Question about "catching" hand-expressed milk

[P.J.]

I've noticed that it seems like more milk comes out when I use my hand over the little pump I have. My supply is relatively low anyway and with the pump (a small Medela electric) I can only ever get 2 oz per session at most~ from both breasts! It's really annoying because it means I need to be pumping an awful lot to get enough for my situation.

Anyway I'd like to start trying to hand express because I think it would be more efficient. But the problem is, when I use my hand the milk streams out in like four or five different directions!!! I have tried to catch it in a cup, even a wide-mouthed cup, but it's nearly impossible to get it all and not have at least one of the streams going outside the cup. I guess I could lean over at a 90 degree angle and hold the cup right flush against the breast, but that seems really uncomfortable and bad for my back, and probably wouldn't work anyway as it still would be squirting in every which direction.

Has anyone else had this issue and if so how do you catch all the milk? TIA!

[GoBecGo]

I catch mine in a 2litre pyrex glass jug! Because it's got a super wide mouth and i can easily sterilise it and i can pour it easily too. I have great success with a medela swing pump, but if i go by hand i go the big jug (for my big jugs...)

[tibeca]

http://www.medelasuction.com/ISBD/br...cts/funnel.php

I have seen one of these in person. Most incredible thing I've seen in a while. Perhaps you can manage to make something that looks a bit like this? GOOD LUCK!

[Anna Phor]

I use the horns from my medela pump (this part; http://www.supermommyssuperstore.com...mPFshld-02.jpg). I put them into a bottle like a funnel and hand express into the funnel. I also use the horns like a funnel to transfer the milk into freezer bags and into the feeding bottles.

[MsCCM]

Just a thought, but have you tried using a small manual pump?

Before DD was born, I bought a top-of-the-line Medela only to discover that no matter how low I set it the suction was way too strong and was so painful, and I could barely get much milk anyways. I ended up using the little handheld Medela that I was sent home with at her birth. I could control the amount of pressure much better and could pump a lot more. Hand pumping was my second choice once I rediscovered my little manual hand pump!

[texmati]

oh, and a bit OT-- google standford hands on pumping. It's sort of a combination of hands free pumping an manual expression-- it's what I got the best results with.

[P.J.]

Thank you ladies for all the useful tips. I'm going to try using the horns from the pump as funnels and see how that works. I also just watched a video on the Stanford method, and that was really interesting. I hope to increase my output using it, because yeah, 2 oz maximum per pumping session is really frustrating!

[texmati]

Originally Posted by P.J.

Thank you ladies for all the useful tips. I'm going to try using the horns from the pump as funnels and see how that works. I also just watched a video on the Stanford method, and that was really interesting. I hope to increase my output using it, because yeah, 2 oz maximum per pumping session is really frustrating!

good luck! I was never good and hand expressing-- but I think that the 'hands on method' let me have the best of both worlds. I hope it works out for you.

[Quinalla]

Yeah, I was going to suggest a jug or bowl even, something nice and big. Good luck!

[NSmomtobe]

I just use a glass bowl that reaches the underside of my breast while I'm sitting on the couch.