My milk came in--a pumping WWYD?

[luckytwenty]

Apparently my breasts were given the misinformation that I gave birth to multiples, not just one baby boy. He's doing a great job nursing, but he never comes close to emptying them even after say a good 40 minutes. One of them got so hard he couldn't even nurse from it, so the nurse (I am still at the hospital) gave me a pump to use.

I emptied enough to make it "nurseable," but my question is how much I should be pumping in general until my supply regulates. If he nurses and leaves me still feeling full, should I in general pump for a few minutes just to prevent clogged ducts--or will this lead to oversupply issues? I have a PISA at home and wasn't planning on using it for a few weeks...I really would NOT like pumping to become part of the routine this early because it's time consuming, to say the least.

Thanks in advance.

[dec756]

i would only pump to relieve pressure right now because it seems to me you are already over producing. my girlfriend had this problem which led to mastitis and then a major surgery...

the more you pump the morey you will signal your body to produce more milk. i am no expert but have been ebfing for 11 months now

i would talk to a lactaction person at your hospital to make sure you are doing the right thing. diff. docs have diff. opinions. hth

[brittone2]

I wouldn't pump more than you need to to soften your breast enough for him to latch. I don't think pumping will do much to prevent plugged ducts, etc. Your body will just make more milk as a result of the pumping.

Your breasts will eventually regulate and calm down a bit ;) They don't need to feel empty.

I pumped 2x a day or so with DS1 because we were concerned about supply issues because I have PCOS (LC advised me to pump just to be sure). Well, I have overactive letdown and oversupply anyway (didn't know that at the time!) and that plus pumping...made for a LOT of milk. It would shoot 6 feet across the room when DS1 would pop off. And all that oversupply actually comes with its own challenges...baby was flooded with milk which caused him to sputter, choke, get overfull, etc. So I would not pump any more than you need to otherwise you'll just be signaling to your body to make even more milk.

HTH! Best of luck.

[essnce629]

I'm one of the people who's body thinks I give birth to octuplets! When my milk came in with DS2 I went up SIX cup sizes (on top of the 4 cup sizes I went up in pregnancy)! I was DYING in pain and couldn't even stand up straight they were so heavy. Several times I would cry since I was in so much pain. I couldn't sleep on my side or wear my baby in a carrier for the first 10 days. I had to pump for 2 minutes on each side EVERY nursing session in order for my breasts to get soft enough for DS2 to latch on. After 10 days I had 80 oz of milk stored in my freezer! Pump the bare minimum needed to get your baby to latch on and only pump afterwards enough that they aren't rock hard. My baby also came no where near to emptying them after a full hour feeding. I also had to do cabbage leaves and cold compresses in my bra. Also, don't take hot showers/baths as that increases milk supply. My midwife said that some women are just prone to being super producers and getting super engorged. The same thing happened with her and I was the same way with DS1 as well.

[catsnkid]

I got huge and pumped the first day home from the hospital in order to latch on as they were rock hard. Other than that I didn't pump for 3 weeks, no more than 4 oz a day until I went back to work.

[mmommy]

I would actually suggest NO pumping and only hand expressing what you need to in order to relieve pressure. Pumping will just encourage oversupply.

[SnuggleBuggles]

You can't ever really be empty- it keeps getting made the whole time. I agree with others- only express (preferably by hand vs pump) to relieve pressure otherwise your body will get the signal that it needs to make more milk. Not your desired outcome. :)

Beth

[lovebebes]

im dealing with the same thing right now-baby is 9 days old and everything is still regulating of course....ive been hand expressing just enough so that she can latch on...i just do it in a paper towel..

but im not sure what to do to help her not choke up on the milk at the start of each breast, i really cant stand seeing her go through that..

[mmommy]

im dealing with the same thing right now-baby is 9 days old and everything is still regulating of course....ive been hand expressing just enough so that she can latch on...i just do it in a paper towel..

but im not sure what to do to help her not choke up on the milk at the start of each breast, i really cant stand seeing her go through that..

Keep doing what you're doing. Soon you'll stop letting down quite so forcefully, and simultaneously she'll get more efficient. I know it's hard, but you're doing great as a team!

[ShanaMama]

Also, don't take hot showers/baths as that increases milk supply.

I have never heard of this. I was going to suggest trying to hand express in the shower to relieve pain & pressure. I would try ot avoid pumping for the reason the OP mentioned- it's annoying and time consuming with an infant- but also because it will stimulate production. Cabbage leaves really help reduce engorgement. Freeze the cabbage & put leaves in your bra.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I have never heard of this. I was going to suggest trying to hand express in the shower to relieve pain & pressure. I would try ot avoid pumping for the reason the OP mentioned- it's annoying and time consuming with an infant- but also because it will stimulate production. Cabbage leaves really help reduce engorgement. Freeze the cabbage & put leaves in your bra.

I wouldn't do cabbage- that is nest if you are trying to wean. I would go with ht showers- they feel great and hand expressing in there is good. It's also fantastic if you get any plugged ducts.

Beth

[DrSally]

I would actually suggest NO pumping and only hand expressing what you need to in order to relieve pressure. Pumping will just encourage oversupply.

:yeahthat:

[luckytwenty]

Thanks for this advice--but when I say rock hard, I mean even when I squeeze with my hand as hard as I can, I just get a few drops out. I did end up pumping for a few minutes at the hospital and that made it a little better. He slept amazingly for a newborn last night, but the price I paid again was incredibly painful engorgement. I had to pump for five minutes just to make my breasts soft enough to latch on to.

I hope my body (and his) will soon figure out how much milk is actually needed. Before I pumped, I felt the beginnings of a clogged duct. I had several bouts of mastitis with my daughter and often had clogged ducts under normal circumstances. I always see people worrying about milk supply and I actually seem to be prone to the reverse problem.

The weird thing is that when I'm not engorged, I'm already much less chesty that when I was pregnant. But I go up 2-3 cup sizes when he's due for a feeding. Hopefully this will pass soon!!

Thanks again for the advice.

[crayonblue]

Late to this but I was in the exact same situation 9 months ago. I did pump before feeding because hand-expressing was out of the question. Baby couldn't latch on unless I pumped an ounce or two off each side before feeding. It took about a month for me to regulate and during that time I was quite uncomfortable. I slept with ice packs on because I was in so much pain.

I ended up with 150 ounces in my freezer from the first couple of months.

I am a massive over-producer.

But, it all worked out and now at 9 months, it's easy-peasy.

Hang in there!