Exhausted from pumping

Hi mummies I'm a ftm at 22.. and I'm exclusively pumping bc i couldnt get the hang of latching my LO on and i was getting frustrated so i opted for bottle feeding n pumping. I'm getting very tired from the pumping!! and because of being so tired i do miss my pumping time and end up with engorgement... which rly hurts!!!!! and now i find myself having to pump every 1.5h - 2h which leaves me with little to no sleep/rest... any advice from mummies? also any idea how to slow down my milk production?? and stop engorgement??

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Hi mummy, firstly just wish to say what a great job you are doing! Despite being so tired and uncomfortable, you still wish to persevere and carry on this difficult journey đŸ‘đŸ» it’s really not easy especially for ftm. Latching or pumping both have its merits and challenges. Can I encourage you to try latching your baby a couple of times a day before offering the bottle? If you succeed eventually it will be such a nice bonding opportunity. If you don’t succeed it’s also ok, you are still bf her but just in a bottle! Don’t be stressed out as your baby will sense it too. Play it cool because what’s the worse that can happen? You just offer the bottle a few minutes later I am not a EP mum and therefore might not be entirely right on this. I believe the more you pump the more supply you will have and therefore be easily engorged. To regulate your supply you may wish to prolong your pump timings little by little or shorten your pump sessions. Just pump until you are not engorged and don’t completely empty your breasts. Eventually your body may get the idea. Good luck! Hope other EP mom’s will be able to offer better tips!

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Super Mum

Hi, I can relate, it wasn't easy at first to latch baby for me too. Baby's mouth was too small, always closed and she was always sleeping and unwilling to cooperate. At first I had to pump + syringe feed for 2 weeks which was so so troublesome and tiring. But you need to keep trying and trying. It's as much an exercise for you as it is for your baby. After a few days or weeks you and baby will get a hang of it. And there's always the option of going to a lactation consultant with baby, they can help find a good position and exercise to train baby's sucking. My baby now can latch while half asleep lol.

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I can felt you. I used to pump every 2 to 3 hourly. I have to take care my lo n feed her. Even during confinement, I can’t rest also. It’s really big challenger to me. my lo 6 mths old now. I try to drag the session of pumping then now I’m only pump 4 times a day. Before that I’m use to pump 8 to 9 times a day. After pump, I have to feed my lo. Once I’m finished feeding, then I can felt the engorgement again n have to pump again. After dragging the pump session, it will be better. But my yield for a day still almost the same after reduce the pumping.

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5y ago

drag pump time by how long? I'm currently pumping at 15-20mins. usually after 13mins there's no more milk coming out but i still continue pumping.

VIP Member

The easiest way to solve your ‘problems’ is to breastfeed your child. Please try to learn to get your baby to latch on. Place your nipple near baby’s mouth. Gently squeeze your breast to ‘release’ milk. Wipe your milk covered nipple on your baby mouth. Your baby will naturally latch on...

5y ago

i tried when i was in the hospital. but it was very difficult for me to get my areola in my LO mouth hence discomfort when i try latch on sometimes even pain... and my LO will suck for awhile and cry..the nurses say bc of bad latching but i try many times still cannotget it right

VIP Member

i am mostly EP too, same issue that baby not very good in latching. so hes a bottle fed baby but i still get him to latch everyday cos he can clear my blockages

5y ago

how u get him to latch? mine doesnt want to latch anymore after being bottle fed

VIP Member

U can slowly drag your pump by half an hour and monitor cause it will adapt.