Pumping and supply

Twinkelz3 · November 2014

Wondering if others are going through this? When I am at home with LO I have no trouble keeping her appetite satisfied with no need to supplement. However when I am at work, it is more common for her caregivers to have to supplement than not, due to my bm production not being enough from the day before (They are usually short one 4 oz. bottle). I stopped being able to keep up with her around 3.5 months. What gives? I pump 3 times when I am not with her. Before work, during my lunch break, after work. I get around 16 oz for the day. I don't understand what the difference is. I feel that if it were a supply issue she would be unsatisfied by me too.

LaurelJoy91 · November 2014

Babies are more efficient than the pump, lots of times. So she is probably drinking more milk when she nurses than you get from pumping. The problem is not your supply, but it can affect your supply. You might need to look in to a better pump, or perhaps there are parts on your current pump that need replaced.

ashanne88 · November 2014

PP all have good advice. I also have no problems on the weekend, but am lucky if I get 15-16oz of BM during the week.

Keep drinking lots of water and try not to worry about it. If you haven't tried them, I recommend oatmeal, lactation cookies, mother's milk, and fenugreek to help keep your supply up.

sm623 · November 2014

I also EBF when I'm home with LO and don't need to supplement, but I only pump around 16 oz (with massage/compressions) during my 3 sessions while I'm at work. My LO usually drinks about 18 oz, but sometimes 20+ oz while I'm at work. So I end up pumping about an hour or two after she goes to bed to make up the difference. My total output is usually around 20 oz for the day. Some days I have extra to freeze, some days we have to get in the freezer stash, but it usually evens out. I have noticed that when my output decreased some it helped to change the membranes (the white rubber flaps on the Medela pisa). I also think my body reacts to stress by lowering my output some, too.

zolastele · November 2014

This is me too. I've found that pumping an extra time during the day (so every 2 hours instead of every 3) helps a lot, as does eating and drinking more than usual. I also started taking an herbal supplement called Moringa--it's a leafy green plant, basically kale on steroids, and I think that's helping too. You can get it off amazon, the one I got is called "Moringa Pure". With all of those strategies combined, I've been getting an extra 4-5 oz a day.

irenewslee · November 2014

I noticed that too but i think mine is a problem with the daycare. Not saying that they are not doing their job right, just that they tend to feed her more when she is cranky. They feed her almost every 2 hrs (3-4oz each time) while i feed her every 3-4 (4-5oz each time) on the weekends. The daycare doesnt have the manpower to pick her every time she wants the attention. If you do the math, she ends up eating about 3oz more. I pump exclusively so it is more obvious. I am ok with them feeding just a bit more because that means i dont feed her until her last bottle before bed.

Twinkelz3 · November 2014

Thanks for all the advice girls! I will try some of these tips. I had no idea about the membranes sometimes need to be changed for my medela. I will look into the cookies and other supplements you all mentioned too.

It's also super reassuring to know I'm not alone with this problem!!

clwheel · November 2014

Get a handsfree thing (there are the bras or other things) if you don't have one. I found that make a difference because I could more easily massage and make sure I was fully empty.

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