Would buying a different breast pump help me?

[mogwai2011]

Hi,
I'm currently expressing 1-2oz once a day in order to introduce my 10wo to a bottle. I'm using a Medela mini electric breast pump, but it's a few years old and I'm wondering if the motor has lost some power and I might be able to express more milk with a new Medela Swing pump which I've read great things about? How much influence does thr pump have on letdown or is it more related to my supply? I can't usually get any more than 2oz on one side at a time- will this increase if I keep expressing daily as I'm worried I won't get to the point of producing enough for a full bottle feed down the line? I've been doing it for about a week now and my supply has increased a little but not a lot...but then I'm not expressing a lot I guess.
So far, DS will suck the teat a little when my husband tries to givd him the bottle, and he appears content and doesn't reject it outright which is good but doesn't actually drink any milk just yet- is it just a case of persevering and carrying on as we are for now until he gets hsed to it?
I'm happy to invest in a Swing pump if it's worthwhile, as I'd be spending the money on formula otherwise (which the health visitor has advised against for the time being due to silent reflux) and I really want to try and make expressing work for us.
Thanks!

Some women find expressing with a pump difficult, one top I learned to late its you do need the right size funnel bit. Medela do different size ones.

But before you invest in an eexpensive New pump have a look into if it'll suit you. Also you could try hand expressing whichsome people find far more effective. have a Google for some videos on how to.

Doing things like massaging your breasts and relaxing using a warm flannel. well also help with letdown.

2oz is great to start with especially when you consider that the average asking for a breastfeed its only 4 oz. There is lots more useful information on the kellymom.com website which you'll find useful.

Just keep gently trying with the bottles he'll probably get their. Its a new thing for him to learn so may take some practice.

Make sure you're doing all you can to maximise your supply of milk like drinking lots and eating well; I found hummus worked wonders for supply. Do you have friends who could lend you different pumps to try?
Another thing I found helpful was expressing from one breast while my baby fed from the other.
Good luck!

Does your Medela mini have the valve with the white plastic membrane thingy on it? If so, might be worth trying replacing those (as they create the suction, iyswim) before replacing the whole pump.

But I agree that 50 oz on one side sounds pretty good. I found my pumping output increases the more regularly I pump. Also, time of day can have a big effect - I get more in the morning, less in the evening. There are good tips on the Kellymom website about increasing pumping yield.

I found the Swing worked pretty well for me and I used it while I was still on mat leave to pump in the evenings to build up a freezer stash. Then I read all the stuff online about open vs. closed pumps and how yucky Medela Swings can get. And when I went back to work I found the Swing just wasn't cutting it, in terms of how much I needed to pump in a short amount of time, so I ditched it and bought an Ardo Calypso (double). It's a closed system pump and I found it to be more efficient and comfortable than the Swing.