Pumping tips?

For those of you who successfully pump a lot to donate..
What are your best tips for doing it? How many times a day, what are good pumps, things to increase supply, etc.?
If you are pumping multiple times a day do you pump and refrigerate and pump more into it or freeze each time?

I have chuncky (sp?) babies so I know I supply plenty for them but I would like to start getting on a routine of pumping to donate to baby/babies in need.

Thanks for your help!
Sharon

Personally, I pump 3x a day- 9 am, 3 pm, 10 pm. I never miss one of those times. I want to make SURE that I keep up with them. I know that my schedule is one of the biggest reasons I am able to store around 30 oz a day. I do the normal stuff besides that- eat oatmeal for breakfast, make sure I drink enough water, don't miss a pumping or feeding, feed on demand and as much as possible, ect. I don't know if it helps or not, but even though both sides are done pumping, I keep the pump on an extra couple minutes so it stimulates me more. I use a Pump-in-Style by Medela what was provided to me by my insurance and it ROCKS! I can drain both sides (up to 15 oz sometimes!) in under 10 minutes. Before that, I had a Medela Swing and after 3 babies that it went through, it was losing power and not doing what I needed it for. As for storage, I store in different bags each time, marked and dated, then immediately frozen. I never pump or pour into a bag that already has milk in it. I don't know if other people do, I just don't. I do combine the milk from the left and right in the same pumping session, though.

Thanks Heather!! WOW 30 oz a day!! I was only getting a few onces a day even pumping 2-3 times!! When do you pump in between feedings, after feedings??? Thanks again. I have an evenflo.. not sure the make though, I'll have to check.

You should be able to get more over time. A few ounces extra is awesome! I find that I can 'train' my body to produce a certain amount. If I only want to produce 5 oz from each boob in the mornings, I will only pump 5 out for a few days and after that, I will only be able to get 5 out. I also noticed that if I leave the pump on for a few extra minutes each time, I will get just tiny bit more the next day.
I actually started pumping right away, when my milk came in. I hated leaking, so when I would leak, I pumped. It made my engorgement last longer, but I was determined to have an over supply this time around. Eventually, I fell into the schedule of 3x a day. Since I was nursing on demand, I would usually wait until after I fed her to pump, just because I found that she nurses a lot faster (and she fell asleep less at the boob) if I fed her first. I also noticed that when I nursed after I pumped, I would get more milk with my pumping in the days to follow. I know that many women say that pumping right after a feeding is a great way to boost your supply. It works for me! Now, I pump at those times, feeding right before or not. My body counts on that as a set feeding time and if I don't pump, it still comes out

Sharon,

Here are a few things that I do. Let me just say that this is my third child and I have found that if I do not use a hospital grade pump, my supply dwindles until it's gone. So I use a Medela Symphony. I rent it for $60/month. But I figure its totally worth it because I only got to nurse my daughter for 2 months and my middle son for 4 months before my supply was gone. This time around, my son is almost 5 months old and I produce a little over 70oz a day (I exclusively pump b/c my son has a posterior tongue tie so I can measure exactly how much I produce each day). So, I'll gladly pay the rental fee to keep my son on BM as well as give to other babies! I have heard that some mom's will go and rent a hospital grade pump for a month or so to get their supply up and then take it back and go back to using their own pump.

Other things I do include:
* I pump 4 times each day. I try to do around the same times every day, but mainly just make sure I get at least 4 pumpings in (remember that I am not nursing so I try to pump more, but rarely find the time.
* I fill my son's bottles (we keep 5 filled bottles in the fridge and rotate them through each feeding) I put 6 oz in each bottle and 8oz in each Lansinoh bag to freeze. I only freeze fresh breast milk. If I have a few oz extra, it goes into a storage bottle and then I add to it the next pumping and use it to fill a bottle that my son is going to eat. I try to never freeze milk that has been added to. But if you are nursing and the pumped milk is all getting frozen, this may be impossible to do, unless you just freeze a lesser amt in the bags.
* I take daily prenatal vitamins, probiotics and alfalfa powder supplements (the latter was recommended to me by a LC and it worked.)
* I use olive oil to lubricate the inside of my pump flanges. This makes it much more comfortable and I believe saves my breasts some trauma which helps keep them in good working order.
* Eat oatmeal
* I use Motherlove's More Milk Plus once each day.
* I drink water to thirst.
* If I see any decrease in my supply, I do a power pump. (this is when you pump for at least 30 minutes, longer if it takes longer to empty your breasts. Then you rest for 30 minutes, then pump for 10, then rest for 30 minutes, then pump for 10 until it would be the next scheduled time for you to pump/nurse.) Power pumps require an extended time of being at home with nothing else scheduled to do. But it definately works to get your supply up, simply because your demand is up so much.
* I use a heat pack before I pump and keep it on my belly while I'm pumping. This helps keep a chill away so that my nipples don't clamp down in the middle of pumping if I get chilled.
* Try to get as much rest as possible.

