Can't get anything pumping any more after 4 months BF - is this normal?

[LottieB1994]

I've been EBF my baby for 4 months. Before Christmas we used to give him one bottle of EBM a day, and I used to pump this nightly. I started just breastfeeding while we were travelling over xmas, have tried today to pump a bottle as we have some events coming up. However, I am getting nothing - I just pumped for 20 mins and got literally a couple of droplets. This is using my exact same pump as before - could anyone tell me if this is normal? There's no way I'll be able to pump anything for being away from baby at this rate! It used to be fine.

Try looking up videos on breast massage before pumping, there are specific techniques you can use to boost supply. Also consider renting a hospital style pump for a week or so? They are much more powerful than domestic electric pumps.

Ps also you don't specify if you have a manual or electric pump, the manual ones didn't work for me, try switching to a good branded electric one if this is what you are using

Also, just remembered! Fenugreek supplement. Might make baby windy though, so watch out for extra wind. Also goat's rue and brewer's yeast. I think oats are galactalogue too. I used fenugreek, worked really well but too much wind for my baby so I switched to goat's rue.

I need both of mine exclusively for six months and then alongside solids to ages 8 and 6 (years) but I could never get anything out by expressing. I don't know why but I think sometimes it just isn't possible to express even if you have a good supply.

You can try fenugreek, oats, making sure you are hydrated and not tired, but don't feel a failure if you can't express, some of us just can't.

I've got an electric pump the Pippeta. It worked fine before Xmas to pump, but now there is literally nothing coming out. When I'm feeding my baby he seems to be fine and is gaining weight, could it be that my supply is regulated to him and I can't produce more for another bottle pumped? I'm feeding him often during the day, every 2hrs or so. Any more tips welcome!

It sounds normal to me, if you've just been EBF by 4 months your body will be really good at making the right amount of milk so it makes sense that there won't be much left over for pumping after a feed.
Some women just have more success with pumping too, I only ever managed like 1 oz unless I'd missed a feed.
If you carry on pumping after each feed you'll increase your supply eventually, or if you decide that's a faff you could give an occasional bottle of formula?

This is normal as your supply has now settled. I could barely pump anything by about 8 weeks with my first two. My third I had an oversupply for longer and it didn't settle down til about 12 weeks but the same happened then.

I mostly stopped pumping each time when it happened as I just couldn't be bothered for such tiny amounts of milk that would need topping up with formula anyways. So they mostly had formula in their bottles from then on (around 3 a week).