Lolli’s Lesson: You’re NOT gonna pump much!

So, if you had your baby in the hospital with me and I gave you some breastfeeding education before sending you out the door, I will likely have said…”by day 5, we expect that you will wake up with boobs that feel like watermelons”. Because by day 5 after having a newborn, if you’re exclusively breastfeeding (and even sometimes if you’re not!) your full milk supply should be establishing. This is an exciting time! You wake up and realize that all of that breastfeeding the last few days has now provided you with a “boob job” like none other. The way you may be feeling is that you have gallons and gallons of milk ready to be fed, pumped, or a combination of the two. You will have heard me say “the first time you may need to pump is when your full milk supply establishes around day 5 and MOSTLY so your baby can latch on easier”.

That pump will finally get it’s moment of glory and the anticipation of filling a bottle is in the forefront of your mind. That is until…you pump and you barely get enough to cover the bottom of the bottle. “WHAT?!”, you exclaim. `Yep, that’s exactly right. You are not going to pump much. Yes, breasts look and feel very full. But instead of being full of milk, there is a lot of swelling that is happening during this time as your body is transitioning to a milk-making machine. It’s ok! Don’t freak out. Instead, use some gentle massage, warm compresses, and pump your breasts enough to soften for a much easier chance of latching that sweet little baby on to your breast. Let that baby do the job! Once that baby gets sucking, you may all be surprised at the gulps you never really heard before, and the swallowing that only happened periodically, and the long, drawn out sucking patterns that indicate your baby has a mouth full of milk.

It’s going to take your body a bit of time to adjust to that “order” your baby called in. But it’s going to happen. Likewise it’s going to take your body a bit of time to respond to pumping. Making sure your flange sizing is correct along with warm compresses, gentle massage, and tweaking your pump settings will eventually yield you the production you feel like you should be getting. And if it’s not? Please reach out to your lactation consultant for help! That is what we are here for. Happy pumping!