Am I Normal?

I've heard that this is a great site for breastfeeding questions: http://kellymom.com/bf/index.html

Also, drink lots and lots of water and maybe even Gatorade.

Don't know what kind of pump you are using, but often simply the pump can make the difference. Those big expensive fancy ones the hospitals like to try to sell really are worth the money. There is no better pump.

Just what everyone else is saying..relax. Try going to a private,dimly lit room at work where you can listen to some soothing music or silence while pumping. You could even try pumping an extra time just so you have some extra stimulation that can help with supply.

Sounds totally normal to me. I always had more milk in the mornings than any other feeding, with the least amount in the evening. You're right, the pump isn't as good, but one thing that helped me was pumping immediately after feeding the baby. You won't get much probably but it really triggers your bodies milk making mechanism, even if you do it after one feeding a day if you can fit it in. keep hanging in there!

I know what you are going through K.. I had breast reduction surgery when I was 19 and was never sure if I'd be able to breast feed when I had children. When my son was born, I definitely had a reduced supply and had to supplement with formula. I produced about the same as you and had to pump as well with not so great results. When I went back to work when he was 4 months old, my supply changed dramatically, even with pumping at work.

I don't have any advice on how to increase your supply beyond nursing more often, which isn't realistic for you. But rather, my advice is to try to accept that what you are able to give him from nursing is "enough" and that you might have to supplement with formua and it's ok to supplement. You're not inadequate, this just is what it is. Don't beat yourself up and know that you're doing the best that you physically can. I have friends who breastfed exclusively for a year or more and their children have actually been sick more frequently than my son who was breastfed and received formula.

Good luck!

You are completely normal. I had the same exact situation, and now my son is 8. He was 6 weeks early and spent 13 days in NICU. I only pumped what he would eat and nothing more. I had lots of advice from nurses, doctors and lactation and was told to continue doing what I was doing. The more my baby boy grew, the more I would produce.

It's just that your body wasn't ready that early, but it will catch up. I pumped every 3 hours no matter what! After awhile, my body finally started to catch up.

Keep doing what you're doing. In the meantime, if he's not growing, then I would supplement just a little until you can catch up or have a bit extra.

Good luck, you're on the right track............also, drink lots of water :)

Something you could try that I use now is natural DHA pills. You can get them at most health food stores and they usually are pretty cost efficient. I pay about $10 for a bottle of 60 pills. They look a little like fish caplets. The ones that I have taste like orange, so it helps with any nasty taste you might be concerned with them. They seem to do wonders for my milk production. Hope this helps!

Continue pumping because your supply may change.
Have you consider supplementing the feedings you are away with formula? You would both still be getting the benefits of breastfeeding. yOu would also know that your baby is getting enough nutrition while away from you.
Also don't worry to much. I think babies eat different amounts at different times if allowed and not pushed like many bottle-fed babies may be.

I had breast surgery 13 years before my first was born. Chances were slim to none that I'd actually be able to produce enough milk... but I tried. I tried with gusto! Here's what helped my supply:
1. Drink LOTS, and LOTS of water!
2. fenugreek did work, but it made me smell like maple syrup... my pores, my breath, urine, everywhere!
3. a glass of wine or a dark ale a little bit before pumping, at the advice of one of the 3 LLL volunteers I worked with. I think it helped me relax a little.
4. Get sleep. It's kind of a slap in the face when someone tells you to do that--with a newborn and all, but it helps!

With my second baby, I went with a Hospital Grade pump. The Medela Symphony-- MUCH, more milk came out! It was worth the $65 a month rental. Unfortunately, my girls were pretty much formula babies after the first couple months because I tried, and tried to do everything right--but I physically could not make enough milk to sustain their growth.

You're normal! I just went back to work on Tuesday. My son eats 6 oz per feeding so I have to also pump twice at work. Everyone has told me that when you go back you will see dips in your supply but that it will come back. Other moms from my moms group have also suggested fenugreek but I haven't tried it. I think that nerves get the best of us at times and we don't produce as much. I'm sure if you're pumping and then nursing as often as possible when your with him, you'll be just fine! Congrats on the new baby and good luck!

My little one was 4 weeks early, but we didn't have to do the NICU. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

My son also spent his first week in the neonatal intensive care unit. I pumped during the first week. By the time he came home I was pretty dry and he was a big baby. He ate and ate and I felt guilty and guilty. He was eating every 45 minutes during growth spurts. Finally at 4 months I weaned him to the bottle and he took 16 oz. I would have liked to nurse him longer, but it was nice not to be feeding him every 45 minutes.

