Struggling with Milk Production? Pumping Question.

1) are you sure the shields are the right size- they sell different sized ones. Your nipples should move freely and not rub against the sides ...sometimes women need a different shield for one side or the other;
2) try re-setting the pump to the "let down" setting after your milk production slows to try and get another let down....it works for me every time and you can get a few more ounces that way. That is what happens when your daughter nurses- she will experience multiple let downs likely.
3) if you do not have any chance of peanut allergies, try to buy some Fenugreek capsules from GNC and take 3 of them 2 times a day until your pumping output is better. I never experienced engorgement from them but found that they increased my pumping yield.
4) relax....and think of your baby or look at her photo when you begin pumping and don't fret about the ounces....

I successfully pumped 3 times a day at work from the time my son was 3 mos to 11 mos. At that point, I had enough in deep freezer storage to get him to 13 mos and wean from the pump. Best wishes!

The bottle size seems to be a lot. 8 ounces is more normal for a formula-fed baby, not a breastfed one. My DD didn't take more than 5.5 ounces at the height of her needs. Your milk will change so the quantity needed is not the same. With my DD, I found that around 6 months was her peak. She went from 12 to 15 or 16 ounces in a work day and then in went back down after a couple of weeks (after the growth spurt faded).

It may not be the pump. It may be how your body works. It is quite common to only get a few ounces per session, especially if you nursed recently. Some women just don't respond as well to a pump and a baby is more efficient than any pump. I have a friend who produces so much she's a donor. That was never me, but I worked FT and nursed/pumped til DD was 18 mo old (when I changed jobs). Have you tried nursing one side and pumping the other (but not full-throttle)? I also agree with the shield size. Get fitted. I needed to go up a size and it made a big difference.

Please see an LC and also check out the info on kellymom.com.

Hi, you seem to have gotten great advices below! Just wanted to add my 2 cents as well.. :) If I am not wrong, babies will need lesser milk once they start solid foods. Still, having oat meal, and incorporating lots of garlic and Fenugreek in your diet help in producing more milk. Also, try to space your pumping more than 3 hrs apart, so that breasts get heavier and full. Also, after the let-down, run the pump at just the comfortable speed. Slower speed and longer time produces more milk than a uncomfortably high speed. It also doesn't let your nipples feel sore afterwards. Hope these ideas help, they helped me!
EDIT*****Oh, forgot to mention. Make sure you drink lots of water and have a healthy snack at least half hr before you pump. A fuller stomach and increased water intake definitely helps!

Be sure you are drinking a lot of water also you can try fenugreek to increase production.
When you are pumping do you "let down?"
Finally, I would recommend chatting with a lactation consultant at the hospital. They are incredible and usually free if you go to the hospital where you child was born:)
Just remember if you are pumping to build up for her going to child care, you will find that maybe the first day or so, you may need formula, but the pump will pull what she did and you can send with her the following day.
Did that make sense?
Good luck - Hope that helps a bit.

The body only makes between 24 to I believe 38oz of milk so if she is primarliy breast fed and you only pump one or two times a day at most I would imagine you would get 5-10oz of milk out. An idea for every hour you body makes aprx 1 - 1.5oz of milk so 1/2 to 3/4 oz from each breast Giving you between 24 to 38 oz during the day. Hope this makes sense. So if you feed the baby and then pump 3 hours later you at most would pump 4.5 oz of milk and again that is at most for 3 hours. Those women who say they pump 8oz at a time more then likely go 5-6 hours inbetween pumps. How often are you pumping? Oh it sounds like you are pumping ever 2 hours so you are right on trach for that, 2-3 oz total from both sides in two hours is awesome!!

Allison F below has some good advice. It seems obvious that you make plenty of milk (baby is gaining weight and isn't fussy). So I don't think that you need to make more milk, but rather that your body doesn't respond to the pump easily - this is common, but can be hard to address. With that in mind, a few other thoughts:

How long are you pumping for? When I pump, I get an intitial let-down, and then the flow slows and stops. But if I keep pumping a little longer (between 15 and 20 minutes from when I started) I will get a second let-down that is almost as much milk as the 1st (so going from 2-3 ounces total, to about 5 ounces total). So to get the maximum amount of pumped milk, I need to pump for 30 minutes.

Allison mentioned during the pump down low to get a second letdown. Other moms I've talked to recommend actually stopping the pump for 5 minutes after the initial letdown of milk stops, and restarting the pump to get the 2nd letdown.

This is a personal thing but - some people get more milk if they sit quietly, look at a picture of their baby or even close their eyes and imagine that they are nursing. Some people get more milk if they take their mind off of the pumping completely and read the newspaper or watch TV. However, most women I know get the least amount of milk if they sit watching the pump, feeling stressed that not enough is coming out. So try to do something that relaxes you while you pump.

