If its not one thing to worry about- its another. So cliche, so true. T has always been a good eater- she doesn't care where her food comes from- just so long as she gets it! So at about 5 weeks old we introduced her to the bottle and now FJ feeds her a dinnertime bottle each evening. This requires me to pump so that we have the milk for the bottle. At first I thought I was doing great- I pumped about 2.5-3 ounces, T ate it, and we were done. Then, my bff (who has a 17 week old) was complaining that she thought her milk supply was reducing now that she was going back to work. When we talked details- it turned out that she pumps each a.m. for 11 minutes (both breasts) and gets 5 oz per breast! Holy canolie! I am lucky to get 5 ounces total (and I jump for joy and brag to FJ when I get that much!). Everyone always says that your body produces what your baby needs and T just doesn't seem to need more than 3-4 ounces at a feeding. She is thriving to say the least (she was 25th % at birht, 50th at 1 month, and is now 75th!) but I still wonder why my breasts aren't making more! I am going to try to pump after each feeding today to see if I can spark some production in there and build up a better supply- even if T doesn't need it.
Speaking of supply... I have mentioned before that FJ and I want to have another child sooner rather than later. The plan is to NOT go on any form of birth control and play it by ear. When T is 6 months- Dec. 19- I will stop breastfeeding and try to get my cycle back giving us a better chance of getting pregnant. FJ did not realize that I would have to stop breastfeeding in order to ovulate (I know that some women ovulate, have cycles, and get pregnant while breastfeeding but if I'm not- I will stop at 6 months). So a few weeks ago we came up with the plan that I would try to build up a supply and have some pumped milk ready so that T could actually "breastfeed" longer from a bottle. Its quite difficult to build up the supply when you are only producing 3-4 ounces at a time and that's what T takes each night! So pumping what is left after T eats is what I will have to do.
How long do you breastfeeding mom's pump? How many ounces do you get? Do you have any advice on how I can get more? I would appreciate any help that you can offer. Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
I would pump after 2 morning feedings and by 3 months I was getting an extra 5 ounces per breast (10 ounces total). I would divide it and store it in 4 ounce bags so it would not got to waste (last laugh on me my daughter would not use a bottle and my poor husband would bring her to work 2 times a day for me to breastfeed her). The key is to drink a lot of water (16 ounces) right before you breastfeed, then right after pump both sides. Within a week your body will increase the supply. Good luck and congratulations on successful breastfeeding.
FYI, it took one year to conceive our son. I breastfeed and supplemented until he was 10 1/2 months. I quit breastfeeding, had one cycle and conceived our daughter the next month. I know some women do get pregnant while breastfeeding but I had to stop (to ovulate) and conception was so much easier the second time.
Gabrielle
when i pump, it is usually for 15 minutes and get about 3-5 oz per breast. I learned from my group and LC that it takes your body getting used to letting down to the pump vs your baby. I try to pump at the same time every day give or take. once your body gets used to letting down to the pump - you should produce more via the pump. your body just needs to get used to it. the water advice from above is good also. i try to drink as much water as possible about 1.5 hour before i know i am going to pump
also know that everyone produces differents amount of supply. some are dairy cows ....some aren't.
it just take some getting used to.
Also alot of people pump ALOT more first thing in the morning then they do in the evening .. well depending on your schedule ... so It is hard to compare.
sometimes my supply varies every day.
Oh, how I envy you all. My son had to go on to a formula supplement right from the start and I was devasted. Good luck with all that pumping!
RAxx
It sounds like T is growing steadily so she must be getting what she needs :) I wish I had some advice or some ideas, but you seem to be on the right path anyway....
I pump more than I breastfeed, mainly because Lemy is not efficient on the boob. I pump 6 times a day (about every 3 to 4 hours during the day and 5 to 6 hours at night) and breastfeed usually after I pump. I have the double pump which increases the overall amount that you get--do you have one? I recommend it highly!
Anyway, I pump for anywhere between 10-20 minutes at a time and I massage my breast at the same time to help release more milk. I get anywhere from 3-5 oz per breast during a pumping session, though I tend to get less in my evening pumping (apparently, your supply goes down at that time for some reason). I also take four fenugreek capsules which helps to increase supply. Alfala is also good take for supply.
I think I covered your questions, but email me if you have any others! I feel like I've become a pumping pro as of late! :)
Thinking of you!
I typically pump once per day, and it is usually after a morning feeding. I can pump 3-5 ounces per breast, but I have a single pump so I only pump 5.5-6.0 ounces total in one bottle.
Good luck with the pumping!
Post a Comment