Low milk supply exclusively pumping

[Butlert]

I have an 8 week old and have been exclusively pumping since she’s been 4 days old due to her not getting any milk from me and the midwives advised I monitor how much milk I give her. However my milk supply just can’t keep up with the demand and I am having to top up with formula.

I’m not opposed to this at all, the formula keeps her nice and full and growing however i see people getting so much more milk output than me when pumping and would love some tips!

for reference I pump every 3 hours and the most I have ever gotten in one sitting is 4 ounces from both breasts it’s usually around 2.5 ounces. I have tried power pumping too.

I use the elvie most of the time but have also used the calypso electric and also the medala manual pump (and a Hakka on the other side to collect any let down) but o always get roughly the same results 2-3 ounces

I would love any tips to increase this! Thanks

Have you had your nipples sized to ensure you're using the correct flange size?

To be honest that may be your capacity, everyone has a different capacity and refill rate. There are some people that can pump twice a day and get the same amount as 6x a day because they have slow refill. Then there are some people who have a smaller capacity who no matter what they do will never pump more than that as that's the maximum capacity their breasts can hold.

Are you pumping overnight as well?

Exclusive pumping can be pretty hard work for most people, you should be really proud of being able to achieve what you are so far!

kellymom.com/mother2mother/exclusive-pumping/

This is a great website

Thanks for your reply! Yes I am pumping overnight too, which is why I’m getting a bit down about it; putting in as much effort as possible and not getting the results I want haha! But I am grateful I get to give little one over half her milk supply as breast milk at least!

I have measured my size for each pump and I don’t get any pain so do just think I can only hold a certain amount of milk! 😊

Thank you I will take a look 😀

Congratulations on making it 8 weeks, exclusive pumping is definitely hard work! I'm just finishing up my pumping journey but one thing that really helped me was doing some hand expression for a couple of minutes before and after a pumping session. And to do some massage/breast compressions during pumping. Agree its worth checking your flange size as it can make a big difference, I used a circle ruler for a guide. You can buy inserts if needed to make the flange size smaller.

Typically wearable pumps aren't recommend until your supply regulates at ~12 weeks as they are not usually as efficient at emptying you and building your supply. Although obviously if it's between using them or missing a session then better to use them.

There is a Facebook group called exclusively pumping UK mums which is really useful for support and advice as well.

Congratulations on your baby OP and well done on getting so far with pumping, it’s very tough work! My baby was 8 weeks early and I ended up pumping for 4.5 months as BF just didn’t work out. I also had to add in formula after about 8 weeks as I couldn’t match his demand -could you rent a hospital pump? I got the most when I used a Medula electric Hospital grade one. I double pumped, tried a power pump once per day and tried lactation cookies also! There’s also some evidence to suggest Domperidone (Motileum) can help but I’d suggest a consult with a lactation midwife before using this. In the end the most I could get was 4-6 oz from both breasts per pump so I just went with this, it may have been all that I could physically get.

Alcohol free beer the night before boosts my supply! I've heard many times that some women just can't get much milk out with a pump though. A baby is far better able to remove milk than a pump, so what you can pump is not indicative of your supply. If you wanted, you could think about feeding the baby directly, then offering formula as a top-up. I tried weighing my baby's wet nappies too just to see how much came out while exclusively breastfeeding 😅. She was averaging about 480ml/day in nappies so I was somewhat reassured she would be drinking a fair amount more. Not very scientific though! You could also try weighing the baby before and after a breast feed to see how much milk she took. You need very accurate scales though.

Domperidone will help if prolactin is low, otherwise it won't have an effect. Fenugreek might help if you have insulin resistance or PCOS, as it helps to lower blood sugars. If you have normal or low blood sugar it can actually lower supply though!

Other hormonal things to be aware of if you want to maximise output are iron levels and vitamin D, they're common deficiencies that affect supply.

Babies are much better at getting milk out than pumps so it’s harder to express as much milk as the baby needs. It’s a lot of time and effort too.

I would try breast feeding and if your baby is still hungry after going on each side, then top up with a bit of formula afterwards.

As long as the baby is producing plenty of wet nappies, enough dirty ones and is gaining weight, then they are getting enough milk.

Buy some pet/baby or luggage scales and weigh them twice a week.

I came on to say the same as @Merryclaire

Do you offer your boob to your baby? I pumped for a while as I had to go into hospital and couldn't feed my dd. I thought that might be it for bfing but was able to go back to bfing after a couple of weeks.

Lots of skin to skin and offering the boob a lot.

