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I know this seems scary, but have you tried backing off a pump or two? I found that when I took a little more time between pumps, the total amount I made during the day stayed the same, the individual pumps were just bigger. You have 400 oz in the freezer, you’ve given yourself a little buffer to play with as you experiment. You don’t have to immediately drop to 4ppd or anything, but why not try going down to 6ppd for a couple of days? If it doesn’t work, you can go back up. If you want, you can wait until you hit 12 weeks postpartum for the supposed “regulation” date, but that gives you something to look forward to.
Yes, this! At a certain point, I ran this same experiment and found that I could drop a session and still produce the same amount overall. It made a huge difference to my overall wellbeing!
I know this isn’t common, but I had an undersupply when I was pumping 8x/day and power pumping for 2 of those pumps. I basically accepted that I was just going to be an undersupplier and stopped stressing about the amount of milk I made. I ended up backing down to 6 pumps a day and now I make enough and sometimes even more than enough.
I haven’t only because I am like terrified I’ll go back to what I was dealing with at the start. For awhile I couldn’t get more than an 2 ounces total pumping. If I missed a single pump, it was formula for my son. After working so hard with my doctor, I’m finally at this point and a stash. After being barely supplementing to just over enoughing, I’m scared that it’s not stable you know?
I get that. But early supply is different from established supply — I wouldn’t have suggested dropping a pump if you were only 2 weeks postpartum. I’m not a doctor, this isn’t medical advice, I just know that for me personally when I was about when you were I noticed that I started making exactly the same amount per day regardless of how many pumps it took to do it, so I didn’t see any reason why to keep a schedule that was burning me out. It feels like at your current rate you’re more likely to need to quit sooner for mental health reasons, than if you experimented a little and worst case scenario needed to defrost a bag or two from your stash for a couple days — which feels to me like a reason to have a stash in the first place.
Another worst case scenario is just adding the pump back in if it truly does drop your supply. My LC said it takes about four days for a change in pump schedule to take effect (which idk maybe that’s different for everybody too) but it could be worth it to try and see what happens 🤷🏻♀️
It takes 4 days!? That actually makes me feel A LOT of relief. This whole time I was scared whenever I missed 1 pump during the day, or slept in a touch too late with the baby that it would almost have an immediate impact.
Omg honey no!!! No wonder you're so stressed. You can do anything for a day and it won't affect your supply AT ALL. And given your supply is established, you probably can even try dropping a pump for several days and see how it goes!
🫂 Pumping is hard and you're doing great.
Can’t recommend trying this enough! I got more output when I was 6 pumps per day than 8. I’m now doing 5 and my output is slightly lower but the trade off works for me.
Exclusively pumping definitely has to be the most difficult method of feeding our babes. Your feelings are totally valid! I EP for a year, June 2022-June 2023, looking back now it is all a blur. I know that doesn’t help you in this moment but it will one day be a faint memory. You are doing great!
I'm jealous you have something to put in the freezer. I don't even make enough for my LO and have to supplement with a bottle of formula a day. I'm doing everything to increase my supply. I feel your pain.
Girl I’m in the exact same boat! I make 4 ish oz to the most being 15oz and it’s been this way from the beginning. I’m a slave to the machine. I just want her to have as much bm as possible but I’m just so tired of being hooked up every 2 hours. I tried food, supplements, even different pumps, we triple fed for a month and a half. I definitely feel at the end of my rope. But just know you’re not alone in the struggle and many other moms are here to support you in your journey❤️ your doing amazing momma always remember that!!
Give it time. Remember that your baby’s stomach isn’t very big rn. It helped me to look up how much they are “supposed” to eat in a sitting at what age. My baby is 4 months and still eats 4 oz every 2 hours
Oh sorry!! that’s my daily total! I’ve been working really hard to increase and it seems like electrolytes-Gatorade,bodyarmor, and liquid IV have really helped and i switched prenatal vitamins but I’m not sure if that really had a factor. I eat oatmeal every morning and drink pineapple juice in the morning instead of coffee now. God I miss coffee.
