Advice: How to increase breastmilk amount?

[kimmies]

hey crispy, dun worry.. me in the same situation. My baby is 15 days old today, born on 11 Jan 07.. so, yours should be born on 12th Jan 07?

I don't have enough to feed baby for whole day, so I supplement with formulae milk. I think stress will also affect milk flow. The best is, don't feel stress about it, and no need to feel guilty also. My mother told me, people last time, did not focus so much on breastmilk.. alot of babies were on formulae milk too. So was I.

I turned out fine lor.

Anyways, what I do before each milk pumping session, is take a warm towel to massage my breasts, the nipples and the aerola. Then, I start to express. When it looks like that breast has no more milk, I massage the same breast again, and keep doing it until there is really no more in each breast.

Now, if I pump every 3 hourly, I get about 60-90 ml. At night, I am very lazy, I don't wake up to pump, so in the morn, my breast is very full, and I can pump about 250ml.. but takes dam long lor!

Hey, one other thing is, latching stimulates milk flow. So, you need to tahan the pain and let the baby latch at least once a day. Use nipple cream, do u have? I use the advent one and also have a tube of the medala one. just keep applying the cream, treat it like a moisturiser.. no harm to the baby, because it is edible.

Then, this saturday, my nanny is going to buy papaya and fish head to cook soup. My friend says this soup is really effective for breastmilk. But, the effect is only for one day, so she drinks it everyday.

Hope all this helps.. don't stress... just supplement with formulae milk, then, you won't feel so stress.

 

[crispy]

hi kym,
ya, my baby is born on 12th Jan.

thks for your info.. really envy you can have up to 250ml of milk! i mean wow.. cos i only got so little.. i already drank the papaya and fish head soup and a lot of fluid but still no improvement leh.. but strange thing is my breast dun feel engorged even if whole night nv pump, will leak every now and then thou BUT still little milk.. hiaz..sometimes i really puzzled by my own breast..haha

btw, can breastmilk (from pumping) be mixed with formula for baby to drink during a feed? temperature slightly different can or not?

then how long can breastmilk (from pumping) be left in room temperature if not put in fridge? some said 2hrs, some said 4hrs, any advise?

 

[alhana]

crispy

I was in the same situation as you. My MS never went up..cld only pump 20-30ml every 3 hrs for the whole time I was breastfeeding. I cldn't latch my bb on well as my nipples are short n big..difficult for her to grip properly. I also nvr experienced engorgement, altho my boobs wld feel sore n lumpy if I wait too long between expressing sessions. Also drank all the papaya soup lah, longan tea lah, took fenugreek, still to no avail. Had to resign myself to the fate that I'm one of those unlucky women w low supply. Of coz my lack of latching may be a factor, but I also hv many colleagues who din latch and cld still produce alot of milk.

The most impt thing is, dun stress yourself over it. Even if you can't give alot, just give whatever you can. Some breastmilk is still better than no breastmilk at all. If you have to supplement, then supplement. Don't need to feel guilty abt it. At the end of the day, the most impt thing is that your baby has enough to eat and is growing well. Last time many of us also grew up on formula milk, and we turned out well too mah

Stressing yourself will just hinder ure supply further, and may even give u the blues. And babies can also tell when ure stressed and unhappy.

I didn't mix formula w EBM. I read from baby centre that unfinished EBM can be kept in the fridge much longer than formula..so best not to mix, else if ure bb doesn't finish the milk, u end up throwing away precious BM. I usually feed my bb all the stored up BM first (as long as enough for 1 feed), and then feed formula after that while I continue to pump to store more BM for later feeds. Try not to leave BM out for too long, esp in our weather. If it's hot, the milk can turn bad faster. Usually they tell you to refrigerate asap if you're not using it.

Take care, and don't stress yourself out!! Hopefully you will not be like me lah...usually it takes 6 wks for the MS to stabilise, so you still hv lotsa time to bring up your MS. And if cannot, then cannot, dun beat yourself up abt it.

 

[kimmies]

Hi Alhana, I didn't know unfinished EBM can put back into the fridge. Usually, if my baby cannot finish, I will throw away, then feel that it's such a waste. So, what you're saying is, the EBM that I store in the fridge, if it is unfinished, I can restore back into the fridge again? Gosh, that will really take the stress off monitoring the volume of breastmilk I have!