@Butlert I was in a similar situation to you when DD was born and had some difficulty feeding.
She had a tongue tie which didnt help which was only noticed and fixed when she was 3 weeks old by a private lactation consultant/midwife.
She lost over 8% of her birth weight in the first 5 days when I was BF exclusively. She was unsettled alot so I started topping up with formula after each feed which settled her nicely.
I would BF from both sides for 30mins per side then pump for 40mins in total.
The most I ever pumped was 4oz. Most of the time I would be lucky to get 2oz, alot of the time Id get nothing.

As other people have said, babies are alot more efficient at BF that a pump. I saw you mentioned that she couldnt get milk from you, has she had a proper tongue tie assessment just to check? It could be a possibility.
I was advised to power pump, pump every 2 hours, take a range of supplements from Holland and Barrett and change my diet but nothing increased my supply.
When I had the private lactation consultant out she asked me some very personal questions about my breasts during pregnancy which nobody had before. She asked about changes in size, colour, texture etc and sadly I had no changes, I never got the big boobs everyone promised me! She said in my case it was likely I hadnt had hormal changes which would in the long run establish breastfeeding as I may have had an underlying problem.
Turns out I have cystic ovaries, discovered after DD was born and explains why it took over 3 years to conceive.
Just something that I found interesting, not sure if it applies to you though.

Youve done amazing to be relying on pumping this long though! Its very hard work!

Thanks so much for replying, unfortunately after seeing three different specialists who have told me breastfeeding isn’t possible due to the shape of my nipples my baby just cannot latch. I have truly tried but it’s just not possible for me!

Hi, unfortunately I cannot breastfeed as baby cannot latch at all, I have seen a few specialists and they have all tried with me!

Thanks so much, yes I have seen three specialists who have all agreed that due to my nipples baby just will not be able to latch she doesn’t have a tongue tie (I was hoping she did to give me an explanation as to why)!

the specialists similar to you examined me and have said there’s a possibility I just don’t carry much milk at a time which isn’t great too hear however I am lucky my fertility was not a problem at all!

I think I just need to be grateful I can give her some of my milk at all really! She’s still getting some of the benefits I imagine 😄

Sorry if you've already said this but how long are you pumping for each time? Assuming it's 20 mins+ per breast, and given that you're doing it every 3 hours already, it may just be that that is what your body is able to produce with the stimulation that pumping provides.

If that's the case, don't feel bad about it! It's your biology, not your fault.

Given how much work it is (been there I exclusively pumped for my first baby), and given that formula is 95% as good as breast milk once you're out the newborn stage, no one would blame you if you cut back or stopped pumping. They say exclusive pumping is as much work as feeding twins and I agree! Didn't help that DD1 started to scream during every pumping session, wanting me to play, etc. I lasted four months before switching to formula. That said, if you are happy to continue, do so!

Hi, yes over 20 mins per breast each time! I really appreciate your outlook on the topic too, it’s hard to hear a lot that I should try breastfeeding again but after almost having baby in hospital after not getting anything from me the first few days I mentally can’t risk not seeing exactly how much she is getting!

I original set myself a goal of 10 months - 1 year for feeding my milk but as hard as I’m finding it I’ll be chuffed if I can make it to Christmas! 😊

I understand completely! DD1 was prem and had to be tube fed at first, and wasn't allowed home from hospital till she was feeding reliably by herself whether from breast or bottle. Breastfeeding was exhausting for her, she would tire herself without extracting a drop, but she could finish a bottle comfortably. Obviously we did that. She got stronger, and maybe she would have been physically able to breastfeed, but she was used to the bottle and didn't know what to do at the breast.

And yet I too would get comments both on here and from HCPs asking "why don't you just pop her on the breast and see what happens?" Uh, I already tried that! Frustrating! And it made me feel like I was somehow failing her even though she was growing like a weed, super chubby and very healthy.

Setting yourself a realistic goal is a good idea, e.g. keeping going till Christmas. That gives you a defined end point to look forward to without feeling that your throwing in the towel on an impulse, and your baby will be well, well past the age where breast milk has its greatest benefits.

And you can feel chuffed already! Frankly one week of exclusive pumping is worthy of applause imo. It's exhausting! I remember getting up at night to pump while baby slept peacefully and seething inside 😅

I did rent a hospital grade pump for 4 weeks to try and build the supply but again I could only ever get up to 4oz in one sitting! I may look into buying one again but I’m starting to think my 3oz per session is just what my body is going to do hehe!