How the heck are y’all getting 3-4 oz from one boob!! I’m lucky if I can get 1-2 oz between the both. It’s driving me crazy!!

[higherground]

EBF is starting to get tough, but I don’t pump enough for anymore than maybe 1-2 bottles a day ( max. 4oz)

 

[alliah]

@higherground I don't get that much and I think it's fairly uncommon unless you have an oversupply or have been pumping for a while and are not pumping as many times per day.

But also, you're still breastfeeding! When people are getting large amounts, it's usually instead of nursing, not in addition to it. If you feel okay with it, you could offer your baby a few formula bottles and pump while the baby drinks those bottles to let yourself get a little bit ahead of their appetite.

Also, combo feeding can be great.

 

[jusrme]

@alliah We wound up combo feeding and it helped so much! We had so many issues ebf and I just couldn’t keep up with all the extra pumping to try to increase supply. It really helped me mentally to relax and do what I could from the breast and then offer formula. We did that for maybe 6 months and then when my son was eating food more he stopped with the formula on his own. We kept nursing though and made it to two years! Combo feeding isn’t talked about much but it really saved my sanity and kept baby fed. We are working on weaning now but I’m so proud we made it to two years!

 

[alliah]

@jusrme You're right, it's not talked about much but I think it should be. It's the most practical choice for a lot of people and I think knowing about it ahead of time could prevent people from feeling a lot of stress and sometimes guilt that comes with early feeding decisions.

When I was pregnant plan A for feeding my baby was breastfeeding (nursing and pumping only as needed), plan B was pumping, and plan C was formula. It never occurred to me that we could combine feeding methods but we're doing a mix of all three and it's definitely the best choice for us.

 

[bendstringz]

@higherground I just quit pumping and breastfeeding recently but I was an oversupplier. Once my milk came in, I had a hakka on the boob baby wasn’t on, and within a week I was pumping every 2 hours or so. Like 7 times a day at least because I was so worried about supply and I also didn’t like the feeling of full boobs. Kinda backfired because then my body thought baby needed 70oz a day by 2 months and I was a slave to the pump.

As long as your baby’s needs are met, you’re already excelling. But like my pediatrician said, any amount of breast milk is fantastic, even if supplementing is necessary or even weaning totally.

Sending love your way!

 

[katehunt977]

@higherground Depends on
- quality of your pump
- quality of your pump parts
- how you are using your pump (getting more than one let down, pump settings)
- when you pump (time of day, when you nursed last)
- how "hands on" you are while pumping, like do you hand express or massage while pumping
- drinking enough water
- age of baby (aka like 4 day old vs 4m old)
- your supply (obviously)
- your breast storage capacity (some people day you can sort of figure this out by how frequent baby eats)
- how "used" to your body is to the pump, I find it takes a bit to get your body to removing milk with a pump vs direct nursing

 

[lovenfaith33]

@higherground I think rbis had a lot to do with storage capacity which varies a lot woman to woman!

 

[jesusismyvirtue]

@higherground Boobie Bars. I thought all the “increase your milk” crap was nonsense but for me these bars are actually so helpful. I can see a noticeable uptick. My period returned recently and I’m planning to strategically use these around my period to avoid the drop in supply I’ve noticed.

 

[amisraelhai]

@higherground I pump most of my milk in the morning. After that my left boob usually gives 3-4 and the right is somewhere between 0.5-2. I found drinking a lot of water and pumping or feeding at least every 3 hours increases supply.

 

[redletterecho]

@higherground I typically pump about 3oz total per session.

 

[nookwood]

@higherground For me its having the correct size flanges and making sure we're aligned properly in it.

I have to pump one boob at a time as well. 15 min each side starting with boob that hasn't had the most recent feed. Between both boobs I now consistently get 4-6 oz a session. I'll only get 3-4 oz from one boob if I'm engorged.

 

[pgardner2358]

@higherground I typically get 3-4 oz on my left and about 2 oz on the right. I don’t really do anything particular, but I did have to pump from day 1 because my son was in the NICU. Now I just pump whenever he takes a bottle and occasionally use the Haaka on the side he’s not feeding from if I’m feeling engorged. I try not to pump for too long, rarely more than 10-15 minutes. I also found that for me, using a lower suction seems to produce more.