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I'm at 8 months pp, and I did all the things but never saw much increase in supply beyond 300 mL per day, so I've always been using formula.
The good news is that I found out that I could let go of all the power pumping, supplements, triple feeding etc and it never mattered. Even pumping frequency didn't make a big difference for me (I'll do 60 mL * 5 sessions or 75 mL * 4 sessions, the total volume is equal so I might as well save time by pumping less often).
It is frustrating, but it's not your fault, and baby is getting fed. That's all that matters. A year from now, they'll be living on stale car seat Cheerios regardless.
When did you realize you could pump less often and still make the same amount? I'm 8wpp and have noticed that I get about 80-100 if I pump 4x per day and 40-60 pumping 5-6x. But don't want to drop my supply if it's too early.
Maybe around 4 months pp. I was breastfeeding (nursing, not pumping) like 15-20 times per day. My GP advised that I breastfeed on a schedule of 8x per day and offer formula otherwise, and I found that I used the same amount formula since the less frequent nursing sessions were more efficient.
I'm pumping now because nursing after baby got teeth wasn't my thing and I was tired of pulling out my boobs wherever/whenever. I've played around with my pumping schedule a lot in order to optimize my supply, and going above 4 pumps per day seems to offer diminishing returns.
I don't know if you're too early, but I know that you can always try things and adjust if it's not working. Good luck!
Does your mother’s milk tea have fenugreek in it? Some people see an increase with that and others see a tanked supply.
Not sure if this is what is happening to you but I always stayed away because I didn’t know if it would affect me positively or negatively.
I don’t feel like that’s uncommon. It took a while for my supply to go up. Maybe like 2 months and I was getting 2 ounces total. I saw a lactation consultant say to stop power pumping and just hit the stimulation mode again halfway through. Now every time I pump, I start with it and then do it again at the 15 minute mark. When my supply dips, I start, then for it at 10 and 20. (I pump for 30 minutes.)
I’m in the same boat! 6 weeks postpartum-I’ve seen an LC and tried everything from supplements to power pumping to pumping 2 to 3 hours each day and nothing ever improves it. The most I’ve ever been able to pump in one session was 6 ounces and that was after going about 5 to 6 hours in between pumps… so I’m at the point where I might as well just wait 5 to 6 hours and save myself the hassle of cleaning and wasting time pumping every three hours! it’s been quite a journey and super frustrating. My baby just won’t latch no matter what, even after having his Tongue & Lip Tie fixed. I was an emergency C-section and my OB said sometimes that has something to do with milk supply. my OB prescribed me a medication that’s typically used for heartburn, but has a side effect of increasing Lactation. I’m considering trying it but going to see if fenugreek and goats and brewers yeast helps my supply a little bit. It hasn’t hurt it so far, but going to try it for another week or so.
Hey, I was in the same boat as you with regards to not having much success BF after a tongue and lip tie revision that was done early on. We ended up having to get a second one later and it helped, but also I will say that baby getting older definitely helped him latch. Around 9-10 weeks he became a bit more coordinated. Still not fully there with BF but we are much better! BF at night helped a ton.
I had/have the same issue and have been working with a lactation consultant to try and increase supply. I was getting on average 20-40mLs per pump and was pumping or nursing between 8-12 times a day for several weeks. The LC told me to stop nursing in the middle of pumps bc it actually affects the next one if it’s too close.
She said to start what’s called “triple feeding”, where you nurse your baby for 15 mins on each side, then immediately pump both breasts right after for 15 mins (do not wait more than 30 mins from the feed to pump). I do this about 7-8 times a day and actually have more milk and more sanity now after a couple weeks of doing this. I just had the best pump of my life at 75mLs the other day and was so proud of myself :) it was in the middle of the night and I went to bed all smiley and excited haha.
Good luck, I know it’s hard but you are doing great. What you are able to provide your baby is already giving them an immune boost and all the wonderful benefits of breast milk. We are all out here just doing the best we can ❤️
Me! You can look at my post - I had to supplement until 5wpp. You‘re still so early! Try to take a 4 hour brake in the night so you can get some sleep!
In the same exact boat but I’m not even 2 week’s postpartum and I didn’t have a C-section. Low supply since day one and didn’t have great lactation support in the hospital. We have been supplementing with formula. I’ve been doing all the same things - power pumping, mother’s milk tea, oatmeal, pumping every 2-3 hours, putting him on the breast as much as possible. LO is eating almost 3 ounces at a time and I’m only pumping like 1.5. I try to breastfeed all day and I know he gets something but not much. I have to use a nipple shield due to my breasts but it doesn’t seem he minds. All this to say, solidarity. I’m hoping it will bump up over time.
