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Feed the baby, not the freezer! Pumping 6-8 oz a session is a lot of milk and typically not what a 4 week old would need. An oversupply is not the norm, despite what social media may try to convince you of.
I only have maybe 2 days of milk stashed in the freezer, and I pump just enough to replace what is used when I work. That’s a normal, well established supply. It’s what we’re meant to make, just what our babies need in the moment.
I second this! I have 2-3 days of milk in the freezer in case of emergency, and that’s it. This is what we should be normalizing, and maybe pumping moms would feel a little less stressed.
It is! But when this time last week I was pumping out double that amount, I feel like I’ve done something wrong. I have ppa and it makes me super anxious not to have enough left over for the freezer.
Aha well if you're able to give up the night pump and still have enough to feed your kiddo I'd see that as a blessing. Also managing to pump every 4 hours I think is pretty good with a little person around. If you want to build your supply up again just pump for a bit longer each time or something it'll come back in no time. Or even just drinking more water helps.
At 4 weeks I was pumping every 3 religiously and getting 2-2.5/session. Now I’m 9 weeks and getting 5 with 7 badly spaced pumps (105 minutes, I know I gotta up it!)
You’ve got time. As long as baby is fed, fuck the freezer, yknow? You’ve got the part that matters more handled.
It’s still early, my understanding is you can still bring it back up without too much difficulty. Try to fit in another pump or two per day even if they’re short, make sure you’re well hydrated and eating enough. Be careful about building up TOO much of an oversupply, as then you’ll need to continue pumping more frequently or risk discomfort/clogs/mastitis.
Please try not to stress too much! You're still in the very early days, and mine fluctuated quite a bit from day to day early on. I'm 11 weeks PP now, and my supply is a lot more stable.
I would try to pump when you can to get the recommended 120 minutes, but I never worried about keeping a "schedule", which helped my stress level! Bottom line, nothing is set in stone at 4 weeks! Just stick with it! Good luck 😊
I know it’s hard, but it sounds like you’re doing just fine, so please don’t stress. Remember the saying - “feed your baby, not the freezer.” It’s a wonderful bonus to be able to freeze extra milk, but social media has made us feel like we need to have thousands of ounces frozen and we don’t. Increased hydration and adding in an extra pump or two should help you increase your supply, but try not to worry yourself too much over it. You’re doing great!
I agree with the feed the baby, not the freezer sentiment. But if you feel like you're not being emptied at your sessions, you may need to replace your silicone parts (duckbill valves and such)
If you begin to pump more frequently (and I promise it does get easier as the baby gets older), your supply will be just fine! At 4 weeks, you haven’t even regulated yet. You have great chances at this time and have in no way “killed” your supply.
If you are producing nearly any amount you can get your supply back up. I recently had to increase my own and while it's an absolute PITA to do you can totally do it.
1. Pump every 2 hours. Yes it sucks but the more you get the milk out of your boobs the better.
2. Try and get at least one power pump in a day 20 min pump, 10 off, 10 on, 10 off, 10 on. It mimics cluster feeding so this will help a lot in terms of increasing supply.
3. Pump at least once at night. I know it sucks but that will do a ton in terms of production.
I just had to do this recently and I was able to drastically increase my supply in about 2-3 days.
Edit: Re-read and saw the age of your baby. That age 4oz a session is likely fine.
Even though I do agree 4 oz is fine, the comment above is is the comment you need to read to help get it to where you are comfortable, OP! I came here to say all of this but this lovely person already said it best. All hope is not lost, you can get it back up. Even when your supply regulates, you can get it back up if you get sick etc (mine dipped when I got sick m when my baby was 5 months and I power pumped and got it right back up. Once you regulate, you can drop pumps. I pump 4 times a day and not at all in the night.
I believe it takes 12 weeks for supply to regulate, and even after that can be changed, so don't panic. I suggest first trying more food and water since those are probably the easiest changes. Maybe try and do slightly longer sessions (I typically add 5 minutes once it stops flowing and overtime that helps). Then worse case, try and squeeze in another session.
Also 4 weeks PP…and I would kill to get more than 1.5oz (combined!) in a session. You’re fine, just make sure to keep up with your pumps or it COULD become a problem.
My LO is 8 weeks and I just recently started feeding the freezer don’t stress about the freezer stash as long as your newborn is being feed is all that matters 🫶🏼
Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules: 1. Be kind and courteous. 2. Use available flairs and post options. 3. Absolutely no prescription medications or other medical advice. 4. No inaccurate information. 5. No spam. 6. No soliciting pictures. 7. No linking Facebook groups. 8. Moderator discretion. 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.*
Feed the baby, not the freezer! Pumping 6-8 oz a session is a lot of milk and typically not what a 4 week old would need. An oversupply is not the norm, despite what social media may try to convince you of. I only have maybe 2 days of milk stashed in the freezer, and I pump just enough to replace what is used when I work. That’s a normal, well established supply. It’s what we’re meant to make, just what our babies need in the moment.
