I currently can get 4 oz (125 ml) from expressing from one boob in the morning (I block feed at night so one boob is engorged in the morning and can easily express) - If I am not engorged I can only coax out 1/2 oz (and that's generous!).

I need MORE since I'm going back to work in 2 weeks and don't have a freezer stash yet. I don't want to have to give a bottle of formula after all my hard work to EBF. My LO will need 3 bottles/4 oz each for when I'm away from him so you see I won't be able to keep up with the demand.

Any suggestions to improve the amount I express?

PS. I use an electric pump just so you know.

4oz is actually quite a good amount to pump, especially from one boob. Aren't you going to pump while you're at work? I think you shouldn't have any problem if you are able to pump 4oz every morning, you'll only need to pump 8 the whole day in order to have enough for LO's bottles. So if you pump 2-3 times from both breasts, you should be able to get 8oz no problem. You'll always be able to pump more when LO isn't eating (such as when you're at work), then you will be able to in between feeds.

If you pump at the same time every day, and pump a couple minutes past the last drops, you'll signal your body you need more at that time, and should see the amount increase after a few days. Good luck - I'm sure it will work out fine. I've been back to work since LO was 9 weeks old. You always can add a pump session after LO goes to bed to get a few more ozs if needed.

Thanks for making me feel better! I will pump before work you're right so that's 4 oz and I hope to get 8 oz at work (I will be able to pump once but from both boobs) so that's 12 oz/a day.

I will try to start pumping at 10ish after baby goes to sleep to trigger my body to make more milk then just to have a bit extra in case...

I really really really don't want to introduce formula so you've made me feel better I can reach that goal!

How're you doing with pumping? How many bottles does your LO take when you're away?

Hi! Don't worry, you'll start pumping more when you are not feeding full time. Seriously, I went from 1/2oz per session(both breasts) to 4oz per session easily. I have a rigid pumping schedule (11:30am & 2:30pm) and once I even got 6.5oz . I generally have about 30oz in the freezer because my periods are back and I can't pump as much during periods. During the evenings and weekends I never give my daughter a bottle. She always gets milk from mommy so I think this helps maintain my supply. Good Luck!

I pump quite a bit, but my LO eats quite a bit too. She's a large girl, weighing in at 21 lb at not quite 6 months haha. She drinks 3-4 6oz bottles while I'm at work. I usually pump about 18oz over 2 pump sessions. I pump both breasts at ~10 and ~2, getting ~10oz in the morning and ~8oz in the afternoon. So the days she only drinks 3 bottles, I'm fine, but the days she drinks 4, I have to pull from the freezer. I pump around 9/9:30 in the evening every single night (she goes to bed at 7) to put away some extra or make up the difference in her bottles. I usually get around 6oz at that time. We've just started solids in the past couple days, so I'm hoping as she starts eating more and drinking less I may be able to drop one of my pumps.

When I pumped for DD1, she drank only 3 bottles of 4/5oz each, and I only pumped 8-10oz a day over the same two pump sessions at work. So I had to do the evening pump for her too to make up the difference. Honestly I don't mind it though - it's just part of the evening routine now. It sounds like you'll have a morning pump to make up the difference, so you may not need an evening one, but it doesn't hurt to do it for now to build yourself a little stash before you go back.

I also BF directly in the evenings and weekends and any days I am home with her, as pp poster said that helps keep supply up too.

I think you'll be great; I know lots of women who have managed to continue BFing exclusively after returning to work. Good luck!