Hello again mamas!
My son is two weeks old today. Last night I pumped (manual) and got a little less than an ounce from the left and about half an ounce from the right I had to stop because he woke up to eat.
I also pumped when he was 9 days old. And got very little out of the left and the right one gave me enough to make an ounce.
When you pumped at this time how much did you get?
Thank you all so much for responding to my request. I know I can always count on the mamasource mama's for support and encouragement. I don't feel alone; like it was only happening to me. I'm going to keep BFeeding and hopefully I will produce as much as some of you's. (Wow!) I never imagined a breast could produce so much milk. Thanks again.
M.,
I don't remember exactly how much I got when I first pumped, but I can tell you that I don't think a manual pump is the way to go. Check out the Medela Pump In Style, it was a great investment to continue feeding breast milk after I went back to work.
T.
Hi M.,
When I was breastfeeding, I pumped 3 times a day. I used to get about 3 oz from my left breast and 5 oz from my right during the first pump of the day and it would decrease during the other 2 and I would end up with a total of about 18 oz a day. But my son was a voracious eater (still is) so I think I produced more than a lot of other women and it still wasn't nearly enough to keep him fed, I had to start supplementing formula a couple of months after going back to work.
Good luck!
L.
I know you probably got all the reponses you needed but I just thought I'd share with you my experience. I have a Medela Pump In Style & it works great. At first I didn't have any problems when my baby was younger (she's 5mths now. My baby would usually breastfeed from one side, so while she was feeding on the one side, I'd pump the other usually getting between 2 or 3 ounces. Now my baby is drinking more, I'm still able to pump but it takes a couple of times in the day to get 6 oz for a bottle. The only thing is that I only get enough milk either in the morning (since she doesn't wake up at night anymore & my breasts are really full), or if she's feeding from the opposite side. Otherwise, I've tried to pump in between feedings & hardly anything comes out at all. I guess if you the stimulation from the baby sucking on the other side causes the other one to release the milk. So you can try doing that. DOn't worry about not giving the baby enough milk from just one breast, if your baby is still within the first 2 mths or so he/she only drinks about 2-3 oz which can be produced from just one side plus leaving the baby longer on the one side allows them to get all that beneficial thicker milk that comes at the end anyway. Another recommendation, check out La Leche League online, they also have a help board like this one specifically for breast feeding mothers...it helped me. Good luck!
M.:
pumping is a learned art... some mothers pump with greater ease than others.
that said, all pumps are not created equal. the top of the line is the hospital grade pump, hand pumps are useful for occasional pumping.
try pumping early in the a.m. rather than later in the day. you have more milk in the am and richer milk at night.
P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www.lactationsupportgroup.com
That's how I was too. The anual pumps are not always great at getting much milk, especially early on. Have you thought about renting one from the hospital? I usually pumped after m daughter nursed, so I got the heavier hind milk to store (also to build up my supply, because my daughter wasn't sucking right at first...). Good luck to you. I would see if there is a Lactation Consultant at your hospital. Ours helped SO much.
E.
M.,
What you are describing sounds normal. I have a 5 month old son that I have only breastfed, no supplementing. I found that if I worried he was not getting enough I would pump and give him the bottle so I knew exactly how much he was getting. In the beginning I would have to pump several times to get a 4 oz bottle. I would only get a few ounces per pump and would then combine the bottles. Stick with it and before you know it you will be getting 6-8 ounces at one pumping session--remember to drink a lot too. That helps.
Good Luck, K.
I did exclusive pumping for 3 months. It took a few weeks to really 'get it going', but once it did I had no problem. I pumped 8 times a day for 20 minute sessions, spaced 2 1/2 hours apart (I gave myself a break overnight to sleep). I was making enough milk to feed the baby for the day plus anywhere from 8-16 extra ounces per day.
In the beginning I was lucky to get 2-3ounces per pumping session. My supply increased, and I also drank lots and lots of water and ate oatmeal for breakfast and oatmeal cookies for snacks. I used a Medela Pump-n-Style and really liked it.
