I've been pumping for 3 weeks after being on the accelerated protocol (with Yasmin and 30mg of Dom 3 times per day) for four months. I recently added More Milk Plus because I was only pumping about 1/3oz from both breasts. I try to pump every 2 hours during the day and at least once during the small hours of the night. I'm up to nearly 1oz from both breasts at some pumping sessions, but sometimes I only get about 1/3oz from both still.

I get a letdown at about 6 minutes and another one around 20-25 minutes. Should I pump beyond 30 minutes if I still am producing milk?

Also, I get a letdown and my horn collects milk, but after a few sprays, this stops. Is this normal? If I compress and massage while pumping, I get more out. But without that, the milk just stays in there until my breasts get firm.

Finally, should a large amount of your nipple be drawn into the breast shield, or just a bit?

CSH

Hi CSH,

Your breast tissue should form a "teat" as the pump draws it in. So basically the most breast tissue that is drawn in, the better. The nipples are just the exit.

Pumping for around 30 minutes is good. If you can hand express afterwards, it would be helpful.

Kindly email me for further instructions; Lenore@asklenore.info

Best,

Is it really better to pump for longer? The protocol says 15 minutes total. Sometimes I go for longer if I'm still flowing/spraying milk, but is it really helpful to pump for longer at each pumping? I think I'd have to pump for a really long time to slow the flow of milk ("empty the breast"). Is that necessary for increasing supply?

Toward the end of the guide to the protocols there are pumping instructions that suggest pumping for about 7 minutes and then do breast massage and then pump for another 7 minutes but that's not written in stone. What many moms do is pump for 20-30 minutes straight, then hand express afterwards for a few minutes to get the "leftovers" because the better the breasts are drained, and the more often, the more milk they produce.

The protocols are designed with a measure of flexibility. If you get a let-down after 5 minutes and everything slows down, to a drop every few seconds, you can stop and do the hand expression. It's up to you to decide what works best for you.