Hi crispy, alhana is right, dun beat yourself up abt it, it's a vicious cycle, the more u stress over it, the less milk u will have.

my milk flow is also quite erratic, in the morning when I wake up, I can have so much milk, but towards the end of the day, it gets much less.. then, I will sometimes start to stress whether there is enough milk for the nighttime feeds, but since we bought the formulae milk, the stress is off! I would rather let my baby have a nice full meal of formulae milk, then to let her cry and cry for more milk. Like I said, I was a formulae milk baby.. and I turned out alright.

O, one other thing, sometimes, when I pump and pump, it feels like there is no more milk, but after I massage again, and slowly turn up the level of the pumping, I get more milk. Think must be patient and relax while pumping.. I will pump and play online MJ or surf internet at the same time lah. Occassionally, just look down to make sure, the milk is still flowing..

Let me know how it goes ok? I am a first time mom, u too?

 

[alhana]

Hi Kym

Yeah lor, I also didn't know until I happened to read Baby Centre one day. I would keep unfinished EBM in the fridge for the next feed (which is only 2-3 hrs away anyway). I just left it in the milk bottle...then when baby hungry, or got the hiccups, I just reheat and let her finish it. Yes, Baby Center also said that EBM is very precious..would be so sayang to throw it away! Esp since it's not easy for us to produce it

Here's the link to that article:

http://www.babycenter.com/expert/baby/babybreastfeed/8881.html

 

[crystallized]

kym & cripsy
mummies, relax. u both juz delivered and has barely reached 1 mth, so naturally supply will not increase so dramatically. i only expressed twice on the 6th day aft i delivered as my baby was warded for jaundice. i had to bring EBM to him. other than tt, i waited till the end of 3rd wk then i started expressing. actually expressing shld not b done so early since milk supply takes ard 6 wks to establish.

however, if u wld like to build up ur supply, u cld empty ur boobs AFT ur baby has latched on at each feed. i can assure u the amt yield will b very pathetic. back then, i got ard 20-40ml each time fr BOTH boobs. it was certainly depressing but i din give up. abundant supply does not happen overnight, and u need to stimulate ur boobs to trick ur brains tt ur baby needs more milk. so emptying ur boobs aft feeds is 1 way to achieve tt.

twds the end of 6 wks, my supply had gradually increased. by then i expressed every 3 hourly, usually expressing only 1 boob so as to leave the other full one to latch my baby. dun worry tt u will not hv enuf to feed ur baby. as long as he suckles, ur brains will b stimulated and there will milk. our boobs will nvr b empty.

during this period, its essential u drink alot of hot soups and drinks like milk and milo. this helps greatly. and most impt, DUN stress. dun keep saying u got no milk. its not true. and dun let ignorant ppl affect u when they say u got no milk. u muz always remain +ve and tell urself u hv plenty of milk 4 ur baby. this is crucial in producing more milk. ALWAYS b +ve. hvg a supportive hb helps a great deal as well.

BM aft expressing can b left at rm temp for ard 4 hrs. but if the weather is too hot, best to keep in chiller asap since bacteria thrives under rm temp well.

my sis whom 100% expressed can yield quite gd amt, so dun worry if ur baby dun latch, though its the best to stimulate more milk supply.

ladies, keep it going. u will see results! juz b patient.

alhana
i am not sure if unfinished EBM can b kept in the chiller again. u meant warmed up milk? i do not think this is possible and seriously wldnt advise this as the babies r still v young and their immune system r still weak.

 

[alhana]

jRt

That's what I thought too, but after I read the article on Baby Center, I decided not to throw away unfinished EBM. The quantity is usually very little though, and we can usually finish it w/in the hour anyway. Of coz we dun store warm milk in the fridge..it'd hv to cool down first. But like u said, most pple will say that you'll hv to throw it away.

 

[crispy]

hi jRt,
thks for ur advise. i tried to let baby latch on yest and today and i can see a 10ml improvement.. hehe.. im happy even thou its just 10ml as long as there is an improvement.

btw, i just went to visit my gyne this morn and he prescribe me something for producing more milk.. hope with that i can see results even sooner..

with all the encouragement from you gals, im sure i will regain more confidence to produce more milk for my baby...

