I used to express right after feeds, and after awhile accumulate enough. It certainly isn't related to how much milk you have for bub though, even people with a generous supply of milk can have trouble expressing. I guess there might be some expressing tips around that might help, like being relaxed and....that's the only tip I can remember.
Is your little one about 3 weeks now hun? Your ticker is a little out of date As the others have said, the amount you get when expressing really doesn't tell you anything about your supply. A baby will always cause a let down (milk ejection) but not necessary a pump. In the early weeks - say the first 6 - 12 weeks, adding expressing into the mix as well as breastfeeding can be tricky. If you don't need the milk immediately, it might be less stressful for you to wait a few weeks before trying to build up a stock of expressed milk (EBM). When you do try (whether it's now or later) there are a few tips that can help:
- Try expressing during the early hours of the morning or after your DD's first morning feed if you are up to it and have time
- Otherwise express about 30 minutes after a feed from the second side (if your DD has two sides during the feed, otherwise the one she didn't feed from)
- If you are not getting much out, a warm compress on your breast for 5 - 10 minutes before expressing can help
- The let down is a conditioned reflex, so expressing in the same place as you usually breastfeed can help it happen
- It is important to be relaxed - if you are uptight, see if your partner can massage your shoulders for you. Otherwise trying to relax your chest and shoulders can help
- Gently compressing your breast while pumping might help
- So might looking at your baby or smelling her clothes
Expressing is a learnt skill - it takes a while to get there, and some mums never really get it working. Try not to put pressure on yourself, things always work out one way or another.
When I was building up a supply of EBM I would express just once a day, during the morning feed. By this I mean I would have a baby on one breast, and a pump on the other, to harness my baby's ability to stimulate let down. It is handy to have some EBM in the freezer, but you probably will not need it until bub is a bit older so if I were you I would concentrate on bub just now, and worry about expressing in a few weeks once you have breastfeeding mastered.
BellyBelly Life Subscriber
As the others have said, the amount you get when expressing really doesn't tell you anything about your supply. A baby will always cause a let down (milk ejection) but not necessary a pump. In the early weeks - say the first 6 - 12 weeks, adding expressing into the mix as well as breastfeeding can be tricky. If you don't need the milk immediately, it might be less stressful for you to wait a few weeks before trying to build up a stock of expressed milk (EBM). When you do try (whether it's now or later) there are a few tips that can help:
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