Trouble expressing

[Ms Panda]

Hi all,

I have been expressing successfully for around 3 months, usually getting around 100+ mls at a time, however over the last week or so, I've been lucky to get 10. I'm starting to get really worried that I won't be able to express anymore.

I've noticed that my baby has changed his feeding habits and is now snacking throughout the day, spending only a couple of minutes feeding at a time, but asking for food a lot more often.

Does anyone have experience with this or know if these two things are related? Can anyone offer me some advice to help with my expressing?

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

[JimJamsMum]

When I started having trouble expressing (when DS was about 6 months old) I found that putting him on one side (football hold style) and expressing from the other at the same time gave me a lot more success and DS has now got used to sharing his mealtimes with a plastic pump!

[Ms Panda]

Ah that's a great idea! I'll give it a go.

Thank you

A

[JimJamsMum]

Just thought of something else too. If you still don't have any success it might be that the valve in your pump needs replacing. I spent ages trying to express before I realised this (I have an avent pump)

[Ms Panda]

ah thank you. I'll keep an eye out for this too.

A

[ealing]

hi,

I found that I used to get heaps out after taking a real hot shower, most of it aimed at the breasts or put a warmed up wheat bag/hot water bottle for around 5 mins over the breasts and then express afterwards. That really used to help me when i expressed at the end of the day as well as the beginning of the day after the morning feed and after I had my shower for the day.

As it is usually a demand/supply issue, I also tried expressing after each feed after DD had finished to stimilate the feeding sensation a bit more in order to boost supply. Your body will replace what has been taken out, so if your baby is snacking then your body will replace what has been snacked out if that makes sense.

hope that this helps a bit.

[Ms Panda]

ah great. I'll try that as well.

Thanks heaps

A

[MerelyExisting]

I've been having the same problem of late. I could fill a 125ml bottle in a matter of minutes...my flow and let down were both really quick. Now i struggle and have to spend 30minutes + expressing just to fill one.
I though there might have been something wrong with my breast pump as it's getting a bit old so i went and bought a new one but still have the same problem. ( they are both the avent isis ones).

I have noticed if i express while feeding it happens alot quicker. It's just not practical though. I don't finish work til late and i don't particuarly want to wake DS up in the early hours of the morning.