How to Build a Surplus of Breast Milk, With Ease!
Hey Y’all!
This post is written to help support all of the mommy’s out there who want to give it their best shot at breastfeeding. This post is on how I accumulated over 600 ounces of breast milk by the time my newborn was 1 month old, and how I currently have over 2600 ounces of breast milk with my now 4 month old! With this being my second journey breastfeeding, I know how hard is can be to breastfeed, let alone build a surplus of breast milk!
Disclaimer: I am not a lactation specialist or a doctor. Should you have any questions regarding breastfeeding, you should consult your physician. This is simply my experience with breastfeeding. Please use the information I provide at your own discretion.
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My experience with breastfeeding has been so different with my second child than my first. Part of that, I feel like is because it is always better to know what to expect and therMefore, I was not anxious about nursing like I was with my first child. The other part is because of a product that I did not come across until I was pregnant with my second baby. More to come, keep reading!
But First.
Let me start by giving you some background with my experience with breastfeeding. My first child was born 4 and a half weeks early. Thankfully, she was perfectly healthy and did not require any additional stay at the hospital. However, because she was born early, the hospital staff pushed me to give her formula until my milk came in because she was so little (5 pounds 3 ounces). As a new mom, I didn’t know any different, so I just went along with it. Ember didn’t want to latch either, and it made things a lot more frustrating. So I supplemented with formula using a SNS (supplemental nursing system) and a nipple shield. Ember latched right onto the nipple shield, and although some may view the nipple shield as a negative decision, I breastfed her for 11 months with it, and it got the job done! After about a week, my milk came in, but I was so unsure if I was producing enough, that I probably used the SNS with formula, longer than I should have. By around the 3 to 4 week mark, we were still using the nipple shield, but no longer using formula.
Things were going pretty well, but I didn’t even THINK about building a breast milk surplus. Then I started back to work….
I definitely struggled to keep up with my supply with Ember. I felt like as soon as I started back at work, my supply took a drop. I worked HARD for that first year. I pumped liked clockwork. I pumped in every situation you could imagine to make sure that my supply wouldn’t take another drop. For the most part, I kept up with how much she was eating at day care, but there were weeks that we needed to supplement some with formula. And with how hard I was working to pump, it was disappointing when this happened, from a new mom’s perspective. So needless to say, it was pretty much hopeless to build ANY surplus of breast milk.
Then came round two….
The difference in my birth experiences were substantial, with my daughter born at 35 and a half weeks (click to read her birth story) and my son born at 38 weeks (click to read his birth story). Let me say that I was much more patient with getting my son to latch than I was with my daughter.
With Ashen, I took my time, trusted that I had colostrum, and he did great. He only lost 2 ounces in the hospital (Ember weighed 5lbs 3oz and dropped to 4lbs 12oz in the hospital on formula). My milk came in 2 DAYS after his birth! The pediatrician even commented on how fast my milk came in. But it makes sense, I had SO much more stimulation without a nipple shield.
As soon as my milk came in, I noticed that I was leaking on the opposite breast while I nursed. This is where that amazing product came into play.
This little contraption has been a LIFE SAVER. It catches all the milk from the opposite breast while you nurse. All you have to do is let it suction to your breast and it’s suction alone will act like a pump, with no extra work for you!!! No extra time taken from you and your baby to get set up to a breast pump!
I will say, that I originally thought this was simply a milk catcher, but it goes into the breast pump category because of it’s suction. I know that multiple resources recommend not to start pumping until your baby is around 6 weeks old. I started using the Hakaa at day 3, thinking it was simply going to catch was the opposite breast was leaking. By doing this, I believe it tricked my body into producing enough milk for essentially two babies!
I was a little engorged through the first couple of weeks, but it is something that, if we decide to have another baby, I would do again in a heartbeat. I wish so badly that I would have known about the Hakaa when I had my first child, because I know I would have been able to build a surplus of breast milk.
With Ashen, I had accumulated over 600 ounces of breast milk by the time he was 4 weeks old. He is now 4 months old, and I have a 2600 ounce surplus of breast milk! I have even been able to donate some to other babies in need. Since I used the Hakaa throughout my maternity leave, I haven’t noticed ANY drop in my supply since I have been back at work!
Ashen was born weighing 7lbs 5 oz, and by the time he turned 1 month old, he was weighing in the 95th percentile and has stayed there thus far! So I know that he is getting enough milk, in addition to me storing the milk I get from the opposite breast.
It did take me a few nights to get my routine down to the easiest possible. My goal was/is to “catch” 12 ounces of breast milk during the day and 12 ounces of breast milk during my night-time feedings. So, I am making 4 bags of extra breast milk per day.
For the night-time feedings, I didn’t want to have to get out of bed every time I nursed to put the extra milk into the fridge, but I also did not want to give up catching the extra milk at night. So I came up with this great routine.
I use this cooler from the Munchkin Baby Bottle Warmer set.
I freeze the removable ice pack that it comes with, then fill the bottom of each side with a few plastic frozen ice cubes and then place an empty bottle with a lid on each side. I used the Medela breast pump with Ember, so I just used the bottles that came with that kit, but any bottle with a lid would work just fine. When Ashen wakes, I stick the Hakaa on the opposite side. When he is finished eating, I pour whatever milk that is in the Hakaa into an empty bottle with a lid and put it in the cooler. That way, the milk stays good and fresh throughout the night without you having to get out of bed! When the morning comes, I pour all the milk from the bottles into storage bags and place them in the freezer.
I do feel like there is an art to using the Hakaa and getting the perfect suction, and I plan to write up a post on how I used it exactly to get the most breast milk possible.
Well there ya go mama. I hope this post helps you in your breastfeeding journey! With the Hakaa coming in at around $13, you have nothing to lose! I strongly recommend having two on hand, for I have used them both to pump in the car, to pump while I get ready for work, or anytime I needed to and didn’t want to hook myself up to an actual breast pump.
- Make sure to have patience and stay calm when it comes to breastfeeding.
- Give yourself and your baby time to get accustomed to one another.
- Use the Hakaa to build a surplus of breast milk (It’s up to you on when to start, recommendations are at 6 weeks post partum, I started at day 3)
- Breastfeeding is demanding. Sometimes you feel like that’s all you’re good for, but I promise, that feeling won’t last forever. Try to enjoy it while you can. In the long run, whatever your goal is to make it to, breastfeeding won’t last forever. And if you build up a surplus, you won’t feel so stressed.
I hope to help anyone who has hopes of breastfeeding their little one. I wish I would have had this advice as a first time mom! With breastfeeding being as hard and demanding as it is, I know ANYTHING that can make it easier is appreciated!
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What tricks of the trade did you use? I’d love to hear from you!
