pumping

My question is similar to the previous post from someone else. My baby is 2 months and I will be returning it work in 3 weeks. She is exclusivly breast fed. I pump now but get about 5-8 oz a day and that is pumping several times in order to get that. How will I produce enough milk to keep her breastfed while I work? Also I have a Medela Swing pump is there a better pump out there maybe mine isnt stong enough. Any help would be great. Oh and is there certain foods that help produce milk?/

Thank you
Carisa

[tiredbuthappy]

the medela swing is a single pump, right? You would probably do much better on a double electric pump, especially if you will have to pump more than once a day.

You actually don't have to get too far ahead of her to be able to keep giving her breast milk while you are at work. All you need to do is pump at work, refridgerate that milk, and leave it for her to eat the next day. In theory, you only need to be a day ahead of her, because in theory, you should be able to pump whatever feeds she would have had while she was away from you. Of course, there are many factors that can make that challenging. Having a good pump is important, and since your baby is still young and your supply is sensitive, i would invest in a hospital-grade double electric pump like the medela pump in style, the lansinoh double electric, or the ameda purely yours. Make sure you pump long enough. If i were pumping to simply replace a feed (so, every 2 hours), then I would pump 10 to 15 minutes. If I were pumping every 3 hours, i would allow at least 20 minutes to pump. Most people get more than one let-down, and you have to keep pumping to tap into that. you also have to make sure your pump is relatively comfortable and that the horns fit you well. A wrong fit or an uncomfortable fit can influence your let-down. You should also have a relatively stress-free, comfortable place to pump while at work. Does your workplace make accomodations for pumping moms?

Honestly, if your baby is exclusively breast-fed, it doesn't sound like you need to be producing much more. A surplus of 5 to 8 ounces/day is quite impressive. You are pumping in addition to nursing, right? So you're probably producing 30 to 40 ounces/day. That's a great amount. However, there are some things that might boost your supply a little. The first is to nurse as frequently as possible, and pump after a session to signal your body to make more. Make sure you are well hydrated, and you can try to eat oatmeal (always helps me a little). There are some herbal supplements like fenugreek but i don't have personal experiences with any of that stuff.