Building a milk bank...moms who breastfeed.?

First off, let me say that I too am a breast feeding mom, just back to work. I also am a registered nurse who has done quite a lot of homework on this topic. There are several things to keep in mind: It is not abnormal to produce more on one side vs. another. I do too. Also, it sounds like you are stressing out over it, as do I. There are several things you can do to increase your milk supply. Decreased stress, more rest, and pumping on a speed and suction level that closely mimics your own baby's sucking. Usually a little slower and lower helps. Also, reposition your nipple inside the pump's nipple shield. That sometimes helps to compress different milk ducts. Lean forward slightly while pumping. The other thing that you can do to increase your milk supply, and I checked this out with both my OBGYN and my friend who is a nurse midwife, because it sounded a bit out there to me, drink dark beer (one glass a day). I honestly hate drinking it, but I do notice a lot of difference. I produce 1/3 more a day. If you do not become intoxicated, the milk does not become polluted with alcohol content. There is also an herb that you can take called Fenugreek. It helps to increase production of milk, and boosts its richness. For sore nipples, try a nipple shield. I did not use it for my first baby, and I paid for it dearly. However, my second daughter was nursed using one, and it makes all the difference in the world. Lansinoh is also a lanolin that you can apply to your nipples. It doesn't harm baby if ingested. However, personally the nipple shields are cheaper, and more effective in my opinion. I got mine at Target, which I have found had the best price in my area of the country. Also, if you pump in between feedings it helps your body think that your demand has risen. The herbs can be found at any health food store. Also, if that is not working, check out goat's milk. It is closer to mother's milk than any other source I have found. My pediatritian said that it can be slightly lower in its iron content, so to add chlorophyll to it. My daughter likes it and has not had any problems going between it and breast milk. However, she does have problems with formulas. Goat's milk is also cheaper. I use a brand called Meyenberg. It usually comes in cans, but also comes in powder form. If you can't find it, e-mail me and I will give you their 800 number.

Good Luck! Congratulations!

It is normal to produce a lot of milk the first couple of weeks. After that you body starts to taper to the baby's needs.

Here are some tips to help with pumping or increasing your milk supply

Eat oatmeal every morning

When you are nursing your infant pump the other breast at the same time - the baby at the breast helps to increase milk let down.

Make sure that you pump is adequate at stretching your nipple - if your nipple isn't being stretched then the amount of oxytocin running in your body is going to be lower.

You can try once or twice a day to pump for 10 minutes then stop for 8 minutes then pump for 10 minutes then stop for 8 minutes and then pump again for another 10 minutes - this will help with increasing your prolactin level.

Before pumping massage your breast with your own hand

Think of baby when pumping - have pictures and/or clothes that she has worn with her smell on it.

Then most importantly - Relax

went through the same thing with my son, i wanted to breast feed him as long as i could, but i had to go back to school so i pumped for him so my boyfriend or his gammy [boyfriends mom] to give him a bottle. i would only get about 3oz per session

tips tho

pump between 1am and 5am, its strange but its PRIME breastfeeding or pumping time

pump more frequenty for less time

take a pumping vacation - for like 3 days lie in bed and drink and eat and pump itll increase your milk supply

these are all things i did that helped me, in the end it really paid off, he was bout 5 weeks, and ate about 11 feedings a day, mostly from a bottle while i was at school

*fenugan i wouldn't reccommend, in alot of women it causes nausea, diahhrea and what not. it definetly did in me, and some work it works, but i still wouldn't recommend it

good luck :]

hope it helped some

hollyy

I've heard that Fenugreek can help. Along with eating oatmeal. When I pumped I noticed that if I changed the position of the pump on my breast I could often get more milk out of that breast. I would do this a couple times per breast just to make sure I was getting out as much as I could. Good luck. :)

Make sure you drink plentyyyyyyyyy of water. I find that if I don't drink enough water then my supply will go down. If I drink alot of coke in one day my supply goes down. So I strongly encourage drinking plenty of water. Maybe throw in a few extra lil snacks during the day. You will need those extra calories to make more breastmilk. Eat things very high in protein also.(trying to set up a milk bank myself) I hope you have good luck w/it. I know that it isn't easy when your baby is eating almost as much as you are pumping. lol

Oh yeah, one of my breast always produces more than the other. My right breast is like a milk fountain. Lol

I'm not pumping enough milk. What can I do?

