Pumpers - how much milk do you get when you pump?

[nut]

I have noticed that my breastpumping is very variable. Right now, after I feed Joe in the morning on one side, I then pump the other side (it's usually a good hour after I feed him, since I don't pump till he goes to sleep). Some mornings I've gotten as little as 1.5 oz and some as much as 5 oz. It's very unpredictable. Typically, I get around 2-3 oz. Is there any way to increase this? I think Joe is eating more than this at a feeding, and I'd like to be able to pump the equivalent of a feeding (probably around 4 oz)?

[nick's_mom]

Nut - I am having the same problem. The lactation consultant told me that PCOS can effect the amount of milk you supply. :? There are some herbs on the market that increase your supply - Fenugreek is one (I've got this & it does seem to help). The other one, I think, is Blessed Thistle. Also, your doctor could prescribe Reglan - that works for some reason too. Hope that helps & good luck!

[wantingbabynumber2]

I usually got around 3oz per side pumping sometimes a little more. Its been awhile my totals for the day exclusive pumping were in the 35oz range. It varied depending on time of day, how much fluid I had consumed, stress etc. Mornings are the best time to pump. Also you can use the reglan to increase milk supply also if you increase the number of pumpings. If you pump within one hour your breast will be refilled for the next feeding. Also make sure you are getting emptied to increase your milk supply if you still feel full after a feeding then I would pump that breast to empty it. Will he only eat from one side? how long does he nurse for?

[nopey]

One side I never got more than 2 oz when I pumped. The other side I got anywhere from 1 to 6 oz. I'd say I'd average 3 oz though. I also took More Milk Plus and another one that is escaping me right now. I got both of them from www.motherlove.com They were recommended by my lacatation consultant. Also.....I had a breast reduction when I was 21 so that is also most likely a good reason that I had a lower supply. I was just so happy that I could nurse at all. I nursed for a little over 9 mos.

[nopey]

I went to their website because it was bugging me that I couldn't remember the name. I also took Goat's Rue - it is specifically for PCOS woman and/or for those who had breast reductions.

[cvalentine]

I get about 4 oz per breast at each pumping session, which is 3x/day, plus I nurse Emma twice a day and she takes about 5 oz from a bottle, so I'm assuming she eats about that when nursing too. So I guess that's around 40 oz per day. To get my supply strong, I pumped every 3-4 hours in the beginning, BUT I was not nursing at all the first 2 months of Emma's life. I didn't try to latch her on until after 2 months, mostly just out of curiousity to see if she would, and by golly, she had no issues and went to town!

[texasred1]

It depends what day of the week it is. Odd, all the books I read said that come Monday morning your breasts would be at their fullest, I think this only happend once since returning to work. Most Monday mornings they are at their lowest. Mid- to later in the week is when they are at their fullest for me. And I guess I have yet another unique "problem" my right side always produces 1-2 ounces more than my left. So on average I pump about 4oz. During the week I pump once before I leave for work, then twice while at work.

In "Nursing Mother, Working Mother" it suggests to nurse baby from one side, then pump for 10 minutes (drain the nursed side as well as pump the other side) then nurse from other side. Do this first thing in the morning as your breasts are at their fullest between 5-8am. Then do a mid-morning pump. This will increase your supply. I started doing this about 2 weeks before I returned to work, and got a nice stash in the freezer.

So, I nurse Mason before I leave for work and once we get home. Then probably one more time before we go to bed, and I take him to bed and nurse again. Then we wait and see if he's going to sleep through the night or wake...

[proud2Bamommy]

Well when I pumped exclusively (when Dylan wouldn't latch on for the first 3 weeks) I was getting 4-6 oz per breast every 3 hours. But I think I'm an overflow-er! Now that Dylan latches and I do pump occasionly I get only like 2-3 ounces per side. But I have to say that I know Dylan eats more than that cause I still give him bottles every now and again. The body reacts differently to a baby then to a pump (per my LC). The baby can get milk out even if you think there is none there. I also noticed while pumping that when your milke let's down and then slows and then stops or just drips and you think you are done, if you keep pumping maybe like 1-2min more, you will let-down again. Also, I see that you said you feed Joe on one side and then pump the other, if you have a dual pump or even a single and are up to it, try pumping both sides. I bet you will still have milk in that breast that he fed from. And my LC said the best way to build up your supply is to pump them dry, then your body will create more thinking it needs more also pump like 2-5 minutes after you run out, this will stimulate the breasts to make more milk. Hope that helped. My problem.... I need more freezer space!!!!

[texasred1]

I just re-read my reply. On average I pump 3-4 ounces per side.

Mel - lol, I need more freezer space too!!!

[want2bemama]

I usually get abt 3 oz and I stop at that becos Dhruv doesnt drink more than 3 oz .
But sometimes, when he misses a feed and my breasts r engorged , I usually pump abt 4-6 oz..I prbly will get more but I stop at 6 oz.

[cvalentine]

This is a little off the topic, but does anyone else have an extreme let-down? I gag poor Emma almost every time she nurses. Then to make matters worse, when she pulls away, sometimes milk is still coming out and squirts her! :shock: Anyone else have this problem?

