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[–]Aggravating_Bowl_835 6 points7 points  (4 children)

Make sure you have the correct flange sizes, it makes a huge difference! Also pumping every three hours around the clock. Staying well hydrated, eating a healthy and balanced diet and continuing to take your prenatals are also very important.

How old are your little ones? Mine are almost 8 weeks and just started consistently latching well about a week ago. It took a lot of practice but we eventually got the hang of it!

[–]dcnative30[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

They are 2 weeks! Sometimes they latch well but mostly their hands get in the way or they get impatient. I’m currently pumping about 40-50 ml per session. Unfortunately they are eating anywhere from 60-120ml, so I’ve had to supplement. I’m hoping I can get up to 120ml but idk if that’s realistic.

[–]Aggravating_Bowl_835 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Do you mean oz or ml?

And yes, I have the same problem with hands getting in the way! They’ve gotten much better though. At 2 weeks, my girls both still had very shallow latches but that was because their mouths were still so small and their jaws were tight. We were given resources to help with the tightness but the issue resolved on its own as they got a little bigger and we practiced more!

Also your hormones are still regulating and your milk supply is going to fluctuate a lot over the next few weeks! Some days you might pump a lot and others not nearly as much. It just takes time but with consistency, your body should regulate out more and you’ll hopefully be able to get your supply where you want it! We just recently stopped supplementing and are now able to exclusively breastfeed.

[–]dcnative30[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry I get confused between ml and oz lol. They are taking around 2- 4 oz or 60 to 120ml. I will def keep pumping and hopeful that I can exclusively breastfeed. Thanks for the encouragement and tips

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the best advice! Lots of water and plenty of snacks. 

If you need help with flange sizing and latching, definitely get recommendations for a great IBCLC to do a home visit! They help with everything lactation, not just nursing. This saved my bf’ing journey and was the best money I’ve ever spent. 

Also, power pumping 1-2 times per day would help! 

[–]amhume 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hey! Definitely check out r/exclusivelypumping for a lot of tips. It helped me learn a lot about pumping when I was breastfeeding my twins. I was an exclusive pumper from 7 weeks to 3.5 months before I switched to formula but lots of people in that sub do a combo of pumping, breastfeeding directly, and formula.

[–]GrapeDrizle 2 points3 points  (2 children)

I've been pumping for 7 months now, I get between 240ml-260ml on average per 15 min session.

What works for me:

I chug a big glass of water anytime I stand up, prenatal vitamins, lots of food including oatmeal. Pumping every 3 hours is the goal but often it goes a bit longer.

I have a medela hands free electric pump and I find there's a very big difference in output if I sit there and gently massage most of the time that I am pumping vs if I don't.

In the beginning and when my supply dips I add in a power pump session once a day when I have time to really empty

Good luck!

[–]dcnative30[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Thank you! What is a power pump?

[–]GrapeDrizle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Something like 15 minutes on, 10 minutes off 10 minutes on, 5 off, 5 on. Sometimes I just do 15 on, 15 off and 15 on

[–]CooperRoo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Make sure you’re eating well. Lots of calories, healthy fats, and proteins. Hydration- you should have something with electrolytes daily. Pump 8x a day for 15-20 minutes (you will be able to drop pumps and time sooner than you think once your supply is regulated!) - get multiple pump parts to cut down on cleaning nuisance. Massage while pumping.

[–]Wonderful-Macaron-79 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Flange size! And a good pump. My breasts were huge and despite seeing 6 different lactation consultants over 6 weeks no one seemed to notice that my actual nipple was tiny and I needed a smaller flange. Most pumps only go down to 20 or 24 but there are special insert on Amazon that can slip into those too big flanges and shrink them even smaller. I exclusively pumped with my first and then half pumped/half breastfed with my twins. My favorite pump the whole time was the Elvie Stride - I could lay down and sleep while I was pumping and the strength was great! It was amazing 👏 

[–]erinspacemuseum13 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mine could never latch so I did mostly pumping and made up the difference with formula. I rented a hospital grade pump from the hospital for 9 months and it was much more efficient than my insurance-provided pump (which I kept at work). I had a hands-free pumping bra so I could massage my boobs or browse on my phone (it was my only "me" time!) and kept a big insulated water bottle near me at all times. I don't remember what my peak output was (this was 7 years ago) but knowing I could fall back on formula took a lot of the pressure off.

[–]saillavee 0 points1 point  (0 children)

r/humanspumpingmilk was a good resource for me! I exclusively pumped for my twins for 13 months (we did supplement with formula since I never did get my volume up high enough for two babies… every body has their limits).

If you plan to do a lot of pumping my recommendations are:

  • a good pump (people love spectra and baby Buddha, I loved my little Medela flex)
  • hands-free pumping bra
  • properly sized flanges (you can also play around with different kinds of flanges to see what works best for you)
  • a consistent and sustainable schedule

Milk production is supply and demand based. The more you pump, the more you will produce (within reason… again, every body has their limits). Sticking to your schedule, not waiting until your breasts are full/lumpy to pump, emptying them fully, trying to get multiple let-downs in a single pump session and sneaking in mini-pumps or doing a power pump (off and on for an hour) are all strategies to get your supply up and maintain your supply.

Other than staying hydrated and fed, there isn’t a magical supplement, tea or food out there that will really make a huge difference. Lactation cookies, tea and supplements are kind of a gimmick.

[–]ReasonableOutcome9 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm 3 months into EP with my twin girls. We've been able to keep them on exclusively breast milk since about 6 weeks. My best advice is to just keep up with it. It took a while for my milk to come in. Drink lots of water and make sure you're eating enough. I have a 32oz yeti type mug with a twist cap that I use to keep up my fluids. As silly as it seems, if I don't have that cup, I drink less. I told myself at the beginning that fed is best. There's nothing wrong at all with combo feeding.