Being heavy breasted meant that I had more storage space for milk, but I experienced a lot of blocked ducts as well. It was painful with many outbursts of crying and moments where I felt like giving up.
I was literally carrying melons.
Me with my youngest son Rayyan when he was born!
I remember having cabbage leaves placed all over my breasts to just calm them tities! The belief is that cabbage will help lower your milk supply especially when you are heaving blocked ducts. It did help in many occasions. Over time, I knew what worked for me and here are my tips.
1. Keep a glass of water beside your bed.
First thing when you wake up, gulp down a glass of plain water. Have 2 glasses if you want to! Make sure to stay hydrated all day. You can try all kinds of power pumping methods, but without liquid intake, the body will end up dehydrated.
2. Have a nutritious breakfast
I had a very consistent and regimented diet plan made by both my mother and mother-in-law! Every morning, I would have oatmeal with kurma ajwa (dates) and honey. You can plan a nutritious meal for yourself & stay consistent with it.
3. Snack on nutritious treats
On average, I would pump 8 times in 24 hours. This meant that I was always hungry and thirsty. One of my favourite snacks was to blend dates, avocado and honey! I would have this once or twice a day. If I didn’t make it at home, I would take a trip to MBG Fruit Shop and have it!
4. Get regular massages and heat compress
A lot of the veins connected to milk ducts are under your armpits and on your back. Massages will help dislodge any blocked ducts and smoothen the milk flow. On top of that, if you experience any blocked ducts, heat compress using the traditional ‘tungku/tunku’ or hot stone is a life saver! You are likely to see a fountain of milk flow out from your breasts!
Get the husband to feed the kids while you're being pampered with massages!
5. Use the right flange size
Use the traditional kind of pumps with the right flange for you. I started with the Medela Swing breastpump before going for the portable Spectra 9 Plus Double Pump. I would recommend to get a double pump to empty out both breasts at the same time. Saves a lot of time!
6. Pump on schedule
Last of all, and the most important of all, is to pump on schedule. You need your body to communicate with your brain to produce more milk. The more your body demands for milk, the more the brain pushes the body to increase supply. I pumped every 2-3 hours. I was committed to maintaining my milk supply. Stress would play a part of the reduction of supply. During those days, I would practice power pumping to tell my body that I need more milk!
Here is my power pumping routine:
- 20 minutes of pumping
- Rest for 10 minutes
- 10 minutes of pump
- Rest for 10 minutes
- 10 minutes of pump
(60 minutes in total)
Whenever you pump, practice to pump on low speed for about 3 minutes just to stimulate your nipples before increasing the speed to maximum.
I hope these tips will help you, mamas. These are tips from my personal experience, which worked wonders for me. I was able to produce up to 800ml of milk from every pumping session.
All of these from just 1 pumping session!
Let us know in our 24/7 Mommy Hotline Telegram Group if any of these tips have helped you!
xo, Junita.