[texasred1]

Cristen - LOL I have had that same problem! Not so much anymore. I always kinda feel bad for Mason as I squirt him. Although it doesn't seem to bother him.

[want2bemama]

me too!! I squirt all the time..sometimes it doesnt bother dhruv but at times it makes him mad and he will refuse to feed!! I jus calm him down..rock him till he is relaxed and then feed him..it usually works!

[Sherri]

One thing my ped suggested for this is to pump until you letdown, then nurse. Also helps with slow letdown. I rarely do it, though, b/c it's too cumbersome to pump first when baby's hungry.

[wantingbabynumber2]

I have squirted my kid to make her gag or in the eye etc. Anyone else squirt after they have showered? I did twice totally embaressing. DH literally was rolling on the floor laughing. The girls are deadly when BF.

[cvalentine]

Okay, this is turning into the bf question thread!

I have been dealing with some pretty stressful stuff this week. We had to put one of our dogs down, and me and my mom got in a fight, and all in all it's been a crappy week.

My milk supply has dropped in half this week and I'm terrified I'm drying up. Experiences like this anyone? Someone please tell me my milk will come back!

[Sherri]

Hi Cristen,
So sorry about your dog -- and your fight with your mom. That's rough. I hope you can rest and relax this weekend.

I searched the KellyMom site under "stress and milk supply" and found this article. http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html It says, yes, stress, among other things, can cause a decrease in milk supply and suggests ways to build your supply back up. Hang in there, you're not drying up! You're doing great!

Take care, and good luck.

[cvalentine]

Thanks for the article Sherri! Things have calmed down some thankfully. My supply is still not back to normal, but has increased a little bit. Hopefully nursing Emma all weekend will help get me back to my normal levels. Hopefully after a couple of weeks I'll be back to normal. I wish I could pump or nurse more, but I'm maxed out on time as it is...

[MonicaPC]

i wish i could borrow some of your guys boobs! im only getting in like a steady oz from eack , if that. im getting very frustrated cuz i do not want to supplement her . with her being premie, i want to her to have my milk cuz its best. any ideas? help.i pump every hour to two hours same amount each time. what am i doing wrong? i eat right, no junk, one cup of soda with dinner(maybe) aside from that milk, water, apple juice....... aggghhhhh!

[Sherri]

Monica, take a look at this article. The kellymom site has tons of really great info.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html

It says, Most moms who are nursing full-time are able to pump around 1/2 to 2 ounces total (for both breasts) per pumping session. Not sure if this means in addition to nursing, but still, something to think about.

Also, one thing I'm wondering is whether you may be pumping TOO often. You may not be giving yourself time to fill back up. You might try every 2-3 hours instead of 1-2 hours.

Best advice I can think of is, if you don't have access to a lactation consultant, call the La Leche League. They are just about everywhere and wonderful!

[mara232]

Monica - just keep pumping. I'd get up once or twice thru the night to pump as well. Good Luck. I agree with Sherri - the kellymom site rocks.

[lisamarie]

Cristen-I went through the same thing with stress and bfing. When it came out my nephew was molested I could barely produce milk. I went from pumping 8 or more ozs at a time to barely 3. I tried to get my supply up...but it didnt work..just becaue for three months straight it was nonstop stress over my nephew and new information coming out. Just keep up the good work! :)

[texasred1]

Monica - don't stress (I know, it's hard). Are you exclusively pumping? Or pumping and bf? Pumping doesn't yield as much as what a baby can do while bf. Ditto what sherri said about finding a lc, it helped wonders. And if nothing else, for me, it relieved me to know there was a light at the end of the tunnel. She would weigh Mason, then I would nurse from one side, then she'd weigh him again - we saw an increase (good) then nursed from the other side weighed again, saw an increase. Fenugreek and oatmeal both help increase supply. Don't feel bad if you have to supplement. I think I may have posted this to you (or maybe someone else) before but when Mason wasn't gaining weight we supplemented 4 oz. of formula at night. The lc also had me bf for 30 min. then pump for 10-15min after bf and feed Mason the ebm. The first time I pumped there was nothing, I mean it just got the bottles dirty. But I did this round the clock 24/7 every 2 hours, even set my alarm. Within a week he gained a pound. One other thing my lc suggested (although I didn't do it) was to rent a hospital grade pump, just until the milk supply increased.
Hang in there!

[texasred1]

hey i just found this site

http://www.pumpingmoms.org/

i haven't had a chance to look around, but it sound good.

[nut]

Hang in there - I think breastfeeding is one of the most stressful things I've done in life - and stress is one of the worst things for breastfeeding - so it's a vicious cycle!!!

I saw my milk supply drop in November - it was not long after we went thru a hellcious week with Joe before we discovered that he had reflux. I think the stress did it. But, i just kept pumping every morning, and eventually, it came back little by little. Then, once Joe slept through the night, I missed a feeding, and my pump really increased - and so I just held on to that by making sure I pump at least 5 oz every morning. It really takes diligence though.

