Pumping. Is this normal? Will it improve?

[supernova89]

Baby is 1 week old. I pump 4/5 times a day but I only get half an oz per boob so having to supplement with formula and it hardly feels worth it anymore. Will it increase in quantity if I continue? Any suggestions?

Are you pumping exclusively (as in not feeding from the breast at all?).

I found I had to actually breastfeed a lot, a lot, a lot in the early days! Pumping did nothing til my supply was well established after 6 or 7 weeks of cluster feeding.

Then pumping still didn't work much despite a great pump, so I bought the Haaka. That worked much better and it's a myth it doesn't collect the hind milk. It worked great.

Pumping just doesn't work for some and it's not reflective of your real supply.

If it really isn't working for you, you have options. You can get support from your locsl LLL. If you can't or don't want to feed from the breast, you don't have to. Formula is OK.

If it's all getting you down, think about what you want. The early weeks are tough.

FWIW feeding became so much easier after a few weeks!

ps sounds like you're doing great

Are you breast feeding at all or just pumping? Also what type of pump are you using as the double hospital grade ones will get more off than a single hand pump.
If you are only pumping and want to increase supply you basically have to replicate the babies natural feeding pattern which would mean pumping more like 10 times a day especially at night. This is too much for most people so don’t feel bad about switching to formulae.

I didn't start pumping until DD was 5/6 weeks old. At first I didn't get much but now I get about 3oz each time. This is in addition to still feeding DD.

Are you in contact with a lactation consultant?

@Livingmagicallyagain

ps sounds like you're doing great

Thanks. Yes, I am exclusively pumping and not breast feeding at all. I really didn't enjoy bfeeding- found it stressful and very sore. I do feel guilty about giving formula hence I bought the pump. But I guess exclusive pumping just doesn't work for some.

@LockdownIsDragging

Are you breast feeding at all or just pumping? Also what type of pump are you using as the double hospital grade ones will get more off than a single hand pump. If you are only pumping and want to increase supply you basically have to replicate the babies natural feeding pattern which would mean pumping more like 10 times a day especially at night. This is too much for most people so don’t feel bad about switching to formulae.

I am exclusively pumping and have a double electric pump. Can't remember the brand but it's a good one. Yikes.. that does sound like a lot. I might try Bfeeding again if she can remember what to do and perphaps do that alongside the pumping. Will how it goes. Thanks

@Garman

Are you in contact with a lactation consultant?

Nope.

I agree with the others. If you are trying to exclusively bottle feed your baby expressed milk you need to be pumping at least every 3hrs round the clock at this stage. I did this for a about a month when my youngest was in NICU. It is absolutely exhausting and would be perfectly reasonable to decide it’s not worth it. It is the worst of both worlds.

Also FWIW, breastfeeding my first didn't hurt at all. Breastfeeding my second bloody well did! Even though latch was perfect.

A few weeks, only if you feel up to it, can make all the difference. I just fed pretty much constantly those early few weeks and it made all the difference. But only if you want to! Formula also OK.

It can help to stay well hydrated. Also try to pump when your baby is nearby or look at a picture of them.
But realistically you’re going to struggle to make anywhere near enough milk if you only pump 4/5 times a day.

If you are exclusively pumping it needs to be every 3 hours, even during the night until your supply is established.

@ShadierThanaPalmTree

If you are exclusively pumping it needs to be every 3 hours, even during the night until your supply is established.

Ok, that makes more sense. Thanks

A lactation consultant can help you with pumping as well as breastfeeding, it would be worth it to get proper advice or join some pumping groups on fb. You have to do it very regularly as mentioned by others. If breastfeeding was sore a lactation consultant could help you with that and maybe get back to bf if you wanted to.

Yes you need a pump in between midnight and 5am along with every 3 hours.. the one in the night is really important for the hormones and I didn’t drop it until she was 5 months old and had stopped waking because I viewed me been awake and her not was ridiculous.. I pumped as she had severe tongue tie and then just never got it... pumped 6, 9, 12,3, 6 9 and 1-2am... with maybe a bit of flexibility of an hour or so either way but you need a high schedule to start with.. experiment with the pumps sometimes less pull higher speed is better for you or slower and harder.. but it was worth it as got up to 8oz each side each pump so...

But also some people can be champion breast feeders and attach a pump and it just doesn’t work and it’s just the way it is.

Kelly’s mom was good for info but this was (almost exactly) five years ago now..

Pumping works well for some people but not everyone. I hardly got any when I tried it! Don't feel bad about switching to formula OP.

I didn't let with a pump so once I stopped being engorged it was pathetic.

Definitely try BF again and ask for help. Also pump one side whilst feed from the other.

If it doesn't work out remember we live in a country where we can sterilise properly and formula isn't a decent substitute and being a relaxed and happy Mum is very important.

Do you hold baby while pumping? The hormones that get released when cuddling baby will help with let down. Plus be super hydrated. Drink lots and lots of water. Oh and pumping first thing in the morning when your supply is at its height. Don't be disheartened. You're doing an amazing job x

Do you have large breasts? Sometimes if you do, a standard pump doesn't stimulate the right part of the breast

Also, my breasts stopped producing if I thought about it, super weird. It only worked if I zoned out watching TV

Are you using an electric or hand pump, I have no idea why but when I used an electric pump I hardly managed anything but with a hand pump I got considerably more!!

My experience I had the Bella baby pump and barely got anything out until I bought Medela which was amazing. Check the flange is the right size for your nipples. Your nipples shouldn't be touching the sides of the pump. Measure the diameter of your nipples (across- not length) that is the important measurement for getting the right size flange. For example it's perfectly possible to have large breasts but need a smaller than normal flange due to your nipples being small . This is what cracked it for me anyway

Hi OP
I think to exclusively pump you’ll need to pump more frequently as of baby was feeding directly from the breast it would be at least 8 times a day at this stage (probably more) and you cannot skip the night pumps as that’s when your prolactin levels will be highest (the hormone that tells your body how much milk to produce)

Some people find if they put a sock over the bottle whilst pumping to hide how much is being collected they stress less about the amount which equals more milk as oxytocin is really important. Holding your baby or looking at them / pictures of them should also help.

See if your health visitor can refer you to an IBCLC or see one privately if you can afford it as they are the gold standard of breastfeeding support

Congratulations on your baby xx

You need to pump every two hours including through the night, it's really bloody hard work and it never worked for me but mine were Orem. I had domperidone as well.

It's absolutely not too late to up supply. I had a micro preemie, so had to express for a few months, but I hadn't expected a baby so early, and it was my first, and I knew nothing about expressing (didn't even know it existed!) so I didn't actually start until 6 days after birth, when I was told she was ready to start eating and how did I want to feed her (bearing in mind she was on a vent and I'd never held her, this seemed the most ridiculous question I'd ever heard!)

So every 3 hours religiously, 20 minutes each side, or until drained if at this point you don't have 20 minutes supply. That's 3 hours maximum, from when you begin. A cluster pump in the wee hours (I think it's between 2 and 4am?) is good for upping supply too. Don't skip the overnight expressing as much as you'd like to as it tells your body the baby is getting older and dropping feeds. If let down is an issue try to express while looking at your baby, or holding something of theirs to smell. I hated actually breastfeeding too, but I used a nipple shield both to express and then to breastfeed due to the size of the baby, and actually it helped massively with both my supply, the discomfort and my babies ability to feed directly. Try different sized shields and flanges, I thought I had small nipples but turns out they were compressing a lot when I expressed so I needed a large shield to be comfortable.