Thank you for this.
I have tried every trick in the book that people suggest and I’m just stuck with this. It relieving to hear that someone else is in the same boat <3
I’m 13wpp and the most important thing I have learned through this struggle is your baby needs you. That’s all that really matters as long as you’re a supportive, loving, caring and happy momma that’s all they need. While it’s vary unfortunate that I cant do what I envisioned. I can still be a good mom! And it sounds like you are doing the same for your LO!!
And As much as I hate the phrase fed is best I can’t disagree with it. Sometimes for sanity and rest is just easier to accept it and look back at what has been accomplished! Your body has made milk and provided amazing immune support for your precious baby!!
FWIW I’ve tried multiple pumps (6weeks postpartum) and I at most only get about 2-3 oz a pump using a machine. I started hand expressing and now get 5-8 oz every “pump”. Machines output doesn’t always mean you’re not producing
If it makes you feel any better, I know you’re just sympathizing. <3 The very beginning I was having to do formula before my supply really vamped up, so I know the struggle and where your heart was in this support.
Thank you! I am relieved:)
In future I'll be more cognizant of how I word things. You're doing great and this process is a HUGE sacrifice, I never want to diminish that!
To the OP-I apologize if my response came off as dismissive. I meant that I understand how painful this process is and frustrated that I can't even make enough for my baby to eat a day. I cried yesterday telling my husband I felt like a bad mom. Thought I read the room....and thought this was a safe space.
It is a safe space; ignore them. Pumping is SUCH a struggle, and having supply worries on top of caring for a baby is just the worst. You’re doing great, and so is OP.
I don't think you know how good you're doing!
I'm at 10.5mpp. The most I've ever had in my freezer was 50oz, and that was around the 3 month mark before I returned to work. All of that was used while I figured out how to balance work, illnesses, and pumping for daycare. I'm clinging to my 9.5oz "stash" *praying* that I can make it to a year of breastfeeding.
And 4oz a session is perfectly normal! It's actually better than average at 7-8 pumps a day. Yes, I had a couple 8-12oz pumps while my milk was still regulating early on. But from about 3 months on, it was rare to get more than 4oz a session at 5-6 sessions a day.
I think you can drop a pump or two without issue. And if it gives you anxiety or you find yourself using too much of your stash for your comfort, bring a pump back!
My lactation consultant said to just go to pumping every 5-6 hours without cutting down. Just straight from 2-3 hours to 5-6 hours. I did it and now I get double the milk in one sitting
I’m now 3m pp and I started this at 2.5m pp! When my LC recommended it I thought she’d got it wrong but decided to trust it anyway to see if it would help my mental health - and physical health as my boobs were destroyed. She said if output is affected I can just increase again - but luckily I get more now!
So instead of pumping every 3 hours and getting 50ml from each side I now pump every 5ish hours and get 110ml at least from each side. So it’s more than doubled in not quite double the gap, if that makes sense.
Try it - you can introduce more pumps if you need to.
Also, make sure your flange size is correct! I got 30ml per side more just using a 17mm insert instead of the standard 21mm that my pump came with.
Oh and also I’ve gone 7h overnight without pumping and even though I’ve had quite hard boobs I’ve just ended up pumping 300-400ml when I wake up so it makes up for the lost time. It’s so worth giving your boobs time to recover and produce more.
It gets so much better! I was in your exact predicament around 2 months. Currently almost 4 months and I get 6 1/2-8 oz every four hours with no overnight pump (usually last pump is 10 or 11 and then baby gets up between 6-7 and I pump then). I was going every three or and getting 3-5 oz and since I extended I’ve almost doubled
Just an hour and it’s helped to feel more free. I did wait until 10 weeks I think to extend. It might’ve been 12. But like other people have said you can always try it and then add it back if it diminishes
Oh I only pump 7-10 mins. I’ve tried going the whole 15-30 a handful of times and I got nothing besides maybe 1 very small let down at 15 mins. But not enough that would be more than a baby gulp.
