For my breastfeeding experts... please help!

[vsentz]

Hey girls! how's everyone doing today? Well, turns out, after I delivered Maddie, I breastfed for a couple of days and then supplemented.... I was just not making enough and she was so hungry!... but I got too comfy with the formula and started to lose my milk supply!... so now, I am trying to bring it up again... (she's almost 8 weeks) which is actually increasing thank God!, but I don't know what's normal yet. I pump at work around 8 or 9 after feeding Maddie first thing in the morning (around 6) and get lik 2 1/2 oz (both breasts), then pump again around 12ish... and get 1 oz from each breast (or so), then pump again (or wait till get home to feed her)... so I bring home around 4 1/2 oz with just 2 pump sessions... is that too little? i mean, i went from 1/2 oz to this in like 2 weeks! =)
Anyway, so, another question is that, now, overnight my breasts get engorged... she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night anymore! and i just feed her with one breast in the morning (seems to be good enough for her) and the other one is still like that.. leaking and all... and i have no time to pump at home... so i pump all the way up to 8 am!... this morning i felt the little bumps in my boob .... then i pumped... and as my other breast was 'limp' (hehehe yeah... real attractive right?) the other one still had a couple of bumps on the one side.... i got a good bit of milk out of it....and felt softer than before... but those bumps are not going away!... it doesn't hurt.... just... they are there.
Anyway, so, here i am doing the 'deed' of pumping with a noisy machine, hooked up in the bathroom stall at work... well, i guess im not the only one that has done that right? ;)

I also just ordered my hooter hider!! yay!!! it's pretty!

Take care girls!

[tahariel]

It is tempting to start supplementing during those first couple of weeks, but it really is worth it to feed on demand and stick it out. Their hunger and frequent nursing sessions are what naturally increase your milk supply to match their needs.

Since Maddie is sleeping through the night now, you may want to get up sometime in the middle of the night and pump. This should help relieve the morning engorgement, and it may help bring your milk supply back up during the day . . . at least that's what helped me whenever I noticed a decrease in supply with my 2nd. (I haven't started pumping with this baby yet, she's only 4 weeks old.)

Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids during the day, particularly water. This wil help keep you hydrated and encourage more milk production. Also, try drinking a cup of warm tea or cocoa just before and during pumping . . . this will help promote "let down" and relaxation. (another trick from my back to work pumping days with baby #2). Also, try massaging the milk downward while pumping, this will help empty the breast and should help drain the "bumpy" areas.

Finally, it may depend on your pump. Some are much more efficient than others. I personally recommend the Medela Pump in Style double electric. I've tried others and found them to be noisy and not very effective. The Medela are a bit pricey, but worth every penny. This will be my 3rd baby I'll be using my pump for so I definitely returned my money's worth. Hope this helps!