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I have a hate/hate relationship with my pump so I can totally understand where you are coming from. I can nurse just fine. . . it is the pump that my body refuses to cooperate with. I had to switch to a hospital grade pump, bump up my milk supply with More Milk Plus by Motherlove (fenugreek by itself just wasn't cutting it), and I cannot do anything but think about and look at pictures of my son when pumping. If I start thinking about work or errands I need to run or watching out the window or TV or anything else, no milk.
I went back to work when DS was 9 weeks old, and pumping used to be really easy, but now (at just over 5 months), I'm only pumping about half of what he eats at daycare (sometimes not even that much), and it's so demoralizing. I built up a huge freezer stash the first few months, so I can keep him exclusively breastmilk-fed till at least 6 months of age, but after that... I just don't know. I hate feeling like I can't miss a pumping session lest my supply suffer even more, and I hate how much time I spend worrying about my supply. I'd like to keep going, but it's just such a freaking pain.
I am the opposite of you- I have turned to pumping and bottle feeding the breastmilk rather than feeding directly. One thing that I have found is to play my IPod while I pump- it relaxes me and I pump more if I use it. Also, I do not let myself even glance at how much I have pumped until "time is up"- whatever that means for you, because as the lactation consultant told me "a watched pot does not boil"- haha.
Man, I'm glad to hear I am not alone. I'm having a similar problem to Lozza.. at 5 months it seems like my supply is tanking. Of course it doesn't help that I only have time to pump once a day at work. My son is reverse cycling and nurses a lot at night, but my husband wants him out of our room and into his own! I feel like I can't win.. it is either sleep or breastfeeding and that is a tough choice to make.
@Lozza: My supply tanked at 5-1/2 months and I was able to get it back with the More Milk Plus by Motherlove herbal supplement capsules. Totally better than Fenugreek alone and way less pills to take. I know I was shocked by the difference it made. It may be worth looking into for you.
That sounds like my story. I am almost 5 months and we nurse great and I love it. But I can't seem to pump enough. I just started a new meal plan which really lowered my output. I am drinking water, eatting all the time it feels like (now mostly veggies and meat). It is much harder because I can't have beef, milk or soy.
There is no place to rent a pump around here so that unfortunately isn't an option. I am tempted to buy a different brand pump and mix them up to see that works better. I am currently using an old Medela Pump In Style (at least 3 years old).
I had the best luck with the Avent Manual pump... I actually got better results than from a rented, hospital grade pump. Not as convenient as electric, but more milk resulting. I found it to fit better and get better suction.
It took me a half hour to pump 2 ounces, when my baby eats 4 at a normal sitting. I would be pumping and feeding 24/7 if I continued with that! And I was renting from the hospital so it was a good pump.
Im so sorry!! Pumping for lack of a better word sucks!! There is differences between a pump and your child nursing obviously so sometimes like you said it takes longer for your milk to come in. Also if your back at work and not pumping as much as you used to or nursing then your milk supply could be going down. You know its all supply and demand. I hope this gets easier for you, Im sorry your going through a hard time right now. Its never fun. I remember hating everything about pumping!
I have this same problem. my baby eats 2 to 3 oz each feeding and I can barely keep up. I try to pump a lot to get a big supply for when I go back to work, but it doesn't seem to be working. :( It's just depressing.
Agree! I'm not sure anyone ENJOYS pumping. It especially sucks when it doesn't yield great results.
I was just going to throw some ideas out there that have already been mentioned.... drink lots of water, fenugreek (worked for me but other supplements mentioned), pictures of your babe, I've also heard videos on your phone of baby (even crying) to help with let down. Best of luck!
I dislike pumping too. It's ok because I don't pump extra...just as needed with a handful of spare bags in the fridge. I skip a morning session and pump once a day on weekdays. But the part I really hate is washing the parts. On a related post, a bee mentioned that she has their husband wash the parts. That was a beautiful idea...in theory, for my household. Sometimes I wish I would have splurged for the hands-free bra. Maybe I would like it more if I could email while I pump.
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So while I've had a relatively easy time breastfeeding, I have had ongoing issues pumping since returning to work. Issues with my pump are largely to blame. My supply has tanked in the last few days and last night pumping before bed it took 45 minutes for my milk to let down. I was reading blogs and weddingbee, so thankfully I had time to do it, but I'm really starting to hate pumping.