Thursday, June 4, 2009

Breast Pump Question

One of the newest members of our Young Mother's Club needs advice on using a breast pump. Any advice/tricks on how to express more milk. She is only getting about an ounce at a time.  I know I had this same problem when I first started trying to pump. So let's hear it girls.... 

Also, do you have a brand of pump that you like better? Electric or hand? Evenflo or Medela or Avent....?
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6 comments:

  1. Brittany CraneJune 4, 2009 at 7:28 AM

    I bought a hand pump and it was tiring because it took so long. I borrowed an electric pump and that was easier but I still couldn't get a lot because of my own breast issues.

    I did hear that a hot shower can help bring milk down.

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  2. StaceyJune 4, 2009 at 9:04 AM

    I liked my Medela single electric pump (about $60, I think). They say thinking about your baby, hearing her cry, looking at a picture, holding her blanket can help let milk down. This probably sounds like a mean trick...but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do...I'd let the baby eat for a minute to get it going for me then cut her off and pump.

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  3. LindseyJune 4, 2009 at 10:26 PM

    So I probably shouldn't give much advice because I wasn't able to do it for long. I wasn't able to breast feed because my baby was premature and we both struggled a lot. But I used the pump they give you at the hospital. They're pretty strong. When I first started I only got that much at a time and it just very slowly increased. When I was really really relaxed I would get more and a shower did help a little for me. I would also use a really warm washcloth. I pumped like every two hours and then I started to decrease and I ended up getting mastitis. So be careful, mastitis is horrible. The best advice I got was to not get discouraged. This just makes things worse. Do all you can but don't stress yourself out.

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  4. Jill CollierJune 5, 2009 at 1:38 AM

    I'm totally laughing because this post is just what I'm going through right now! I have had this stupid hand pump, which for me doesn't work well at all and takes forever, so my sister finally had me try an electric pump and it is so much easier and faster! I think it is an Evenflo electric pump, but I love it!

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  5. KateJune 8, 2009 at 3:43 PM

    I agree. Hand pumps are horrible, I was not a fan. Luckily, a friend lent me her Medela electric pump (the double one, pump in style is the name). Those are very expensive, but they definitely work. You can rent good pumps like that from your hospital, to save some money instead of buying one. At first, even with the nice pump, it took forever to pump enough milk to make one bottle. But I pumped frequently and after a week or so, the whole process was a lot faster and more productive.

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  6. TaraJuly 29, 2009 at 9:07 AM

    My baby was also early and in the NICU and so I had to start out pumping. I ended up pumping exclusively for 6 months because they wouldn't let me bring her home until she was nursing, and she was so tiny and didn't have the strength to nurse but took it great from a bottle. So I pumped. First of all, get a double electric pump if you are serious about it. Secondly, you need to be relaxed, I also got a spaghetti strap tank top that was old, cut 2 dime size holes in the boob part, and then would stick the pump through those. With that, and the suction, they stayed on and I had 2 hands to use! I would read a book or play on the computer. I also started out getting about 2-3 cc's per 30 minute pumping session TOTAL (there are 30 cc's in 1 ounce!) so I started pumping every 2 hours for about 5 weeks, including a lot through the night. I eventually got it up to between 26-28 ounces/day and had enough to feed my baby and a 1 month supply in the freezer to last me until she was 7 months. Just figure out beforehand if it is important to you, and if it is, then make the decision to stick it out, I promise, it will be easier than deciding if it's important while you are going through it.
    And, if anyone lives in Utah, the Cedar City hospital sells the Ameda Purely Yours with the bag and extra bottles for $120. I got mine there, by far the cheapest. You just have to go in person to the hospital but the savings is worth it. Also, if you are concerned about BPA like I was, just spend another $15-$20 on their BPA free parts.
    Last thing, I used "Snappies" for storing my milk in the fridge. They work wonders, hold just shy of 3 oz. and they only cost $1 each so you can buy a bunch and not wash as much!

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