And just as important as what I DO is what I DONT do. These are things I avoid because they decrease milk supply:
* Peppermint/Spearmint - I avoid anything with these in them... gum, candy, body lotion, air freshners etc.
* Sage/Oregano/Parsley/Thyme - Sage is actually used when trying to wean.
* Caffeine
* Alcohol - I know it acceptable to have small amounts of caffeine and alcohol when nursing. I don't avoid them because of them going into the milk. I avoid them because they are known to decrease milk supply and I am dedicated to my son and the other beautiful little girl that I donate to. It's not that I NEVER drink caffeine or eat chocolate, I just try to be conscious of how much I've had and try to have less than one serving per day.

I hope this will help you. It is a combination of experience and research. BTW... Kellymom.com is a great source for all things nursing. It has great tips to increase milk supply.

Good luck and thank you for being willing to pump and donate!

Thanks, that is a ton of great info. I definitly don't have the money to rent one, but I will be working on some of the other things. I've been considering using alfalfa anyway... didn't know it helped increase supply though. I can definitly see paying the $60 a month if it helps keep your supply up for your kiddo, I'm sure that is less than you would spend on formula and SO much better for your kiddo! Thanks again

Hi,

Here is what I do to help keep my supply (over-supply). Pretty much the same things other people already said, though.

At home, I nurse my baby on demand, and plus pump more. When my son doesn't empty my breasts, I pump out the rest until they're empty. At the end of the pumping session, it looks that it's done, but keep pumping for another 3 min or so, then it seems that I can get extra ounce from each side. Usually total time for pumping is around 10 minutes (both sides at the same time).

Even at night, my son seems to start sleeping longer stretch, so I make myself get up around midnight-2am-ish to pump and empty both sides to avoid engorgement and also to maintain/boost my supply. I can deal with getting up twice at night if needed (3 times is a little too much, though!)

At work (M-F, 9 to 9.5 hours including lunch), I pump at least 3 times, or 4 times if I can squeeze another pumping session.

On my second child, I used Ameda Purely Yours. This pump worked just wonderfully and I loved it. With my current baby (third child), I also bought Avent Isis Duo (electric double pump). I wanted to get a second one, so I can keep one at home and another for work. I kinda like Avent better now b/c I think it has stronger suction. Per Avent's website, it says it has the same suction strength of the hospital grade pump. I have never used a hospital grade pump, so I cannot compare, but if you want to venture $250 or so on Avent Isis Duo, I highly recommend it. I can pump 6 to 10+ oz in 10 to 15 min at max. (plus, I can use bigger 8-oz bottle so that I don't have to change the bottle (4 oz) in the middle of pumping).

To boost/maintain my supply, I have been eating brewer's yeast (powder form). I found the cheapest at Swanson Health online. You may have to get accustomed to the flavor (kinda nutty and cheesey flavor), but brewer's yeast apprently has Vitamin B and protein that helps boost milk supply. I sprinkle them into dishes and you can't usually tell the difference in flavor.

And, yes, hydrate! I drink plenty of water throughout the day.

To store/freeze milk, I can usually get at least 5 or 6 oz per pumping session (both sides combined), so I was using the Lansinoh bags. But they're kinda costly (almost 20 cents a bag), so I started using milk tray called "Sensible Line Milk Tray" that you can freeze 1-oz sticks and keep them in freezer Ziplock bags. I have also used milk cube tray called "So Easy Fresh Baby," and also kept the milk cubes in freezer ziplock bags. The only downside to milk cubes/sticks is that they take more space in your freezer than milk bags. But if you can find a local on-going donor who can clear your freezer on regular basis, then it won't be too much of a problem, then.

Thanks!!