So I understand your feelings. I have been there. And you know my solution. Your solution will probably different.

Blessings

You are doing *wonderfully*, and don't let anyone (yourself included) tell you any differently. In all honesty, stressing and worrying about low-supply will sometimes cause it (due to stress). You are a great mama for doing so well at breastfeeding your little guy. Keep in mind that your body produces as much as your little guy needs, and 3oz is about all he needs per feeding right now, so don't worry if you don't get overflowing numbers out of your pumping sessions. If he isn't hungry between feedings, then you are doing just fine. A lot of us lament that we don't get 5oz out of each boob while we pump, but that really is way above and beyond what a newborn/infant needs at 2.5 months.

You have nothing to worry about... but if you want to learn more so that you feel better about it, this is a WONDERFUL website, and very well-known among breastfeeding circles and communities:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/index.html

You're normal. I'm the same way. If I had to go back to work, I would invest in one of those expensive pumps that really does the job well. The cheapo ones are just that: cheap.

Ok, I fully breastfed my first daughter (2004/2005) and I had my second daughter in Jan 2009. Long story short, she wouldn't breastfeed at all (latching problems) and my milk was going down so much. I was almost dried up on left side (1/2 ounce or so per feeding). I decided to go to pumping full time and wow, what a difference. Once I started pumping my milk came back like crazy. Granted my right side produced way more than my left but I was getting 3 ounces or more on my left side. I never made that much milk when I was just nursing with my first daughter. By nine months I was dried up and had to supplement with formula. The more you pump the more milk you will make. I didn't use fenugreek but I ate like a horse. Lots of protein, especially cheese sticks and yogurt. Eating a lot of protein made all the difference for me. And pumping every three hours. I wouldn't choose to pump if I could breastfeed but if you are pumping while at work/etc. Keep it up and your milk will come in more. I hope that helps. I have had lots of friends who use the fenugreek and swear by it. They say you know it's working if your milk starts to smell like maple syrup. Also I forgot to mention that it makes a difference what kind of pump your using. A hospital grade or full time pump is going to make a huge difference. I use the medela pump in style double pump. It's amazing and I use if full time.

yes ..its totally normal....i've breastfed both my girls..still breastfeeding my youngest..shes 18 months old now..when i first started breastfeeding i didn't think my baby was getting enough but she was..supply on demand..i tried pumping so i can figure out how much was comming out...and its totally normal...i am not going to school right now so my milk supply has increased...i was away at school from 8:30 am to about 10:30 pm, an yes my milk supply was very low, she ate what we ate....she does not like milk so or baby formula.

I tried fenugreek but stopped a week later..hated the taste. It didn't work for me.

good luck..and its great that you chose to breastfeed.

J.

Hi K.,
Don't be weary of fenugreek. I used it for 8 months and it helped my milk supply. I know many people who used it and it was recommended by my lactation consultant at Adventist Medical Center. You also need to make sure you are drinking tons of water. The same amount you were required to drink when you were pregnant. I wasn't drinking enough water and when I stepped it up I also saw an increase in my milk. Good luck.
S.

Completely normal! I have 3 kids and have nursed all of them and have a great milk supply..however I could never get more than 1oz from each breast at a time if I pumped.
Luckily I was a SAHM and didn't need to, so I gave that up and my 2nd and 3rd kiddos have never had a bottle to this day.

What kind of pump do you have? Is it battery powered? Can you maybe work on pumping some at home and pump one breast while he is nursong on the other? I know it's a juggling act, but if you can and can relax enough to let down, you can often get a lot more milk. Do you have one breast that seems to make more milk? If so, start with the pump on that side and the baby on the other. After you let down (make sure you keep going a few mintues after your letdown because often you are still letting down even if you don't feel it) switch baby and pump around and just relax and let him nurseand hopefully you will let down again.

Do it as much as possible and don't worry..you won;t empty your breasts. You are constantly producing and your baby will always get enough. It may even increase your supply! Make sure you follow the rule of drinking a BIG glass of water each time you nurse/pump.

It will seem like it's all you do for awhile, but it'll be easier once you get a good stock of frozen milk. Good luck and your doing great! You sound like a very dedicated mommy!

