Will I get better at pumping?

weebos8 · October 2011

Today DH is home (furlough day, boo!) so we decided to try and me pump and bottle feed LO. (I probably will be going back to work soon so this was a practice day.) I have pumped twice and gotten about 5 ounces from the two sessions. It has been enough to satisfy LO, but that doesn't seem like much at all, and I worry I won't produce enough. He is a bit of a snacker, eating on and off, but that still seems low.

I really want to produce more, and am on Fenugreek (2 pills, 3 x a day). I have been pumping about 3x a day, after LO eats and before bed, to bring up my supply. Do you think once I am at work and am solely pumping I will produce more? Any tips for producing more?

atc282 · October 2011

The site kellymom.com is a great resource and gives tips on "power pumping" to help increase supply.

Have you tried increasing your pumping sessions each time? I found this to be helpful--your body will get the message it is asking for more and over time will hopefully produce more. And you can try to pump more often--like every 2 hrs. vs. 3 hours until your body gets the message you're demanding more.

HTH and GL

weebos8 · October 2011

atc282:
The site kellymom.com is a great resource and gives tips on "power pumping" to help increase supply.
Have you tried increasing your pumping sessions each time? I found this to be helpful--your body will get the message it is asking for more and over time will hopefully produce more. And you can try to pump more often--like every 2 hrs. vs. 3 hours until your body gets the message you're demanding more.
HTH and GL

Good idea, thanks so much!

azuremama · October 2011

You might adjust to the pump and get more. Be sure to use the letdown setting on your pump when the milk stops flowing to trigger another letdown. Sometimes I have to hit the button and do the letdown setting multiple times, but I get 2-3 letdowns per session.

ilovemygirls · October 2011

While I hope you are ultimately able to produce enough, I just wanted to share my experience because I could not. I work PT & my body was just not effective at pumping, so I couldn't ever keep up w/my kids when I went back to work. I ended up supplementing with formula & it worked out great. They would take a bm bottle, a mix or a formula bottle. I successfully bf'd them each for a full year, so for me, that was a great success. I just wanted to share a positive supplementing experience- if you have to do it, it certainly doesn't have to be a negative thing!

Teresa1896 · October 2011

I had the same worries you did, but after a few days of pumping at work, i started pumping more, and now i produce more than enough to feed her while she's away from me. I pump 8 or 9 oz at the first session, then 5 or 6, and then 3 or 4. She usually eats 9-14 oz during the days when I work.

For what it's worth, I try to drink a ton of water and eat oatmeal every day. Not sure if it makes a difference, but it makes me feel better. :-)

jlsimon56 · October 2011

I am back at work and I"m struggling with this. But this past week was really good, pumping wise. I am pumping on a schedule now, 4am, 6:30am, 8:30am, 10:30am, and 1:00pm. I think my body knows now that these are the times. I used to get ~1oz at each session, now I get at least 2, and usually 4oz!! LO eats 14oz when she is away from me.

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