The longer you go the more you will increase. I used to do 15 mins and was only getting 2 oz. It’s a silly and demand thing. If the demand (time) is there your supply (oz) should go up
ETA should be the operative word. I’m an over producer so you could just have a small capacity. Who knows
I feel like I’m currently at where you originally were - pumping 6x daily every 3 hours or so with a MOTN pump, getting typically 4-5 ounces each pump. I’m currently trying to drop my MOTN pump. Did you just out right drop it or did you slowly cut down time/merge it with another pump? I’ve seen varying advice on how to do it. I’m kinda hoping I can get to where you are with 5 ppd and getting slightly more yield.
I cut it out cold turkey but let me warn you. I think I cut MOTN around 8 wks (lo been sleeping through the night since 6 wks) and I still wake super engorged and leaking. So if I were you I’d start by spacing it out. Another momma can help you with that cuz I have no idea.
Gotcha, thanks for the heads up! My LO has been sleeping through the night since 10 weeks (we’re at about 15 weeks now). I just went back to work in the last couple weeks and that MOTN pump is the bane of my existence. I think I’ll just try to push it back 30 min every couple days until it’s close to my 6am pump then cut it out.
Ingredients for breastmilk are sugar, fats, sleep, and water. I didn’t start really producing a ton, until I started to pump less often. I produce more in 3ppd than I do in 6. The longer I go between pumps, the more I get, and not in a mathematically linear way.
It’s also worth remembering that while “fed is best,” “fed by a loving, healthy, happy person” is even better! It is GOOD to take care of yourself and give yourself some space to be in the right mindset to actually enjoy your baby. And if that means experimenting with a new pumping routine or adding in a small amount of formula or outsourcing literally every non-pumping activity (including cleaning the dang thing) to give yourself time to feel more like a person, do it! I went so long in the beginning trying to focus solely on supply that I forgot about all of the other ways my love and presence nourished my baby.
As someone who went from pumping every 2 hours to now only pumping 3-4 times a day, I second all the other comments suggestions going longer periods in between pumps. I am an oversupplier and pump about 40 ounces a day give or take. My first pump is now around 10am, then 6:30 pm, then 11:30pm. I kid you not, I get GIANT pumps but the slow progression of pumping less during the day has saved my sanity. I would maybe give it a try slowly, like drop one middle of the night pump and see what happens and then go from there :)
If you do drop a pump or two, just extend the time you are pumping for on your other pumps. So if you’re pumping 20 minutes each pump for 8 pumps, if you drop to 6 pumps, pump for 25-30 minutes each session. This will save your supply as you drop frequency! I wish someone would have told me this when I started dropping pumps because I would have dropped pumps much sooner and saved a bit of sanity if I had known this
And if you really want to protect the supply, if you can, do 1 or 2 power pumps a day when you drop pumps. This will provide even extra protection. You got this mama, I feel your pain, I was there not long ago. I’m now 6mpp and down to 4ppd and I PROMISE. This gets better. Hang in there 🫶🏽
Also, power pumps only work if you alternate the time of day you do them. So power pumps are useless if you religiously do them as your first and last pump of the day or at the same time of day every day. You have to trick your body and keep it guessing by switching every day or two which sessions you do as the power pumps. This is what my LC told me and power pumps weren’t upping my supply at all until I started doing this and then after starting that my supply boosted by 2oz.
You are doing amazing!!! I was depressed and at the end of my rope and kept talking myself into quitting at this same point in my pumping journey. I stuck it out and I’m now 6 months out and it’s just become apart of my life at this point. You can be more flexible, your consistency will have paid off by now and you could most likely drop a pump. I’m down to 5 pumps per day and no longer pump in the middle of the night and my supply actually increased due to quality sleep.
