expressing doesn’t work

Expressing doesn't seem to work any more.
DS is exclusively BF and he seems happy enough with what he gets. Good weight gain (after the first week loss), lots of wet & dirty nappies.

But when I express I get very little

I've got an Avent manual breast pump, when I first started using it (about 4 wks) I could get 100+ mls in a sitting. Then a couple of weeks later I could only get about 40mls at a time. Now (9wks) I'm only getting about 10mls.
I don't understand! It's like I've become immune to expressing. Hand expressing yields very little either.
I'd really like to be able to express a bottle feed a day so that DH can do his last feed at night.

I've tried relaxing, looking at a picture of DS, even tried expressing next to him while he's sleeping. Nothing seems to help.

I'm wondering if I should buy an electric pump, but they're so expensive and I have my doubts that it'd improve the situation.

I think what may have happened is that your supply has regulated, so when baby was young you had oodles of milk and it was easy to get extra out, now that baby is older your boobs have adjusted and so are only making what baby requires so to get extra out you will need to keep expressing to build your supply up for that extra amount, same as baby feeds more at a growth spurt.

I hope that makes sense.

If baby only takes one side at a feed you could try expressing the other side whilst feeding as a way to get more out as you will get the letdown easier than with just the pump.

I had the avent manual pump, and have used two electic pumps as well (1 blew up) and I got just as much out with the manual one as I have with the electric ones. I only got an electric one cos I was pumping full time for a while.

I would hire one before buying - some people just don't get on with expressing for whatever reason.

I was better with an electric pump but only very slightly.

Ive borrowed an Avent Isis as I had a manual Avent with Isabelle and couldnt get any milk out (even though I had plenty).

Im not getting as much as I used too .. but thats because my milk has regulated so I have to pump some "extra feeds" so that my body thinks im feeding him.

I find the easiest way to get a got load of milk is to pump one side while he drinks the other (great for night as he only ever has one side)

my supply was getting low after the 6 week growth spurt...

i brought Natures own FENUGREEK capsules and they have helped enormously.. i am almost always full and can pump all throughout the day again

Good Luck

MrsH wrote: ETA: I feel like I've become immune to having a let-down especially on my right breast.

Funny, even if I can get some out of my right, I very seldom get more than a trickle out of the left. But when DS is on, I can hear him swallowing so it seems to work for him.

Also, how do I figure out how much/ how many mls of EBM makes a feed? As I have no idea how much he's getting out at any time.

I would start by offering a 100ml and then adjust from there.