Has anyone had trouble for a producing milk for a preemie?

I just recently gave birth to a 29 week old preemie almost two weeks ago. I also had a migrane (migraine) since the day after my son was born for almost two weeks. I started pumping about two days after giving birth getting enough colussium to feed my son the first few days. After the 5th day I stopped producing milk by pumping. I then started pumping religiously every two hours and still not getting too much. Two days ago I started taking Fenugreek and Mothers Milk, I'm starting to notice a little more production but still just getting drops. Everyone seems very positive that if I keep it up the milk will come. I have been running around not relaxing much since I have a 7 year old driving him back and forth to camp along with visiting my baby in the hospital. I pump at the hospital and at home. I'm totally obsessed with not getting any milk. Do you think I'll ever produce milk? Am I wasting my time? I'm only getting drops and am very discouraged since I really want to breastfeed. I do drink a lot to water and feel that I'm hydrated. I'm not able to breastfeed yet since he's only 2.10 lbs. My first son was a preemie and I didnt have any problem breastfeeding.

[tiredbuthappy]

First of all, congratulations on your baby! I hope he is doing well.

I think it is quite common for moms of preemies to not produce enough milk for the reasons you listed- the stress, the trips to and from the hospital, the lack of sleep, etc...

I totally understand your obsession! I'd tell you not to look at the numbers, but know it's nearly impossible. It is not too late though, and it may be possible for you to boost your supply. I think your chances are very good, considering that you were able to produce milk and breastfeed in the past.
When you pump, how long do you pump? What type of pump are you using? Obviously, you are going to need a very good, hospital grade pump for a while.
You have to give both the Fenugreek and tea, as well as your new pumping habits, a chance to kick in. It can take up to 2 weeks of good pumping habits to actually see a difference in production.
If it's possible, you should be getting as much skin to skin contact with your baby as possible (kangaroo care). Interactions such as these can help boost supply. Are you pumping at night too? They say that prolactin levels are at their highest between 1 AM and 5 AM, so you often get much more during that time period. I know I definitely did.  Try to get a pump in during that time.

Other things to consider (in addition to how long you pump and what kind of pump)
~does the shield fit properly? A proper fit can make a huge difference, and most women are not the "standard" size that comes with the pump.
~have you tried different settings? Don't turn the suction all the way up. My LC had me set it around 1/3 of the way up.
~play around with the pump. try turning it on and off at different points to see if you can trigger a let-down.
~be sure to do breast compressions while you pump (pumping with a hands-free bra- either purchased or homemade- can make this much easier).
~ you can try power pumping, which mimicks a baby's growth spurt. There are several ways to do this, and you can look it up online.
~eat a balanced meal. I found, especially in the beginning when supply was low, that I made more after a good meal with meat. for some reason, General Tso's chicken always helped :)

Anyways, give it some time and maybe try some of these tips. I know it's tiring and stressful to try to pump with a healthy baby at home- I can't even imagine the juggling you are doing. Just remember that any milk you are able to provide your tiny man is a gift and you should be proud of all you are occcomplishing. Good luck and let us know how things work out!

[MirandaPie]

Thank you so much for all of your great advice, it makes me hopeful that this could work.
I did order a grade A hospital pump that I just started using this week. The tea and the Fenugreek I've been using more of this week and have seen a little increase. I've been pumping for 15 minutes every two hours. I was pumping for 30 minutes and didn’t see a difference.
No I'm not pumping in the middle of the night. My last pump is at 11pm and then in the morning at 8am. I was getting up in the middle of the night the first week and didn’t see anything. The head nurse in the NICU told me to take the night off.  I'm willing to try anything.
I just started doing Kangaroo Care with him this week and have been pumping at the hospital either before or after depending on my schedule. I haven’t seen any difference from that either. My migraine is finally over and I'm hoping this will help me to relax.
Do you think I should look into that prescription drug Reglan? As far as saving anything to feed him I'm only getting drops.
I'm going to try the power pumping that makes a lot of sense. I can get up in the middle of the night again if you think its important to do at this point. I’m also going to try and eat more. For the first week after having him I had no appetite and had to force myself to eat.
Thanks again I really need all the encouragment I can get. It just doesnt seem like its going to happen and I'm a very possitive person usually.

[sweetangel7]

No reglan...the fda has ordered it to be black-boxed because of side effects

[pertykitty]

i read that using herbs such as fenugreek and mothers tea can be dangerous in preemies, so research that.  i used it with my son but he was only 3 weeks early.

congrats on your new baby!

[Super_sally888]

You could ask about the drug domperidone (motilium) though - it is considered safe for boosting lactation.

You could also try manually expressing.  Doesn't matter if you only get a little bit at a time.  I've found that manually expressing can sometimes be more effective than pumping. Don't need any equipment.  Can do it anytime you go the washroom for a couple of minutes.....

[cure65roses]

Great info here.  I have the same concerns for myself... with preemie twin girls in the NICU.  And I can totally relate to the migraine problem as well!  I guess it's hormone related.  

I bet your lactation consultant meant take a night off from pumping OCCASIONALLY, but not EVERY night...   I would try to pump at least once during the night.  

I'm so busy with everything that's going on, I only pump every 5-6 hours.  I worry that I'm not pumping nearly as often as I should & I hope once the babies are home from the hospital and I can actually give them the breast as needed, hopefully my milk supply will be sufficient....  but I'm nervous about not having enough!

[pookie1121]

My twins were born at 32+0 (exactly 8 weeks early) and they spent 4 weeks in the hospital.  It was hard in the beginning because I put a lot of pressure on myself to be able to pump enough milk for both of them. I so desperately wanted to be able to make sure they were given just my milk.  But within a few days I was able to pump enough milk to feed both of them.  It took A LOT of determination and dedication but it WAS possible and still is.  Mine are now 8 weeks old on Tuesday and I am able to breastfeed them both exclusively AND freeze about 10oz of milk per day :)  Stick with it!