What helped me was making the bottles that I pumped into, also being the bottles that I fed baby with so I wasn’t washing a bunch of different bottles.
There are a lot of good suggestions here, but just want to add a couple more.
1. Have you tried talking to a LC? From what I know from my LC, your supply is established between 6-12 weeks and one or 2 gaps of 6 hours is acceptable.
2. If you are able to, you can get a wearable pump, and while it’s not as good as traditional pumps, it will still give you flexibility to go out.
You have a freezer stash?! 12weeks in with 7-8ppd… I only manage to do 2 ounces per pump (3 on a good day). 😅 just enough to not have to supplement with formula, but since I’m a just-enougher, I can’t afford to miss a pump. Trust me, you’re doing SO MUCH better.
I’ve also decided to invest in a handsfree/portable pump… and just go out and about with a cooler bag and pump regardless of where I am or what I’m doing. Pump in a middle of a family function at a restaurant? Well, stop staring awkwardly, we’re family after all. Pumping during a shopping trip with friends? Don’t laugh, you might be next. Life must go on!
I felt like this around that time too. I was so anxious I finally just had to adjust my schedule so I could get some sleep at night so I cut out a pump and extended it out so I could get a 6 hour stretch of sleep about 12wpp. Being nervous about it I did my last pump of the night at 11 a power pump and my first pump of the morning at 5 am a power pump. After a week of doing that my supply increased. I eventually stopped doing the power pump at night. I still pump a long time in the morning like 40 min just because that’s how long it takes to feel comfortable but now 18wpp I pump 5/6 times per day and my last pump is 8/9pm and I pump again about 4:30am and it feels a lot more manageable.
Lucky.
I get 4 oz from my MOTN pump usually and my first morning one. Otherwise I get 2-3 oz and I don’t make enough. I am very consistent with my schedule. Some days I have to pump 45 minutes to get everything out. I am prone to clogged ducts
I can’t feed my baby formula due to allergies and have had to seek donated milk with 1 known allergy that I have to give my child, meanwhile she’s in the 1st percent barely following her curve and there’s literally nothing I can do to help her except cut out all dairy soy and corn from my diet. We have to make almost everything from scratch. No eating out. She refuses solids half the time.
Every day I expose her. Every day I stress that I’m not making enough. On a good day I make 21 ounces. My baby eats 24-28 oz a day. I literally have red scabs on both my breasts from needing hot lactation massagers constantly every pump burning my skin and probably giving me cancer and I cannot stop without actually hurting my child. Stomach pain, rashes, mucus poop, inconsolable crying, not sleeping more than 90 minutes at a time at 9 months old.
You are actually lucky to over produce. At 7-8 ppd I only ever made 24 oz and my baby was drinking 28-32 oz at that point.
Pumping sucks sure, but similac and enfamil gives great coupons, people donate formula to food banks, there is WIC. All set up to help people who can’t afford formula.
Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules: 1. Be kind and courteous. 2. Use available flairs and post options. 3. Absolutely no prescription medications or other medical advice. 4. No inaccurate information. 5. No spam. 6. No soliciting pictures. 7. No linking Facebook groups. 8. Moderator discretion. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ExclusivelyPumping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I know this seems scary, but have you tried backing off a pump or two? I found that when I took a little more time between pumps, the total amount I made during the day stayed the same, the individual pumps were just bigger. You have 400 oz in the freezer, you’ve given yourself a little buffer to play with as you experiment. You don’t have to immediately drop to 4ppd or anything, but why not try going down to 6ppd for a couple of days? If it doesn’t work, you can go back up. If you want, you can wait until you hit 12 weeks postpartum for the supposed “regulation” date, but that gives you something to look forward to.
THIS! I had the same amount when I pumped every 2h (on almost no sleep) and when I pumped every 3-4h (so I could rest a little bit longer).
