Need honest opinion from exclusive pumpers!

[hello_kitty]

I am exclusively pumping for my 5 month old and only getting 1.5 every 2 hours or so. Some say its normal, but really my 5 month old has recently increased his intake to 5 oz every 3-4 hours and since I dont have 5 oz to give him each time, I have to supplement with 2 oz of formula.

I have tried doing the trial and error, pumping every 2 hours, 3 hours, 6 hours etc and no matter how much I pump it always adds up to the same amount. I guess I get a little more if I pump every 2 hours since it averages out to 1.5 oz after 4 hours I'll get 3 oz. I have been so exhausted and took a nap with my lo and when I woke up to pump (5.5 hours later) I only got approximately 3 oz.

I really am seeking honest advice from people with experience. At 5 months pp is my milk supply pretty much fixed? If so, I really dont see the point in working so hard if pumping every 2 hours vs. 4 hours will yield the same amount.

I've been drinking mother's milk tea, constant pumping, staying up past 3 am to pump and its really draining me. I am so exhausted that I feel light headed and nauseous during the day. I mean, I dont mind putting forth the effort if that means in the near future my milk supply will suddenly increase but with a pathetic total outcome I am getting depressed and exhausted. I do relax when I pump. I watch movies, browse the internet and not think about the output but I still cant get more.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[AK89]

I don't exclusively pump but I pump regularly once a day and how much I get differs depending on a couple of other things other than how long it's been since her last feed.. whether or not I've eaten and drank makes a fair bit of difference (I pump in the morning so I just make sure I've had my breakfast and had a glass of water). Also I've noticed that if I'm stressed/agitated it really affects how much I get, so really try not to think too much (especially about how much milk you're gonna get!) and just try to relax.. maybe watch TV or listen to music or something and try to forget about what you're doing. Also it helps to have a shower first, or if I can't manage that I get a hot water bottle and hold it on my boobs for a few mins (tried hot flannel but it just kept cooling down straight away!) Then I massage my boobs (put one hand underneath and use the other hand to kinda "kneed" in a downwards motion towards the nipple. Some milk should start to come out!

Hope this helps!

 

[Rhiannon137]

I've been EPing for 9 months and it is HARD work! Congratulations to you for making it this far. My supply did not meaningfully increase after ~3 months. I produce between 800-900 mL per day doing 4 double pump sessions (pump 10-15 min, break 10 min, pump 10 min) per day. I definitely get a drop if I don't eat, hydrate or rest properly. I try to eat a bowl of oatmeal every day, and consume lots of protein.

It sounds like you are going above and beyond in your efforts, so I don't think more pumping is likely to help your supply. If anything, my advice would be to focus more on caring for yourself. Drop the middle of the night pump and see if a good night's sleep helps. If nothing else, it will help you feel better.

While it is awesome that you are giving your baby as much breast milk as possible, it is not the ONLY important thing. Formula is also a healthy and nutritious way to feed a baby, and there is nothing wrong with giving both. Maybe the trade is your baby gets one or two bottles of formula per day, and also gets the benefits of a non-drained, happy mom.

Also, if you search my old posts, I wrote a pretty long reply in a BF after breast reduction thread last month that might have some useful info.

 

[Bellybump89]

Do not drop your MIddle of the night pump. It's crucial to your supply! At 5 months PP you can space out your pumps every 4 hours or so. Try to get 5/6 pumps in a 24 hours that's what counts the most. Hydrate hydrate hydrate rest and relax steel cut oats none of that instant stuff. Fenugreek up to 9 pills a day and eat plenty of calories. The shittier food I eat the more milk I make. Load
Up on some McDonald's lol

 

[hello_kitty]

Someone in another forum asked me about my letdowns, I'm going to reply on there in a bit but maybe some mamas in here can help me diagnose my problem. Every little bit of advice I can get would be so helpful!

I notice that when I pump during a 15 minute, I get 3 letdowns...but they are pretty weak. The first letdown is where I get most of my milk, the first letdown as it should be is usually the strongest right? I get a trickle/fast drops, and then 5 minutes later I get another letdown and its drops, the third letdown is barely nothing I can feel it but its just a few drops that really barely make a difference to my total output.

Some told me it is ideal to get at least 2 letdowns during a pumping session, well I get them alright but they are soo weak! In between the letdowns I barely get anything maybe very, very, very, slow drips.

 

[Bellybump89]

Someone in another forum asked me about my letdowns, I'm going to reply on there in a bit but maybe some mamas in here can help me diagnose my problem. Every little bit of advice I can get would be so helpful!

I notice that when I pump during a 15 minute, I get 3 letdowns...but they are pretty weak. The first letdown is where I get most of my milk, the first letdown as it should be is usually the strongest right? I get a trickle/fast drops, and then 5 minutes later I get another letdown and its drops, the third letdown is barely nothing I can feel it but its just a few drops that really barely make a difference to my total output.

Some told me it is ideal to get at least 2 letdowns during a pumping session, well I get them alright but they are soo weak! In between the letdowns I barely get anything maybe very, very, very, slow drips.

You need to be pumping for a minimum of 20 mins and 30 min is ideal for optimum milk output and letdowns. I have multiple let downs but my biggest are at 2 min 17 min 25 min and 30 mins.

 

[hello_kitty]

Someone in another forum asked me about my letdowns, I'm going to reply on there in a bit but maybe some mamas in here can help me diagnose my problem. Every little bit of advice I can get would be so helpful!

I notice that when I pump during a 15 minute, I get 3 letdowns...but they are pretty weak. The first letdown is where I get most of my milk, the first letdown as it should be is usually the strongest right? I get a trickle/fast drops, and then 5 minutes later I get another letdown and its drops, the third letdown is barely nothing I can feel it but its just a few drops that really barely make a difference to my total output.

Some told me it is ideal to get at least 2 letdowns during a pumping session, well I get them alright but they are soo weak! In between the letdowns I barely get anything maybe very, very, very, slow drips.

You need to be pumping for a minimum of 20 mins and 30 min is ideal for optimum milk output and letdowns. I have multiple let downs but my biggest are at 2 min 17 min 25 min and 30 mins.

Was able to give my baby 2 bottles of exclusive bm last night but now we are going back to supplementing because I am just not producign enough. I am pretty desperate at this point and pumping every hour but only getting about half an oz or so. I also pump for 20 minutes but the output doesnt change. Also stay up late to pump too. I dont sleep until past 1 am. He's taking 5 oz bottles now and I just cant keep up!