Jan and others,
I don;t have the answers to your questions but I do have my personal
experience.
I've already shared how I relactated to provide breastmilk for my adopted
daughter 6 years after my bio son weaned. I initially used a double electric
breast pump 6x per day 20-30 mins to get prolactin levels up and then hand
express because at that stage the pump just was not very good at getting out
small quantities of breastmilk (like expressing all day and getting 1
teaspoon). Eventually when I reached my desired volume of milk expressed per
day I then dispensed with the pump altogether and just hand expressed to get
the milk out. I was extracting 200 ml per day while expressing 3-4 times per
day. I actually put the pump back in the cupboard. ....... However, within a
week I found my supply dropping off and I was having to express more
frequently and for longer periods of time to get the same milk and then I
found that I couldn't maintain it. Nothing else had changed except for not
pumping and at that stage the pump was not getting much milk out.
So I got the pump out again and used it twice a day (this time for some
reason it was better at getting the milk out- always been lousy at getting a
MER without a baby at the breast- temperamental to put it nicely) for 20-30
mins and vwalla milk supply has stabilised and I have been able to wean off
the Domperidone. A couple of times I have had to do less pumping (going
camping with people who didn't know I had relactated and on hols with the
anti-BF inlaws) and have maintained milk extraction levels but have found
that supply drops off after a few days. For me at least, the stimulation
provided by double pumping for 40-60 mins a day is necessary.- I'm afraid I
can't provide the same stimulation by hand ;-P
Would anyone care to give me an analysis of what they think is going on?
Karleen Gribble
Australia


>
> DOES pumping an empty breast after a feeding improve milk production?  I
know
> many LCs tell moms to do that, but I'm not sure that it is effective.  Why
> not pump an hour after feeds so that there is milk removal?  Removing milk
is
> what increases supply.  If just nipple stimulation increased milk
production,
> then we shouldn't have FTT with those babies that are on the breast all
day
> long.
>

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