Dwindling supply

[aimzxd]

I've mixed fed my 23 week old son from birth, solely pumping at beginning as he was premature but couldn't pump enough to feed him exclusively. He doesn't have much patience to feed on breast except in the mornings. He has refused my right breast for months. I can't pump as much now as his naps are short & I need to work when I can. Is there anything that helps increase supply & letdown? Google says to pump at least 10 times a day and while I'd love to if it worked, I just dont have the time. Any tips appreciated, thanks.

I tried waking up and pumping at 2am when the bf hormones were high and also power pumping I think it was called. Also fenugreek tablets. The pumping helped but I decided sleep was more important as I only had a manual pump so it was very time consuming. I continued the power pumping method and that did help but it still wasnt enough for my hungry lo.
The fenugreek didn't help in my opinion.

I could try pumping at night for a bit. My partner always wakes me when he gets up for the loo about then so will give it a go. Thanks!

Get a pumping bra and do it while you do the housework etc. I had a friend (in the USA) who pumped in her car! Also a hospital grade pump makes a massive difference. They’re not cheap to rent but cheaper than formula still.

Don't use fenugreek

It's just as likely to reduce your supply

Oats

Anything with oats in

Drink loads of water too.

Sadly my partner has been furloughed so we cant afford a pumping bra.

Oats dont agree with me either :(.

I have a tommee tippee pump and manual medala the tt gets about 60mil a day with 3 pumps the medala a little more but hurts my hands.
What is power pumping?

lansinoh.com/blogs/pumping/power-pumping-how-to-increase-your-milk-supply

I did it religiously every evening once my lo went to bed (she slept 7-6 from very early) and often when I woke for the loo at 1 or 2 am.

I started to take Fenugreek and the milk just flowed. Worth a try.

Thank you. I'll try to find some time to power pump.

It's not about finding the time op, of you are serious about increasing your supply you have to make the time otherwise your supply wont improve. Doing them one day and not the next will not work.

@aimzxd You can make your own pumping bra. The simplest is just an old bra with holes in it. A better design would have a bit of Velcro to hold tightly around the cups. Anything that means you don’t have to use your hands to hold the cups in place. Even a roll of duct tape would do.

If you get it well attached then you can sleep for a bit while it’s on! Just like co-sleeping while bf.

If you find getting up too hard (can’t get back to sleep or disturbing) then you can always fall asleep and chuck the milk if it’s out for too long. Even though it seems a waste, it all improves your supply.

Someone on MN once suggested breastfeeding cookies here.

They really help with supply I found when I used them.

I've gifted them to all my friends who were breastfeeding.