Medela pump cannot express milk

[Gataloca]

I am using Avent manual pump as well.. In fact, I have 2.

My sister gave me one. Then when I started pumping at work, I noticed that I was wasting lot of milk from the other breast each time I was having let down. I didn't want to spend too much in a double pump and waste the one I already have, so I just bought another one.

 

[lalligirl]

I'm using the medela mini electric and, while it's probably not the best, I can get plenty of milk from it (just lucky?). I do find that things flow a lot better (literally!) if I massage & gently squeeze my breast while pumping. Also, I follow the usual recommendations - try to relax, massage before etc. I also try to have a cup of tea (pref. mother's milk) while i'm doing it - i realise the effects of drinking mother's milk tea may well be psychological, especially immediately, but it helps me relax, and it warms my hands, which can help, too.

 

[thanka2]

I'm using the medela mini electric and, while it's probably not the best, I can get plenty of milk from it (just lucky?). I do find that things flow a lot better (literally!) if I massage & gently squeeze my breast while pumping. Also, I follow the usual recommendations - try to relax, massage before etc. I also try to have a cup of tea (pref. mother's milk) while i'm doing it - i realise the effects of drinking mother's milk tea may well be psychological, especially immediately, but it helps me relax, and it warms my hands, which can help, too.

Oh, how I wish those things made any difference for me. It's just a total battle right now. Started domperidone today.

 

[Gataloca]

nicolejoy, thanks. I am looking for a double electric pump. I have a Medela Pump-in-Style but am thinking about trying something new. Anything that's gentler on my nipples would be great and also I'm having such bad milk supply problems right now that I'm willing to try anything.

Thanka, If you want to "try", you might be interested in this (I know, it is in chinese):
http://www.mamabebe.com.hk/ameda.html#ameda

At Baby Outlet, you can try the Ameda Lactaline for 3 days for HKD 100. This way you can see if you like it or not before you buy it. If you decide to buy it after the trial, then those HKD 100 will be refund to you.

Another option would be to rent a hospital grade pump from Celki.

 

[lalligirl]

Oh, how I wish those things made any difference for me. It's just a total battle right now. Started domperidone today.

good luck! i hope it does the trick

 

[thanka2]

Thanka, If you want to "try", you might be interested in this (I know, it is in chinese):
http://www.mamabebe.com.hk/ameda.html#ameda

At Baby Outlet, you can try the Ameda Lactaline for 3 days for HKD 100. This way you can see if you like it or not before you buy it. If you decide to buy it after the trial, then those HKD 100 will be refund to you.

Another option would be to rent a hospital grade pump from Celki.

Thanks for the tips. Actually, I have a Medela Pump in Style which is only one step lower than the Harmony. I don't think pumping is going to help that much. I'm giving domperidone a try and we'll see if it can help. The reason why I don't think that pumping is really the solution is that I'm pretty sure I'm fighting a hormonal and chemical battle here due to early return of my cycle and medication I need to take. I pumped and pumped the past week but it didn't affect supply at all. I hope that I can keep going. It sure ain't easy.

 

[a mum]

Thanks for the advice. I bought a Medela hand pump. I got a lot more milk than the mini electric one.
Rani, I never tried pumping while nursing. Does it flow even better? I want to save time coz I now pump first thing in the morning which takes about half an hour and baby already started crying for hunger seeing me pumping!
In fact, I have odd size breast. My right is bigger than the left when engorged. If I pump, I get 2/3 from the right side and 1/3 from left. Any advise on how to even the size of two breasts?

 

[rani]

For me I found that my let-down was better when baby was nursing than pumping alone. Also, one side produced more milk than the other. I think this is quite common. I used to drink lots of water and also eat lots of fenugreek rich foods.

HTH

 

[nicolejoy]

a mum - I think it's just "natural" that women have breasts that are different sizes and produce different amounts of milk. This time around, I've been exclusively pumping so both sides have the exact same amount of stimulation, but like you, I pump a LOT more from the right than the left. Almost double...

I was never coordinated enough to pump while nursing though!! At least not using a manual pump. Is that even possible??

 

[mariac]

a mum - I'm having very similar issues with my Medela Swing electric pump. I breastfeed exclusively and am suddenly finding it rather hard to pump. But my baby feeds just fine, is gaining weight and has many wet diapers. So I took the pump to the Medela store but they checked it and said it looks ok. I'm still not convinced. I know the suction used to feel different before and now, no matter how high I make it, it doesn't "feel" much different. I'm not sure what to do either but I'm pretty sure my baby is getting enough milk. It's a tough spot to be in.