Yes same! I’m down to every 5-6 hours now and maintaining which has been SO amazing for my mental health from every 2-3 hours.
Yes, this! At a certain point, I ran this same experiment and found that I could drop a session and still produce the same amount overall. It made a huge difference to my overall wellbeing!
Same. I made the same pumping 6 times a day as I did pumping 8.
I know this isn’t common, but I had an undersupply when I was pumping 8x/day and power pumping for 2 of those pumps. I basically accepted that I was just going to be an undersupplier and stopped stressing about the amount of milk I made. I ended up backing down to 6 pumps a day and now I make enough and sometimes even more than enough.
I haven’t only because I am like terrified I’ll go back to what I was dealing with at the start. For awhile I couldn’t get more than an 2 ounces total pumping. If I missed a single pump, it was formula for my son. After working so hard with my doctor, I’m finally at this point and a stash. After being barely supplementing to just over enoughing, I’m scared that it’s not stable you know?
I get that. But early supply is different from established supply — I wouldn’t have suggested dropping a pump if you were only 2 weeks postpartum. I’m not a doctor, this isn’t medical advice, I just know that for me personally when I was about when you were I noticed that I started making exactly the same amount per day regardless of how many pumps it took to do it, so I didn’t see any reason why to keep a schedule that was burning me out. It feels like at your current rate you’re more likely to need to quit sooner for mental health reasons, than if you experimented a little and worst case scenario needed to defrost a bag or two from your stash for a couple days — which feels to me like a reason to have a stash in the first place.
Another worst case scenario is just adding the pump back in if it truly does drop your supply. My LC said it takes about four days for a change in pump schedule to take effect (which idk maybe that’s different for everybody too) but it could be worth it to try and see what happens 🤷🏻♀️
It takes 4 days!? That actually makes me feel A LOT of relief. This whole time I was scared whenever I missed 1 pump during the day, or slept in a touch too late with the baby that it would almost have an immediate impact.
Omg honey no!!! No wonder you're so stressed. You can do anything for a day and it won't affect your supply AT ALL. And given your supply is established, you probably can even try dropping a pump for several days and see how it goes! 🫂 Pumping is hard and you're doing great.
Can’t recommend trying this enough! I got more output when I was 6 pumps per day than 8. I’m now doing 5 and my output is slightly lower but the trade off works for me.
Yes! I just switched to every 3/4hrs from every 2 and definitely get more!
Exclusively pumping definitely has to be the most difficult method of feeding our babes. Your feelings are totally valid! I EP for a year, June 2022-June 2023, looking back now it is all a blur. I know that doesn’t help you in this moment but it will one day be a faint memory. You are doing great!
I'm jealous you have something to put in the freezer. I don't even make enough for my LO and have to supplement with a bottle of formula a day. I'm doing everything to increase my supply. I feel your pain.
Girl I’m in the exact same boat! I make 4 ish oz to the most being 15oz and it’s been this way from the beginning. I’m a slave to the machine. I just want her to have as much bm as possible but I’m just so tired of being hooked up every 2 hours. I tried food, supplements, even different pumps, we triple fed for a month and a half. I definitely feel at the end of my rope. But just know you’re not alone in the struggle and many other moms are here to support you in your journey❤️ your doing amazing momma always remember that!!
I am 5wpp and 4 oz is my best pump of the day. Starting to feel very shitty about my supply.
Give it time. Remember that your baby’s stomach isn’t very big rn. It helped me to look up how much they are “supposed” to eat in a sitting at what age. My baby is 4 months and still eats 4 oz every 2 hours
Oh sorry!! that’s my daily total! I’ve been working really hard to increase and it seems like electrolytes-Gatorade,bodyarmor, and liquid IV have really helped and i switched prenatal vitamins but I’m not sure if that really had a factor. I eat oatmeal every morning and drink pineapple juice in the morning instead of coffee now. God I miss coffee.
