Milk supply - milk come in after c section but not enough how to increase with pumping ?

[Posyrosy6]

Milk came in 5 days post c section but at 7 seems to have reduced again - no longer leaking , baby still really hungry after ‘feeding’ for an hour etc

I have read that you can try pumping to increase supply - can anyone explain how this works etc & what to do - have the medela double swing pump but haven’t used it yet

Pump after every feed. Even during the night. My midwives told me that the early hours feed is the magic one for supply.

Feeding is the best way to increase supply. Unless your baby is falling asleep on the breast or crying on the breast you don't usually need to pump to increase supply. Its completely normal for a breastfed 7 day old to be on the breast for longer than an hour - obviously not 24/7 but a three or four hour stretch of mostly feeding is normal especially during cluster feeding hours (evening for many babies).

That obviously doesn't go on forever but its normal in the very early weeks.

Are you eating and drinking enough? Stay really well hydrated and don't start trying to lose weight until breastfeeding is well established.

I’d avoid pumping unless your baby isn’t gaining enough weight and you’re advised to top up with a bottle of expressed milk or formula. It’s a faff. It can help increase supply but babies are usually more efficient at getting milk out and increasing supply and you don’t have to wash and sterilize them afterwards! I’d try to feed the baby more often. You can swap backwards and forwards between breasts when your baby is doing the cluster feeding thing - so after half an hour or so just unlatch and switch or switch whenever baby unlatched briefly.
If you’ve been advised to top up because your baby is too sleepy and getting exhausted trying to feed then do pay attention to that advice. If you’re just worried about your supply because you’re not leaking and baby is cluster feeding then just offer more feeds.