Difficulties in achieving letdown

Symptoms

• Difficulty in getting breast to initiate the natural milk ejection reflex (MER) to express milk, which can result in frustration and pain during breast pumping. As your baby latches on and begins to suck, this sends a message to the brain to release the hormones prolactin and oxytocin. Prolactin is needed to make more breast milk, while oxytocin triggers the letdown reflex.

Potential Causes

• There could be multiple causes, ranging from the common issues of stress, cold temperatures, pain, exhaustion, to less common causes of smoking, excessive caffeine and alcohol use.

What to do

• Have a warm shower or apply a warm towel to your breasts before pumping.
• Lean forward and use the stimulation phase (this is a preset programme for LoveAmme Breast Pumps) on a lower cycle setting as compared to your usual cycle.
• Touching or thinking of your baby, or even looking at his/her pictures can be helpful to trigger letdown.
• Massage your breasts in ciruclar motion prior to and/or during a pumping session to ease letdown.
• You can pump one breast while nursing your baby on the other breast. Your babys’s sucking will help to stimulate letdown on both breasts.
• Relax your mind and body, to free yourself from stress.
• Develop a routine prior to each breast pumping session as MER can be conditioned to your body.

Unequal milk production

Symptoms

• One breast produces significantly more / less milk than the other.

Potential Causes

• Our breasts may not react the same way to the same pump settings, and one breast may produce less milk than the other.

What to do

• When there is no letdown from your weaker breast, you can use LoveAmme TailorMade Pro’s Individual Breast Customised Programme and set it to a Stimulation Phase for your weaker breast, while your stronger breast can continue on into the Expression Phase. The lower cycles of the Stimulation Phase has a faster and lighter suction which helps in stimulating letdown. When letdown comes, you can then switch the weaker breast over to stronger suctions for more efficient milk extraction.

Blocked Ducts

Symptoms

• A red and swollen patch on the surface of your breast and may be tender or painful to touch.
• A small white spot (about 1mm diameter) at the end of nipple that hurts when you feed your baby. This is called a “bleb” and may be due to an overgrowth of skin cells, or a collection of fragments or fatty material from your milk.

Potential Causes

• Milk is not being drained from a specific duct, causing the area to clog up and obstruct milk flow.

What to do

• Consult a healthcare professional or breastfeeding specialist.
• You may consider the following self-help solutions. However, if your symptoms do not improve within 12-24 hours, or if you are running a fever, please contact a healthcare professional or breastfeeding specialist.

• Apply a warm compress on your breast for several minutes before pumping. Discontinue if your swelling worsens.
• Gently massage the lumpy areas with your hands, gliding your hands towards your nipple. Massage before and after feeding.

• Pumping with tender breasts and cracked nipples

• LoveAmme’s TailorMade Pro allows you to double pump even with blocked ducts. In these situations, use the Individual Breast Customised Programme. Select a setting that feels the most comfortable for your tender breast, while maintaining the usual settings for your unaffected side.
• Increase your pumping sessions (up to 10-12 times a day) as that can better empty your breasts and prevent milk build up in the tender breast which may worsen the condition.

Breast Engorgement

Symptoms

• Swollen, firm and painful breasts. If the breasts are severely engorged, you will also notice that your breasts are warm with slight visible lumps.
• Flattened nipples and your areola, the dark area around the nipple, may be very firm.

Potential Causes

• Milk is not being drained properly from breasts, causing it to accumulate.
• Your breast tissue is filled with milk or other fluids.

What to do

• You may consider the following self-help solutions. However, if your symptoms do not improve within 12-24 hours, or if you are running a fever, please contact a healthcare professional or breastfeeding specialist.

• Apply a warm compress on your breast for several minutes before pumping. Massage to soften your breast.
• Try a cold compress on your breast to reduce swelling. Apply for 15 minutes every hour or as needed. To prevent damage to your skin, place a thin cloth between your breast and the cold pack.

• Pumping with tender breasts and cracked nipples

• LoveAmme’s TailorMade Pro allows you to double pump even when your breasts are tender. Use the Individual Breast Customised Programme. Select a setting that feels the most comfortable for your tender breast, while maintaining the usual settings for your unaffected side.
• Increase the frequency of your pumping sessions and make sure to empty your breasts.

Ways to relieve slight discomfort or pain

• Apply warm compress (i.e. warm cloth) on your breast for several minutes before the pump session.
• Massage your breasts in circular motion.
• If your symptoms do not improve within 12-24 hours or if you are suffering from extreme pain, please contact a healthcare professional or breastfeeding specialist.