Expressing question: How do i get the milk to flow all the way through?

[champs]

hi all, advice needed. I can get quite a bit of milk to flow when I start expressing but it starts to drip and I swotch to next breast. Is there any tips or things I can do to keep the flow? I am going to work in 2 wks time so need to get it right

Champs, are you doing it by hand or using a pump?

Are you using an avent pump? It is really slow to start and then gets quicker. Try to relax too! Also make sure all the bit s are fitted correctly - sorry!

Champs - that's what happens with expressing with a pump. You get a flow and then it drips. That's your cue to switch to the other side. Then when it starts to drip on that side, you go back to side one, and so on. You might have 'a go' at each breast twice or three times a session.

thanks, I am using avent manual one. I had a different one but didn't get on with it at all so changed. I was going to get an electrical one but didn't like it 6yrs ago and didn't want to shell out for one, avent one was recomended on a thread, and the via thingy's.
How long is normal to get a good amount out? It takes me a while and I thought it was all that come out so I left it.

sorry am a bit rambly... ds2 crying for milk, like he knows what I'm typing about

I've been expressing at work and it takes me about 10 minutes to get 4-6oz.

thanks, do you take a picture of baby with you? I've heard it works. And also, how did you sort out b/f at work? do you just express at break time or do you have set times?

will ask this in the going back to work section aswell.

I've put an answer in your other thread. tbh I did take a picture but didnt need it as they were bursting anyway.

champs - personally didn't find that pictures helped, kind of made me concentrate to hard on the task! What worked best for me was being totally relaxed and thinking about other things - impossible at the start - but after a few weeks of not a lot of success when pumping at work, I got into a good routine where I could trigger the let down without thinking about it after a couple of minutes.

Switching sides is the best tip - and counter-intuitive given what we're told about finishing each breast before switching when breastfeeding.

Second switching breasts.

thanks!!

expressed last night/early this morn and got out 4oz!!! may not sound like much but is first time I got that much. thanks for advice.
BTW, is it normal for one breast to give out lots and the other a drop or two?

I barely feed off the left but have problems expressing from the right.

My left one is MUCH MUCH more productive, too.

Not the only freak then

lol, will cancell my apointment with freaky breast anon then

Champs - you must keep switching from side - to -side-to side as the milk lets down. I always founs i got hardly anything from one side but oads from the other. I mastered hand expressing with baby number 4 and found it soooo much quicker .

Mears I have been hand expressing into a pyrex bowl with some success (DD is only 3.5 weeks so early days). Should you do it with one hand or two? I have been using one hand and holding the bowl but wonder if I should be using two because I'm only actually getting milk from a couple of ducts at a time.

thanks mears, i have found that the pump dosen't get all the milk out cos when milk stops flowing with pump I can still get some out by hand. I think maybe I am not using pump correctly. I am quite big breasted and find I have to mold them to get proper suction. any advice?

Switch to hand expressing? I did that all the time with last baby and found it to be the most effective and fastest way of expressing.

dont mean to sound dumb.. do you use a jug or bowl? do you have to sterilise it? also can you tell me more about pumping, do you keep pressing the handle or do you press it, wait then depress it?

I hand expressed straight into the sterilised bottle - I used wide necked ones. Much easier than using hand pump for me.

The handle of the pump should depress itself once pressed and you just keep pressing it once it has depressed itself..

thank you mears!!
how long does it normally take?