Had flange size problem now can't pump at all??

[jt2378]

Hi All,

I posted the other day about the smaller flanges, well i tried them and it made absolutely no difference, if anything it was worse because i couldn't pump anything more than an ounce! I don't understand, could my supply be drying up this fast? DD is 6 months and has always been a great nurser.  She was still waking up multiple times at night to nurse so I do not see how it could have decreased! I'm at work and so upset right now because I just can't seem to respond to the pump.  I changed the membranes, checked all the parts, nothing looks like it is wrong!

I'm baffled, any ideas???

Please and thank you

[ellabee]

Could it be your first post-p AF? My supply tanked in the week before mine came back. I did everything I could think of and was getting discouraged before I got it, but then my supply came back after it was done.

Sorry you're going through this. Try not to get too upset. The stress could contribute to decreased output too.

[jt2378]

@txaggie08, I'm always confused when people say that because when you hand express, can you actually get a decent amount?  I'm not sure I do.

ellabee, Thanks so much, I wondered that about AF, ugh I hope not, I have loved not dealing with that! I'm sure the stress contributed to it this morning and now I went in at my 1:00 pump and pumped 6 ounces so I'm very confused.  I guess it could all be stress related but it does feel like the fit is different somehow.  I used the 24mm flanges again and not the smalls so I guess I'm just really confused.  The seal does not seem right and then on the smalls seem too small, is it possible to be in between?

[ellabee]

Yay for 6 oz! Lol that does seem confusing. I guess it's probably possible to not fit either flange size perfectly. I guess I would stick with the larger size if you get better output, but keep an eye on your breast size in case they shrink again and then you can adjust.

When I was using the bigger size, I made sure to ramp up the breast compressions. I found that if I massaged in the right way, I could compensate a bit for the not so great fit.

I also have never had great success (volume-wise) with manual expression. Maybe I just never got the technique right. The only time I've manually expressed is for relieving engorgement.

[jt2378]

Thank you! Yes I barely moved and didn't want to adjust anything because I was paranoid it would stop working, lol...I guess I was silly to think I wouldn't hit some roadblock somewhere down the line...

[jt2378]

@txaggie08,

Thank you again for your input and the video!

[brandiewine11]

I think I could have written this exact same post a month or 2 ago. All of a sudden I having trouble keeping up when I had pumped an extra 1-2 oz a day before. The regular flanges were always a little too big and super uncomfortable so I went down to the smalls. They fit right (per the LC) but get horrible output.

I have been mostly using my old Avent pump instead of the medela and I get so much more with that. I even get more with the Avent manual. I still use the medela when traveling since I have all the accessories but use the other whenever I can.

In your situation I would per haps try to use a cover so you can't see your output and stress about it. You could try the Avent manual pump for those days when you are having a lot of trouble.

Also keep hydrating. I realized that I used to get super thirsty nursing/pumping but that went dow around 6 mo so I wasn't drinking as much. If I pay attention to water intake its better.

Good luck!

[casey]

I've had some times when I was stressed or upset and just couldn't letdown. The more I'd stress and worry, the worse it would be. When I could finally calm down and come back to things, I'd get so much more than I'd expect.

[jt2378]

brandiewine11,

Makes me feel better to know I'm not alone, I will look into the manual pump, thank you. For some reason they always seem to intimidate me like it would not work or something, time to get over that fear! Yes I have no idea with the flange sizes, I swear I'm in between sizes but the small did nothing for me yesterday so I'll try the mediums again today. I know how important water is, I have always been really conscious of it (drinking probably 100 - 120 oz a day)

casey, Yes I know I was getting upset and it was contributing to it. Just a quick question on that, is it better to give up at that point and then try again at the next schedule pumping or try and go back prior to that? I ended up spending almost 45 minutes yesterday at my 10:00am pump before giving up but didn't go back until 1:00pm, it would be hard for me to try and fit it in again before then but I'm just wondering if that is better? I did end up getting more than normal output at the 1:00 pump.

[meladorie]

Another thing that's helped me has been soaking my breasts in hot water and massaging them. It's the same technique they told me for working out clogs: bend over into the tub and massage vigorously. Then pump right after. Gravity plus heat plus massage helps. Even when I don't have a clog I do that sometimes and the pumping afterwards is always pretty productive.

[liziz]

I notice trouble letting down when I am stressed (especially about not pumping enough, go figure!)

I typically take a 10 minute break from pumping, then will hand express a little bit, just to prove to myself that there is milk in there, and it will come out. After that, I'm usually in a better frame of mind and let down with no issue.

[casey]

Mar 5, 2015 9:08:39 GMT -5 jt2378 said:

brandiewine11,

Makes me feel better to know I'm not alone, I will look into the manual pump, thank you. For some reason they always seem to intimidate me like it would not work or something, time to get over that fear! Yes I have no idea with the flange sizes, I swear I'm in between sizes but the small did nothing for me yesterday so I'll try the mediums again today. I know how important water is, I have always been really conscious of it (drinking probably 100 - 120 oz a day)

casey, Yes I know I was getting upset and it was contributing to it. Just a quick question on that, is it better to give up at that point and then try again at the next schedule pumping or try and go back prior to that? I ended up spending almost 45 minutes yesterday at my 10:00am pump before giving up but didn't go back until 1:00pm, it would be hard for me to try and fit it in again before then but I'm just wondering if that is better? I did end up getting more than normal output at the 1:00 pump.

I've done both, and a lot depends on what the rest of my day/time looks like.  At one point I came back 1.5 hours later and tried again ... and then ended up pushing back my pump after that. 

We don't want to get in the habit of skipping pumps, but it's also normal for baby to sleep a bit longer, be sick, etc ... so, missing one pump or moving times around a touch should be fine.  It's just when we make a habit of it that we tend to get into trouble.

[jt2378]

casey,

Thank you again for your suggestions, I had another bad day with the pump today so I am getting concerned it will mess with my supply. I hope it is just stress making things wacky. I am just so caught off guard since this seemed to come out of nowhere. I would be really upset if I had to stop BF because of a pumping issue because DD is a really good nurser! Hopefully just a little bump in the road.