn't eat very well. I can get somewhere between 30-70ml when I pump both sides together for 15minutes. I'm not worried that I have little milk- I just wonder if it should drip\ spurt for more than a minute before it stops.

Is my baby only getting milk in the first minute of a feed? :s

Thanks for the details.

A baby and a pump get milk out of the breast in different ways. A pump can be less efficient than a baby or if the baby is unable to sick/swallow effectively, a pump can be more effective.

30-70 mls sounds about normal to be honest. The dripping and spurting time is not really relevant, as the milk is responding to the pump and we don't know how it responds to the baby.

The best way to increase weight gain in a bf baby is simply to feed more often day and night, at least both sides per feeding session. Presume you have tried that? So you are feeding at least 8-10 times in 24 hours?

I've been told to feed her less actaully- so she's hungry and eats better when she's on. She's being limited to eating every 4 hours, 10 minutes a side then she's meant to get a top up. She refuses the top ups, the nurses say she's probably full- I think she just refuses the bottle. But we'll see after a few more days in how her weight does.

Have you tried breast massage/compression? I exclusively express, and it wasn't until I read about massage that I started to get some really good squirts out!! Start pumping, then once the milk does start to flow, knead and squeeze your breast as much as is comfortable. You should find that in going so, the "jets" of milk come faster and for longer, and you may get a greater quantity at each expression.

mummymog, have you seen a breastfeeding/infant feeding specialist?

The advice you have been given is most unusual and would not result in greater weight gain in most babies.

I agree its daft advice- I'm not enjoying it.(Though Its every 3 hours not every 4, I made a typo) We're in the childrens ward just now. This was the advice of the infant feeding advisor (who earlier missed dd's tt :( ) I think they think if she waits longer to feed she'll actually be hungry and eat better and if she suckles for too long she'll waste calories. I worry that only giving her each breast for 10minutes is going to mean she only gets foremilk :( boobs still feel full after she eats.

No, I don't think it's necessarily daft....it's unusual, as I said... and in certain circumstances it may be sensible. Very underweight babies do sometimes need to have their energy expenditure monitored/controlled. No idea of the full details of your situation - but hope things get better for you and your little one very soon.