As an example of what stress can do - today was my first day back at work, and I pumped about an hour after I got there. I was really tense being back and missing Joe - I only got 2.5 oz after 40 minutes. At the end of the day, I had to pump again, but I was much more relaxed - got 6 oz in 40 min. (I only pump from one side, since I only feed from one side per feeding). So, there you go.....

Good luck & hang in there.

[mara232]

i wish i could borrow some of your guys boobs! im only getting in like a steady oz from eack , if that. im getting very frustrated cuz i do not want to supplement her . with her being premie, i want to her to have my milk cuz its best. any ideas? help.i pump every hour to two hours same amount each time. what am i doing wrong? i eat right, no junk, one cup of soda with dinner(maybe) aside from that milk, water, apple juice....... aggghhhhh!

What kind of pump are you using? Sometimes it is all about the pump.

[Leslie]

You guys are total milk machines. When I was trying to pump and bottle feed, I got very little. I was definately one of the PCOSers with low milk supply. My max would be about 25 oz a day and that was with pumping every two hours. I was so frustrated and felt like a failure. After doing some research I did find info where an LC had done studies on low milk supply and PCOS. They are directly related. That's not to say that everyone with PCOS has low milk supply (obviouly that's not the case), but it can happen. Something I so wish they had told us in our BFing class. All they kept saying was don't let anyone tell you your supply is low, because it's not true. One thing the LC said in the BFing class is that if your breast don't enlarge while preggo that you could actually have supply issues. I never changed bra sizes the whole time I was preggo. I had to add an extender to the back of my regular bras, because I was expanding around. I never changed a cup size. I was definately a PCOSer with supply issues.

I commend you all sticking with it. We quit because of lactose intolerance, but honestly I'm not sure I could have stuck it out anyway.

[Leanna]

My milk supply definitely decreased after we moved and all the family crap started happening. Jack got it back up by nursing more often for a while. Sometimes he would actually punch my boob... reminded me of when you see calves nursing and they head butt their momma's udders. Anyway, guess my point is try to demand nurse as much as possible to get your supply back up... your baby and your body will work together if you let them.

[Kim]

Thanks for asking this question. I was reassured by some of your comments.

On a good day, I get about 5 oz. at one feeding if I pump and don't nurse. I need to build up my supply in the freezer. Only 2 feeds left! It sounds like I need to pump after he eats at 3am - when I want to go back to sleep. :roll:

[Sherri]

Sometimes he would actually punch my boob... reminded me of when you see calves nursing and they head butt their momma's udders.

Ava did that when she was 3 days old! It was our first full day home after my C section and she was ready for milk, but it hadn't come in yet. She was so hungry and frustrated, and I felt so helpless, and thought, "My baby hates me!" Luckily an LC came over that afternoon and set us up with pumping, etc.

I've been home with a major cold for two days and taking fenugreek and blessed thistle after a week of major relationship/family stress combined with what I think was a period, and Ava went on a nursing strike, and my supply felt like it just tanked. It has been so good being home for 2 days, like a "nursing vacation." Ava has been nursing wonderfully and my supply is coming back up. Hoping that the magical qualities of breastmilk will override Ava's hands on my mouth and nose, and keep her from getting this cold! I'm starting to feel a little better today, but it's just too darned cold out to commute to work!

[Leanna]

Sherri- I'm sorry you've had so much stress and then been sick on top of it. :( Glad you and Ava are getting some good time together though!

[texasred1]

Leanna - this might be s stupid question, but how can you tell when your supply is dropping? Aren't you EBF I mean I know Jack is eating solids, but you're not pumping are you? I always wondered how someone who EBF would know.

[Leanna]

Michelle- I could tell my supply was low because he was eating more frequently and didn't seem as content afterwards as he used to. (Similar to a growth spurt only it was overnight and coincided with the family crap.) Also, I didn't feel as full as I used to when I would wake up in the morning. I love nursing because I am so in tune with him all the time. I've upped his solids and started giving him 1 bottle of formula daily since getting my BFP... it's really important to me that he still get breastmilk until he is atleast 1, but I don't want to stress my body too much. I think if I didn't have the family stress I'd have no problem at all nursing while pregnant. After he turns 1, I will wean him down to nursing once a day, and he can do that as long as he wants. He is getting exposed to so many yucky germs from Bonnie right now, he has a constant runny nose, but I know I'd probably be at the doctor's office with him every other week right now if he weren't still nursing.

[texasred1]

Ah ha. Thanks.

On the weekends when I ebf I always wonder if Mason is getting enough or if my supply is lowering, etc. He always seems content and the little guy is nearing the 20 pound mark, so I guess he's getting plenty!

[Leanna]

Michelle- Sounds like he's a happy little camper for sure! Looks it too. ;)

[RE]

I was one of the unlucky ones that had low milk supply. I took fenugreek, blessed thistle, drank teas and finally my doctor wrote me a prescription for Reglan - 3 different times! I could only stand it for 3 months because I was setting my alarm every 3 hours to pump....not to mention I had 2 mouths to feed with my low supply. I was a much better mommy when I finally went to formula - I didn't want to but I couldn't feel guilty - I had done everything I could.