Anyone exclusively pumping?

Hi,
Since my son was born prematurely (8 weeks early with a severe growth restriction), I wasn't able to breastfeed him from the start and establish my milk supply with his growing appetite. I have, however, been pumping since he was born, 8-10 times a day and was able to keep him exclusively on breastmilk when he was still in the hospital. I tried to put him to the breast since he came home, but it's been really hard; he's been used to the bottle for so long...

Now his feedings are increasing (up to 2 oz. per feeding), and my milk supply is not increasing. I tried herbal supplements, adding an extra pumping session, but it is still pretty low. I supplement with formula, but mostly he still gets breastmilk. It is such a pain, though, to be so "stuck" with that pump. Can't really go anywhere b/c I know I'll have to pump again soon :( I was wondering if anyone is in the same position, and how long you were able to keep this up. I wanted to breastfeed for a year, but it looks like that's not happening...

[tiredbuthappy]

I did it twice! It is hard, but very possible. With my first I pumped 6 1/2 months, and had 2 months frozen. I weaned because I had gone back to work at 4 months, and had to go back to grad school as well at 6 1/2 months. It was too much.
With my second, I pumped until about 8 1/2 months. I weaned because I had a good freezer stash, and it was becoming challenging to pump regularly with 2 kids, and full time job, and the warm weather and outdoors approaching.

A couple of questions-
~What kind of pump are you using?
~How long do you pump in each session?

Don't be stuck home because of that stupid pump. I would time it so I pumped before going out, but I also had a fantastic little manual I threw in the diaper bag. If I started to get too full, if the trip ran longer than expected, or if I ran out of milk for the baby, I was able to pump a couple of ounces in a matter of minutes. I LOVED the Medela Harmony for this. For longer trips, I would pump in the car (either with the Harmony or using the car adapter for my Medela Pump in Style Advance) on the way there, and on the way home while DH drove. Then I could enjoy myself whereever we were without worrying about pumping.

A few things to try to boost supply-
~pump a little longer. If I continued to pump past my first big let-down, I would get a moderate second let-down, and if I continued beyond that, I would continue to get several small let-downs.
~Do compressions while you pump. This is easier if you go "hands-free"
~drink plenty of fluids. I always noticed a decrease in supply when I didn't drink enough.
~play around with pump settings. Strongest is NOT always best. My LC told me to never go above 1/2 power, and i usually stayed on 1/4 - 1/3. If you have an advanced pump with a "let-down" phase, you can also turn the pump off and on between let-downs to see if you can trigger a second let-down
~try to be comfortable and relaxed. Don't watch the bottles fill. Make it time for you, to read, watch TV, or play on the computer. Or spend the time talking or singing to the baby next to you in the bouncy seat.
~Try a different sized horn. The wrong size can impact supply. You can also get my personal favorite- the pumpin pals angled shields. I found them to be much more comfortable and forgiving than the medela shields.
~try power pumping. It's a way to mimic the cluster feeds of a growth spurt, which is nature's way of boosting mom's supply when a baby nurses. There are many different ways to do this. You can set aside a couple of days where you take an hour and pump on 10 min, break 10 min, on 10 min, etc... for an hour. Or, you can just set up the pump somewhere accessible, and hop on whenever you pass by, even for just a few minutes. A few power pumping sessions/days can do wonders.
~Make sure you have a good, hospital-grade pump.
You can also try kangaroo care and skin-to-skin contact. Even if he does not go to the breast, it can benefit both of you, and it can help trigger let-downs. My LC used to tell me to lay the baby on my chest near the nipple and see if she would go over to it. She also encouraged me to try "recreational" nursing, just casually having the baby by the breast when she wasn't hungry. Any stimulation by the baby helps supply.

Let me know if you have any other questions, or encounter any problems. Also, if you look back through my journals, you'll find hints on pumping, milk storage, etc... Not that I wouldn't be happy to answer specific questions.

Congrats on your little one, and on your decision to give him breastmilk. It really is the best thing for any baby, but especially a preemie. What a wonderful gift you are giving him! My first was only 4 weeks early, but she was tiny- only 4 lbs 7 oz when we took her home. With breastmilk, she went from 3rd percentile to 75th in only 2 months! Despite being in daycare after 4 months, she was so healthy and never sick. I hated pumping, but I could see the results immediately, and that is what encouraged me to keep at it.

