Hi everyone

I had a long discussion today with a mum with an 11 week old baby. Baby is gaining weight
well and is healthy, and she has been using an electric breastpump over the last 6 weeks
to express milk for use when she is at work.
Over the last two weeks, she has found it very difficult to pump enough milk for a feed
(she only needs 2 feeds a week, as she is working part time). Before this, she could pump
120 ml (sorry, don't know what that is in ounces) at one sitting, but now she is struggling
to get 20 ml, even first thing in the morning. She says her breasts feel softer than they
did before, but baby shows no signs of not getting enough milk, and I wonder if this is
just breasts settling down to the job.
She found her sudden poor milk production with the pump occured almost 'overnight' after
having antibiotics for a ??uterus infection?? and having a period start the next day.
It seems as though poor MER is the cause of the problem, and she has tried just about
every trick in the book to solve this (relaxation, nipple stimulation, pumping at
different times of the day, breast massage etc etc). Has anyone got any helpful ideas
that might improve her milk volume with pumping (especially as syntocinon nasal spray
is no longer with us). The pump is a N------ III, which she purchased, but I don't think
the pump is the problem as it was very successful to begin with. Baby is fed on demand
when she is not at work, and only needs two feeds a week away from mother, but she finds
she cannot produce enough even for that, and is considering introducing ABM or solids !!!.
I hope someone has some clever ideas!!

Fiona Coombes
Family Physician  IBCLC
Clueless in Perth Western Australia.