 

[crystallized]

alhana
if its within an hr shld b fine bah. i more kiasi, will rather throw away!

how long hv u been bfg? i hv been on tbfg for 4 mths.

crispy
u r right. even slight improvement oso better than nothing. keep it up!
u will succeed if ur willpower is strong. u will hv milk as long as ur baby suckles. muz b confident.

 

[kimmies]

hehheh... Today, I also had extra 10mi.. so happy.

Hey Crispy, did you hire a confinement lady for your pregnancy? I did, and now, my baby is getting really attached to her. When I carry her sometimes, she will still keep crying, when the nanny takes over, she stops immediately.

My nanny will be leaving in 1.5 weeks time, so I'm starting to stress abit. Not sure what will happen when the nanny goes back.. baby will surely cry badly..

Anyone has any experience to share?

 

[crystallized]

kym
i oso had a CL during confinement. in order to prevent my bb fr growing too attached to her,wat i did was

#1 ensure i 100% BF him, as he will get used to my body smell since he BFs frequently and regularly in the 1st mth, as often as 10-12 times/day.

#2 no carrying baby rule unless he cries (as a newborn he usually sleeps and wun really fuss) this will cut down the chances of him "smelling" the CL

#3 my CL usually carry/touch baby only when she chg nappies 4 him. thereafter, he will b carried to me. other times incl bathing and sunning him (as he had jaundice)

#4 my aftn naps will b slept together wif my baby on my bed. its only nite time tt my baby will sleep wif CL (he will sleep in his cot while the CL sleeps on the bed)

wat u shld do now if u r tbfg him, to keep on wif tt bond. if ur bb is drinking EBM, get other family members to feed him other than the CL. (u shld not feed ur baby EBM at this time if u wanna latch him to prevent him fr being confused)so when CL leaves, the impact is not so great. oso to cut down the times ur CL comes into contact wif ur baby. this is neccessary. ur CL is leaving v soon and if u dun adjust ur baby soon, u will def suffer when she leaves.

 

[crispy]

hi kym,
i do have a confinement lady now, she will also be leaving in another 2 weeks time. other than changing diapers, bathing and bottle feeding baby done by CL, myself and hubby will try to carry baby often whenever baby cries or couldnt slp at night and is cranky.

think u hv to accompany baby often to let him know u are always near, ur hubby can also play a part in this. my case is hubby cannot stop carrying baby once he reach home. he will even take over the duties of changing diapers and feeding baby so i guess baby is still quite attached to us.

 

[crispy]

hi all,
im still quite confused what exactly is total breastfeeding. does that mean if i were to express more than enf for baby, its considered TBF or i have to latch baby for every feed, not using bottle-fed is TBF?

 

[kimmies]

Hi all... I never thought of all this when I hired the confinement nanny.. I just kinda go with the flow.. wow, jrt, you are really disciplined.. .. luckily, my baby is quite "chin chai" abt who is bottle feeding her. I bottle feed her and also allow her to latch on and she doesn't seem to mind. BUt, I am slowly starting to take over what the nanny does.. gosh, quite tiring!

Ttoday, is the first time I bathe the baby.. haha.. usually, she loves water and doesn't cry, but today, mummy bathed her, and she cried all the way from the bathroom to the room.. guess she'll just have to get used to it!

The thing is, my nanny is really good, when I want to carry the baby, I think she will feel bad and that she is not doing her job. But, these few days, I have been telling her that she needs to let me be more hands-on, otherwise, the baby will suffer when she leaves, so she's quite alright.

On the last few nights before she leaves, we are also going to move the baby to our rm, so that she will be used to our rm, and I will wake her up for night feeding.

Hey crispy, I think TBF is letting the baby latch on 100% for feeding. EBF or is it EBM is Expressed Breast milk...

if I'm wrong, anyone, please feel free to correct me!