[pol79princess]

Thanks for your response! Glad to hear I'm not alone; I'm actually just finding out that there are entire communities out there of women that do that. I was actually kind of embarrassed that I can only pump when people asked me if I breastfed. My son was even tinier - he only weighed 2 lbs 11 oz at birth and spent 4 weeks at the NICU. He's been doing really well, though.

As to your questions, I have a hospital grade pump that I rented. I only manage to pump about 10 oz. a day and my son eats about 16 oz. a day at this point, so clearly I only have about half of what he needs. I try to do as many pumping sessions as possible, but can usually only do 8-9. Now on top of everything I developed nipple thrush, and it has been extremely difficult to get rid of it! I'm considering buying domperidone online without prescription (my LC recommended it), have you tried it by any chance? Thanks again for your tips!

[Super_sally888]

Hi,

you can also try manually expressing milk.  takes a bit of practice, but once you've got it down pat it is much easier than pumping.  All you need is a small bottle.  This way is also easier if you are going to express frequently.  Or you can manually express between pumping sessions.

Try grapefruit seed extract for the candida.  You can buy this online if it's not available in a health food store.

I used domperidone early on and found it helped greatly and quite quickly.  I am now at nearly 2 years of bf.

best regards

[cocacolapanda]

tiredbuthappy has great advice.  I also have pumped exclusively twice, the first time I had supply issues because of the birth control my dr gave me.  

My only other suggestion/comment is how much do you sleep?  I find that if I can try to get enough sleep and not pump so much at night my supply increased (although it does not for everyone).  Sleep and Fluids seem to be the key to supply for me.

[tiredbuthappy]

Sleep IS important- ironic considering you have a newborn- but they also say that it is very important to get at least 1 pump in between 1 AM and 5Am, as that is when prolactin levels tend to be highest. For most women, that pump session seems to have the greatest output. I know it did for me too.
I personally have not tried domperidone, so I cannot comment on that. Maybe someone else has had experience...

On the days that you cannot pump as many times as you would like, make sure you compensate by pumping a little longer during the sessions you do have.
When I pumped 8-10 times a day, I only had to pump for 10-15 min each session. As I dropped sessions, they became longer. By the time I was down to 3 pumps a day, I had to pump 45-60 minutes each session to maintain my supply.

And definitely give manual expression a try. I have heard of some women not responding well to pumps and doing better that way.

[Brittny27]

I had feeding issues with my baby and I had to pump and bottle feed her which that was even difficult.
I pumped for 5 weeks and I said enough was enough! I wanted my freedom back and breastfeeding was suppose to be easy right. No it wasn't. I went to my first Le Lache league meeting and was told to try a nipple shield since baby was use to the feel of silicone she didnt know to suck on my nipple to eat. I had many break downs crying thinking I was a failure because I couldn't breastfeed although I knew I wasnt. Hormones are wondrful.

We used the nipple shield for about 4 weeks before I weaned her off it. Life is great now that she is nursing and only gets expressed milk when I work.

If you truly want to breastfeed you just need the determination that it's going to work. And work on it. Put him to the breast as often as possible before he's screaming hungry. Try as soon as you see any hunger cues.

[30something13]

Is the donperidome motillium?? I used Motilium to get a supply to feed an adopted baby. I got milk drops in 10 days of pumping but when I added the pills I got an ounce each side in two days.

Also are you using two pills of Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle threee times a day? You can up the Fenugreek to three 4x a day if needed. Also oatmeal is a good thing to eat in the morning and around 2-3 am is the best time to get milk! Forget about the reasoning behind that but was told by a lactation DR. Jack Newman look his web site up and it may help you, I was suggested to that sight when I tried to relactate for an adopted baby by the le leache league. It is another good site.

tired but happy had some great info for you!!!! WIsh you well , I had to pump while my third was in the NICU born at 30 weeks. Let me know by PM if you would try to exclusivly nurse! I can get you there, it can be tiring at first but it works!!!!