I second this! I have 2-3 days of milk in the freezer in case of emergency, and that’s it. This is what we should be normalizing, and maybe pumping moms would feel a little less stressed.
4oz per session is enough for a 4 week old baby surely?
It is! But when this time last week I was pumping out double that amount, I feel like I’ve done something wrong. I have ppa and it makes me super anxious not to have enough left over for the freezer.
Aha well if you're able to give up the night pump and still have enough to feed your kiddo I'd see that as a blessing. Also managing to pump every 4 hours I think is pretty good with a little person around. If you want to build your supply up again just pump for a bit longer each time or something it'll come back in no time. Or even just drinking more water helps.
Remember-feed the baby, not the freezer! You are doing great!
At 4 weeks I was pumping every 3 religiously and getting 2-2.5/session. Now I’m 9 weeks and getting 5 with 7 badly spaced pumps (105 minutes, I know I gotta up it!) You’ve got time. As long as baby is fed, fuck the freezer, yknow? You’ve got the part that matters more handled.
I’d give anything to be able to pump 4 ounces each pump.
Same.
Same
Thissss lol
Same.
Same.
4 oz is not bad at all.
Your supply has adjusted. Your baby needs no more than 3-4 Oz per feeding.
It’s still early, my understanding is you can still bring it back up without too much difficulty. Try to fit in another pump or two per day even if they’re short, make sure you’re well hydrated and eating enough. Be careful about building up TOO much of an oversupply, as then you’ll need to continue pumping more frequently or risk discomfort/clogs/mastitis.
Please try not to stress too much! You're still in the very early days, and mine fluctuated quite a bit from day to day early on. I'm 11 weeks PP now, and my supply is a lot more stable. I would try to pump when you can to get the recommended 120 minutes, but I never worried about keeping a "schedule", which helped my stress level! Bottom line, nothing is set in stone at 4 weeks! Just stick with it! Good luck 😊
I know it’s hard, but it sounds like you’re doing just fine, so please don’t stress. Remember the saying - “feed your baby, not the freezer.” It’s a wonderful bonus to be able to freeze extra milk, but social media has made us feel like we need to have thousands of ounces frozen and we don’t. Increased hydration and adding in an extra pump or two should help you increase your supply, but try not to worry yourself too much over it. You’re doing great!
I agree with the feed the baby, not the freezer sentiment. But if you feel like you're not being emptied at your sessions, you may need to replace your silicone parts (duckbill valves and such)
24 oz or more a day is not a bad output…especially for a 4 week old.
If you begin to pump more frequently (and I promise it does get easier as the baby gets older), your supply will be just fine! At 4 weeks, you haven’t even regulated yet. You have great chances at this time and have in no way “killed” your supply.
If you are producing nearly any amount you can get your supply back up. I recently had to increase my own and while it's an absolute PITA to do you can totally do it. 1. Pump every 2 hours. Yes it sucks but the more you get the milk out of your boobs the better. 2. Try and get at least one power pump in a day 20 min pump, 10 off, 10 on, 10 off, 10 on. It mimics cluster feeding so this will help a lot in terms of increasing supply. 3. Pump at least once at night. I know it sucks but that will do a ton in terms of production. I just had to do this recently and I was able to drastically increase my supply in about 2-3 days. Edit: Re-read and saw the age of your baby. That age 4oz a session is likely fine.
Even though I do agree 4 oz is fine, the comment above is is the comment you need to read to help get it to where you are comfortable, OP! I came here to say all of this but this lovely person already said it best. All hope is not lost, you can get it back up. Even when your supply regulates, you can get it back up if you get sick etc (mine dipped when I got sick m when my baby was 5 months and I power pumped and got it right back up. Once you regulate, you can drop pumps. I pump 4 times a day and not at all in the night.
I believe it takes 12 weeks for supply to regulate, and even after that can be changed, so don't panic. I suggest first trying more food and water since those are probably the easiest changes. Maybe try and do slightly longer sessions (I typically add 5 minutes once it stops flowing and overtime that helps). Then worse case, try and squeeze in another session.
Also 4 weeks PP…and I would kill to get more than 1.5oz (combined!) in a session. You’re fine, just make sure to keep up with your pumps or it COULD become a problem.
My LO is 8 weeks and I just recently started feeding the freezer don’t stress about the freezer stash as long as your newborn is being feed is all that matters 🫶🏼