Manual breast pumping.

[OutofControl3]

I have been breastfeeding for 10 weeks now and iv never expressed neither in my other babies either but I'm more busy now and would like to express so I can get a little more help most of the time it will be me breastfeeding but if i have a back up bottle of mums milk it will be helpful, but I bought a manual pump and only managed 1 Ounce in 20mins...how can I improve this as it feels like a waste of time.

Get an electric one! I had a manual one last time and gave up in the end. I’m still pregnant this time so haven’t used the electric one yet but it’s bound to be less hassle. Medela is a hospital grade one. They’re on Amazon on a deal this week

Big ole waste of time! I had a manual and would get about 3 oz on a good day (I spent a couple of days building up enough for a feed and only using it occasionally). Electric tend to give much better results; you have to decide if the expense will be worth it for your use.

My first time I barely managed half an oz; I think after that I got the suction down and it would do the work for me. Some women (like me) just can't be milked easily

Have you tried hand expressing?

I was useless at it with ds1 but a whizz with the pump and could get 6oz in 5 mins.

With ds2 I found hand expressing really easy and got bugger all from the pump (including electric pump) for some reason.

Not getting much from the pump can be for lots of reasons. Sometimes it's difficult to get a proper letdown and thinking about your baby, or seeing your baby can help. Sometimes the angle isn't right and you have to footer about with it. Sometimes it feels like your boobs are just being difficult for kicks.

I use a hakaa which is brilliant.

I used to get on with a hand trigger type pump. Had to have baby on my lap to get milk though.
I think pumping is easier after a few months, when just thinking about baby, brings the flow

Hi! yeah I could try hand expressing it tends to always come out if I'm touching boob for whatever reason, I know I'm in 2 minds about a electric one too! Don't want to waste money if it ain't going to work, my boobs are quite big and on the manual it felt like quite a strong suction pulling my nipple in and was a little pain. My little one is always attached to me feeding and I'm sat throughout most of the day, I have other children too and when dh gets home I want to try to pass him a hour or two!

When I could get the hand pump to work, I found there was a sweet spot with the trigger where if I squeezed it too much the milk just stopped.

Quite light but faster squeezes at the beginning. Then once there was some flow, still fairly light squeezes, enough to get suction but definitely not enough to hurt, but holding for longer so there was a longer "squirt". God it's a tedious thing (but also oddly satifying when you do get it to work).

Haha after my success of a Ounce I thought see if he will drink from the bottle and took him about 15 seconds 🤣

@AnneLovesGilbert those hakka ones is it like a milk collector for when feeding from the other boob?

I second the Hakaa. Yes, they are the ones that you stick on one side while you feed on the other. It's the only way I ever got milk out. Plus, it doesn't take up any extra time. I've also had success using it when I needed to take off excess milk when I was away from baby. And they are not expensive so worth a punt!

If I was to catch a small amount do you just freeze the small amount then mix them all together when defrosted?

You need to keep feeding on demand to build supply and avoid nipple confusion.

If you really want to pump, use Spectra S2, it was brilliant. It took me up to 950mL/day enough to feed baby (latch issues)

But it's important to get milk straight from the breast as it changes to provide the antibodies and nutrition the baby needs.

You could use a Haka after a feed and try and get some 20mL bags for the freezer for emergencies.

Use a Mimjumi bottle as it mimics a nipple and the milk comes out at the correct flow.

try setting up a photo or video of your baby crying in front of you while expressing

Haakaa are amazing if you just want to express now and again.

You can mix milk from different expressing sessions in a bottle in the fridge, or store in separate bags in the freezer.

Just like feeding the baby, the more you do it, the more you will get. Also make sure you are drinking vast amounts of water.

I found the worst option was a cheap (£100 or so) electric pump. I had much more luck with a manual one or - at the other end of the spectrum - rented a hospital grade one. DS was prem so I used one in NICU at the beginning and then rented the same one for home for the first six months or so, partly to build supply and partly because I did sometimes need to be away from him.

I got on great with a manual pump but it has to be timed well.

Try it in the morning before baby's first feed and on the opposite boob to the last one baby was on at first (you can switch if you feel the flow is slowing after pumping for a bit)

Make sure the seal around the nipple is strong and start off with a faster lighter pump action to start the flow off and once it start switch to a slower stronger pull (hope that makes sense as I don't know the exact terms) try to keep it up consistently and you will find the more you pump the easier it'll be to get large amounts.

I always expected to just use a manual while I saved for a good electric but ended up not needing another at all

I have took on what everyone has said thanks, I have ordered a hakka one too to catch whilst I'm feeding but I will try in the mornings too Try to get it going somehow with my manual pump.