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.

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

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.

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.

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

Plus she is very unsettled in the evening so needs attention

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.