I'm afraid my supply sucks. :(

S2BMrsO

Hey Ladies--

I BF and am beginning to pump to have a supply and give DS a bottle once a day or so to keep him used to it since he will be bottle fed during the day when I go back to work. He is 4 weeks old today.

I will breastfeed him completely on one side and offer the second side. He'll usually eat a little bit. After he's done, if I'm at home, I will pump both sides. I get around one ounce out of the left breast (if he's eaten off of it, and if he hasn't, I will pump two ounces out), and I will get about .25-.5 ounce out of the right (if he's eaten off of it, and if he hasn't, I will pump an ounce out). I'm afraid I'm not producing very much and think it's weird that I produce so much less on the right side.

I gave him his first bottle last night and he ate about 2.5 ounces, but he also breastfed about two hours before that.

I guess I'm confused as to how much he is eating vs. how much I am producing and if I am producing enough. Everywhere I read, the ladies who pump get SO much more than I do....

Any advice or words of wisdom??

TIA!

NovemberNZ

If he is fine after breastfeeding then you are producing enough.  I once worried about my left side always pumping more than the right and not pumping enough, etc ... but then I just moved on and stopped worrying. If I wouldn't be pumping then I wouldn't be worrying. So now I just pump every now and then. He is growing just fine and has the right amount of wet diapers.

Andi98989

It's really common for one side to have a different output than the other.  For a long time I got more out of the left than the right, now I get more out of the right.  

That sounds like a fine amount to be pumping after he's eating and at that age.   

Mereou12

Try not to judge your pumping output against others' output on these boards--there are some insanely huge milk producers around here! It's easy to get frustrated when you see people posting numbers like 7, 8, 9 oz outputs.

If I pump right after a feeding, I get NOTHING. Nada. My little man sucks me dry. If I pump 1.5 hours later, I get about 2 ounces total. Building a freezer stash has been a slow process (I'm up to a whopping 40 oz), but my little man is getting what he needs. He has more than doubled his birth weight already, and he's not even 4 months old.

If you're REALLY concerned about how much he's getting, buy or rent a scale and do weighed feedings. Pumping output isn't a great indicator of how much LO is getting, because they're far more efficient than any pump, even hospital grade.

Oh, and it's not uncommon to have an uneven supply. It'll likely balance out as your supply regulates....just be sure to keep feeding on the low-output breast.

stefjeff84

Hey MrsO!

Try not to worry so much, I have the same problem. If I pump after BFing I usually only get about 1/4 to 1/2 an ounce from the right side, and an ounce or so from the left. If I go a while (3 hours or so) between feeding and pumping I can get around 3oz from the left and 1oz from the right. 

I still worry that Sam isn't getting enough to eat, but she has around 8-12 diapers a day, and is definitely gaining weight. As long as Jake is doing the same, try not to look too far into it. If he still seems fussy after eating then talk to your pediatrician about your concerns.  

KGsky

It might not be as much an issue with your supply as your body's response to the pump.? It's also very hard to get a good amount of milk after a feeding.? I used to get the most output when we would substitute one bottle for a feeding.? I was not a huge producer (I think the most I ever pumped after feeding was something like 4 oz total from both breasts) but I was able to "get ahead" on my stash by substituting the bottle for one or two feedings in the middle of the night, and pumping during those times.? I think my all-time high was something like 12 oz...that was a good day...GL

Shannonlea

You cant solely use how much you pump as an indication of how much your baby eats.  Your baby is alot more efficient than a pump and triggers let down in a different way.  If your baby is gaining weight, satisfied and has enough wet and dirty diapers, your supply is perfect.  

FWIW, I used to only be able to pump an ounce or two when my babies were 4 weeks.  Once they started taking more, my body adjusted to produce what they need.  Now I am able to pump alot more.

ella.mabel

When DD was around 4-5 weeks old, i started worrying about pumping after feedings, increasing my freezer stash, etc. and it really freaked me out because she was eating so often, whenever i pumped, i'd only get like 1 oz. max.  I decided to stop worrying about pumping and focus on just meeting DD's needs.  Once she hit about 8 weeks and became more effecient at eating, i was able to only feed her off one side and pump the other side occasionally and was able to slowly start building a stash.

adriennevla

It is both normal to only get a little when pumping if you're breastfeeding all day, and also normal to have one breast making much more than the other.  You may read about women pumping a lot more than you do, but honestly if a woman is nursing all day and still pumping 5 or 10 ounces as I've seen some claim, they have a big oversupply and this is not necessarily a great thing. 

You will hear this over and over again but it is true: babies are way more efficient than pumps.  My child, when he's alert, awake and calm, will only nurse for two or three let-downs.  When the milk is letting down, he is just guzzling the stuff down like nobody's business.  Pumps don't really work that way.  Don't judge your supply on how much you pump; if your baby is making several very wet diapers a day and pooping regularly then you're fine.