Expressing Breastmilk...help!

[emilia]

I know that some of you are having success expressing first thing in the morning. I really don't have much milk in the morning, since Oscar seems to drain any possibility of any, out of me during the night. However, he had a more settled night last night and I was actually a bit "fuller" this morning.
I decided to express - managed only 2oz in 15 minutes. Using new Avent handpump - is seems that I have to angle is differently every minute of so otherwise the flow stops.
How do you manage it - how do you hold it - how much to you express?
Am i doing something wrong?
Advice will be much appreciated. i don't even know if Oscar will take the expressed milk tonight, but at least boobies will be making more now.
Thanks again.
Emilia xx

 

[Urchin]

Hiya.
I use an electric pump as I found it gets a lot more out.
Also, I drink a pint of water about an hour before I start. A hot shower with a bit of boob-massage can help too

let us know how you get on!

 

[minikins]

Hi ya,

Are you expressing so you can give it by bottle or just to bring up your milk supply?

 

[Lucy]

Hi Emilia

To begin with I could only express 1 oz but after doing it regularly I now get 4oz from one side whilst I feed Olivia, I stop at that cos I've got a stack in the freezer and Olivia hasn't been taking the bottle (but had success last night so hopefully that'll change!) but if I then leave it 5 mins and try again I get another let down and can then get 6oz.

I think the more you do it the more you will get. Are you going to do it during the day as well? I read that it's best to do it 30mins to 1 hour after a feed.

HTH

Lucy

 

[emilia]

Thanks for all your kind replies...
I'm thinking of expressing to increase my supply AND to feed it to Oscar at night as a top up, or even during the day in order to give boobies a wee rest!!
I drink quite a lot of water - 3-4 x 500ml bottles (mineral as tap water in SA apparently full of magots.... lovely - been in the news, yuck!!) plus redbush tea and also Weleda Lactation Tea. I just don't know how to position this breastpump to get a good flow. I seem to pump my socks off and have visualisations, that I'm going to end up with an arthritic hand!!
I'll see how I go today. Just wondered if I was missing a trick.
Last question... can I mix this mornings milk with afternoon milk? Does it really matter?
Thanks again.
Emilia xx

 

[Urchin]

Yeah you can mix milk from different times inthe same day, I would avoid mixing it with the day before's though, just to be safe.

Electric pumps are ALOT better at getting milk out, if you can afford one, I'd get one.

 

[Lucy]

Emilia, are you doing the 5 quick presses the hold for 2-3 seconds? Do you have the plastic insert that massages your milk ducts? I'm sure it'll get easier the more often you pump.

If you want to get a medula eletric you can pick a cheap one up here:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Medela-Mini-E...759009502QQcategoryZ66676QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I thought the electric was very good but made me sore and was quite noisy

Lucy[/url]

 

[emilia]

Hi Lucy...
Yep, I'm doing exactly that and I have the insert that masages. It's not a bad pump - just need to get the hang of it.
I should have bought a electric pump from the start - I don't use this one as much as I had planned - therefor, can't really justify buying an electric one now. Wish I had bought one at the start.
I'll keep at it. I'm not really sure what I'm doing anymore. Oscar wouldn't take the expressed milk from a bottle tonight. I think I'm going to express in order to increase my supply for the time being. Perhaps until Oscar becomes more settled.

Oscar is in bed - DH is home and the sad pair that we are, going to watch "Super Nanny" at 8pm. How exciting!!!
Thanks for all the advice - much appreciated!!
Emilia xx

 

[hels]

I have the same pump hun, i find that if i pump until i get a flow then hold it until it runs out i collect quite alot, so i squeeze rather than pump....worth a try? i also find that i have to reposition the pump lots too!

 

[emilia]

Ta Hels, will try that too.
Emilia xx

 

[Manda]

Emilia i wouldn't worry too much as this has happened to me too, when Abi was born i could expree loads i would fill one of the large avent bottles and if i'd tried could have got more, but for the last 2 months i'm lucky to express 2 ounces i know Abi is getting enough as i can hear here swallowing so i looked on the internet and found this

Others simply cannot express such big volumes at one time, and find it easier to express small amounts more frequently eg up to 30ml every one to two hours. A few mothers find it difficult to express, although they have a good supply and the baby is thriving.


It is important not to judge overall milk production by the amount of milk you can express. The baby's technique of extracting the milk is the optimum, and he will always be able to get more milk than you; expressing is second best

 

[emilia]

Thanks... reassuring!