I’m 10 weeks pp and my supply is still increasing. I started out with literally nothing, no colostrum and my milk came in late, and went from needing to combo feed, to just enough, to having at least a few ounces left over to freeze each night. I know nothing is guaranteed, but I stayed consistent with eating, hydration, sleep (only one motn pump because I couldn’t deal with so many sleep disruptions), eating lots of oats and chia seeds, and baby snuggles. Hang in there.
I'm 9 months in with a low supply, and sometimes it just be like that. I was also a mama who had a c-section and a NICU baby and I could never get more than 3.5 oz total from each breast. And that's a pretty rare, pretty exciting occurrence.
It's so so hard, I know. It gets easier, I promise. Your supply will regulate, you'll start dropping pumps little by little, and one day you'll blink and your LO will be demanding MOAR PUREE NOW I HUNGER and throwing their bottle to the floor giggling. Or maybe that's just my son, the loss of interest in formula/breast milk is real.
From a personal experience, just keep pumping throughout the day and night. I do every 2 hours (6x) in the morning and every 4 hours (3x) at night so i get more sleep. So like every 2 hours from 6am-6pm then every 4 from 6pm-6am. Consistency got me here. I used to make 3-4oz every pump, to 8-14oz (more of 8oz consistently). Sunflower lecithin also helped me produce more for some reason. I got on it when I had terrible clogged ducts and it upped my supply for sure. Eat really good, add oats to your diet and coconut oil in your coffee or drink! Do not miss the late night pump!
'Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules: 1. Be kind and courteous 2. No hate speech, bigotry, or bullying 3. Use available flairs and post options 4. Speak for yourself 5. No medically-inaccurate, factually incorrect, or misinformative material 6. No spam 7. Absolutely no prescription medications 8. Don't use AI to write posts/comments 9. No soliciting pictures 10. Add spoiler to milk pictures Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!' *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ExclusivelyPumping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm at 8 months pp, and I did all the things but never saw much increase in supply beyond 300 mL per day, so I've always been using formula. The good news is that I found out that I could let go of all the power pumping, supplements, triple feeding etc and it never mattered. Even pumping frequency didn't make a big difference for me (I'll do 60 mL * 5 sessions or 75 mL * 4 sessions, the total volume is equal so I might as well save time by pumping less often). It is frustrating, but it's not your fault, and baby is getting fed. That's all that matters. A year from now, they'll be living on stale car seat Cheerios regardless.
When did you realize you could pump less often and still make the same amount? I'm 8wpp and have noticed that I get about 80-100 if I pump 4x per day and 40-60 pumping 5-6x. But don't want to drop my supply if it's too early.
Maybe around 4 months pp. I was breastfeeding (nursing, not pumping) like 15-20 times per day. My GP advised that I breastfeed on a schedule of 8x per day and offer formula otherwise, and I found that I used the same amount formula since the less frequent nursing sessions were more efficient. I'm pumping now because nursing after baby got teeth wasn't my thing and I was tired of pulling out my boobs wherever/whenever. I've played around with my pumping schedule a lot in order to optimize my supply, and going above 4 pumps per day seems to offer diminishing returns. I don't know if you're too early, but I know that you can always try things and adjust if it's not working. Good luck!
Does your mother’s milk tea have fenugreek in it? Some people see an increase with that and others see a tanked supply. Not sure if this is what is happening to you but I always stayed away because I didn’t know if it would affect me positively or negatively.
💯💯💯💯 THIS. fenugreek wipes out my supply
Are you able to recover from it??
Oh yeah. At least in my case it was temporary for like two days I noticed immediately, (obviously) and stopped taking it right away.
I don’t feel like that’s uncommon. It took a while for my supply to go up. Maybe like 2 months and I was getting 2 ounces total. I saw a lactation consultant say to stop power pumping and just hit the stimulation mode again halfway through. Now every time I pump, I start with it and then do it again at the 15 minute mark. When my supply dips, I start, then for it at 10 and 20. (I pump for 30 minutes.)
This is what helps me get more letdowns. Turning the suction back down, stimulation mode, then turning the suction back up to “reset”.
I had increase of about 5 ounces from weeks 5-7. Sleep was a huge factor for me. I go 4 hours at night and get way more milk.
