Breast Pumps - Independence, LA

I have used the Medela double breast pump and found that it works great for working moms. I drank plenty of water and when I had a low supply of milk I would eat warm oatmeal, cream of wheat or chicken soup and some how that would help increase the milk supply. I hope this helps.
Good luck.
D. mother of 2, a 4yr old and a 14 month old

Dear C.,

If I remember right, there's something about the baby's saliva and also in the effective way a baby sucks that keeps the milk flowing better than a pump. I've often heard stories of milk drying up even though a great pump was used frequently. I'd highly recommend asking a La Leche League captain for advice. The website for Houston is www.ykc.com/LLLHouston/ and the hotline number is ###-###-####. I've found that they are far more knowledgeable than lactation consultants, nurses, or pediatricians. Also, check out http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/herbal_galactag... concerning herbs you could use to increase your milk supply.

Blessings,
R.

Iam a lactation specialist, feel free to give me a call ... www.TheirBirthRight.org. there is some good advice here. Its the yeast in the beer that causes an increase. Mother's Milk Tea is made by Traditional Medicine and costs around $5. The Fenugreek isn't that expensive either. Some moms I have taking both. The physiological aspects to making breast milk are extensive and every woman is different ... every baby from the same woman is different, so I would need to get more details.

Medela and Ameda Holister have good double electric pumps. The hospital grade pump (made by these same companies) is normally for mom baby separation (baby in NICU, having difficulty getting baby to breast, increase milk supply short time turn around, etc.). They normally run $55-65 month depending on where you live. www.medela.com will tell you where there is a representative in your area.

Hey C.,

I used the Double Medela pump. It worked really well. My only problem was this was my 1st baby and my milk didnt come in very well so we started him at the hospital with the formula b/c i was scared to death he wasnt getting enough. Finally I talked with my doctor and they perscribed me something to help it drop. I cant think of the name of it but it started with an "r". It came in really well after i used that but then the baby didnt take the breast milk really well so i had to stay with the formula. I felt awful!! But you might check with your doctor and see if that might be an option for you also! Good luck with your next one! May God bless you and your family!
:)

T.

The Medela pump is supposed to be one of the best available. However, several lactation consultants have told me that pumping is not as good as the real thing. The pumps don't pull as much milk out as the child does. Once you start pumping, your supply is likely to decrease somewhat. In addition, every woman is different. I have 2 toddlers who were both breast fed. I was never able to produce a surplus. I produced as much as they drank and no more. When I did try to pump, I could only get maybe one or two ounces of milk total. Other people I know, were able to fill a freezer full of breast milk. It's all about our individual differences. Hope this helps!

Hi C.:
My situation is different from yours as I don't have to pump every day...I've used the Medela Pump In Style with great success. In your case, though, I have heard that the commercial grade pump that you can rent from your hospital is the best way to go. I'm not sure what they charge...not sure if renting is feasible for you.
Good luck with the breast pump AND with conceiving!!!

My daughter was not gaining enough at 10 wks old. She weighed 12 pounds and was 10 at birth. I have implants and was using a nipple shield, so either could have caused a problem. It is also possible that she never latched correctly. She would not go back and forth from bottle to breast and cried all the time sleeping a total of only 10 hours out of 24. I have been pumping exclusively since then and she is now 6 mos. I have had to supplement with formula and was never able to increase my production past 26 oz per day. The pump in style was ok but I am happier with the symphony we rented from Babies R Us. It is also available at Baptist Breast Center's Expressly For You shop.

C.:

I had the same problem with my child; I simply could not produce enough milk to sustain her. I was able to go 6 months, but when it came down to breast milk vs. my little girl going hungry, I decided to give up the fight and go with formula. It broke my heart, but my child thrived afterward. I highly, highly recommend you get in touch with a lactation consultant/nurse. She can show you so much about proper breastfeeding, using the pump, etc. I used one and made so much progress. Also, she provided to me for a monthly rental fee, a hospital grade pump, as the pump-n-style that I was using was simply not strong enough. This stronger pump made a world of difference! If you need a phone number, email me, and I will find it for you (she lives in Copperfield, and will come to your house). Also, you may try the Le Leche League and your hospital for lactation consultants. Good luck! And remember, even if you must stop breastfeeding soon, you've given your child the first few months of breastmilk, which is the best head start you could ask for. :-)

Where you pumping often enough?