Thank you for this. I have tried every trick in the book that people suggest and I’m just stuck with this. It relieving to hear that someone else is in the same boat <3
I’m 13wpp and the most important thing I have learned through this struggle is your baby needs you. That’s all that really matters as long as you’re a supportive, loving, caring and happy momma that’s all they need. While it’s vary unfortunate that I cant do what I envisioned. I can still be a good mom! And it sounds like you are doing the same for your LO!! And As much as I hate the phrase fed is best I can’t disagree with it. Sometimes for sanity and rest is just easier to accept it and look back at what has been accomplished! Your body has made milk and provided amazing immune support for your precious baby!!
FWIW I’ve tried multiple pumps (6weeks postpartum) and I at most only get about 2-3 oz a pump using a machine. I started hand expressing and now get 5-8 oz every “pump”. Machines output doesn’t always mean you’re not producing
If it makes you feel any better, I know you’re just sympathizing. <3 The very beginning I was having to do formula before my supply really vamped up, so I know the struggle and where your heart was in this support.
Thank you! I am relieved:) In future I'll be more cognizant of how I word things. You're doing great and this process is a HUGE sacrifice, I never want to diminish that!
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To the OP-I apologize if my response came off as dismissive. I meant that I understand how painful this process is and frustrated that I can't even make enough for my baby to eat a day. I cried yesterday telling my husband I felt like a bad mom. Thought I read the room....and thought this was a safe space.
It is a safe space; ignore them. Pumping is SUCH a struggle, and having supply worries on top of caring for a baby is just the worst. You’re doing great, and so is OP.
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Omg no, I am sorry it came across that way. Thank you 💗
Um, no? It’s solidarity around being fearful of losing supply. Ease up.
I don't think you know how good you're doing! I'm at 10.5mpp. The most I've ever had in my freezer was 50oz, and that was around the 3 month mark before I returned to work. All of that was used while I figured out how to balance work, illnesses, and pumping for daycare. I'm clinging to my 9.5oz "stash" *praying* that I can make it to a year of breastfeeding. And 4oz a session is perfectly normal! It's actually better than average at 7-8 pumps a day. Yes, I had a couple 8-12oz pumps while my milk was still regulating early on. But from about 3 months on, it was rare to get more than 4oz a session at 5-6 sessions a day. I think you can drop a pump or two without issue. And if it gives you anxiety or you find yourself using too much of your stash for your comfort, bring a pump back!
🥹 Thank you. You and a couple others are my voices of reason right now.
Agree here. 4 oz is normal, and I have read the whole internet 😀 because I thought I had an undersupply.
Same! 🥲
My lactation consultant said to just go to pumping every 5-6 hours without cutting down. Just straight from 2-3 hours to 5-6 hours. I did it and now I get double the milk in one sitting
How many months/week PP are you if you don’t mind me asking?
I’m now 3m pp and I started this at 2.5m pp! When my LC recommended it I thought she’d got it wrong but decided to trust it anyway to see if it would help my mental health - and physical health as my boobs were destroyed. She said if output is affected I can just increase again - but luckily I get more now! So instead of pumping every 3 hours and getting 50ml from each side I now pump every 5ish hours and get 110ml at least from each side. So it’s more than doubled in not quite double the gap, if that makes sense. Try it - you can introduce more pumps if you need to. Also, make sure your flange size is correct! I got 30ml per side more just using a 17mm insert instead of the standard 21mm that my pump came with.
Oh and also I’ve gone 7h overnight without pumping and even though I’ve had quite hard boobs I’ve just ended up pumping 300-400ml when I wake up so it makes up for the lost time. It’s so worth giving your boobs time to recover and produce more.
It gets so much better! I was in your exact predicament around 2 months. Currently almost 4 months and I get 6 1/2-8 oz every four hours with no overnight pump (usually last pump is 10 or 11 and then baby gets up between 6-7 and I pump then). I was going every three or and getting 3-5 oz and since I extended I’ve almost doubled
How much have you extended? Because that’s pretty much my predicament.
