Expressing supply - when does it improve?

[PurpleDana]

I've been expressing milk for my 4wk old dd for a week now & I am still only getting 1-2oz per session. Is this all I can expect or will it increase soon? I'm finding it really hard to express enough for her one bottle feed a day and I really want to make the move to exclusively expressed feeding at some point in the future rather than switch to formula, but I really can't see how now.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Not sure sorry purple. Think expressing is a very individual business and can vary widely. For me 1-2 ounces would have been a dream.

What type of pump are you using? Do you pump at the same time every day? For me, pumping whilst feeding helped me get more

[Ditsy79]

purple It took me days to get enough for one feed, but I expressed after giving her that bottle and got nearly the full amount out (almost 4 oz).
I had been expressing after each feed and getting hardly anything, but my HV advised to leave it for an hour after feeding to trick my body into making more - it seems to have worked. What pump are you using? I treated myself to the medela swing - I'd initially been using a medela mini electric that a friend lent me, but it really hurt, bruised my nipples and didn't get more than 5ml out at a time. The swing is so much better, definitely worth the price in my opinion.

[squiddle]

Mine just didn't. I used to spend 40 mins to get a third of one of those little bottles; my friend hand-expressed (!!!) a bottle really easily. A really good pump can make a difference I think.

[PurpleDana]

Thanks ladies. I use an avent manual pump. I express when I can, typically mid morning & teatime, & I try to squeeze an afternoon & nighttime session in too but that's pretty hit & miss. DD feeds every 2hrs in day, sometimes less, and every 3hrs at night, so it is difficult to fit expressing in

[PurpleDana]

Plus she is very unsettled in the evening so needs attention

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I could barely express a drop with the avent isis. When I tried the ameda lactaline I got more. They are expensive though so its worth looking at 2nd hand or renting if you want to give one a try. It's probably worth investing thigh if finances permit, especially if you want to exclusively express.

Are you expressing while you are feeding? I found I got a bit more that way.