pumping/bf help

Hi there. I had my twins three weeks ago at 28 1/2 weeks. They both are in the NICU and will be for some time. I was encouraged to pump while the babies are in the NICU (I was going to do the formula route, but was swayed into pumping by the NICU). Anyway, just after my milk came in--about three days after delivery--I ended up getting an infection and became very sick. I wasn't able to pump or eat for that matter for three days.

For the past week and a half, I have been trying to re-establish my milk supply, but I am having trouble. I can manage about 5ml from one breast and maybe 10 ml from the other at a pumping session. The babies are now demanding more milk than I can supply.

Anyone have any ideas on how to increase my supply? I try to pump every 2-3 hours and still get such a pitiful amount it can be depressing. All suggestions would help.

Thanks.

[Jay_Leron]

Awww how sweet, are they males, females or both?!!! drinking lots of fluids like milk and water can help increase your supply. Nipple stimulation can as well. try rubbing your nipples, pulling on them and squeezing them. In private of course! lol. The pumping should help as well. And this may sound weird, but milk flow can be triggered byo your baby's cry. I use to think that was BS until i had my son. if he was in another room and or a few feet away from me, and he cried my breast would start to leak. they did that when my friends baby cried too! try listening to them cry, if they get to cry that is :( Breast milk is very important for them and especially now that their preemies it will help alot! hopefully my tips will help some how and others can offer some good advice. Have u also asked your doctor too? he/she may have some ideas. Good luck and take care. Keep me posted on their well being.

[tmv]

Try pumping every 2 hours and make sure you're eating well and drinking lots. Also, make sure that you have a good pump. The rentals from the hospital are great. Medela's usually. Best wishes, and congrats on the twins. The breastmilk will definitely be helping them get stronger.

[tmv]

Also, if you can apply warm compresses 15 minutes prior to pumping it will help. Best wishes.

[tiredbuthappy]

here's some sites that may help
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/index.html
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppexcluspump
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/ExclusivePumping.htm

what pump are you using? how long do you pump? some people on that second link swear by oatmeal. rest is a biggie, and tons of fluid. in the beginning warm showers helped me let down. i know your babies aren't by you all the time, so the crying thing may not be practical, but in the beginning i found that sitting back and relaxing and daydreaming about her made me let down. some people do best when focusing on baby, others do better when watching tv or playing on the computer because the distraction relaxes them. make sure you're comfortable when you pump. if it's not comfortable (which is common) have the lactation consultant at the hospital take a look at when you pump. she can help you determine if you're using the right flange size. a flange that is too big or too small can afect how much you get. play around with the pump setting and speed (depending on which one you're using). the strongest setting is not necessarily the most efficient. there is a tea called Mothers Milk Tea- i haven't tried it though. Others say a herb called fenugreek increases supply. and, i gotta say, beer works very well. lots of ladies here will yell at me for saying it, but if you have a beer right after a pumping session, the alcohol will be out of your system by the next session. or, you can try nonalcoholic. 3 lactation consultants and my OB said a beer is ok and safe. heck, even the paperwork on bf'ing given to me by the hospital said it was ok. of all foods and drinks i've tried, it's the most effective. but since your are preemies, i'd confirm with the LC at the hospital that it's ok before trying it.
don't stress too much about your supply. even if you have to supplement with formula, every drop of breast milk you give them is a blessing and will help them thrive.

[tiredbuthappy]

oh yea- do you know the refridgerator trick? more for your sanity than your supply, but i wish i knew it in the beginning when i pumped so frequently- you can rinse your pump parts and put them in the fridge btw uses- much easier than washing all those parts each time. let me know if you have any other questions about pumping. i've been pumping exclusively for 4 months. it took me very long to find resources and support online, but since i have it's been easier. this forum is full of people knowledgable about breast feeding, but noone else seems to pump exclusively. in fact, in the beginning i thought it couldn't be done since so many people say that your supply dries up if your baby doesn't go to the breast. it took a while for my supply to build up, but as the weeks passed, it kept increasing. the biggest key is good pumping habits, so it sounds like you're on the right track. best of luck and congrats on the arrival of your boys.

[cardsfan]

You can ask your ob.gyn to help. A good friend of mine had her twins early as well and when her milk supply was diminishing, she gave her some medication of some sort. It worked and her milk supply got better. In fact they are now 8 months old and she is still nursing them both. Good Luck

[jenstam]

Keep pumping every 2 hours. Even if you're only getting small amounts at first. It will eventually bring up your supply. I think everyone else covered everything. Good luck and good job, choosing to give your babies breast milk.

[jenstam]

Keep pumping every 2 hours. Even if you're only getting small amounts at first. It will eventually bring up your supply. I think everyone else covered everything. Good luck and good job, choosing to give your babies breast milk.

[jenstam]

Keep pumping every 2 hours. Even if you're only getting small amounts at first. It will eventually bring up your supply. I think everyone else covered everything. Good luck and good job, choosing to give your babies breast milk.