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decreas...

What is normal when it comes to pumping output and changes in pumping output?

Most moms who are nursing full-time are able to pump around 1/2 to 2 ounces total (for both breasts) per pumping session. Moms who pump more milk per session may have an oversupply of milk, or may respond better than average to the pump, or may have been able to increase pump output with practice. Many moms think that they should be able to pump 4-8 ounces per pumping session, but even 4 ounces is an unusually large pumping output.

It is quite normal to need to pump 2-3 times to get enough milk for one feeding for baby (remember that the pump cannot get as much milk as a baby who nurses effectively).

Many moms are able to pump more milk per session when they are separated from baby. Milk pumped when you are nursing full-time is "extra" milk -- over and beyond what baby needs. Don't get discouraged if you are trying to build up a freezer stash when nursing full time and don't get much milk per pumping session -- this is perfectly normal and expected.

It is very common to have more milk than baby needs in the early weeks, which regulates down to baby's needs over the first few weeks or months. When your milk supply regulates (this change may occur either gradually or rather suddenly), it is normal for pumping output to decrease. For moms who have oversupply, this change often occurs later (6-9+ months postpartum rather than 6-12 weeks).

It is normal for pumping output to vary from session to session and day to day. Having an occasional low volume day is not unusual.

During a growth spurt, don't be surprised if baby drinks more expressed milk than usual, making it harder for mom to provide enough expressed milk. Growth spurts are temporary - try increasing nursing and adding a pumping session or two at home until the growth spurt is over.

[...]

See also Hidden Hindrances to a Healthy Milk Supply

How can I increase pumping output?

To speed milk production and increase overall milk supply, the key is to remove more milk from the breast and to do this frequently, so that less milk accumulates in the breast between feedings.

Increasing frequency

* Nurse more often when you are with your baby.

* Are you pumping frequently enough? Is there any way you can add a pumping session at work? If necessary, when pumping times are very limited, adding even a short 5 minute pumping session is better than not pumping at all.

* Add a pumping session or two outside of work hours or on the weekend. Try pumping after baby nurses, or pump one side while baby nurses on the other side. You might also try pumping while baby is napping, at night, or when baby goes longer than usual between nursings.

* Does your baby complain about slower milk flow when you pump between nursings? If so, try single pumping between nursings, instead of double pumping. Although single pumping is not as effective for increasing milk supply, this leaves one breast more full, so the milk will flow more quickly. See also these tips for babies who want a faster milk flow.

* Try cluster pumping, instead of a regular nursing/pumping session. Sit down with your baby and your pump, and nurse and pump every half-hour to hour for several hours.

* Some moms find it helpful to do a 2-3 day long power pump every couple of weeks to "super charge" their milk supply. This is simply a nursing vacation with pumping added in. On these days, get lots of rest, nurse very frequently and pump after as many nursing sessions as possible.

Removing more milk from the breasts

* Are you pumping long enough? When pumping to increase milk supply, it's recommended that you (double) pump for at least 15 minutes; to ensure that the pump removes an optimum amount of milk from the breast, keep pumping for 2-5 minutes after the last drops of milk. If you don't always have time to pump this long, remember that adding even a short pumping session (increasing frequency but perhaps not removing milk thoroughly) is helpful.

* Use a good double pump. Double pumping generally results in better pumping output and is better for maintaining milk supply. Pump quality can make a huge difference in pumping output, and different moms have better results with different pumps. However, some moms with abundant milk supplies do not respond well to pumping (even using the best of pumps) and do not get much milk when pumping. These moms may get better results using manual expression.

* Use breast massage (see "Assisting the Milk Ejection Reflex" toward the bottom of the link) and breast compression.

* If your pump has a soft shield or shield insert available (for example, the Medela SoftFit breastshield or the Avent "Petal" massager insert), then try using the pump with and without it. Some moms have also found that they can use the Avent "Petal" m

What they said.

i think you should go to google and look up milk bank

Instead of asking us, contact a doctor please. -.-