Output not reflecting missed feeds.

[Btowngirl]

Hello hive,

I am 7m PP. Luckily enough had a good supply right from when my milk came in which allowed me pumping flexibility, initially I had a momcozy m5 and then got a Spectra S2. Output with the pump was decent but more recently not so much, example is if I miss 2 feeds I am still only pumping enough to replace 1 feed. Now this isn’t a huge problem in itself as I have a decent freezer stash, however in the long run I feel this needs addressing. I’m almost certain I have elastic nipples although they are no where near touching the end of the flange. I have tried sizing up on my flanges which did help, but I am still feeling quite heavy with milk at times after pumping.

Does anyone have any recommendations at all please?

As a side note, 95% of the time I’m with DD and she is content after feeds, gaining weight etc. It’s just noticeable if DP does a night feed with expressed and I’ve had the odd day out with our older DD so pumped 3-4 hourly. Is it normal my pumping volume would decrease? Our first DD was primarily formula fed so not great prior knowledge.

Have you replaced the duck bill valve and any diaphragms in your pump? They degrade over time and make the pump less effective. The duck bill should be replaced fairly often, every couple of months I think.

I don't respond well to a pump at all now (12 months PP)

Thank you for responding! That’s interesting, did you previously respond ok to pumping and was there a turning point or just a natural progression?

I have changed my parts but I might order a full new set today to see if it helps. I have a 17mm nipples when flacid but the pump really makes them fill the flange so I am wondering is it possible I need XXL flanges to account for the added width when pumping. So hard when it’s trial and error isn’t it but I really need to crack this before going back to work etc. I have been searching for a LC who can help but loads don’t even mention expressing on their lists of things they can help with.

I think that it’s pretty normal. Any pump you use is never going to be as efficient as your LO will be.

If you want to build up your freezer stash again could you choose a time to pump each day when it suits you? With DC2 I used to pump around 9am after the Pre-school run.

Time of day also impacts, so expressing first thing in the morning you'll usually get more. Last thing at night usually less. Just incase this is impacting.

I used to be able to pump 4/5oz a day around feeds in the early months, I didn't touch a pump for a while and when I did KIT days (no feeds for about 6 hours) I only got about 2ozs.

If it's for going back to work I'd recommend Lucy Webber IBCLCs return to work workshop, shes on socials, the webinar is online and about £25 but really informative. In the end my LO went to nursery without milk and was fine on food.

How old will LO be when you go back to work @Btowngirl?

@BunnyRuddington no I know, its just I’ve always been able to match roughly so it’s out of my normal atm. Yeah I think maybe I need to ensure I get one in every morning even when I’m by myself with her in the week! @CharityShopMensGlasses thanks I’ll focus on morning pumps! To be fair evening has become more easy once they’re both in bed so will prioritise in the mornings.
@KhakiSheep thats so interesting! I wonder why. The tricky thing is I’ll need to do 1, possibly 2 overnights a week when I get back to work so need to either build the stash or get on top of why my pumps aren’t very efficient. Fingers crossed on the new parts 🤞 thanks I’ll take a look at that!
@BunnyRuddington 10 months although I am considering extending a month and putting some annual leave in. As above, it’s just tricky as I know I’ll need to do some time away overnights when I’m back at work so even if she’s fine without milk in the day at nursery, she will need it at home overnight.

How do you feel about DH giving her formula at night and taking over the night feeds from now on so she gets used to not having BM at night and being cared for by DH?

Once she hits 12 months you can do some gentle night weaning anyway

Thanks for the link @BunnyRuddington in theory not against it, my wife’s super hands on, just ofc can’t do the BF haha. I would ideally prefer to troubleshoot why I can’t pump as much any more though & try to give expressed bottles since I can feel the milk is in there. My bigger flanges have come and seem to be helping though so 🤞🤞 thanks everyone for the advice, much appreciated!

Glad that the new flanges seem to be helping.

You can always try power pumping too to help increase supply, basically stimulating multiple let downs in one session. Think the idea is you do ten mins one side, then ten the other, and then repeat. Also giving boobs a good massage beforehand.