 

[crystallized]

crispy & kym
i think TBFG is when u give ur baby 100% BM, regardless of latched on anot.

tt means not supplementing the baby wif any formula milk at all. if u r supplementing, then its considered partial BFG.

kym
i had been doing tt since confinement, and though tiring, i enjoyed bonding wif my baby. and i din wanna b too dependant on my CL as i noe when she leaves, i will die lor!

to me, i can handle my baby alone most times. so not an issue. i make up 4 the lack of sleep by taking short naps.

i read in books during pregnancy tt its best not to btl feed the EBM to ur baby urself as they might confuse btl feeding wif latching on. so i let my hb btl feed my baby all the way till he is 3 mths old. even now, i seldom feed EBM to my baby as i rather latch him on.

dun think ur CL will think this way as she need to let u get use, else u will suffer more when she goes. dun worry, ur baby will get used to u.

i missed the maternity leave as i get to spend alot of time wif my baby, unlike now tt i am back at work, so busy!

 

[kimmies]

hi all... my SS is starting to drop.. in the past, in the morning, I can get up to 9 oz (270ml), but in the past 2 days, my SS dropped, and this morning, I could only get 6 oz (180ml). The worst thing is, my baby is drinking more now.. she takes almost 4 ozs on a good feed.

I'm not sure if it's because I've gotten lazy and taken to pumping only 2-3 times a day.

How many times do you guys pump a day? I used to do it every 3 hours, but now, I do it every 6 hourly.. maybe that's affecting the SS.. I am still supplementing with formulae milk, but am worried that as my SS for EBM drops, I might have to depend 100% on formulae..

Any advice?

 

[alhana]

Hi Kym

Yah, if you pump less frequently, the SS will drop. You have to empty your boobs frequently in order to tell ure body to produce more milk. I stopped pumping for a day once as my nipples split and I was in pain...wah..when I resumed pumping the next day, the SS really dropped alot. It's worse for me since my SS was already very low to begin with. DO you let ure baby latch on? If you don't, you really need to pump more frequently. I pumped every 3 hrs for the whole time I was on maternity leave, except for nite time. Will pump one last time before sleeping and pump again right when I wake up the next morning.

 

[kimmies]

heya alhana, yar, from today onwards, I'm going to start pumping every 3 hourly.. I only let my baby latch on for about 1-15 minutes a day, just for the sake of latching on, and stimulating the milk flow. Same as you, I don't wake up for night pumps, just pump once before sleeping, first thing in the morn.

 

[chupa]

hi Kym,

My bb was also born on the 11th of Jan...same day as your bb...

I got a qns that need advice...how to bring expressed milk if want to go out?

 

[kimmies]

Hi Chupa, what a coincidence.. what time and where was she born?

On yr qn, I got no answer, when I brought her to PD, I brought formulae milk... I was afraid that the breastmilk will spoil..

 

[nls]

Hi chupa and kym,
you will need a good cooler bag (like the fridge to go) but you must time yourself.

 

[chupa]

my bb was born at 530 pm in gleneagles. ya, when i bring her to see the PD, i bring along formulae milk as well.....cos my bb takes a long time to finish her milk when i bf her.

Nancy,
usually how long can we place the milk in the cooler bag? if there is time constrain, then we can only bring one time feed amt in the cooler bag then?

 

[kimmies]

heya nancy, so, does it mean, I take the EBM out from the fridge, warm it like I'm about to feed the baby, then place it in the cooler bag, then go out?

 

[nls]

Hi chupa and kym,
this I cannot help as my ds direct latch on. I just know that the mummies use cooler bags to bring the EBM out. Sorry.

 

[syns]

Hi Ladies,

I have the same exact problem with breastfeeding. I can only breastfeed my baby boy 1 week later as he was warded for jaundice. He was born on 1st Jan 07.

I started pumping and nothing came out at first but i perservered, in the midst of swollen engorged breasts just for baby's sake and had my massage lady to help massage my boobs to unblock my milk ducts. It worked wonders and from a mere 2ml, it rose to 20 ml then to 40ml and then 60ml.

But now i have a problem, my milk supply suddenly dipped rock bottom. The best times when i pumped is when i can achieve 60ml, other times ( i pump every 3 hours), i can only achieve 10ml and the constant pumping doesnt seem to increase my milk supply.

Does anyone have any solution to this?

 

[kimmies]

Hi Serry, I have tried all the below methods, and they work on me:

- if you are doing pure expressing, try to latch your baby at once a day for about 10 minutes to stimulate the milk flow.
- massage your breast with a hot towel before and in between pumping.
- drink the green papaya with fish soup
- take lots of soya bean milk
- drink lots of fluids during the day
- take a short nap before pumping
- while pumping, do something else to distract yourself so you are not stress out about the milk level. Like, I surf internet or check emails while pumping milk, but occasionally look down to see if there is anymore milk coming out.

