So I bought an electric breastpump...

[PixieMiss]

and got barely anything.

My DS is 8 weeks old and ebf at the moment. For a variety of reasons, I want to try introduce a bottle once a day so I bought a tommee tippee electric pump yesterday.

I put it all together correct, whacked it on my boob and got barely anything at all. I mean, not even enough to go into the bottle. A few droplets just stayed around my nipple in the funnel bit.

He seems to be getting enough when I bf and it is all on his terms so why did I get such a paltry amount from the pump? Is it something that builds up over time and should I do it several times a day to get something?

Thanks!

Didn't want to read and run. Have a look at this website. Kelly Mom is American and a la leche league leader

kellymom.com/mother2mother/what-to-expect-when-pumping/

NOTE: It cannot be stressed enough that the amount of milk you able to pump is NOT ever a reliable indicator of how much milk you are producing, nor how much milk baby is taking in. The healthy breastfed baby is usually much more efficient at getting milk from the breast than a pump is.

It took me a while to get used to pumping, I was eventually able to do it efficiently but seemed to take my body a while to get used to it.

You could maybe try hand expressing? It's a bit time consuming but I find that giving my boobs a good massage and hand expressing is better than pumping. I have a 6 week old and like you, I want to be able to give her a bottle sometimes - I like knowing that I can leave her for a couple of hours if I need to, even if I don't end up doing it!

Thanks chocolate I will definitely check that out!

I have tried hand expressing but getting literally droplets there too

I will just keep perservering with it and hope to turn a corner. If not, the HV is coming next week, is this something she can help with?

Yes, the HV should be able to give advice on breastfeeding/pumping. You could always give her a ring if you need some advice sooner? Do you have a Baby Cafe group near you? They are run by trained breastfeeding counsellors (our local one is run by the NCT) and they can offer help and advice on everything breastfeeding related. Or there's the NHS breastfeeding helpline which should be able to give you some advice quickly, the numbe is 0300 100 0212.

Double pumping can make a big difference. X