cant express enough milk :o(

Courtney - posted on 02/10/2009

RELAX!  Get a dimly lit room where no one will interrupt you, and maybe some quiet music.  Bring a picture of baby, and visualize nursing.  (I had trouble with this, too.)  I'm pretty sure you're just tense!  Or maybe you recently began birth control or sinus medication?

Lisa - posted on 02/10/2009

i breast fed my first til she was 13 mths but i had real problems expressing and gave up in the end. my second daughter was born with a cleft lip and palate and couldn't latch on at all so i gave her expressed milk. i really struggled again. my tips are similar to those already mentioned. you can get blessed thisle and fenugreek at holland and barrets. try double expressing or feeding on one side and pumping the other. i found an electric pump far better than a manual one. if you want it i have a bra that will secure a pump in place while you do other things. not very attractive but definitely effective! my milk dried up in the end and my specialist prescribed some tablets that are primarily for anti sickness but have the side effect of making you lactate. that should probably be a last resort though as its a pretty extreme measure to take!!! i still only managed 6 mths but it was far better than nothing! let me know how you get on. if you want to get in touch put a post on my wall. good luck x

Elizabeth - posted on 02/10/2009

I second Kristi's suggestions. One addition: watch your little one carefully if you decide to take fenugreek, as it can cause major gas. Not all children are sensitive to it, but you never know!

Jocelyn - posted on 02/10/2009

I haven't had my baby yet, but I've read from numerous sources that all say the same thing:

1. Most important, Drink LOTS of Water! Breast milk is made from water.

2. Pump often! The more you pump, the more milk your body with produce.

Kristi pretty much covered these two points! :)

Carla - posted on 02/10/2009

All of what Kristi said are brilliant ideas.

Also try with your hand as well as your pump.

I think probably the lack of sleep is catching up with you. Is there anyone that can stay the night with you so you can get some sleep and they can take over so you can get one good night? Having said that, my daughter wont settle for her Dad, only my Mum and that was only one night as i don't want to leave her.

Holland and Barrat will sell the tea but it's probably a bit pricey. You're better off going to a smaller independant one.

Let us know how you get on. x

Chloe - posted on 02/10/2009

thanks kristi,this has been really helpful for me,being a 1st time mum i didnt know any of this,every1 have given me some good advice,im going to try them all until i find the one that works for me.i wonder if me being exhausted isnt helping my flow because ive been surviving on 3 hours sleep a night.xx

Kristi - posted on 02/10/2009

Hi Chloe.  I have been solely pumping for a year now.  My daughter would fall asleep at the breast, so I had to feed her breastmilk from the bottle from 6 mos. old.  I had this problem in the beginning too.  Here are a few things that I tried that worked for me:

1.  Try applying moist heat to your breast for about 5 minutes prior to pumping.  I use the medela double electric breast pump in style and started pumping from both breasts at the same time.  This definitely helped with the let down process.

2.  When you have to be away from your baby, bring a blanket or onsie that he/she has worn and smell it prior to pumping...sounds weird, but it worked when I was away from her.

3.  Oatmeal is a great food that increases milk production.  I would eat a bowl or 2 of oatmeal a day and my milk supply would double.  Fenugreek is an herb that can help increase milk production.  I did not need to try this, but I have heard it is very effective.  You can buy mother's milk tea at the grocery store (usually in the organic section) which will have herbs that can help increase your milk.

4.  Increasing how many times you are pumping per day can also help.  In the beginning, I had to pump every 2-3 hours to keep up my milk supply.  Now, I have a very abundant milk supply and rarely have to worry about it.

5.  DRINK PLENTY OF WATER...I keep bottles of water with my pump and drink one each time I pump.

6.  Get plenty of rest and try not to stress.  Try to meditate and relax prior to each pumping session.  Music helped me relax. 

I hope this helps!!  Here is a link to a great website that has some awesome info on breastfeeding and is a great help to me on many levels:  www.kellymom.com

Lots of luck to you.  God Bless!

Kristi

Jennifer - posted on 02/10/2009

I used Mothers Milk Tea, I found it in one of our grocery stores. All of this stuff can be found online or at any health food store and several larger chains.



Up your water, oatmeal seems to help, too.



And, whatever you do, try not to stress about it. Pumping is no picnic and getting upset with yourself will make it more difficult.



If you are BF from the breast at all, try pumping one side while baby nurses from the other.



Good luck and relax. If you need to give formula so you can relax, do it. Some times I have to give my daughter a formula bottle. I hate it, but ...

Jila - posted on 02/10/2009

I don't know if you care for beer, but drinking non-alcoholic beer seemed to help me.  I also did fenugreek tea.  I think you could get it at any healthfood store.

Jamie - posted on 02/10/2009

Quoting Chloe:

thanks jamie,do holland & barrat sell blessed thistle and fenugreek and is it expensive? im willing to give anything a try because i am really struggling now and i really dont want to put him on powdered milk all of the time x

I am not familiar with Holland and Barrat.  I bought mine at our local Hyvee grocery store (it can also be purchased at most natural food stores).  The Fenugreek was $12 and the Blessed Thistle was $6.  I also drink a ton of water.  I found that if you sit down and relax it is also helpful. 

My daughter had a problem latching on at birth, so I pump and feed her.  She is now 4 months old and demands 5oz 5x a day.  So I am able to pump 25oz a day for her.  I sometimes struggle getting this amount and it usually means that I need to drink more water.  I hope this is helpful.

Rebecca - posted on 02/10/2009

try and do it every hour but make sure you drink plenty of fluids, the more you express the more milk that comes in to meet the demands of you baby. i had the same problem with my second child and this worked for me. hope this helps x

Hannah - posted on 02/10/2009

I pretty much exclusively expressed and bottle fed my baby because of his awful reflux. Expressing meant I could put the gaviscon etrc in the milk. I never had a difficulty and produced over 1 pint a day!!

One thing that is really useful is to massage your breasts first as this can help stimulate the flow. Also, you must relax. Some people say it helps to have a picture of the baby near to stimulate the hormonal side of 'let down'.

I just used to sit in front of the tv and watch something that I enjoyed and it used to flow! I think that being relaxed was the most important thing. I am only just stopping expressing now and have done it for over 6 months. Keep going!!

Chloe - posted on 02/10/2009

thanks jamie,do holland & barrat sell blessed thistle and fenugreek and is it expensive? im willing to give anything a try because i am really struggling now and i really dont want to put him on powdered milk all of the time x

Jamie - posted on 02/09/2009

I too have been having difficulties, so I have started taking some herbal stuff called Fenugreek as well as Blessed Thistle they seem to have helped. Also I have been eating oatmeal. This was all recommended by the lactation consultants at my local hospital.