Hello Everyone! Been gone a long time

Hi Ladies!
I don't even know how long it has been since I was here. I know I was nursing my now three year-old and trying to finish medical school. I am now working, OBGYN physician, and have a new baby. I am here looking for encouragement/help as I am working far too much and away from my little one far too long and I am not pumping very successfully right now. I am in the middle of a 30-hour call right now and so far I have only been able to pump about 3 oz of milk. I want to take Domperidone. I did in the past when I had a preemie and relactated when he was several months old. It worked very well then. Now it is not readily available in the US and I do not want to take Reglan. Fenugreek and oatmeal don't seem to have any effect at all for me. Obviously the main thing that needs to happen is that I need to pump more often and feed the baby more often. I don't have a whole lot of control over that. But I do have some days coming up over Thanksgiving when I will be off and I wanted to work really hard to build things back up...anyway...just frustrated tonight.
Going to go read around for awhile now.

Oh wow...it has been awhile. I just noticed my old signature. Kristen is now 11, Caleb 9, Kael 3 and our new little one, Cameron, is 7 months-old. Wow...we have certainly lived a lot of life in a short period of time!!!

Hi there! Welcome back congrats on your new addititon.
I really have no advice, I dont know much about pumping sorry
Oh and well done on becoming qualified

Welcome back!

As for the pumping as you know baby is the best way to increase supply.

Have you got times in the day (same time if poss) whic you can dedicate to just pumping?

I would suggest you try a quick pump session, with this you pump manually very quickly (as quick as you can!) and when your hand aches do it slower and then quick again. You need to do this for at least 20-30 mins on and off (so your hand doesn't hurt!) Do this on both breasts everyday at dedicated times in the day.

Massage your breasts while doing this too and eventually (hopefully within a few days) your breasts will make more milk..
The quick pumping tricks yours brain into thinking baby is trying to increase supply, when they get frustrated to bring milk down they suck a little faster and for longer, DD still does it now when I am not getting a let down quick enough.

Also if you would consider it at all and have problems in the future Milk share could be a back up plan for you? There are women giving all over the world.

Take a look

http://www.eatsonfeets.org/

i'm not sure if this will help but when i was in hospital i phoned my mum who was looking after my daughter (she is now 6 almost 7 and i fead her for 14 months) and i got my mum to put the phone near her for a while so i could hear her breathing and her noises/voice and had a picture of her with me and one of her baby grows which smelt of her and i managed to pump 8 oz (using the hospitals electric pump) each time i did this but when i didn't do that i couldn't pump much at all so maybe if your able to with work try doing this?
welcome back to the forum btw i didn't know you when you were a member last time so i look forward to getting to know you this time xxxx

Hi, well done with your studies.
Foods such as barley encourages your milk supply. I eat a lot of it when I have needed to express, I've got an electric pump but find hand expressing easier when I want to express alot. Most womans milk production is apparently more productive at night time too.

Goodluck.