Nursing/Pumping

I have been nursing for the past 2 weeks since DD was born and decided tonight it was finally time to take out the pump and start pumping in order to give myself a rest at feeding time. It took me an hour though to pump out 2 ounces is this common or does it usually come out faster. I am using a playtex electric double pump and had it at the highest it will go. I would have kept going but got exhausted and was starting to get soar. I figure I'll do the other 2 ounces tomorrow and that will make one bottle. Is this common though or am I doing something wrong. Should it take this dam long to get out just 2 ounces and that was using the double pump. Granted DD had just eaten within the hour so I'm hoping it was just because I was running on empty but DH said I should just keep producing because I feed DD on demand and shouldn't really run out. PLEASE HELP.. i want to pump to give myself a break but if its going to take this long to get out so little it might not be worth it.

Re: Nursing/Pumping

I think that is typical. You may find you get more in mornings. Good Luck.

Re: Nursing/Pumping

I feel like an hour of pumping might be a bit much. I *think* I read somewhere that you shouldn't go past 20 min on each side (or total, if you're doing both sides at the same time). I think I read this on kellymom.

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when I first started pumping all I could get was 2oz a session, then I started to take fenugreek and pump a lot more often and now I get about 6-8oz a session.

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thats what I thought... I'd had enough but only had 2 ounces when I was done... i'm going to try again in the morning in hopes of at least making on bottle

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They say morning is the best time to pump, as that's when your supply is at its highest. Good luck!!

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I think it's ok for being 2 weeks pp, but you don't have to have it on the highest setting - that is not always the best.

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having it on the highest setting was more then likely the reason why I was sooo soar afterwards

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I only pumped for 2 weeks total and then I had to stop BFing, so I am no expert but I always got more when I pumped one side at a time. It is more time consuming that way but I still did not sit for an hour at a time. I was a lot more comfortable and relaxed doing one side at a time, so that in itself might be why I got more. Good luck.

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That is actually alot. According to Kellymom (the best bf website) it could take a couple of pumping sessions to make a bottle. In fact, the website says if you are pumping 4 ounces or more in one pumping session you have too much milk. I think you are totally fine. My DS is 5 weeks and I just make 3 ounces in a pumping seesion.

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Honestly I have found it so much easier to Breast Feed on demand then to pump. Unless of course you have to be away from your baby for a period of time and need to to pump. A baby gets so much more milk out than any pump. You are doing great

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At two weeks PP 2 oz is a full bottle. My ped told me the rule of thumb is 1 oz per week of life for each feeding up to 4 weeks. Depending on how big your child is after 4 weeks it can remain at 4 oz per feeding or go up to 4 1/2 oz at 5 weeks and continue to increase to a max of 8 oz per feeding when giving breastmilk from a bottle. DD will be 15 weeks tomorrow and when bottle fed (now that I am back at work) she takes up to 6 oz of breast milk per feeding.

As for time spent pumping . . . like another poster said, no more than 20 minutes per side at one time. To increase milk production pump before a feeding, not after. A baby's sucking action is much more efficient than a pump, even the hospital grade ones.

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oh boy. I'm in the same boat but haven't brought out the pump yet. I just assumed that I would get at least 2oz per pumping session, but this sounds a little discouraging.
I'm 10 days PP and am resisting the urge to give DS anything other than the breast, but this is exhausting. I feel like I nurse 50% of the time - every two hours for 30+ min. a session -
When should I start pumping?

Re: Nursing/Pumping

well i started because I just desperatly needed to get out of the house either with or without DD and my mom offered to take her for a few hours which is impossible to do when nursing. I can definitly say it was a lot easier this morning when I tried versus last night. Last night it took almost a full hour to get 2 ounces out of both breasts. This morning I fed DD on only one side and then I pumped for 20 minutes on one side that hadn't been nursed on all night and got another 2 ounces just on the one side for 20 minutes. I don't think i'm going to do it often because its def not great but maybe every other day or so to get a break.

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usually they say that it takes 8 weeks for the flow to adjust. So.. you should continue to feed, and pump, if you want to increase your supply. I did that and now have a freezer full.

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when does it start to slow down... looking forward to that, I love BF but its annoying doing it every 2 seconds