Can everybody express breastmilk?

Question

my baby is 7 weeks old and i have never been able to pump breastmilk, is this because i dont have any, or because i cant.

My mum and lots of my friends say when they were breastfeeding, they were pumping lots, way more than they needed. My other friend, who is a surestart breastfeeding counsellor, says not everybody can express milk, some women just cant do it, and it means i can breastfeed, but to give up even trying to pump. My life would be a lot easier if i could pump milk, so should i quit trying, or carry on. I get really upset when i sit there squeezing the pump and nothing comes out. I get the tiniest dribble in the bottom of the bottle, about 5 or 10 ml, after about half an hour of expressing. Also, i am using a manual pump, would it be worth my while getting an electric one?

please help.

Answer 1

Lots of women breastfeed successfully and are completely unable to express any milk ever.

Why would your life be easier if you could pump?  I've pumped and its a highly overrated way to spend your time.

Answer 2

Try putting a warm wash clothe on your breast before you start pumping. and don't give up so soon. The first five minutes of pumping i'll get like half an ounce. BUT if I keep trying the flow gets a lot better. I also sometimes have to sqeeze them  : /   haha hope that isn't TMI

Yea, you might try electric. Good luck

Answer 3

i have grown a 11 month old on breast milk.  she is a healthy happy baby.

on the pump i can possiblly get 1oz possible 2oz off my right and 4 off  my left. and thats with baby helping get the letdown. alone i gt dribbles.

some mums just do not do well with a pump. maybe try hand expressing (i can get an additional 10ml out by hand after a pumping session)

electric wont really make a difference, i use a manual and have used and hated an electric pupm.  maybe try pumping the opposite breast to the one baby is on, that may help.

maybe get into a routine of pumping at the same times everyday, relax, dont watch the bottle, have baby on other breast too .

i only started pumping 4 daysa go as i am trying to find a job and want a stash of milk for my daughter if she goes to nursery and so far i have gotten 15oz and the best one was from my left breast (my prefered breast, with baby on other to get the letdown, i CANNOT let donw for the pump at all) i got a whopping 4oz.

Answer 4

have u tried getting ur baby to feed for acouple of minutes and then quickly swapping to the pump see if that works.

are u sure ur pump is on correctly ?

there not any diff in manual and electric.

it may be that it just wont work, but good luck.

Answer 5

You need an electric pump, they're more powerful & easier to use.  I have a Medela (it's small & yellow), it can run on batteries or w/ a plug, I think it was $150.  You can adjust the level of "pressure" it uses to pump.  You should pump for around 15-20 mins every 2 hrs at first.

Answer 6

Hi there - the very fact that you are stressing while trying to express may effect your flow.  Try and relax if you can....the warm washcloth on your breast is a good start too.  I used to record my favourite shows and then watch them while I was expressing so it was a bit of a relaxing treat to sit and express and watch my favourite shows.  I had to express in order to get my supply up.  I used an electric pump and that was great - much less physically straining than a manual pump.  Hire one from your pharmacist or maternity hospital to give it a try.  

Finally, CONGRATULATIONS on being so dedicated to giving your baby the best start in life.

Answer 7

It's true. Some women just can't pump much. Also, the more stressed out about it you get, the less likely you are to get more out. Here's a link to some suggestions that might help you.

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

Answer 8

Breast pumps are not nearly as efficient as a baby. For some women the pump just will not work.

Answer 9

Some women let down easily for the pump. Others do not.  

A cheap manual pump is often of poor quality. (If it's one made by a formula company, and was the freebie you got from the hospital -- remember that formula companies are very interested in making you doubt your supply and/or quit breastfeeding and/or supplement with formula -- so their pumps aren't very good...)  

If you must pump (i.e., to go back to work) I would definitely invest in a better quality pump.  If it's just for convenience (so Daddy can give a bottle, or because you'd rather not breastfeed away from home) -- if it were me I wouldn't bother.  Just nursing is easier anyway - and you obviously have plenty of milk for your baby. (If you had no milk, your baby would have starved by now...)

If you really do want/need to pump, try pumping one breast while baby nurses the other, or try looking at a picture of baby while you pump. That can help letdown.

Answer 10

I had the same problem, i could breast feed so easily but hardly anything when it came to the pump. I had a manual one on my first but bought an electric for my second - it was a bit better but not much

Answer 11

The electric one would probably work much better. I have heard that the baby gets the milk out far more efficiently than any pump though..

Answer 12

Ugh, I'm so with you - my sister could get 9oz whilst feeding my nephew on the other breast! I could strangle her - my baby is far too wriggly for me to even attempt this and when I do pump, I can only get 1 oz or so at a time - I am hoping this will improve with time as my little one is almost 5 weeks so it really is early days!

My latest plan is to grab an ounce just before each feed and freeze at least 4oz daily, when I have a little stockpile daddy can do the am feed before leaving for work and when I wake up I should be able to get more! we should then have some spare for the odd trip out to places b'feeding is not easy.

I have also been told by b'feeding peer counsellors that not everyone can, I know I find it bloody hard but like I say, I do hope this improved with time. Some people at the b'feeding group I go to say they got on better with an electirc pump (I used one in hospital and got loads but my milk had only just come in - I had already bought the manual pump for home)

Don't give up, try different times of day, before feeds, after feeds etc and don't be disheartened by small amounts (I got 1/2 ounce first time with my manual pump!!)

Good luck