And, in the last few days, I discovered the following: When I am pumping and after a while, no milk comes out, it does not mean that the breast is totally emptied out. When no more milk comes out, I massage with hot towel again, then I start pumping again, squeezing my breast in sync with the suction movement of the pump, and more milk actually comes out.

Hope this helps.

 

[happycat]

Hi chupa and kym,

My baby is on total EBM. Everytime go out have to carry EBM in cooler bags with ice packs & can last abt 10hrs. Will bring along hot water and container to warm milk. Will only warm milk before going out if baby will consume within an hour.

 

[kimmies]

hi happycat.. do you know where I can buy the cooler bag? I have heard of Fridge To Go, but do not know where to buy them..

 

[litbolster]

need some advice frm moms who total EBM...

i'm going back to work in 2wks time but till now i've no excess BM for storage...really desperate!
my colleague who's still giving her 5mth son total BM told me her method b4 she came back to work: is to express in daytime 3hrly, only BF at nite n after a while, she could express more than wat her son takes n store the excess.

i've tried dis method yday (onli for a day) but by the 4th expression, my nipples r feeling SUPER sore frm the suction n i ended up with broken skin on the aerola! n the aerola oso had blisters forming!! i tahan another 2 sessions of expressing despite the pain.
Today i dun dare to express anymore coz my nipples n aerola area r so sore n painful dat even when my ger latch-on, i muz tahan the pain!

any advise frm moms wat i shld do? i've tried applying the lanolin nipple cream but not much help. n i'm getting phobia of the pumps. btw i use medela electric mini on 1 side n avent manual on other side...i pumped both sides together....

 

[happycat]

Hi Kim,

Saw this in Dec06 Today's Parent Magazine. U can get fridge-to-go at CK Tang, all Selffix DIY stores, Les Enphants and Ace Auto Accessories at Blk 1002 Toa Payoh Industrial Park Lor 8 #07-1425. For more info, check out www.fridge-to-go.com.sg or call 6352 7833.

Hi litbolster, wat i did was to express every 3hrs even at night on total EBM. tough initially but ss will slowly goes up. Key is not to express too hard and too long. 15 mins at most if duo pump. Frequency is more impt than duration. Also try to relax cos too stress also no output and letdown. fyi, i am using avent manual pump.

 

[kimmies]

hey lit, I had the same problem initially. In fact, in my first week of latching and expressing, my nipples had bled. So, I really have phobia for latching on. I am on total EBM. Only once in a while, I let bb suckle for comfort, but not more than 10 minutes. This will also help to stimulate the milk flow.

For me now, if I don't have enough EBM, before bb sleeps at night, I will give her formulae. I find that she tends to sleep longer when I give her formulae for her last feed for the night.

Hey, have you tried the papaya soup thingy? I find it's really effective.

Hi Happy Cat, thanks ah!

 

[ohmig0sh]

Litbolster,
U sound soo much like somebody I know leh! Is ur baby's name Selina??? Heheheh!
After breastfeeding/expressing, apply some leftover BM on nipples. If u wanna pump a lot, u may need a better pump--the Medela pump i passed to u (if u're who i think u r) is not the best pump. Do u find the Avent one better--i heard it's better in getting the BM out, although i never tried it. Are u returning to work fulltime immediately, or can parttime for a while? It helped me last time when I was half-day--work in am, cow in pm & at night. If u wanna continue expressing after fulltime work, it'll take a lot of effort and time--wake up extra early to feed then pump, then pump at lunch and b4 going home. Good luck!

 

[litbolster]

omg...
hai...sadly....yes...i'm the peson who u thk i am!! u very clever to have guess leh! =p
i'm surprised u still chk dis thread for breastfeeding...dun tell me u secretly planning for a 2nd???!!! hahaha
i've already told boss i wana work half day for 2wks 1st to try out...hopefully she'll approve if got manpower.

happycat...i've been trying not to express too hard...but the blisters still formed after i expressed. guess i'll try to cut down on time...i tot express at least 20min to drain the boobs...

kym...i tried the soup but no help...so now i juz drink all kinds of soup...the papaya soup i stop liao coz i cannot tahan the smell!

i guess i hav no choice but to latch her on n stop pumpin for timebeing....ok with her latch-on...in fact she latch-on, my blisters bcome better faster den i continue to pump.

thanks every1...hope i'll survive the new yr in 1 piece...n HAPPY CHINESE NEW YR to ya all...GONG XI FA CAI!

