When you don't pump enough....

kmos816 · July 2014

Normally I send 3 3 oz bottles to daycare: baby is there for 8 hours. Today for whatever reason I haven't been pumping enough- I think it's stress related. Should I just send what I pump? Otherwise she has formula or my freezer stash.

welly01 · July 2014

If you can spare it, I would use some of your freezer stash. But make sure they use that bottle first so in case she doesn't need it, you can save your fresh milk.

kmos816 · July 2014

Thanks, I do have a bit of a freezer stash so I may just pull from there. I can never pump more than 10 oz per day so that is why she has been getting that much, she has been gaining weight and seems satisfied with that much so far. At home she typically eats every 2 hours. I have one side that is very low producing , when a lc measured it she only drank .5 oz, when i pump I get .5-1.5 oz out of that side. I've been trying all suggestions but it just doesn't increase output!

kmos816 · July 2014

Oh and she is 11 weeks

syang5 · July 2014

I agree that if it is a one off occurence use the freezer stash, but if it's ongoing you'll want to try to up your supply. I wasn't really monitoring my stash and found that it quicly ran out since I wasn't pumping enough at work.

I've since been taking Fenugreek pills you can get at GNC and that definitly ups my supply. You have to take 2 or 3x the recommended amount though. Good luck!

ss265 · July 2014

You could try pumping at night or on the weekends to help increase your supply and increase the freezer stash so that you have a larger stash to dip into. And if all else fails (and yes I realize that this is far from ideal), there is nothing wrong with supplementing with formula.

Slb22 · July 2014

Thanks for posting this! My DD started daycare this week and I am dealing with this as well. I am have dipped into my freezer stash and figure I will continue doing that until I see if she is just adjusting to daycare, or if it is a problem with not pumping enough. Plus the daycare is still trying to figure her out and decide when she is hungry. Unfortunately DD will take a bottle no matter when you give it to her. She doesnt push it away, so it's hard to tell if she is hungry sometimes or just over tired which is what they are trying to figure out.

I did put an extra pump session in last night before I went to bed because she ate 4 bottles instead of 3, but I REALLY want to avoid doing that. I hate to have to pump at the end of the night then clean up the parts.

Good luck!

mittensonkittens · July 2014

If I fall short, I add one more pumping session before I go to bed. If I'm still short, then I dip into the freezer stash. If it happens several days in a row, I make sure I'm eating enough and taking care of myself, and pump/nurse extra to increase my supply.

mlee116 · July 2014

K3am said:

This is going to be personal preference. Some mamas will tell you to just send what you pump and it will encourage her to nurse more which will in turn help your supply. Personally, I just supplemented from my freezer stash. I never really ran into problems. If it's a one-off occurance, it won't be the worst thing in the world. If it's on-going, you may need to be more proactive in increasing your supply.

This is what I did because it usually wasn't an on-going issue. I always liked to err on the side of sending a little too much rather than DS being hungrier than normal one day and blowing through what I sent. I would tell them to use the frozen first and then fresh and if you have any left, you can freeze it to replace what you used.

If I seemed to be running low over a few days, I'd add a couple of pumping sessions at night or on the weekend and it helped cover the difference.

Beevol · July 2014

I would send some from the freezer stash (asking them to use the frozen first as others have commented) and then add an extra pumping session in after feeding her when you get home (even if you only get an ounce it will help remind your body to keep up production).

You might also want to plan a mini "nursing vacation" for this weekend (whoever came up with that term definitely did not have the same experience nursing that I did, but whatever). Skin to skin with your baby, nursing on demand for a day should help stave off supply issues and so long as you have a supportive network/partner to pick up your slack with the housework/errands, could be relaxing for you as well (those nursing hormones are pretty nice when it's all going right!).

Just remember you are an amazing mom. Easier said than done, but don't let it stress you out too much.

kmos816 · July 2014

I can probably do a session after she goes to bed but I've been going to bed right after her typically! I already do fenugreek and oatmeal- haven't seen that much of a change. I also drink at least 12 glasses of water per day.

I feed on both sides each time since my left side doesn't produce that much, and she always starts on the left. Can I still pump on one side while she feeds on the other?

