let down question

welshgirl

How long does your let down last for? We're working on DD's weight, and I'm pumping to increase my supply, in case that's an issue. I've noticed that my let downs only last about a minute - is that normal?

kcl22

What do you mean by let down; like when it first happens or the flow itself?

When I pump once I let down it comes out fast for maybe a minute or two then slows down, flows for probably 3 or 4 minutes then will stop for 3 or 4 minutes until I have another let down.  I pump for 15 minutes most of the time and will have 2 or 3 let downs within that.

I'm not sure if that made sense / helped at all!

loregopar

kcl22:

What do you mean by let down; like when it first happens or the flow itself?

When I pump once I let down it comes out fast for maybe a minute or two then slows down, flows for probably 3 or 4 minutes then will stop for 3 or 4 minutes until I have another let down.  I pump for 15 minutes most of the time and will have 2 or 3 let downs within that.

I'm not sure if that made sense / helped at all!

same here. I'd only get it twice most of the time, no more than 6 oz for pumping session, more commonly around 4.5 oz. But I think DS did a better job and got more out 

meridethdodd

kcl22:

What do you mean by let down; like when it first happens or the flow itself?

When I pump once I let down it comes out fast for maybe a minute or two then slows down, flows for probably 3 or 4 minutes then will stop for 3 or 4 minutes until I have another let down.  I pump for 15 minutes most of the time and will have 2 or 3 let downs within that.

I'm not sure if that made sense / helped at all!

It's about the same here.  At work, I really only have about 20 minutes TOTAL to pump (I'm a teacher and have to have someone watch my kids while I run to a conference room!)...  This means that I have about 10 minutes of actual pumping time, and I generally let down once, maybe twice, and resulting in 5 to 6 ounces.  When I'm nursing at home, things are much more relaxed, and I may let down twice in a feeding.  Each time feels short, maybe a minute or so, but the milk continues to flow steadily afterwards, for probably another 4 or 5 minutes.