Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Supply

Dear milk supply,
Please come back! You're doing a great job of feeding Lucas when he's breastfeeding, but now that I'm back at work, I need you to do well with the pumping. I'm drinking the tea, eating oatmeal, downing water like it's going out of style and I'm just barely making enough for the babe to eat. I took you for granted during maternity leave and should have built up my stash, but instead I decided to sleep and let daddy feed him. Now I must feed him at night and then pump just to make sure Lucas doesn't starve while I'm working. (I would never let him starve, I'd either take him some or he'd get formula) So let's work together and start making more!

Love,
The lady who loves giving her son mommy milk

I know I'm lucky that I'm able to pump enough each day for him to eat at Gma's. I know some ladies that only pump half and they have to give formula for the rest of the day. One of my problems is that my Medela Pump in Style isn't working as well as it should be. I've changed all the parts, made sure everything is plugged in very tightly and yet it still decreases it's sucking power halfway through the session. I have e-mailed the company and will rent the hospital grade pump again if my supply decreases too much. We have boob group tonight so I'll be talking to the LC to get more suggestions.

I have lots more to blog about and now that I'm back at work I'll have time. Bossman, I'll be writing it at lunch, don't worry. :-)

I love you Aidan Christopher and Lucas Alexander

Maggs

5 comments:

  1. Are you massaging your breasts while you pump? Think of milking a cow or something, like that, it usually helps me. Also, do you know if you have the right size shields?

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  2. I am an official representative from Medela and am here to help with your concerns. Please reach out to Customer Service for troubleshooting: http://bit.ly/cs_medelaus Let us know if you need anything else.

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  3. Ugh! How frustrating. Hopefully they're able to figure it out. :(

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  4. Try pumping ever 3 hours, should increase your supply. Should be able to fill an 8 oz bottle in about 10-15 minutes. I'd call Medela if you're having problems. They're always great help.

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  5. I just wanted to add a few more suggestions. First of all remember that your body is designed to make "just enough". So in that respect you're doing exactly what you're supposed to do!

    I also wanted to suggest try doing a few more letdown pumps while you're pumping. I had the PISA, and there was a button to switch to the short/fast pumps that help with letdown. So maybe when you notice your production slowing down, try another letdown "sequence". Also, there are soft shields that more closely mimic a baby's suck, so maybe you could look into those too. You're doing a great job!

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