I use the Medela pump in style with my second child. I had a hard time pumping with my first, and he wouldn't take a bottle anyway, so I gave up pumping with him and just nursed. With my daughter though I have had much better success. Around 7 months I had to start taking Fenugreek. It's an herbal supplement to enhance milk production. You can read all about it on the Web. It's pretty cheap and it works well. Makes the baby smell like maple syrup! Hope this helps.

C., I pumped and nursed both my kids and by nine months old I had to suppliment with formula because I was not producing enough milk. I used the same pump you have. Sometimes I would even fall asleep and end up pumping for 30 minutes and would not get any more milk. I guess this is not really advice but so that you know that it happened to others as well. Best of luck with baby number two. J.

I used the medela pump in style for my first child while working full time. I pumped once in the morning before leaving home, twice during the day at work and again in the evening after my son had gone to bed. I found that my supply was plentiful as long as I kept the routine of pumping four times a day. I was able to keep this up for about 8 months. The one thing that really made the effort successful was that my husband helped out alot. He would make sure the bottles were cleaned. He would make sure the little blue packs were frozen and he would pack my lunch bag with water and fruit.
Good luck! Get some help if you can.

The breast pump your using is a good one. I do need to tell you I had the same problem, I started drying up after about 3 weeks of feeding and pumping. My mother in law got this tea for me from the Whole Foods Store called "mother's milk" it helped me to start produceing again, but it's something you've got to drink everyday...try it, it worked for me...good luck! I have a response to one of the other suggestions made by Linsey M...I don't know what the PEDI was thinking about telling her to drink beer...that is the WORST THING YOU COULD DO!!! you could cause irreprial damage to your baby, unless you drink the NON-alcoholic beer.

I have your solution....try a lactation promotion herbal tea like "mother's milk" which has things like fennel seed and chamomile in it that help increase your milk supply. I tried this and the milk was coming out so fast that my son was choking on it. Also, out of curiosity, I pumped before I drank the tea and got about 2-3 ounces per breast. After drinking the tea I pumped 6 ounces out of each breast. It works!!! Also, keep taking your prenatal vitamins and use a warm compress on each breast before you pump.

I used the medela pump in style for a year and a half. my milk production was and still is low and my baby did not latch from day one, but by pumping every three hours i managed to breast feed my baby for 18 months. I stopped because I need some sleep after a year and a half!

I had the dual Medela and it was great, really quick.
On the lack of milk, I didn't lactate as well with my first child as I did with the second. Our living situation(we were living in Venezuela), my mother had died 4 mos. prior to my son's birth....several stressful situations may have contributed to the lack of milk. I went back to the states to have my baby and it apparently was the hospital's policy to keep the baby in the nursery at night except for feedings. (my first baby, what did I know) and so he ended up with a binky in his mouth most of the time. I didn't let him nurse anytime/all the time during the hospital stay therefore, and I think my milk just didn't know to come in very well.
With my second child, my daughter nursed right away like my son, but I let her stay with me and she nursed constantly it seemed. I had copious milk for her. I nursed her til she was 3 and a half. And I still had plenty. (Weeks leading up to weaning her I had mentioned that Mommy's binkies will run out of milk someday. And the day I decided to stop I put bandaids on my nipples--my mother-in-law's suggestion-- and she felt so bad for me and was so concerned that I was hurting. After that, she did want to nurse but because we had talked about it prior and I guess I convinced her there was no more, she did stop asking to nurse.)
So maybe just letting your newborn nurse, nurse, nurse, your milk will really come in.
I never did get to nurse my son, I pumped and pumped but I got very little. I fed him the breasmilk and supplemented with formula. He had no problem switching between nipple and bottle, by the way, there in the beginning. I had to pump the milk because his suction was so tremendous and there was nothing coming out, it was very painful. He had no problems, and is a very healthy child of 8 yrs old.

I had the same issue with my first. My second was better, but I only breast fed for 4 months. I didn't have a very pump friendly work environment. However, I don't think the pump really will make a difference. I used the same pump with both. Sometimes we just can't always make our bodies do what we want. Also, remember that each pregnancy and post pregancy is different. You may not have the same issues with your second. There are so many variables that come in to play. Give yourself a chance without stressing out about it, and then if it happens great, if not give yourself a break.

M.

i know some people will read this and think, "oh that's just terrible." but a sure fire way of jump starting my milk production was to drink a half guiness mixed with a tall glass of milk, so it's about 2 parts guiness to three parts milk. do it twice a day, once in the morning, once in the evening. any other heavy stout with a low alchohol content will do. it's not enough alchohol to get you tipsy or even relaxed, and certainly not enough to affect baby at all, but man watch the leche flow!