Slb22 · July 2014

@PrivacyWanted‌ yes I have read about DC over feeding breast fed babies on here and have been a bit stressed about it this week. I send 4, 4 ounce bottles with the instructions that she is to get 3 and one is only if she really needs another. They were having a hard time figuring out if she was tired or hungry when she would get really worked up. To compound this she refused to sleep more than 20 minutes because the noise kept waking her up. The first two days they did the three bottles. But yesterday they went through the whole process (diaper Change, rocking, bouncing , playing etc)and nothing soothed her so they gave her a bottle. I was completely stressed about it after I picked her up but then realized she still ate the normal number of times in a day. Anyways, I showed them another way to soothe her today because she was getting too over tired from not napping, and I knew she wasn't hungry. when I picked her up today it worked like a charm and she had only the three bottles and took a three hour nap! I think my DCP will be good about not over feeding her. Even when she tells me she either had to feed her earlier than normal or gave that extra bottle she makes it very clear that she has tried everything else and almost sounded like she felt bad. This is just week one so everyone is adjusting. Can't wait until everyone is settled!

kmos816 · July 2014

So I just read having an overtired baby can lead to lower supply since they get too tired to eat efficiently, I wonder if that could be it as she is not napping at daycare very well and is overtired everyday!

Slb22 · July 2014

Hmm that's interesting. We are only on week one so we will see how next week goes and if everything levels out.

kmos816 · July 2014

This was our third week and things have been getting worse at daycare for naps, better for eating. I'm going to have another talk with her teacher tomorrow, as they let her get overtired before putting her down. Hoping next week gets better!
I have been trying to relax while pumping- deep breaths with my eyes closed, thinking about baby which seems to help. I am just not a multi tasker and can't do other things while pumping!

kmos816 · July 2014

I'll give reading a book a try or maybe just watching net flix on my iPad! Hopefully that will help!

DiveFrog · July 2014

Hang in there! All the ladies have given you great advice.

I too struggled with pumping and was never able to produce more than 9-10ounces during 3 pumping sessions at work. I used fenugreek, ate otameal, drank tons of water. They all helped keep me at that 10oz. consistently, but the only thing that worked long term was adding a pumping session in the early morning (2-4am). I would get 4oz. from that session. I also pumped this session on the weekends and that allowed me to keep up with the 12-16oz.(most of the time 14oz.) DD took every day.

radiohd18 · July 2014

I never thought of pulling from the freezer stash during the week. I've been just sending LO to daycare with what I pumped at work the day before. I've only pulled from the freezer if I didn't have enough to complete the bottle.

Jmj070211 · July 2014

I'm following this thread, because I'm going through the same thing. I've been under a lot of stress at work and have had to work mandatory OT. My supply has dipped really low. To add to my stress, I don't have any milk in the freezer (I used up the entire stash when I went to an overnight bachelorette party). When I called the LC she said supplement with formula, just so I feel less stressed about it. My LO refuses the formula though. At least it's Friday and I can nurse a lot this weekend to bring my supply back up. I've been eating oatmeal, taking fenugreek, and started drinking mother's milk tea yesterday. Does anyone know if certain brands of supplements are more effective than others?

shannm · July 2014

And remember, while you are adding a pumping session either right after she goes to bed or after she eats this weekend, you may not see anything coming out. BUT keep pumping for at least a few more minutes because it will signal to your body to up the supply. I think it was being implied above but just wanted to make sure that it was understood. It will really make a difference.

ss265 · July 2014

Jmj070211 said:

I'm following this thread, because I'm going through the same thing. I've been under a lot of stress at work and have had to work mandatory OT. My supply has dipped really low. To add to my stress, I don't have any milk in the freezer (I used up the entire stash when I went to an overnight bachelorette party). When I called the LC she said supplement with formula, just so I feel less stressed about it. My LO refuses the formula though. At least it's Friday and I can nurse a lot this weekend to bring my supply back up. I've been eating oatmeal, taking fenugreek, and started drinking mother's milk tea yesterday. Does anyone know if certain brands of supplements are more effective than others?

@jmj070211, you can try giving a bottle with half breastmilk, half formula to let LO get used to the taste and then gradually increase. You can also try different brands of formula - if you sign up on the formula websites, they will send you samples.

kmos816 · July 2014

Just wanted to send an update and to thank everyone! I've pumped more during my last sessions than I ever have! I've started listening to music on my phone so I can't hear my loud pump and that has helped! I also pumped extra in the AM this weekend to help withr my supply.

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