 

[ohmig0sh]

Litbolster,
Choy! U should know i duwan no.2!

Actually I saw ur posts in another thread (about baby crying at night) so i searched for your posts to confirm my suspicion about your identity. Baby crying at night is very "nostalgic" & now i'm "re-living" the nolstagia, cos A nowadays also cranky at night because of teething (molar).
I hope your blisters are better now! Maybe we'll arrange to meet up--now got 4 babies (+1 in Norway) to play with one another. I prob won't come in this thread anymore--SMS/call me if need any advice--anyway I got most of my info from this forum also

To everyone else,
HAPPY CNY everyone! Happy nursing--how i miss my baby's drunken smile! And wish all babies & mommies good health!

 

[coolparent]

Hi Ladies out there,

I will be going back to work in another month's time. I have been on direct latch-on and TBF during the 1st month, with hardly anytime left for any expressing as bb latched every 1-1.5 hr gap and each time can be quite long like for an hour or more. The LC at the hospital that I delivered also advised that I don't have to express in the first month if I TBF directly.

Now into the second month and I have started to express only once or twice a day (whenever there is a more than 1 hr gap when bb is sleeping) to store up the EBM, but the result is not great - can get like 60ml only from both breasts. As I am also still directly breastfeeding my bb, I can't seem to find much time expressing.

Any advice on what I should do? I'm worried that if I switch to pumping instead of direct BF, my MS will drop since I could be one of those who can direct BF but maybe cannot pump out much... And my MS could be low to begin with. Also, how should I manage between pumping and directly feeding the bb? Do I pump after each feed or do I wait 1 hr after the feed as what the LC at the hospital had suggested?

To Happycat:
The 3-hrly schedule that you are referring is only for mothers who total EBM their bb, or it applies to mothers like me as well?

I have been trying to call BMSG many times now for the past one week, but no one has called me back... Has anyone managed to get through that hotline?

 

[crystallized]

LYM
u shld empty ur breasts aft EACH latch on... this was wat i did in preparation to get back to work. however, i started preparing fr week 4, as i dunno how long will it take to establish my supply. the amount fetched aft latching will b pathetic... sometimes a mere 10 ml only. but i nvr gave up and persist. my baby usually feeds only on 1 boob and so i will empty the one he latches and the other one tt he din touch. it took weeks to see the increase. dun worry abt supply dropping as long as u still latch ur baby.

 

[catz]

Can try galactagogues - herbs/medicines tt boost milk supply. I bought Motherlove More Milk Plus from ahomeonearth.com and in 2 doses, I got engorged.. can try it out and see. Other galactagogues are fenugreek, goat's rue.

 

[coolparent]

Thks jRt and Catz for your advices. Will try and see if that works for me. Only concern is whether I have started too late to try to express and increase MS...

BTW jRt, how long do you let your baby latch on on 1 boob? Mine does active sucking for maybe 10 min and then settles into a passive sucking (or sometimes, he kind of stops for a few minutes before continuing with active sucking again). I'm not sure if he drinks anything during such time, but I do hesitate to take him off as I do get another letdown sometimes and I have also read somewhere that passive sucking from the baby can also help to stimulate milk. Is this true?

 

[crystallized]

LYM
my bb only latch 10 mins each time. he was like tt even at 5.5 mths old. not sure if passive suckling will stimulate but no harm, i guess. my bb dun do passive suckling most times but fr the conscientious effort i did to pump & empty, my supply is more than wat he drinks & i can afford to donate my FBM as he dun need them at all. good luck.

 

[catz]

LYM, it's never to late, don't worry!

 

[haystack]

hi...

my baby now currently ard 2 weeks plus. she is on total breastfeeding. last few days, i was able to express ard 20ml - 40ml. now recently, i only manage to express ard 10ml from 2 breasts. it's rather disheartening. i have no problem in feeding her in the day. but every night, she seems like not satisfy. she kept crying even after i feed her. we have to take very very long time to calm her down. i'm not too sure if she is still hungry or she is just very uncomfortable. does anyone have the same problem as me?

