Desperately need help increasing milk supply whilst exclusively pumping

[Deer717]

I have a near 10 week old baby who was 4.5 weeks premature.

We tried direct to breast whilst we were in hospital for the first week, every feed, but due to latch issues impacting her weight, I expressed from the beginning and have continued to do so.

Although we have tried breast (rather painfully now known due to Baby having a high arch and one round of attempts leading to mastitis and Baby getting oral thrush due to the antibiotics I was on!) a couple of times since, we've exclusively pumped as it had meant Baby could be fed only breastmilk.

This was working perfectly up until 2 weeks ago, when Baby had another growth spurt and my supply just wasn't enough.

I tried increasing pumping but this actually lead to producing less, so I have already seen a lactation consultant who has put me on a plan, but we are still not seeing any improvements despite pumping for longer (up to 40 minutes at a time!) and more often - at least 8 times a day and throughout the night. We're now day 5 of this plan (and Nearly 2 weeks since I've started pumping more often overall) and no change to supply, and actually seen a decrease compared to 2 weeks ago.

It seems to be the right breast that has decreased significantly, from around 3-4 ounces in 15-20minutes reducing down to 1-2 ounces in anything up to 40 minutes now!

I thought best to share as much info as possible, as I'm nervous to have another consultant and another plan, and maybe I'm panicking too early and need to give this plan a little longer, however I also don't want to leave anything too late and be unable to rectify.

I'm desperately trying find some help to see if we can get back on track. With exclusively pumping being a little less conventional it's a bit tricky, but on the flip side can see exactly how much I am (or not!) producing!

[Seb9]

Hi I've not exclusively pumped but there's a great Facebook page called UK breastfeeding support and they've got people who have exclusively pumped who can give you advice. The also a page called exclusive pumping mamas (I'm not a member of this group I've just seen it mentioned)

One of the things they talk about is power pumping. You pump for 20 minutes, take a 10 minute rest, pump for 10, rest for 10 it's meant to mimic baby upping your supply. I've not had to do it myself but lots of other mums have said it's helped them increase supply.

Best of luck, pumping is hard work well done for keeping going, it's amazing xx

[Deer717 in reply to Seb9]

Thank you for the help and tips!!

[MissSaoPaulo]

Like Seb9 says above, power pumping can help and pumping in short bursts rather than for long sessions. Drink loads and loads of water. I live in Brazil where they seem happier to prescribe than in the UK and my Dr gave me a prescription for domperidone which can help prolactin levels so might be worth asking about if all else fails. Good luck xxx

[MissSaoPaulo in reply to MissSaoPaulo]

I just remembered something else. You might already be doing this but I found that when the milk flow starts to slow I can get a bit more by slipping my hand under the breast and pressing gently with the flat of the hand, then moving round doing the same thing all around the breast. That's why I prefer doing one breast at a time although I have a double pump - I find it more difficult to do this through the bra holding the flanges

[Deer717 in reply to MissSaoPaulo]

Thank you for the help and tips!!

[Floradora87]

Hi, I’m an exclusive pumper and am almost at the 6 month mark now, which feels amazing to say as it’s definitely been hard work. But so totally worth it!

I learnt everything I know from a Facebook page called “exclusively pumping mamas-education and support”. The women on here have been my lifeline and it really has been great to know you’re not alone.

The key things I would say have helped me personally and that I’ve learnt from the group are:

Make sure you’re using the correct size flange. I wasn’t for the first month and ended up with very painful nipples and I also produced a lot more milk with the right size

Oats - these are meant to help to increase supply. I have a smoothie every morning with oats in and I sometimes (rarely when I have time lol) make oat cookies. I do also notice an increase when I’ve had more calories in a day.

Relax- much much easier said than done. But I 100% found that when I was stressed or tired I produced a lot less. I found that when I did something with friends or family that took my mind off it all I produced lots more the next day.

Sunflower lecithin- I didn’t discover this until around the 5 month mark but supplementing this has helped so much with preventing milk clots which made me feel like I wasn’t emptying, and my boobs didn’t feel soft like they usually did after pumping for the normal 20 mins.

To start with I did pump every 2-3 hours but now at 6mpp I have just dropped to 4 pumps per day.

I use the double medella freestyle flex pump which is portable and charges via USB. This has made my pumping journey much easier and I’ve been able to pump in the car, do sterilising and washing up while pumping or just generally walk around the house. I’ve even managed a few bath and bedtimes whilst pumping. It’s also pretty quiet.

Anyway this has what has worked for me personally. I hope this has been helpful and I wish you all the best with it! You will definitely find out all you need from the Facebook group I mentioned above.

[kumkums]

Hi,

I used fenugreek and it worked so well. You can get it like spices. Very efficient , just sprinkle it in your meal.

Also with regards to pumping, I found silicone pump, it uses suction saved us a lot of stress, easy and does the job effectively. It is also cost effective.