My supply was fine ! What is happening?
You’ve been expressing for months now, you are in a rhythm and have found of making this work for you !
But then you start to notice your volumes start to drop back a little and pretty soon you are using up your freezer stash . So you start to do the math that if things don’t increase you are going to be pumping feed to feed.
Equipment efficiency
1.Pumps have a working life and especially if you have a secondhand pump it may start to lose efficiency before it just doesn’t turn on anymore .
Could hire a pump from nurturing flow for a week or so to check this out
You can find a way to check how many hours a spectra breast pump has done2.Check the pump’s recommended part replacement schedule as parts wear out .
This could be as often as every 2 weeks for frequent expressing for some parts!3.Have you changed the type of equipment you are using recently ?
Transitioned from traditional flange style pump to wearable?
Each mum is unique in how they respond to the type of pump and if your breasts have been used to a certain level/type of vacuum and this can see a drop in milk volumes.
Some mum’s find that they may need to pump with their original pump some of the time and the rest with the wearable.4.Flange Size! Flange Size! Flange Size!
Getting the right flange size is so important for comfortable and efficient expressing.
You can buy a sizing kit on amazon which comes with a ruler and multiple inserts to try out or be professionally sized by a lactation consultant
or expressing expert such as nurturing flow.
Flange inserts are readily available online for all pumps and hard flanges for medela and spectra and ameda from many online retailers or on amazon
also at www.nuturingflow.com.au5.How you are using the pump
Mum’s are unique in how their breasts respond to vacuum, speed and settings of particular pumps in order to see a let down or multiple let downs.
Traditionally electric pumps have a stimulation cycle that after a set
time goes into a “expressing” mode.
But what happens if we haven’t had a let down by this time ?
For some mum’s recognising what they need to do to trigger let downs can be crucial for milk volumes in the short and long term.
I have met mum’s who go straight into the expressing mode for time saving but find the long slow draw of this mode is super effective for their let downs
Other mums have changed their settings several times during the expressing to trigger furthur let downs.
Check out setting cycles that have worked for other mums with your particular pump on you tube or online.Frequency of Expressing
Sometimes your body needs a reboot to increase milk volumes.
Maybe your baby is sleeping longer periods of time overnight and you now skip these pumps ?
If you’re breast have been super engorged in the morning with this transition it can result in your pituitary thinking it can slow down the production line.
Some mum’s who have large storage capacities may only need to pump 4-5 times a day and other mum’s 8 times to maintain volumes
But if needing to increase volumes then adding in 1-2 sessions may be all you need to see those 24 hr volumes bump up!
Power pumping for one of these is an option but some mum’s find this way too much to spend an hour pumping and would prefer to do shorter sessions more frequently.Keep a record of the 24 hr expressing volumes as this is often more helpful in determining increases rather then each pump.
Other Factors !
Could you be pregnant?
Some mum’s have noticed a dip in milk volumes with pregnancy!Premenstrual Dips
Some mum’s notice a dip before and during a periodDistraction!
If using a traditional flange/bottle pump some mum’s have found that they put a sock on the bottle so they can’t see the volumesRelaxation Techniques- listening to music while expressing
Hands free pumping - can adjust your nursing bra to hold your kits so you can eat /drink at the same time .
https://youtube.com/shorts/8stY-2fxt4M?si=jgXCaV13yInUEfXj
Reach out for individualised expressing plans!