Breastfeeding Momma's Help!

alyciamrs · July 2015

DD is two weeks old on Tuesday. I have been exclusively pumping and supplementing with formula, only when absolutely necessary. So far I have not had a huge supply of breastmilk. The highest has been 2 1/2 ounces each breast per pumping. As of yesterday, I'm only able to pump about 3 ounces or less from both breasts. I have tried pumping more often, drinking more water, eating oatmeal..nothing has helped. Anyone have any ideas? I'm desperate to keep my supply up and breastfeed as long as I possibly can!

kriszty2 · July 2015

How often are you pumping? Was there a problem with her latching?

amylianne · July 2015

Pump as often as possible! Also, fenugreek can help. There's also a perscription you can get

mamaloaf · July 2015

Just keep at it and don't give up! Try power pumping once a day, it'll really help. See attached graphic.

aluapaniri · July 2015

Sounds like your supply is fine. Is your baby eating all that amount? Im pumping also as my premie won't latch and I get usually 1-1.5 ounces per breast each time, and that's basically the amount she eats. I was told in the first few weeks you won't have any extra to store so to not expect it yet.

lifesabeach85 · July 2015

Is there a lactation consultant who could come over and help you out? Many take insurance!

buckleyk · July 2015

Power pumping is a great idea! Also check out kellymom.com for more ideas.

emmacake08 · July 2015

Try backing off of the suction too. I know it sounds counterintuitive but sometimes the suction is too high. Massage your breasts as you pump from all angles to clear them out. Have LO latch and nurse from time to time to remind your body what you're doing. Always pump through the night. Your prolactin peaks at night and you can get ahead of LO at night. If you can, set an alarm and get up every 2 hours and pump 10 minutes through the night. I used to leave my pump set up with the parts in a spare bedroom so all I had to do was roll out of bed and pump. Then I used my second set to put on the pump when I was done so that it was all set up for the next pm pump 2 hours later.

Good luck!

benmel31 · July 2015

Try to pump as frequently as you would be nursing. But also know that your baby would not be eating much at each feeding so your supply should increase over time.

Suzanne237 · July 2015

I didn't have any luck pumping. I only ended up Breastfeeding straight from breast and had much better luck. Electric and manual pumps didn't do as well as baby himself. Manual was better but not good. And unless dr say it's 100% needed, skip the formula. It only works against you for making more milk. Good luck mama stick with it!

CaliforniaDream87 · July 2015

Just wanted to say hang in there! BF'ing is tough but don't give up! You can do this

PixelPosy · July 2015

I agree with the others. Kellymom.com is a wonderful resource and helped me so much with my first. I had bad experiences with the lactation consultants while in the hospital and was dead set on figuring it out on my own with the internet's help.

The biggest thing that helped my supply early on... lots of skin to skin with baby and relaxing. Which is really hard to do when you are exclusively pumping. A few weeks after DD was born I went to the movies and was gone 3 hours. I pumped right before we left and pumped as soon as I got home. For the first time ever I overflowed the bottle. Didn't ever happen again, lol. But showed me that taking care of me was needed to be able to produce milk.

Some ways to help letdown are applying warm compresses about 5-10 minutes before you plan to pump and breast massage before and while pumping. I also hand expressed the last drops after a pumping session.

The amounts you are getting sound right for a newborn feed. Kellymom will give you some background on why formula and breastmilk are not comparable ounce for ounce. If you are noticing a sudden drop in supply check your pump parts, especially the valves as they are delicate and can be damaged easily when washing. You also may want to experiment with breast shield sizes to see if that makes any difference.

cosplaymom · July 2015

Another thing to check is to make sure the funnel-shaped pieces of your pump are the right size. If you have small nipples you may need a small size to get more milk out.

Starynightsky24 · July 2015

Baby should be eating about 1oz per hour. So if you're getting 3oz in a pump she should be eating every 3 hours. Sounds to me like your supply is fine. Breastfeeding is not at all the same as formula. She doesn't need nearly as much breastmilk as she would formula. Good luck!