Only getting half an ounce of milk pumping for 20 mins - is my supply awful ?

[Lulululu1989]

Lo is 3 weeks old & have been breastfeeding but also supplementing with formula twice a day to top up as she wasn’t gaining weight

Midwife advised me to start pumping after a feed - just did 20 mins and only got half an ounce - does this mean my supply is awful .. is there any point even trying to increase supply?

Does anyone have power pumping success stories ?

The only way I could get any decent amount pumping was in the early days when DC were feeding multiple times a day. If from about 6pm I only fed from one side, so about 3 feeds overnight and first thing on one side then I could pump from the other side in the morning.

Anything else was just dribbles. And there was nothing wrong with my supply. 2 DC were ebf to 6 months. I just didn't get on with pumping.

Pumping isn't indicative of supply, so no, it doesn't mean your supply is bad or that there is no point continuing. I only used to get about half an oz after a feed, from what I remember. Have you tried a sock over the bottle? It sounds mad, but watching the bottle can cause stress which can inhibit your letdown, supposedly. I did used to pump more when I had something covering the bottle or was distracted, but that could be coincidental.

What about introducing pumping between feeds? You'll probably find you get more than you do just after a feed.

What's baby's latch like? Just wondering whether the midwife has identified a reason why LO isn't gaining weight? My DS didn't as he was prem and had no suckle reflex. I pumped and combi fed for months and eventually exclusively breastfed him until around 16 months, so I promise there is hope, the early days do feel really hard, though.

How much you pump is not a reflection of your supply.
Also there are ways to increase how much you pump, like having lo close, looking at a picture of them or if you can manage it, feeding on one breast and simultaneously pumping from the other (I never could get that to work!). For help on pumping and increasing supply I would try to find a local breastfeeding group that can help and advise. Depending on where you are some local groups can be really good.

It helped me if I REALLY massaged every mm of my boobs while on the pump.

The amount you get out from pumping after a feed isn't important. Pumping after a feed is very different from pumping from full breasts with the intention of your baby getting all the milk from a bottle. You are doing great.

Your body is brilliant at adapting supply to demand. Your baby is tiny and gets tired after sucking for a while so will take the milk while it's flowing fairly easily but will give up once it gets a bit harder to get any more flow. Each time you pump for a bit longer after your baby has fed, you are telling your body to ramp up the supply a bit more as more milk is still needed. Then the next day, there's a little bit more milk available to your baby before it starts getting difficult to suckle. Each time you pump you are priming your body to provide more next time, but the amount you get out from pumping is generally unlikely to be much. That doesn't mean you aren't doing it right - you keep going and your baby will reap the benefits.

If you can maybe ask for the help of a lactation consultant. Dr's and HVs told me to pump and offered no further advise, it nearly broke me.

I used a supplementary nursing system so the formula top up was going in at the same time as breastmilk. It saved time and stimulated my supply.

Your real guide is whether or not your baby is having plenty of wet / dirty nappies (and even then breastfed babies might not pooh much after the early days).
Has your baby regained their birth weight and then continued to gain weight? If they have then your midwife is talking rubbish. Unless the guidelines have changed recently, your milk supply starts to settle down around six weeks, when your baby's demands start to regulate it.
(Disclaimer- OP, you might want to look into this yourself).
I will say, in the light of all of the above, don't feel you need to pump if your baby is happy and healthy. If you want to pump to build up a store is another issue, but for that to happen it is early days yet - so be careful not to end up in a states of engorgement and all that it entails.

I'm so sorry, I just re-read your OP.
In that case, pumping is not the answer. What you get with pumping is not a good indication of your supply.
The best course is to have a babymoon, where you spend lots of time skin-to-skin.
I'd suggest you ask for help from a lactation consultant, as it sounds like your midwife isn't really aware of recent advice.

I was also worried about this as could only get 20-50 mls in about an hour (both breasts combined). I had a good pump but nothing came out. I saw a lactation consultant who checked my technique etc and she told me that some women just simply cannot pump as their brain knows it's not a baby, but they're able to feed baby ok from breast. That was me. I breastfed exclusively (my DC refused bottle and formula until they took a straw cup at 9 months) and I fed her from my breast exclusively until she weaned at 6/7 months and she gained weight along her percentile (50th) and had normal wet nappies etc so my supply was fine but I just couldn't pump.

I'm due DC2 next week and I'm not going to pump at all as it caused so much trouble last time. I have a hand pump for if I get engorged or have mastitis etc but I can't get a decent feed from pumping, it's not worth it for me.

The best way to increase supply is not to supplement but feed baby on demand. It really is a demand and supply scenario.
Breast pumps can be difficult to feel comfortable with.

Our paediatrician used to turn up on my doorstep with a super duper hospital grade machine and beg me for milk. I had to send him out to our patio with my baby while my child’s next feed was extracted to save the life of a premature baby. It was difficult at first but I learned to relax and think of my baby to encourage letdown.
Just let your baby feed as often and for as long as they want. Your supply will keep up with demand.