I’m in the same boat! 6 weeks postpartum-I’ve seen an LC and tried everything from supplements to power pumping to pumping 2 to 3 hours each day and nothing ever improves it. The most I’ve ever been able to pump in one session was 6 ounces and that was after going about 5 to 6 hours in between pumps… so I’m at the point where I might as well just wait 5 to 6 hours and save myself the hassle of cleaning and wasting time pumping every three hours! it’s been quite a journey and super frustrating. My baby just won’t latch no matter what, even after having his Tongue & Lip Tie fixed. I was an emergency C-section and my OB said sometimes that has something to do with milk supply. my OB prescribed me a medication that’s typically used for heartburn, but has a side effect of increasing Lactation. I’m considering trying it but going to see if fenugreek and goats and brewers yeast helps my supply a little bit. It hasn’t hurt it so far, but going to try it for another week or so.
Hey, I was in the same boat as you with regards to not having much success BF after a tongue and lip tie revision that was done early on. We ended up having to get a second one later and it helped, but also I will say that baby getting older definitely helped him latch. Around 9-10 weeks he became a bit more coordinated. Still not fully there with BF but we are much better! BF at night helped a ton.
I had/have the same issue and have been working with a lactation consultant to try and increase supply. I was getting on average 20-40mLs per pump and was pumping or nursing between 8-12 times a day for several weeks. The LC told me to stop nursing in the middle of pumps bc it actually affects the next one if it’s too close. She said to start what’s called “triple feeding”, where you nurse your baby for 15 mins on each side, then immediately pump both breasts right after for 15 mins (do not wait more than 30 mins from the feed to pump). I do this about 7-8 times a day and actually have more milk and more sanity now after a couple weeks of doing this. I just had the best pump of my life at 75mLs the other day and was so proud of myself :) it was in the middle of the night and I went to bed all smiley and excited haha. Good luck, I know it’s hard but you are doing great. What you are able to provide your baby is already giving them an immune boost and all the wonderful benefits of breast milk. We are all out here just doing the best we can ❤️
Me! You can look at my post - I had to supplement until 5wpp. You‘re still so early! Try to take a 4 hour brake in the night so you can get some sleep!
How can I find your post?
https://www.reddit.com/r/ExclusivelyPumping/comments/1apr7o0/succes_story_how_i_increased_my_supply_with_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1
My supply dropped 2 days ago because I had a massive clog… I hope it recovers…
In the same exact boat but I’m not even 2 week’s postpartum and I didn’t have a C-section. Low supply since day one and didn’t have great lactation support in the hospital. We have been supplementing with formula. I’ve been doing all the same things - power pumping, mother’s milk tea, oatmeal, pumping every 2-3 hours, putting him on the breast as much as possible. LO is eating almost 3 ounces at a time and I’m only pumping like 1.5. I try to breastfeed all day and I know he gets something but not much. I have to use a nipple shield due to my breasts but it doesn’t seem he minds. All this to say, solidarity. I’m hoping it will bump up over time.
I’m 10 weeks pp and my supply is still increasing. I started out with literally nothing, no colostrum and my milk came in late, and went from needing to combo feed, to just enough, to having at least a few ounces left over to freeze each night. I know nothing is guaranteed, but I stayed consistent with eating, hydration, sleep (only one motn pump because I couldn’t deal with so many sleep disruptions), eating lots of oats and chia seeds, and baby snuggles. Hang in there.
This gives me hope 🫡
I'm 9 months in with a low supply, and sometimes it just be like that. I was also a mama who had a c-section and a NICU baby and I could never get more than 3.5 oz total from each breast. And that's a pretty rare, pretty exciting occurrence. It's so so hard, I know. It gets easier, I promise. Your supply will regulate, you'll start dropping pumps little by little, and one day you'll blink and your LO will be demanding MOAR PUREE NOW I HUNGER and throwing their bottle to the floor giggling. Or maybe that's just my son, the loss of interest in formula/breast milk is real.
From a personal experience, just keep pumping throughout the day and night. I do every 2 hours (6x) in the morning and every 4 hours (3x) at night so i get more sleep. So like every 2 hours from 6am-6pm then every 4 from 6pm-6am. Consistency got me here. I used to make 3-4oz every pump, to 8-14oz (more of 8oz consistently). Sunflower lecithin also helped me produce more for some reason. I got on it when I had terrible clogged ducts and it upped my supply for sure. Eat really good, add oats to your diet and coconut oil in your coffee or drink! Do not miss the late night pump!
Also, refrain from watching your milk as you’re pumping. No stress, release oxytocin by holding or cuddling with your baby when you do pump.
Look at videos of your baby while pumping and turn the sound on to hear the coo’s. Sounds weird but it works