I used the advent isis hand held one. the cups were the most comfortable of any other i had used. a very soft plastic, not the hard ridged ones most pumps had. i used the hand operated one, the battery operated ones were too uncomfortable for me. and they just made me feel like a dairy cow. (no offense intended for the graphic comparison). it helped me get lots of milk out.
The advent one was very in-expensive (got it at babies r us for less than $50) plus since it's not electric you don't have to worry about finding an available outlet or keep replacing batteries.
i just saw online that they have an entire set with a carry case included for $60
here is a link http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=240335...#

My ped. also reccomended drinking an 8 oz. can of beer every week or so. he said that the barley in the beer helped with the production of milk as well as make it heartier.
there is also a tea you can purchase at health food stores that is specifically for nursing mothers to help with milk production as well.

good luck!

Hi C.!
I also had trouble pumping enought milk, but a friend gave me excellent advice. Try to nurse and pump @ the same time. Yes, it will be uncomfortable until you get used to it, but the milk will flow fast! At first my boys didn't like the noise of the pumps, but they get used to it.
Try it! I hope this works for you and you'll be pumping 6-8oz in no time! OH, let me warn you...were nursing pads, because you're going to be a milk making factory (smile)
T.

Hate to tell you this, but the type of pump you use will not determine the amount of breast milk you produce. It may make the process easier or faster, but not the bottom line of production.

If your milk dried up or reduced significantly after your child was born, it is because of hormonal changes/balances in you. After nursing non-stop and seeing my baby lose weight at 10 days old, my obgyn, nursing advisor, and I all figured that one out. I do not produce enough progesterone to maintain a pregnancy, and had to take supplements for the first trimester to carry two children. After delivery and the natural change in hormones after childbirth, the milk production stopped, even with drugs, and using every single trick in the book from la leche and various homeopathic physicians. I was fortunate to carry my two! If you are overweight, see a dr now about getting to your ideal weight. If weight is not an issue, have your hormones checked and your thyroid with an endocrinologist. If all is fine, do your best and don't beat yourself over the head if you don't produce enough milk. If you have to rely on formula, try to find one that is based on goats milk, as that is most similar to human...stay away from soy unless you have to as soy can affect hormone development in a baby.

my son was early and I had to pump the first 6 weeks to even have a milk supply and I fought with that the entire time I breastfed. I did breastfeed until he was a year old. What I learned is breastfeeding is as much an emotional thing as a physical thing. When I pumped, I would have to make an effort to relax and think of my baby. I would have to close my eyes and picture him, think about actually breastfeeding him. That helped more than anything. I had to pump more often than I actually breastfed. Nothing, is a effective as feeding your baby, so I increased my pumping frequency to compensate some. Which at work is hard, but I found 10-15 minutes every 3 hours much better than 30 min every 4-5. I also think when you hormones start cycling again your milk produciton changes with that. I would notice a big drop off in production right before a period, so I would step up the production tactics to get me through that time. Then when it was over I would have more than enought milk again. The other most important thing I can tell you, there is nothing wrong with supplementing with formula. I believe babies don't get confused about nipples. The get lazy, breastfeeding is harder work than bottle feeding. The best advice the breastfeeding consultant in the NICU gave me about that was I am the parent and this is my first tough love parenting task. She said if your child wants to play in the street,you tell them no, if they whine and cry you don't give in, because that is what is best for the child. The same for breastfeeding. What every you give them to eat, they will eat if they are hungry enough. I had a very hard transition when my son came home from the NICU because I had only breastfed him once a day and he had bottles the rest of the time. He wanted food quick and easy, but it only took a few days and he could go back and forth between a bottle and the breast like a pro. I would never trade that one hard week for the experience of getting to breastfeed him for a year.

I don't know where the idea that you have to do either all breastfeeding or all bottlefeeding came from but in today's busy life of working moms, I think somewhere in the middle is a must. Don't feel like you are a failure at breastfeeding if you child is hungry and you give him a bottle. If you only breastfeed once a day then you and your baby will cherise that once a day. Your baby will still get the important things he needs from you if you breastfeed any amount. So try not to stress, relax, enjoy your pregnancy and wait to see what works best for you and your child

I also used the Medela - loved it! I do have a question for you though... do you also pump after you've nursed? I know that helped get my milk flowing more. The pump just wasn't the same. Good luck!