I believe it was June who asked recently about the correct quantity of milk a mom should be pumping for a premie. There are dozens of factors that feed into this, but please let us not forget that the pump is not a baby. I often explain to moms that we are trying to fool the body into thinking that the baby is there stimulating it, and the milk is a bonus.Some things we need to know: is this a first baby? How soon after birth did mom start pumping? How many times the first day? At night, too? If not, when did she start pumping at night? What kind of pump is she using? Is she eating during the day? Does she have any appetite? Is she drinking? I am a lactation consultant and LLL leader with lots of experience with moms who pump for all kinds of reason, and pumped myself for a 25-week premie almost 20 years ago. I usually suggest that moms not spend more than 15 minutes with a pump at one time. Because you can hurt yourself if you do-not just the nipple, but back in the ducts. I also suggest that moms can try: pumping at the hospital in front of or with the baby, hand massage before pumping, pumping frequently for slightly shorter periods of time (like the "cluster pumping already described), visualization, and keeping a piece of the baby's clothing close while pumping. They also may want to call the hospital to check on the baby or keep a picture of the baby in front of the pump. Let us not forget that pumping for a premie, and as a matter of fact just having a premie, is hard work, added on to the other duties of a mom. Milk yield often decreases when there is "bad news" from the nurses, when the mother is not sleeping or eating well, or due to other stresses. Skin-to-skin care, and some mothering of the mother can help, but this is a tough issue. And honestly, while we can discuss "optimal yield" on day 10, it varies so much that it's important that we stay optomistic with the mom and continue to encourage her in her efforts. Best of luck to your mom Ellen Kadden, M.A., IBCLC, LLLL and mom to 3 grown up, no longer breastfeeding children *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html