How can I make more milk?

Use of breastpumps

Some mothers may experience breast fullness a few days after delivery. You can express a little milk to relieve the swelling and tenderness. It will soften the areola and make suckling easier.

However for those mothers who want to increase milk production, use of breastpump may help to stimulation more milk production. You may try feed baby on one side and pump on the other side with an electric pump; when finish (i.e. when baby stops swallowing on that side), switch side, and feed baby on the other side and pump on the side that have just fed; you may experience second let-down and more milk will be drunk by baby as well as collected by the pump.

If you want to store up the pumped milk, you could pump milk between feeds. Pump on both breasts half way between the first and expected second feed of the day; keep the expressed milk as stock; then feed your baby as usual for his second feed; he will be hungry earlier due to the diminished quantity, so you feed him earlier for his third feed.

For breastpumps to be used effectively, you should choose breast shields which are appropriate to your breast size. Some may find it hard to pump out the milk by electric pumps if their milk production is not yet well established (e.g. in the first week after delivery). One may use manual operated breastpumps first until their milk production has been well established. Then one could change to using electric bresatpumps as they are automatic and more convenient to use.

After pumping, the breast should be soften and you feel comfortable. If you could only pump out little milk even you think your milk production is well established, or you find your breasts still engorged after pumping, or you experience pain on breasts or nipples, there is a problem. It may be related to the size of the breast shield, the degree of vacuum pressure the pump set in, the duration of negative pressure applied on the breast during each suction, the duration of each pumping (e.g. pumping too long, or pumping without the let-down reflex), or the way you use the pump. You better get help from the sales where you buy the breastpump (to check whether you have used it correctly, or if they have different sizes of the breast shields), or consult your doctor if you have sore breasts or nipples.

Misuse of breastpumps

Breastpumps should not be used exclusively, as baby's sucking is the most effective way to empty the breasts and stimulate further milk production. Exclusive use of breastpumps with no breastfeeding may result in decrease of milk production and "drying up" of milk after several weeks.