Also, don't go too high with the pump. I actually get more milk when my pump strength is a little lower. If it starts to feel uncomfortable to me, then the amount of milk I get drops (maybe because I tense up a little or something?).

I also wonder if you are over-estimating how much milk you need to pump for your baby (see http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html). Sometimes babies will finish a bottle simply because it's there, even after they are full. If you gave her a 5 ounce bottle instead of 6-8, would she fuss when it was empty? You might be surprised to find out that she's just as satisfied after 5 oz as she is after 7 oz.

You don't say how your your baby is, but if she's old enough maybe she would be interested in some oatmeal cereal or something similar, instead of one of the bottle feedings when you are not around. That would decrease the amount that you need to pump when you are away from her.

Good luck

Believe it or not I asked my son's(2.5 months) doctor this same question. I have had concerns that I am not producing enough milk for him since he is strictly breast fed. When I pump about every 2 to 3 hrs I only get about 3 or 4 ounces between both sides(so 2 ounces each side) at each pumping session. I thought how could I only pump this much, but when he nurses he gets enough and empty's me. His doctor told me that pumping just pulls what is in your breasts out. When the baby nurses he has a stronger pump and triggers the let down of milk. She said as long as he is happy and is eating ok then the amount that you pump shouldn't really matter. As long as you are getting milk expressed and your child is eating and gaining weight like they should then there should be no problem.
I don't know if this makes sense, I hope it does. Hope it helps also. Good luck and keep doing what you are doing unless the baby is having problems with your milk then you are doing exactly what you should be doing.

Best wishes,
S.

Eat oatmeal a few times a day it will increase milk production,try not to pump as frequent as your starting to increase your milk supply for the first few days of eating oatmeal so for you can see & feel the difference

By 7 months - most women's pumpable supply is gone. Your body will start tailoring itself to your baby's needs by 5 months, and unless you were one of those extreme milkers, pumping becomes less and less feasible.

You do NOT have a supply issue... but I"d recommend taking Fenugreek with Blessed Thistle supplements to increase your pumpable production. Also, try pumping the other side while she is nursing the other - that would also help get more from the pump.

Also stop giving her bottles ALL TOGETHER unless you will be physically away from her for over 4 hours. You need to save what you pump, not give her a bottle while you are there with her.

If you had asked much earlier - I would have told you to stock up starting after the first month of the birth, due to this issue most Moms have with pumping after 5 months.

In the early months I also pumped to empty out after nursing. I haven't read all the replies but are you staying hydrated? When my daughter was in the NICU I started pumping less and they nursed asked how much water I was drinking. When I started drinking water everytime I pumped it helped my supply. I never got much - only 4-6 oz total every few hours. But she never took much either (0-1.5 maybe 2 oz a bottle). Good luck

You got a lot of great answers. i thought i would just chime in. Often I used to pump on one breast when my daughter nursed on the other ( this was when i felt really full.) I always got LOTS of milk then.
Don't forget, Your daughter will actually nurse less and less as she grows not more and more! The infant's only nourishment is milk but by 6 months your baby should start eating solid foods and so after that the amount of milk she drinks will change! =)

I had the same problem with my now 11.5 month old son. I heard from others to try the "Mothers Milk Tea" and to take Fenugreek supplements. They have worked for others but didn't help me. I also tried pupming every 2 to 3 hours and drank tons of water. Maybe some of those things will work for you.
It was extremely hard for me to start supplementing formula, but I talked to my Dr. and she simply told me that some people don't produce much milk. (I was one of those unlucky ones as I never felt engorged, never leaked, and when I finally weaned DS, I had no pain what-so-ever).
If nothing helps, I would talk to your Dr. as they may have some suggestions. Otherwise, you did all that you can do so even if you supplement formula and still nurse, your child is still getting the nutrients from you.
Good Luck.

Try herbs they work great. I use Breastea from http://www.breastea.com and my milk supply has increased tremendously! I went from pumping 1/2 ounce per pumping to over 5 ounces.

I could never pump more than 1-2 oz with my oldest, but he never had trouble gaining weight! But with my second baby I've gotten more with pumping, even though I'm not doing anything different. It's not your pump, it's just a very hard skill to master.

Try to pump first thing in the morning before baby's first feeding, and drain yourself dry. Don't turn it up so high it's uncomfortable, you'll do better if you're relaxed. Your supply will gradually increase so you can pump more each day, but it's a lot of work.

Once you get it mastered, you can pump as long as you want. My oldest has been weaned for 2 years but I started giving him pumped milk (mixed with pediasure) and it has helped his immune system more than I ever could have hoped!