How do I make pumping "work" better? Getting clogged ducts.

[nossi]

Going back to work in 2 weeks (DD is 5mo) and will need to start pumping regularly.  Trouble is, I just can't seem to get a lot of milk out with pumping, especially on one of my breasts.  The other breast seems to respond better to the pump (ie more milk and it feels like it's been emptied).  This didn't happen to me with DS, but for some reason is happening now.  DD had diarrhea a few weeks back and I had to pump for 48 hrs and give her soy formula.  It gave me the worst clogged duct in one breast.  The pump just couldn't effectively get the milk out.  I try hand compressions, but they don't help all that much.  I'm thinking of just renting a hospital grade pump and leaving that one at work, even though it's $90 a month.  Any other advice?

[becj86]

Did you try massaging the breasts near the chest wall before starting to release the fats off the walls of the ducts and help emptying?

I found hand expressing helpful too.

[Fiver]

Combining hand expressing and pumping is a great way to optimise your expressing.  The hand expressing gives skin to skin contact and more accurately represents LO 'milking' the breast and then pumping is like LO's sucking.

There are some links to Instructions on how to express by hand. in this link.