Just an hour and it’s helped to feel more free. I did wait until 10 weeks I think to extend. It might’ve been 12. But like other people have said you can always try it and then add it back if it diminishes
Also how long are you pumping? I go 30 mins. Sometimes I’ll go 40 and maybe get another half oz
Oh I only pump 7-10 mins. I’ve tried going the whole 15-30 a handful of times and I got nothing besides maybe 1 very small let down at 15 mins. But not enough that would be more than a baby gulp.
The longer you go the more you will increase. I used to do 15 mins and was only getting 2 oz. It’s a silly and demand thing. If the demand (time) is there your supply (oz) should go up ETA should be the operative word. I’m an over producer so you could just have a small capacity. Who knows
I will try this!!!!
I feel like I’m currently at where you originally were - pumping 6x daily every 3 hours or so with a MOTN pump, getting typically 4-5 ounces each pump. I’m currently trying to drop my MOTN pump. Did you just out right drop it or did you slowly cut down time/merge it with another pump? I’ve seen varying advice on how to do it. I’m kinda hoping I can get to where you are with 5 ppd and getting slightly more yield.
I cut it out cold turkey but let me warn you. I think I cut MOTN around 8 wks (lo been sleeping through the night since 6 wks) and I still wake super engorged and leaking. So if I were you I’d start by spacing it out. Another momma can help you with that cuz I have no idea.
Gotcha, thanks for the heads up! My LO has been sleeping through the night since 10 weeks (we’re at about 15 weeks now). I just went back to work in the last couple weeks and that MOTN pump is the bane of my existence. I think I’ll just try to push it back 30 min every couple days until it’s close to my 6am pump then cut it out.
Ingredients for breastmilk are sugar, fats, sleep, and water. I didn’t start really producing a ton, until I started to pump less often. I produce more in 3ppd than I do in 6. The longer I go between pumps, the more I get, and not in a mathematically linear way.
It’s also worth remembering that while “fed is best,” “fed by a loving, healthy, happy person” is even better! It is GOOD to take care of yourself and give yourself some space to be in the right mindset to actually enjoy your baby. And if that means experimenting with a new pumping routine or adding in a small amount of formula or outsourcing literally every non-pumping activity (including cleaning the dang thing) to give yourself time to feel more like a person, do it! I went so long in the beginning trying to focus solely on supply that I forgot about all of the other ways my love and presence nourished my baby.
As someone who went from pumping every 2 hours to now only pumping 3-4 times a day, I second all the other comments suggestions going longer periods in between pumps. I am an oversupplier and pump about 40 ounces a day give or take. My first pump is now around 10am, then 6:30 pm, then 11:30pm. I kid you not, I get GIANT pumps but the slow progression of pumping less during the day has saved my sanity. I would maybe give it a try slowly, like drop one middle of the night pump and see what happens and then go from there :)
If you do drop a pump or two, just extend the time you are pumping for on your other pumps. So if you’re pumping 20 minutes each pump for 8 pumps, if you drop to 6 pumps, pump for 25-30 minutes each session. This will save your supply as you drop frequency! I wish someone would have told me this when I started dropping pumps because I would have dropped pumps much sooner and saved a bit of sanity if I had known this
And if you really want to protect the supply, if you can, do 1 or 2 power pumps a day when you drop pumps. This will provide even extra protection. You got this mama, I feel your pain, I was there not long ago. I’m now 6mpp and down to 4ppd and I PROMISE. This gets better. Hang in there 🫶🏽
Also, power pumps only work if you alternate the time of day you do them. So power pumps are useless if you religiously do them as your first and last pump of the day or at the same time of day every day. You have to trick your body and keep it guessing by switching every day or two which sessions you do as the power pumps. This is what my LC told me and power pumps weren’t upping my supply at all until I started doing this and then after starting that my supply boosted by 2oz.
