expressing question

[hopeful2012]

My baby is 4 weeks old. She breast feeds normally unless I'm too sore. I try to express some so ill have a supply when I go back to work. I'm only getting 1.5- 2 ounces each time. She eats 3-4 ounces each feed when given a bottle. This is going 2 hours between feeds/pumping. Even at night, I only get 2-3 ounces going 4 hours between sessions. How much do you get when expressing? Is the normal?
Fyi- I'm taking fenugreek, drinking water, eating oatmeal, skin to skin, nursing on demand, started power pumping yesterday once a day. I'm not seeing any difference. I also massage my breasts during pumping.

 

[missk1989]

If you are pumping after feeding then lo has probably drank most of it. I found that I pumped the most first thing and whilst lo fed. So as fed off one side I pumped the other.

 

[itsnowmyturn]

Give it an hour or so after lo feeds to pump.

FYI I have found using a pump doesn't drain my breasts, I only get about 30ml per breast with a pump unless I'm squeezing at the same time, so iv learnt to hand express and although it's time consuming and can make me sore I get about 80ml per breast. Even after lo has fed if I express by hand I will get about 40 or 50 in total (one boob seems to have less of a supply than the other).
My suggestion is give hand expressing a go, I even tried using my pump the other day thinking now iv built up supply with hand expressing I might get a good pump but nope still only about 30-40 ml per boob. The other day, I skipped a feed to give her a bottle and when I got home I expressed (hand) so maybe about 5 hours between last feed and express and I got 150ml from each! and only stopped because the bottle is 150 and I'd filled 2

 

[hopeful2012]

Thanks. I've started massaging while pumping but still not getting much. I may try hand expressing tonight or tomorrow.

 

[itsnowmyturn]

It took me a few days to get the hang if hand expressing and to build up how much i could express, hang in there hun it will get easier, I think i almost gave up at 3 weeks or so, push passed it n it will start getting easier xx