[Rissa812]

My son eats every hour and a half on the dot. If I put it in a bottle he eats over 8 ounces in a feeding and still wants to eat in an hour and a half. I try to pump milk during the day to give DH enough milk to feed him while I have class at night. I can only pump on one side while he eats on the other and allows the milk to come down. Even after my milk comes down, I only get about 2 ounces from one breast. After he is done on one side I switch and pump the other, but get nothing.
Am I doing something wrong? I have seen some of you write to pump for 30 minutes on each, my question on that is do I still continue to pump if nothing comes out, and wait until it does. I read you cannot pump for more than 2 minutes if no milk is being expressed. It seems he is eating so much there is nothing left to pump, although if I hand express milk comes out, so I know he is getting milk.
I want to BF as long as possible, and I will be going to work soon so I need to know what's going on. Any Suggestions?

[twinzplus3]

When are you going to work? Yes, it is possible to pump for more than and often you'll experience a second let down. You do not have a low milk supply. Pumping is different than actually bfing. (If I pump, I get about 4oz on each side. . .and I've been doing this for years and years. . .and that's with twins!)

When do you go back to work? And what type of pump are you using? I would suggest that if you need to pump for going back to work then you need to either rent a hospital grade pump or buy one. Since your baby eats so often (which by the way is normal), I would suggest keep doing what you're doing, pumping the other side while he eats. This 'tricks' your body into thinking that you have twins.

Oh and as for pumping for 30 minutes on each side. . .that's really not necessary for you. That was for a different situation.

[Rissa812]

I am going back to work as soon as I find a job. Its tough finding a job because I can only work a night. I want to be home with my kids during the day, and not put them in childcare. Our financial matters are why I have to go back so soon, but that's life. Can I mix refrigerated breast milk. If I pump out two ounces at one feeding, put in the refrigerator, and do the same at the next feeding, can I mix them so I can freeze it? I have the avent hand pump and the medala pump in style electric pump.
Thanks for your help!!

[twinzplus3]

I've mixed breastmilk but I'm not sure I'm supposed to admit that. I will only mix for one day though. So if I pump 2oz. today and 2oz tomorrow. . .I probably wouldn't mix that. . .but I'd mix all the ounces from one day. Breastmilk has antibodies in it so it wards off infection pretty well. (Honestly, and truly the next time you get a little cut if you're still nursing squirt some bm on it. . .a little odd. . .but just as good if not better than neosporin .

I use LLL guildeines. (This blog is written based on that information.)

[MiaCamille]

well what i heard when i was Bfing is that you refrigerate the part that you just pumped and once it's cold then you can mix it with the one in the freezer that's what i always did and it worked out great. Good luck!

[twinzplus3]

ahh. . .see now I don't feel so badly. If you tell people at the hospital that they will jump up and down and frown at you!

[MiaCamille]

Originally Posted by twinzplus3

ahh. . .see now I don't feel so badly. If you tell people at the hospital that they will jump up and down and frown at you!

Well i was told that at BFing classes lol

[twinzplus3]

Well. . .when it comes to bfing the hospital is the last place I'd look for info. LLL guidelines are similar to what you said. I think the hospital has to be super careful of infection and super careful of lawsuits.

[Rissa812]

I wait until both are the same temp, then I mix them and freeze it. I dont want to have lots of 2 ounce packs in my freezer. That would become a mess when it came to thawing the packs out. Where can I read the LLL Guidelines.

[twinzplus3]

Check out this site. I think you'll find a lot of answers there.