Can't Pump as Much as Daughter Seems to eat...ideas?

There are lots of great websites out there to offer help (kellymom.com, workandpump.com, etc.), and there are lots of ways to help with pumping. I didn't respond to the pump at ALL with my first babe, but I am almost hitting the 8 month mark with my second exclusively breastfeeding & I went back to work full-time at 6 weeks with both of them.

I also have a Medela PIS. When I first starting pumping, I was maybe getting a total of 2 ounces per 20 minute session. I still pump for 20 minutes 2/day, and I get at least 5-6oz total per session now. My first pump of the day, about 4 hours after my daughter's last nursing, I get about 8-9oz. It's insane, but I still remember the heartbreak of only seeing those 2oz at the beginning.

Anyway - here's what my nursing friends told me that helped a ton:
- It takes time to learn how to pump. You may not respond right away, but eventually you learn what works for you. I second the notion of having a picture (even if it's closing your eyes & getting a mental picture) of your kiddo while you're nursing to stimulate letdown.
- Don't look at the bottles to see how much milk you're getting - close your eyes, breathe, relax... I do crossword puzzles & get better output. I don't know why. :)
- Pump one side while your baby nurses the other. It can be tricky to juggle, but it works!
- Get a hands-free pumping bustier. It lets you do something else while you're pumping (surfing the internet, reading a book, doing a crossword, etc.), so you aren't laser-focused on your output.
- Above all, ask for help! You're already doing that & there are lots of awesome mamas out there just itching to share what they know.

Remember your baby is far more efficient than your pump, so when she nurses she's doing a better job of extracting milk & keeping up your supply. If you still feel like you're having supply issues, check into some supply boosters or even make some lactation cookies. They are super yummy & the brewer's yeast really does enhance your supply almost immediately. You can google for a recipe (they usually contain flax meal & brewer's yeast). It's a yummy way to enhance supply, but it won't cause lactation if you're not lactating (my husband & son both like them, but don't make milk!).

Also, kellymom & workandpump both have great information on bottle-feeding a breastfed baby. Many breastfed babies just don't take in as much milk at one feeding as formula fed babies. I know my "off the charts" 7 month old never eats more than 3-4 ounces in one bottle feeding, but is satisfied for about 3 hours in between feedings.

You've already done a wonderful thing for your little girl by nursing her this long. I also echo what another mom said - if you have to supplement with formula, don't feel like a failure. You have to do what's best for you & your daughter, no matter how you choose to feed her. :)

Good luck!

Hi C.,

Lots of women do not respond to a pump the way they respond to their own baby. I NEVER could get much from pumping, but when I breastfed my son, I had no problems keeping up.

Pumps are a modern convenience, but they are hardly miraculous. I always viewed my pump as a way to simply keep my milk stimulated when I wasn't with my baby, so then I wasn't disappointed when after 30 minutes I had like 2 or 3 ounces.

You mention expressing by hand, and I had better luck with that, too. I got to the point where I was fairly fast at it, and could do both breasts at once, leaning over two containers.

If you do need to supplement with formula, YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE. Let me repeat that, YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE. There are some real nipple nazis around, and they can make other mothers feel like cr*p for the choices they make.

I would plan ahead for if you do choose to supplement. Choose what type of formula you might want to give her, or maybe you will do your own research and decide to supplement with goat's milk. Also, the book "Nourishing Traditions" has recipes for homemade formula.

My son always had a mix of breastmilk and formula. He had some breastmilk until he was 6 months old, and I will always be proud of that fact!! At 9-10 months, we switched him from formula over to goat's milk.

Good luck!

Oh, C.! You are not alone! My little one is almost 7 months now and I've been pumping since the beginning to get my milk up. It's been a challenge, but I haven't had to supplement yet. You've already gotten a lot of good advise here and I've tried it all. Find a lactation consultant, if for no other reason than to encourage you to keep up the good work! It is really most helpful to have a cheering section focusing on your support. Supplements are a great help, if you can stomach them; they often taste terrible. There is also a fenugreek tincture which is quite concentrated. Keep up a regular routine of feeding and pumping as much as you can. Keep up your fluid intact.

Most importantly - try not to worry about it. You are doing the best you can for your daughter.

Blessings, K.

Drink something hot (like cocoa, decaf coffee, soup) right before pumping. I do this at work and get almost twice as much milk as I do without. I don't know why it works, but it does for me and another co-worker who taught me the trick.

Hi C.:

I had the same problem when I was nursing my son. A friend explained that I wasn't alone and that stressing about it only made it worse. She also recommended having a picture of my child in front of me along with a piece of clothing that had his scent. I would look at the picture, take a sniff of his shirt, and then close my eyes and focus on the things he did that day that made me happy. It seems silly, but it worked for me. I was relaxed and was able to ignore the sound of the pump.
When my supply dipped again I went to a health food store and found a milk simulant suppliment which increased my pumping amount from 4 oz to 8 oz.
No matter what do not get upset or stressed about it. Your child will adapt to your schedule. My son ended up only needing 6 to 8 oz. a day at daycare. He would only take 2 oz. at a time. He nursed at night every hour. He adjusted to my schedule. I nursed him until he was 18 months and he self weaned. Your child will do amazing things to make sure she is well fed and happy.

I had the same issue. My 4-month old has completely different drinking habits on the bottle vs. the breast. For the babysitter, he drinks two 4 1/2 ounce bottles of pumped breasmilk during the day for the babysitter. When I was getting ready to go back to work, I was only getting 3 ounces or so during each pumping. At first I was pretty stressed about it (which as other posts have said, only makes it worse), and a little incredulous, how could he be drinking so much when he is clearly not getting that much from me during a feeding! Then I decided to get one of those 6-packs of canned, pre-made formula. I just keep it in my cabinet in case I need it. Just having it in there (even if I don't need to use it) totally lowers my stress about whether I am pumping enough or not.

I also take fenugreek supplement, which makes a huge difference. I make it myself, you can just buy the seeds (easy to find at an Indian grocery store, they are also called "methi" seeds) and grind them up, take a spoonful with a sip of water once a day. (Side note: It is probably easier to take in pill form... it is pretty nasty and bitter.) It takes about 3 days to see results, and your sweat will smell like maple syrup once it is in your system.

Something else that might help is to offer a bottle (and pump to replace the bottle) earlier in the day, instead of, or in addition to the evening bottle.

Finally, make sure your pump doesn't have a suction problem. I had this happen with my first child (also used the Medela pump in style), it was terrible for my milk supply! Medela replaced the pump because it was less than a year old.

Just some ideas for you, good luck!

Have you tried Fenugreek herbal suppliments? I'd talk to a lactation consulted at the hospital and ask how to use them. You don't follow the instructions on the label.

Have you tried pumping right after each feeding? How about waking during the early am and pumping a couple hours before you BF in the morning?

I heard if you pump both breasts at the same time it's telling your brain you have twins and it needs to produce more.

Are you drinking enough fluids in the day?

Supplimenting with formula is something we did too when my oldest was young. She never seemed happy after feeding so I would offer her another 2 oz. or so of formula and as long as she took the breast first I knew I would continue to produce milk. I tried watered down rice cereal at 4 months but they didn't do well until 5-6 months. That may help fill her up if you don't want to use formula.