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01-21-2013 at 7:18 PM
FutureStof...
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FutureStoffer1231 is not online. Last active: 02-26-2013, 2:29 PMNewbie

Where did the milk go?!

My son is a little over 3 weeks old, I have been pumping just so I know how much he is eating. My supply seems to be slowing down, and I just can't get ahead. Just this evening I only pumped 1oz from both breasts. My goal is to give him only breast milk, but he is eating 4oz per feeding. My question is: How often should I be pumping? Any other helpful tips appreciated!
 
01-21-2013 at 7:25 PM
paohass
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Having baby nurse is the best way to boost your supply :)
 
01-21-2013 at 7:35 PM
mabenner1
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paohass:
Having baby nurse is the best way to boost your supply :

This. Pumping is not nearly as efficient as baby is at nursing.

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01-21-2013 at 7:35 PM
candr09
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You really aren't supposed to pump until 6 weeks

Like PP said, nursing LO will boost your supply much better than any pump.

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01-21-2013 at 7:40 PM
Stillharbo...
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I EP, and had a similar problem at the beginning.  I took fenugreek and had LO nurse once a day or every other day just to help boost my supply.  I know she didn't get much after nursing, partly b/s I had such a small supply and BF was too hard for her to do a good job of it.  But even that little "practice" helped my supply.
 
01-21-2013 at 7:46 PM
ChristyML
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I would say pumping every two hours can help increase your supply (it did for mine), but like pps have said, nursing baby will be more efficient.

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01-21-2013 at 8:11 PM
jastl32
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Just curious if you have PCOS?

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01-21-2013 at 8:35 PM
FutureStof...
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FutureStoffer1231 is not online. Last active: 02-26-2013, 2:29 PMNewbie
im not sure what PCOS is. and i started pumping in the first place due to him not being satisfied as he would feed for 10 to 15 minutes per breast and would still be hungry. so i thought pumping would help my milk come in faster since the pump has better suction than he does
 
01-21-2013 at 8:48 PM
kfrix13
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ChristyML:
I would say pumping every two hours can help increase your supply it did for mine, but like pps have said, nursing baby will be more efficient.

This.

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01-21-2013 at 10:15 PM
rakle99
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At three weeks my son was still feeding for an hour. Let him nurse as long as he needs. Your body is still establishing its supply

 
01-21-2013 at 11:04 PM
erkie
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FutureStoffer1231:
im not sure what PCOS is. and i started pumping in the first place due to him not being satisfied as he would feed for 10 to 15 minutes per breast and would still be hungry. so i thought pumping would help my milk come in faster since the pump has better suction than he does


Babies are far more efficient than pumping at moving the milk out of your boobs. Also, my LO nurses for about an hour. Why do you stop after 1015 minutes?

 
01-21-2013 at 11:10 PM
Betty&Co
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erkie:
FutureStoffer1231:
im not sure what PCOS is. and i started pumping in the first place due to him not being satisfied as he would feed for 10 to 15 minutes per breast and would still be hungry. so i thought pumping would help my milk come in faster since the pump has better suction than he does


Babies are far more efficient than pumping at moving the milk out of your boobs. Also, my LO nurses for about an hour. Why do you stop after 1015 minutes?

All of this.

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01-21-2013 at 11:55 PM
AmyG*
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Breastfed newborns NEED to eat very very frequently.  Nursing virtually non-stop for the first few days is expected, often hour long nursing sessions every hour or so.  that is because their stomach starts out at the size of a marble, about 5 ml, or one swallow of amniotic fluid. 

 

Then their stomach stretches to the size of a shooter marble about the time your breastmilk begins to come in. then they will nurse for a bit shorter and not quite as often, but they aren't really good at it, so they may nurse for 45+ minutes every hour or 2. 

Stomach size continues to stretch as your milk comes in, the size of baby's fist or up to about 2.5-3 oz.  at that point you may see them eating every 2.5-3 hours, but they may still take 30-40 minutes to eat that much. 

 

now if you are feeding a 3? week old baby 4 oz at a time, that is TOO MUCH.  see a breastfed baby on average takes i only 25 oz of breastmilk at the breast per day.  and that is regardless of how old they are or how big they are, although when they are young, they may take in on the low end of the range of 19-30 oz a day.  So at 4 oz at a time, your baby should be eating only about 6 times a day, but a newborn needs to eat 10-12 times a day. 

A pump is not efficient, how much you get by pump is not how much baby gets at the breast.  but also a pump doesn't empty a breast the same way a baby does--a baby uses manual manipulation plus suction to empty the breast, the pump only uses suction to empty the breast.  Also that 10-12 times a day is what it takes to establish your milk supply.

If you are set on pumping and feeding breastmilk by bottle, then you need to do a few thing to be protective of your milk supply.  rent a high quality hospital grade double electric pump, pump often enough, at first every 2 hours for at least 24 hours straight, then 2-3 hours during the day and one 3-4 hour sleep at night, or at least pump as often as baby eats.  pump long enough, if you don't seem to have enough milk (25 oz a day is your goal remember) then you eed to pump 5-20 minutes after the milk stops flowing to signal your body you need a higher milk supply.

any milk remaining in your breasts for long signals your body to make less milk.  very frequent and often long nursing sessions with a newborn is what sets the stage for a good milk supply--this is when your boobs are growing milk ducts and alveoli for producing future milk for baby.  sitting down and nursing baby sa often as possible and as long as they need to nurse in the beginning is laying the ground work for future success.

 


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01-22-2013 at 7:24 AM
watermelle...
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rakle99:
At three weeks my son was still feeding for an hour. Let him nurse as long as he needs. Your body is still establishing its supply

ditto - nursing is best - it's not really important right now to "know how much he is getting" - let him eat until he's full.

Also, drink tons of water, eat oatmeal every morning and take Fenugreek to boost your supply.


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01-22-2013 at 12:41 PM
jastl32
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FutureStoffer1231:
im not sure what PCOS is. and i started pumping in the first place due to him not being satisfied as he would feed for 10 to 15 minutes per breast and would still be hungry. so i thought pumping would help my milk come in faster since the pump has better suction than he does

It is a medical condition that can impact your milk production. 1/3 of women with it will have low supply.

Good luck with everything.  


TTC #1 since 2008 with PCOS 12/09 IUI#1 - BFP! Baby #2  
01-22-2013 at 5:36 PM
RissKay
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1. Nursing baby will up your supply naturally. 

2. You have to nurse until the baby is done, not until you are done. This can take, like PP's have said, up to an hour or even more. It's worth it. DVR a few shows and watch them while you're feeding; it helps pass the time.

3. How long are you pumping when you try and pump? If you're doing like you do when you're feeding LO, you need to at the least double the time. It is recommended that you pump for 10-15 minutes after the last of your milk comes out to encourage further supply.  

4. It takes time for your supply to increase. You shouldn't be making much milk at this point, because LO doesn't need that much. As LO gets older, your supply will naturally increase, if you let LO nurse however long they need to. It is important to remember that fact.

I almost gave up around 4 weeks. I felt as though LO was constantly eating and not getting enough food. Below is a link that was really helpful to me.

http://www.thealphaparent.com/2011/12/timeline-of-breastfed-baby.html 


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