Expressing 8 times daily - will my supply increase?

[jane2019]

My son is 6 weeks old. I breastfed him for the first 3 days but then used formula as I didn't think he was getting anything from me on day 3. I tried to breastfeed at the same time as giving him formula then I did have a break where I used a hand pump only and was only using it once a day. I sometimes got less than 10ml from over an hour of expressing.
After reading up online and asking advice here I got a double electric pump and started expressing 8 times a day with it and can get around 120ml per day with that at the minute. I am pleased with this progress but would like to be able to express 120ml of breastmilk in one go so that I know he'd be able to get a full feed from me.
He takes 120ml bottles of formula and whenever I breastfeed him I don't know how much he gets but I always offer him 120ml of formula on top of what I breastfeed him and he takes it.
I have had days where I can't express 8 times as I have been out and about and I worry these days are setting me back.
If I continue expressing 8 times per day will my supply increase or will it just stay the same? If it will increase how long do you think it will take before I notice an increase?
I have also been power pumping most days (pumping for 20 mins then 10 min break, 10 mins then 10 min break then another 10 mins) and I only class that as 1 out of 8 of my expresses!

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

would like to be able to express 120ml of breastmilk in one go so that I know he'd be able to get a full feed from me..

How much you express is no indication at all of how much baby is getting. Baby will be much more efficient at getting the milk out than any pump

Also, you don’t have to worry about how much baby is getting, there are many different indicators to tell if your baby is getting enough milk.

Another thing to be aware of is that ff Babies need an ever increasing amount of formula to meet their needs, 2.5 floz per pound in weight a day. Whereas a bf baby takes roughly the same amount between 1 and 6 months, around 1floz an hour. This is because your milk will change to meet your baby’s needs, unlike formula.

120 ml (4floz) is an awful lot for a BF baby in one feed. Most at this age will be feeding every 2 hours in the day and have half that.

I really think you need some RL support though. I’d ring one of the BFing Helplines this morning and speak to a fully qualified BFC. Have you got the numbers?

Is there a Bfing Support Group that you can get to this week?

[tiktok]

Everything JJJ says 😀.

You absolutely need real life help. It’s clear there has been a real problem with confidence and information right from the start.

This has had a cumulative effect and you are now in a tricky position where you need a proper plan to help you gauge progress and move away from formula feeding in a controlled way.

Not many women ever get to a stage where they can routinely express 120 mls per session. And babies who have 120 mls of formula on top of expressed will always find their chances of fully bf to be reduced.

That’s why you need a plan😀 Gradual reduction of formula over time, plus expressing, plus direct breastfeeding - you’ll need support and someone who knows what they are talking about to help you track progress.

Hope this helps but the real life support is really crucial.