For various reasons, I am currently expressing only, but I'm worried that my supply isn't enough - I only seem to have one bottle ready. Is there any way to increase my supply? I have formula in the house in case but would rather give him EMB.

If I keep expressing, will I automatically produce more???

Help!

What pump are you using?
What is your pumping schedule? (How often, for how long)
How old is your baby?
How much is your baby having per feed, and how many feeds in 24 hours?

Can I ask why you are pumping? When did you start pumping? Did you feed first?

I have both manual and electric Tommee Tippee but prefer the manual (milk keeps going up the tube into the electric one!!), he is 5 weeks old and has roughly 120ml per feed. He feeds about 8x a day (inclu overnight I mean) though this is a total guess as he isn't in a routine.

I am pumping as he wont latch He had a tongue tie repaired last wk Tues but still cant do it - he just will not open his mouth wide enough (or barely at all in fact) and just gets really distressed. I used a nipple shield for 4 weeks awaiting his procedure but have decided to stop using it as he was taking in too much air and getting bad pains.

I've pumped on and off since he was born but we've exclusively been giving him EBM for 3 days now in Dr. Brown bottles. He seems much happier.

I went to a baby cafe this morning to ask for one last time for help with getting him to latch but they were closed due to staff sickness, grrrrr. Now I cant see someone til the next one on Weds. I'm really aware of time going by and him being less likely to latch. Its depressing

Sorry for the essay!

Don't panic about him not latching. My LO couldn't latch at birth (not with a nipple shield or without) but suddenly got it at 8.5 weeks old! He is over 6 months now, and completely breastfed. There is still lots of hope, the trick is just keeping your milk supply up until he gets it.

It is good that he fed from you up till now, that will really have helped your milk supply.

There is a good guide on how much EBM to give your LO:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html
My LO was on the high end of normal (hungry boy!) and would have about 1000-1200ml a day.

You should aim to pump at least 9 times a day, for 20 minutes each side or for 5 minutes after the milk stops flowing - it is pumping after you've emptied the breast that signals your body to make more. After a few days, you might find you are producing plenty and can start to drop one pump, then another. Some people can get away with only pumping 6 times a day, others need to do it more frequently.

There is a really good guide to building and maintaining a supply with a pump here:
http://www.hollister.com/us/files/pd...ilk_supply.pdf

It might be an idea to pump really frequently (10-12 times a day) for a few days, to boost your supply and build up a good stash in the fridge. It can be done, at one point I was struggling for every drop, but soon I had a few bottles in the fridge ready.

It can be difficult to keep this up with a manual pump. A lot of people recommend the Medela Swing - it is easy to use and quite quiet, and might be worth looking into. A double pump is great for exclusively expressing.

I hired a Symphony, it is a bit expensive but is the ultimate pump:
http://www.expressyourselfmums.co.uk...breastpump.htm

Oh my gosh thank you for all this info - I had no idea I needed to pump so often. I've been doing it maybe 4x a day. How did you find time to pump so often??? He's currently in my arms and I'm working up to lying him down so I can sterilise my pump!!!

Really great to hear you LO got the hang of latching - did you keep trying with him every day?

As soon as I have a minute to myself, I'm going to check out those links...thank you hun x

It is hard to find the time to pump while looking after a baby!

Is your baby healthy? And was he full term? If so, it might not be nessercary to sterilise every day. From what I read, if you sterilise the bits once a day, but the put the pump parts in the fridge, you can use them again. I always used a fresh bottle, and combined the milk when it was same temperature, but I kept the funnel bit in the fridge.

A bouncy chair was a godsend, I could bounce LO with my foot and sing to him while I finished pumping. If you can't fit in a full pump, a quick pump is better than nothing. An empty breast makes milk faster! Also, if you are going out in the afternoon, or planning an early night, you can pump closer together (say at 9am, 10am and 11am) and have a slightly longer gap later on. I even managed to go for a meal out once!

I tried LO at the breast as often as I could (sometimes once a day, but sometimes I'd have a break for a few days as it upset me so much). One day I was holding him and he shoved my top in his mouth and started sucking! The HV told me he didn't have a tongue tie, but I think he did, as he suddenly learnt to stick his tongue out at 6 months old. I spoke to a La Leche League leader, who told me a few exercises I could do to strengthen his tongue and help him latch. I don't know if they'd help in your case, but you could give them a call and ask. They are very helpful, and didn't mind me calling with a crying baby or a pump in the background! You can find the number here:
http://www.laleche.org.uk/pages/about/helpline.htm

Oh dear, I'm quite upset here now. I feel so stressed out with breastfeeding/expressing. I really dont think I can pump that many times a day. I am on my own all day, hubby isn't home til 8 or 9pm every night so I dont have any physical support. My LO is very alert for his few weeks of age and demands a lot of attention.

I feel at the end of my tether with it all and so disappointed that I cant feed him myself.

I really do appreciate your help, its been amazing to read all of it. I've just called this breastfeeding advisor who I spoke to initially re: tongue tie, nipple shields etc and left her a message explaining I am still having problems and asked her to call me back. I am hoping she can come and see me as I really need some help to make a decision for once and for all.

Thanks again hun xx

What if I can continue to express a few times a day and give him formula? Would my supply be OK or would that not be enough to maintain it? I'm really keen for him to have at least some BM...

Some people only need to pump a few times a day. I'd say that although your supply might diminsh over time, you should be able to produce some milk for LO, and every drop counts.

Definitely give La Leche League a call, they might be able to advise on how to get the balance between pumping and getting things done.