JUst wanted to add: I 2nd Kellymom.com!! Amazing website for nursing/pumping moms!

are you drinking a lot of water? i had supply trouble the first 6 weeks and almost had to give up. it turned out not drinking enough water was biggest issue, altho i tried fenugreek too. i also had trouble getting much out of a pump and after a few months went to just pumping once at work, around lunch and i started supplementing with formula during work, but BF last thing before i left in the morning and first thing when i got home at night. i also kept a couple night feedings to keep my supply up. this system worked fine and i BF until 17 mos.
good luck!

Obviously you know everyone's supply is different and unique to your baby. I was able to exclusively (w/pumping) breastfeed my son until he was 14 months old. I attribute this mostly to me telling myself that I can do it, and that my supply would vary with his needs. As in, as he needed more I would pump more, and as he didn't I would pump less. I also found that right before I started my cycle I would pump significantly less than at other times.

My son didn't feed on both sides, so I would tandem pump and breastfeed him. The let down is more when you are actually feeding your baby so I would get more and used that to help stock up my supply.

Stay strong! Kudos for you for doing this for your baby!

My favorite supply booster is tapioca. I personally like it in pudding, but any kind of tapioca will help. It's perfectly normal to have more early in the day rather than later. That could easily be why you're getting more the first time you pump rather than the second. Just keep at it and know that it's all helping your son!

I have been pumping since my daughter was 3 months old (pumping right now as I type!) The only thing I can tell you is that I get a better output when I am relaxed and I have a snack and water. In the beggining I was also having issues like yours and I found the more I worried the worse it got, I even had formula in my hand at the store, so as hard as it is you have to just focus on yoru baby when you pump and let your body do the rest. You can also try brest compression and make sure you are pumping for at least 15-20 minutes (2 let downs) She is now 9 1/2 months old and to this day has only had formula when she was a couple of days old and my milk was not in yet! you can do this!

Hi K., Don't worry, you are not alone! Although I didn't have the same situation as you, I also struggled with low supply. See if you can rent a hospital-grade pump. It will be stronger than a typical one. Fenugreek didn't do much for me either other than make me smell like maple syrup. My midwife told me dark beer is supposed to help with milk production, so I had a few sips here and there from my husband's glass! As another woman said, drink plenty of water and maybe Mother's Milk tea. Also see if you can pump after he nurses to keep stimulating milk production? Good luck!

First I want to say good job for putting in the effort to do what is best for your baby, even though it can be difficult.

I didn't read all the posts, so sorry if this has already been mentioned. But, when you are looking at ounces pumped, you can't directly compare that to what a baby on formula would drink. They are two totally different things. It looks like breastfed babies eat significantly less when you compare ounces, but the breastmilk is just nutrient packed so they really don't need large amounts of liquid volume. Knowing this alone helped me relax that my little ones were getting enough.

That is totally normal. I think you have lots of great answers. Pumping is a learned thing for most people, experiment with what works for you. Some people, all they need to do it just read People magazine and they can pump more.

Also, the amount you pump has nothing to do with your supply. Your baby will also adjust to your schedule, some babies take the minimum while mom is away, which could be 2oz. So nurse as much as he wants while you are together.

Drinking is not as important as eating enough. So get lots of healthy food.

Sometimes leaning over a sink while pumping helps, getting gravity on your side. Maybe pumping at home in the morning before, after or during nursing. Maybe pumping right before you start work in addition to the other times you pump.
Just figure out what works.

http://www.workandpump.com/ is a pretty good site.

i'm sure you have already recieved lots of great advice. I pumped exclusively for my little one for over a year. There are a couple of things that happen when you go back to work that can cut down on supply. Firstly make sure you are drinking enough fluids. Depending on what kind of work you do, likely your water intake has decreased so make sure you are drinking enough. Also make sure that you have a good, calm and safe place to pump. If you are worrying about people walking in, hearing you or you just aren't comfortable, you will be nervous and your supply will be less. Make sure you are pumping till your breasts are empty. For me, that meant pumping for 30 minutes each time. You have to get the hind milk out for the brain to tell your breasts to keep producing. If your shift is 8 hours, twice during your shift may not be enough. When I was pumping, it was about every three hours to keep supply up. Often I would pump when I first came to work, pump half way through the day and then pump again right before I went home, though if your child will eat right when you get home, then you probably won't have to do that. Bring something with you to smell and a picture to look at when you are pumping; that will assist with let down. Think of your baby when you are pumping to see if that helps; though some women then feel guilty for working so then you need to distract yourself. Get a hands free bra or corset to wear so you can work, read etc while you pump. i found that really helpful. I recommend also a book called The Milk Memo's. Good luck to you!