Aunty Lactivist is all of us who have had experience or who have ideas that might help – please post a comment below if you can help this mum:
Dear Aunty Lactivist Has anyone got any advice on how I can express more milk? I’m going back to work in 3 weeks and want to try and get a store up and also need to express at work but at the minute I’m only getting an oz if that. I’ve also tried expressing in the morning and only getting an oz. I used to get at least 5 oz.|
 
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Ask Aunty Lactivist – How can I express more milk? I’m back to work soon6 comments to Ask Aunty Lactivist – How can I express more milk? I’m back to work soonLeave a Reply |
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Care Instructions – Shopping Bag 
Mummy Milk Rocks – Shopping Bag 
“Any old Cow” Short Sleeved T 6-12 months 
Any Old Cow – Shopping Bag 
“Any old Cow” Short Sleeved T 3-6 months 
Are you using a single or a double pump? I found the double pump was way more effective than the single. Either that or I would feed baby on one side while pumping on the other (the letdowns seemed to be much stronger that way!). I had heaps of milk ready to go when I went back to work but then my baby reversed his day and slept while in care and fed while at home (he was 13 weeks when I started back at work).
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Hi,
I know there are certain herbs that help increase milk flow and production. not sure which, you could look it up maybe.
Also, I’ve had v. interesting conversations with a friend of mine about how the amount of protein we eat increases it. She knows v. acutely that she can express much more milk when she has had a big chunk of protein for lunch.
….?!
Fingers crossed for you.
Sinead
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I confess the following wasn’t written by me, it’s nabbed from Dr Sears and Kelly Mom. I hope a) it helps and b) it’s OK for me to post it here given that I didn’t actually write it.
STIMULATING YOUR MILK EJECTION REFLEX
1. Follow a set routine for pumping: the place, the chair, the beverage. Get your equipment ready in the same way each time, use your mental tricks to relax, and pump. This routine conditions your milk ejection reflex.
2. Try a few minutes of breast massage before you pump. Start at the armpit and use the fingertips of your opposite hand to make small circles on the breast tissue in that one spot. Then move your hand slightly and do it again. Work your way around the breast and gradually down toward the areola in a spiral pattern. (This is similar to the breast exam that you or your doctor use to check for lumps.) Finish the massage with a series of long strokes from the chest wall down to the areola, again working your way around the entire breast. Then massage the other breast. If your milk flow slows down during a pumping session, a few minutes of breast massage may help get it going again.
3. Drink a couple glasses of water right before pumping.
4. Get “pumped up” yourself. Visualize flowing mountain streams or rivers running toward the ocean as you pump. Or imagine yourself as a fountain of milk–whatever image helps your milk to let down and spray into the pump.
5. Look at a picture of your baby while you pump. Bring along one of your baby’s blankets or a piece of clothing. Enjoy your baby’s smell on the fabric. Or even video baby feeding using your phone so you can play it back when pumping.
6. Call the sitter and find out what your baby is doing right before you pump.
7. To minimize distractions while pumping, try using a personal tape player and headphones. You can enjoy your favorite music while you pump, or listen to one of the tapes that feature sounds from nature: the ocean, the rain forest, whatever appeals to you.
8. If pumping is making your nipples sore, try a lower suction setting. Or try a different kind of pump. Be sure that the nipple is not rubbing against the flange as you pump.
9. To soothe sore nipples after pumping and help them heal, apply a small amount of an emollient, such as Lansinoh for Breastfeeding Mothers, to your nipples. Soften it between your fingers, then gently pat it onto the nipples.
PUMPING MORE MILK
10. Pump as often as your baby nurses, usually every three hours. If you’re worried about producing enough milk, pump more frequently. This is more effective at stimulating the milk supply than pumping longer at each session.
11. Add an extra pumping session in the early morning, when you have the most milk. If you are trying to build up a supply of milk in the freezer, this is a good time of day to pump.
12. If you’re not pumping as much milk as you once did, check your pump. Are you putting it together properly? Is a seal or some other part of it wearing out? Check with the manufacturer (there’ll be a phone number in the printed instructions). If you bought or rented your pump from a lactation consultant or a La Leche League Leader, she may be able to advise you about replacing any parts that are worn.
13. Try pumping on one breast while baby nurses at the other. The baby will trigger the milk ejection reflex, and you’ll be able to collect milk from the other breast more easily. (This is easier to do with an electric pump than with a hand-operated one.)
14. For most women, double-pumping (pumping both breasts at the same time) yields more milk. Prolactin levels in the blood are also higher when you pump both breasts simultaneously. Good-quality electric pumps are the best and easiest way to double-pump, but some manual breast pumps can be operated with one hand. Get two of these and you can double-pump manually.
15. If pumping is not going well, try another pump, preferably one that is a notch or two up the scale in quality from the one you are using. Rent a hospital-grade pump and try it for a week or two. You may be surprised at the difference!
CONVENIENCE
1. Wear two-piece outfits with easy access to your breasts. It’s easiest to pump (just like it’s easiest to nurse discreetly) if you’re wearing a loose top that can be pulled up from the bottom. Investing in several good-looking nursing tops or blouses, with camouflaged openings at the breasts, can simplify both pumping and nursing.
2. Leaning forward while you pump will prevent milk from dripping on your clothes.
3. Double-pump with one hand. Try leaning into the desk or table holding the pump, using the edge of the furniture and one arm to hold the pump flanges to your breasts. You’ll have a free hand for turning pages in a magazine or eating your lunch. Or try using a footstool or some thick book to raise your knees, so that you can rest the collecting bottles on your lap as you lean forward.
And a final tip – cover up the bottles once you have started pumping and keep going until you feel ready to stop. Studies show ‘blind pumping’ often delivered more results!
HTH!
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Liz that is great, if you can post links to it as well that would be wonderful, as long as we credit people (which you have) and link back it’s fine and really helpful!
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Lisa, I’d love to but they’ve recently removed that page from Dr Sears. However it is still up here http://www.breast-pump.co.za/information-corner/tips-for-expressing/
Kellymom http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html
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i was told this and it worked….
last feed before bed use your favourate side(you know you have one!!) then feed off the same one through the night, aviod using the other one as long as you can…. by morning the one you haven’t used will be engourged and you will be very willing to pump this off. i went from about 1 oz to getting 9oz in this way. however she wont take it from a bottle even though i had loads of stores in freezer when i went back…. she now has a huge feed before i go to wrk.. eats solids and water to drink at nursery and is ready when i pick her up, she then has 2 good feeds before bed routine… milk still going strong, good supply, not pumping through the day now. hope that helps
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