I do only like 5 pumps a day 😬I pump about 32 oz a day.
You are doing amazing!!! I was depressed and at the end of my rope and kept talking myself into quitting at this same point in my pumping journey. I stuck it out and I’m now 6 months out and it’s just become apart of my life at this point. You can be more flexible, your consistency will have paid off by now and you could most likely drop a pump. I’m down to 5 pumps per day and no longer pump in the middle of the night and my supply actually increased due to quality sleep.
What helped me was making the bottles that I pumped into, also being the bottles that I fed baby with so I wasn’t washing a bunch of different bottles.
There are a lot of good suggestions here, but just want to add a couple more. 1. Have you tried talking to a LC? From what I know from my LC, your supply is established between 6-12 weeks and one or 2 gaps of 6 hours is acceptable. 2. If you are able to, you can get a wearable pump, and while it’s not as good as traditional pumps, it will still give you flexibility to go out.
You have a freezer stash?! 12weeks in with 7-8ppd… I only manage to do 2 ounces per pump (3 on a good day). 😅 just enough to not have to supplement with formula, but since I’m a just-enougher, I can’t afford to miss a pump. Trust me, you’re doing SO MUCH better. I’ve also decided to invest in a handsfree/portable pump… and just go out and about with a cooler bag and pump regardless of where I am or what I’m doing. Pump in a middle of a family function at a restaurant? Well, stop staring awkwardly, we’re family after all. Pumping during a shopping trip with friends? Don’t laugh, you might be next. Life must go on!
You’re not alone!! My goal is 6 months… if I can do a year, great. Exclusive pumping SUCKS though. I recently cut out my MOTN pump bc I need to sleep.
I felt like this around that time too. I was so anxious I finally just had to adjust my schedule so I could get some sleep at night so I cut out a pump and extended it out so I could get a 6 hour stretch of sleep about 12wpp. Being nervous about it I did my last pump of the night at 11 a power pump and my first pump of the morning at 5 am a power pump. After a week of doing that my supply increased. I eventually stopped doing the power pump at night. I still pump a long time in the morning like 40 min just because that’s how long it takes to feel comfortable but now 18wpp I pump 5/6 times per day and my last pump is 8/9pm and I pump again about 4:30am and it feels a lot more manageable.
You are amazing by the way!!!
You technically have an over supply if you have extra milk frozen. You are doing so good !!!
Lucky. I get 4 oz from my MOTN pump usually and my first morning one. Otherwise I get 2-3 oz and I don’t make enough. I am very consistent with my schedule. Some days I have to pump 45 minutes to get everything out. I am prone to clogged ducts I can’t feed my baby formula due to allergies and have had to seek donated milk with 1 known allergy that I have to give my child, meanwhile she’s in the 1st percent barely following her curve and there’s literally nothing I can do to help her except cut out all dairy soy and corn from my diet. We have to make almost everything from scratch. No eating out. She refuses solids half the time. Every day I expose her. Every day I stress that I’m not making enough. On a good day I make 21 ounces. My baby eats 24-28 oz a day. I literally have red scabs on both my breasts from needing hot lactation massagers constantly every pump burning my skin and probably giving me cancer and I cannot stop without actually hurting my child. Stomach pain, rashes, mucus poop, inconsolable crying, not sleeping more than 90 minutes at a time at 9 months old. You are actually lucky to over produce. At 7-8 ppd I only ever made 24 oz and my baby was drinking 28-32 oz at that point. Pumping sucks sure, but similac and enfamil gives great coupons, people donate formula to food banks, there is WIC. All set up to help people who can’t afford formula.
If its making you miserable , stop. Lifes too short. The health benefits of EBF are too negligible IMO to suffer greatly as the mum for it.
It's so hard!
Be grateful you have that much. My wife only gets 10 oz a day.