Low milk supply breastfeeding and pumping Help!!!

[wjenkin]

Hello,

My baby girl is 3 weeks old and she is breastfeeding and I am also pumping trying to save a supply for when I return to work. My first week while she was at NICU (she was 34 weeks gestational) I got to produced around 2 oz per breast while pumping every 3 hours. When we came home I started alternating breastfeeding directly and breast pump every 2 to 4 hours. Now my left breast only produces 20 cc per pump and my right breast 40 to 55 cc. It is very difficult at this rate to save milk for when I get back to work. I am worry that my milk supply is too low. My baby is gaining weight well since I give her both the bottle (with breastmilk) and breastfed.

Any suggestions on how to help increase my milk supply?

[whitnessforhim]

If baby is gaining well is there a reason why you have introduced a bottle? At this age I would be exclusively nursing.

I think there are several things you can do to increase your supply. 1) you could pump after every nursing session for 10-15mins for a 48hr period to boost your supply, 2) if baby nurses on one side only at a time you could pump the other side she doesn't nurse from or 3) since milk production seems to be greater in the early morning hours you could pump then.

I'm not familiar with cc's so I'm not sure how much that is. But remember that a pump is not a good way to gauge your supply. The baby more than likely is getting out more milk than you are when you pump.

I'm sure others will chime in soon with some good advice.

[wjenkin]

Thanks for the response. The cc are actually .5 oz left breast and around 1.5 oz second breast per pump. The bottle was introduced at NICU since she needed to gain weight ASAP. Once I started producing milk they started mixing formula with my milk until my milk supply was enough for her and formula was eliminated. I am still using the bottle since sometimes my husband helps me with the feedings at night or when I am exhausted. She does not have any problems latching or feeding while breastfeeding.
I will try pumping after each feeding. How can I pump? My baby sometimes wants to eat every 1 1/2 hours.

[whitnessforhim]

Right you had said that about her being in the NICU....duh! Sorry! That makes sense as to why she might have had a bottle.

It is normal for a baby to nurse every 1 1/2. At that age my DD sometime would want to nurse every 30mins it seemed. This is great for your supply and it is great to feed on demand which meets your DD's needs.

You could pump first thing in the morning when milk production is at its highest, after she eats. You can store several pumpings together. Also, if she doesn't nurse as long as usual you could try pumping immediately after.

I know other's out there are much more knowledgeable than I and im sure they will chime in soon.

[Amy_G_]

You don't have a poor supply.
you just don't have too much milk, you have enough for baby but not enough for a pump as well. that's pretty normal.

And trying to pump at 3 weeks when baby is still nursing every 1.5 hours virtually around the clock is going to make you more stressed out and more tired than necessary.

I would pick ONE time a day, and nurse on one side and pump the other side to store. freeze it in ice cube trays if it's only a little bit, combine the milk cubes in a larger freezer bag for a week's worth of cubes at a time. Morning is when your supply is usually the highest.

I would also be sure to pump longer than you have done before, just a bit even if it's just a minute or 5. And stop for a while (5-10 minutes or so) with the boob hanging out and then go back and pump again for a few minutes. It should take a few days for the supply to up to a noticeable amount.

Be sure you get enough sleep, eat right, drink enough water(but only to thirst level), take prenatal vitamins. And consider oatmeal to help you out with supply.

[Nipple_nectar]

Hello,

My baby girl is 3 weeks old and she is breastfeeding and I am also pumping trying to save a supply for when I return to work. My first week while she was at NICU (she was 34 weeks gestational) I got to produced around 2 oz per breast while pumping every 3 hours. When we came home I started alternating breastfeeding directly and breast pump every 2 to 4 hours. Now my left breast only produces 20 cc per pump and my right breast 40 to 55 cc. It is very difficult at this rate to save milk for when I get back to work. I am worry that my milk supply is too low. My baby is gaining weight well since I give her both the bottle (with breastmilk) and breastfed.

Any suggestions on how to help increase my milk supply?

Are you still alternating between BFing and pumping only? If so, you need to stop. Trying to establish a supply, the first 4-6 weeks, it is preferable that you not pump at all and just let baby nurse on demand.

I understand that you are trying to build a stash, you can pump after each nursing session for a minimum of ten minutes and there will still be plenty of milk when baby returns in a hour and a half. Offer the breast every two hours and pump immediately after.

No more bottles! If you need to supplement, use a BFing friendly feeding alternative: www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/alternative-feeding.html

To accurately measure input, you need to accurately measure output: count the wet diapers in a 24 hour period. Here is what to expect in the early weeks: www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html

[wjenkin]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I will exclusively breastfeed my baby and pump after each breastfeeding. I will eat more oatmeal. I also think that I am using a too small breast shield for my Medela Pump. I read that if the nipple is touching tightly the breast shield tunnel it can also cause low milk supply.

I will keep you updated with my progress.

Thanks

[Nipple_nectar]

Please do keep us updated:) https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.net/Pumpin__Pals.html