 

[crystallized]

haystack
my advice is: be confident.

muz always tell urself u hv enuff milk for ur bb. as long as u 100% latch, drink lotsa fluids n soup, there shld b no problem. dun underestimate e mind power. u muz always remain positive abt ur milk supply. this is the secret to successful bfg.

gd luck.

 

[haystack]

is it true that milk ss will only be established on week 6? initially i tot it was the pump that i bought is inefficient. so i went to buy medela PIS. it seem better as my right breast able to pump out something (though very very little). but the vol for both breast is still poor even i missed a feed. it seems like i have problem in expressing. anyone can advise me?

 

[name]

hi haystack,

I used to have the same prob with I had my elder son. dont be disheartened. How you feel will affect your milk flow. You got to learn to relax and be positive. Its actually very "mental". I remember once I fought with my hubby and I was very upset. Despite the fact that I my breast was hard, no matter how I tried to express, there's no milk. From then on, I realized that I have to always maintain a positive spirit.

Another thing you can do is short but frequent plumb then slowly interest to longer interval when the milk flow increases. If you are direct BF, then latch your baby on more often.

Hope that the above will help.

 

[sghlynn]

hi,

when u say "empty" the breast is it pump until there's no milk coming out or that the milk flow is very slow...

it seems that even after 30mins of pumping there's still some little trickle of milk.. so am i not emptying my breast??

 

[mindy]

hi
i also bot Medela PIS bcoz i am desperate to increase my BM as my girl is 3wks old and i can only pump out 30ml during the day and 50ml in the morning.
can i ask how long i shd pump on each breast? for me, i pump 15min on my left and right then another 15min on left and right so total abt 1hr spend on pumping as i tot that long session = more milk but still the result is disheartening

i been taking fish and milo every day.. so i also wonder whats wrong with me.

so shd i shorten my pump session as NAME suggested?

 

[litbolster]

just to share my experience as i used to have the same probs u all face when i start work n expressing...initially can onli get 60-80ml each time. now i'm able to get at least 150ml every 8hr of pumpin...

i find dat being able to pump both breasts together really helps...i'm using Avent Duo pump n it oso helps in stimulating the letdowns. i oso try to get bb to feed on 1 breast while i pump the other.

another thg i do is to massage n squeeze the breasts as i pump to get more milk out...if i dun massage, the flow is much slower n the breasts dun empty fully.

sghlynn...empty the breasts means ur breasts shld become very soft n when u press, like can "press it flat" kindda feeling...sometimes after expressing half hr, i can still feel got sumthg in the breasts, i'll hand express out.

 

[squigglytofu]

mummies,
need some advice here on storage of BM. Currently I will accumulate 100ml of BM before placing in storage bags to freeze. But if I freeze only 100ml, say if my bb starts drinking more later on, then how? Does that mean i hv to defrost 2 x 100ml bags and throw remainder away after defrosting??? Or is it possible to continue keeping the leftover defrosted milk in the fridge? If so, how long can the defrosted milk last in the fridge???

 

[litbolster]

thawed milk shld be used within 24 hrs of thawing. i usu store 150ml packs n watever is leftover from the pack, put in fridge n use for next feed...as long as not more den 24 hrs. Nv re-freeze thawed milk.

 

[spagoh]

just to share and if anyone know what have gone wrong?
i TBF my bb since birth and continue for the next few days until he was admitted for janice. then i pump to maintain the milk supply but my supply is low...i mean really low. i cld only get 10ml-20ml each pump.
i drank and rest well, took fish head soup, papaya fish soup during my confinement but i just cldnt increase my supply.
i have faithfully latch on bb for the first week until he was admitted for janice.
my poor darling was so hungry that my PD advise me to top up FM after bfing him.
now, my boy is abt 6 weeks, i hand express out the milk and accumulate them over 24 hours ... only managed 50-60ml.

went to see LC, clear block, still the same...

its really so disheartening and heartache that cldnt even provide my bb with a proper full feed.

or i have to just accept that i fall into the category of the minority who just dun have much supply.