Not pumping very much

[informant]

So my son will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday. He takes to the breast just fine and is mostly breastfed. But I do pump a couple of times a day so that my husband can bottle feed once in a while so I can nap. I’ve noticed the past few days when I pump I’m lucky to get 0.5-1oz per breast per 15 minute session. I used to get 2-3oz per breast per 15 minute session. My fridge supply is getting smaller. Do y’all think my supply is dropping?

 

[mike97]

@informant So your baby is 6 weeks now and that’s actually when the body shifts from leaning into hormones to regulate the supply (since in the first 4-6 weeks your body still needs to “learn” what is normal for you and your baby). After 6 weeks, it’s normal for the body to stop making extra milk bc it knows how much your baby needs. If you stick to it for another 2 weeks every day, your body should adjust and realize “oh, this extra pumping session is what we need too!” and you’ll notice it increase again. The 6 week mark is a transition - you’re completely normal!

 

[peggyleggy]

@informant I read somewhere that if you are BF then pumping that it us normal to get less than 3 oz because you have already fed your baby. Why would your body want to burn more calories? This made me feel better.

That being said eat more and drink more water. I also read warming your breast before helps and hiding the milk with a baby sock around the bottles.

 

[katrina2017]

@informant Pumping isn’t always indicative of supply. If your supply was dropping baby would be fussy and you’d be seeing a decrease in weight and diapers. Don’t use pumping as a guide for your supply with BF because baby is more efficient and stimulates production

 

[4everaloneoutcast]

@katrina2017 This. Absolutely this.

 

[mrjeff]

@informant My supply seemed like it dropped a lot around 5-6 weeks but it was just regulating. There's plenty for baby, just not a ton extra. I was overproducing before so this scared me. I was able to boost it back up just being consistent. I pump once in the morning and sometimes an extra time in the afternoon a while after baby eats. Now I can get 3 or 4 ounces per session total on top of what baby eats. I take no supplements other than a healthy balanced diet and trying to stay hydrated!

 

[historyismypassion]

@informant Pumping is so unpredictable! Sometimes I get 4oz, sometimes I get 1.

 

[imsavedbyjesus]

@informant Are you supplementing with anything besides breastmilk?

 

[informant]

@imsavedbyjesus Nope just milk directly from the breast and pumped breast milk in a bottle

 

[imsavedbyjesus]

@informant I wonder if you could be about to get your period back. Your supply should be stable at 6 weeks and that’s a common reason it drops!

 

[informant]

@imsavedbyjesus Oh god I hope not! I’m still having mild postpartum bleeding

 

[tanaka]

@informant My output changes drastically based on the time of day and when baby last fed. If I can get a pump in about an hour after his first feed of the day, I'm golden. It's pretty much impossible to get much if he won't leave me alone for at least an hour before I pump.

But, my kid is almost 6 months old. At 6 weeks I was still mostly doing Haaka collection while baby fed on the other side.

 

[cassandrajakes]

@informant I had difficulty responding to a pump, but was able to get a better result using a Haaka. Its a sort of suction pump that just hangs on and pulls milk out. It was the only way I was able to store milk for bottles.

 

[dassahjoy]

@informant It depends, are you pumping after nursing or pumping in replacement of nursing? Around this time is when your supply is going to start regulating.

 

[informant]

@dassahjoy I do a combination of both. I feel like he eats enough because he’s visibly getting bigger. We have an appointment tomorrow with his pediatrician because his reflux has gotten bad despite being on meds and me cutting dairy from my diet. So I guess we’ll see what she says tomorrow about his weight. I’m just worried because I go back to work in 6 weeks and will have to pump while I’m there

 

[cindyfernandez]

@informant If you've eliminated dairy, perhaps you aren't getting the same calories as earlier to keep up production, as a wild guess.

 

[dassahjoy]

@informant If you’re pumping after nursing, that is a very normal amount. Don’t worry yourself too much, you will typically pump to feed baby the next day when you get back to work. It’s nice to have a stash in the freezer for unknown moments but it’s best to give baby what you’re currently pumping so they’re getting the good stuff as your milk adjusts based on baby’s need in that moment.