what would you do?

magzap

I went back to work about 6 weeks ago and have been pumping during the day and BF when I am with my daughter. At first I was having no problem pumping enough milk, 15 to 18 oz per day,  but my supply seems to be slowly dropping. Now, I am having to pump once in the morning before daycare because the amount I pumped the previous day is not enough. I have not been able to build up a supply and I feel like I am never going to get caught up. Anyone have any suggestions for increasing my supply? I have tried eating oatmeal and also tried fenugreek and neither one does much for me.
The other part of my question is that I have been thinking about supplementing one of her feedings with formula rather than trying to pump more. Do you think this would make my supply go down further?

 

kel716

I think you need to at least pump as often as you are.  You may need to do some extra things to help your supply- 

- try applying heat to your breasts before and during pumping.

- check your pump parts.  Do you have a PISA?  If so, check the membranes- is there a hole in it.  Does your tubing need to be replaced? 

-do you do massage/compression when you pump?  Here's a video:  https://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

-you might also try pumping for an extra 2-3 minutes each session.  That may make enough difference to where you don't need to supplement. 

Good luck!!!  I know my pumping habits changed somewhere between 4 & 5 mos and I had to adjust how I went about pumping.  My supply did come back up enough to where I was happy. 

seayar

My afternoon pumping sessions take a really long time. ?It takes forever for let down to happen. ?I find that if I pump longer during those sessions I get much better results. ?

magzap

Thanks for that video! It was really informative. I will try doing more massage and see if that helps.

I checked out my pump and everything seems to be in order. How do you know if your tubing needs to be replaced?

kel716

Glad the video was helpful!  There is a lot of good info on that site!

My tubing was just falling apart.  The little plastic connector pieces wouldn't stay in, and it was taking forever for me to pump.  I emailed Medela and they shipped me a new set. 

You might also replace those membranes.  It's cheap to do (like $5) and it can make quite a difference. 

14years

Exactly the same thing happened to me at 5 1/2 months.  I changed out my tubing, valves and membranes and started doing compressions and massages during pumping.  I also took More Milk Plus for a little while.  My supply did go back up that way.

I don't think it would be bad to supplement a feeding with formula if you have to, but I wouldn't cut down on the pumping sessions.  How many times a day do you pump? 

magzap

I pump 4 to 5 times a day. What about you?

I tried giving her a little formula and she wouldn't take it. She was like what is this c*$p! Give me the boob juice!

magzap

Thanks for all the suggestions. I got new tubing today and was able to pump 7 oz in one session instead of my usual 4. Yay!