u/Business_Royal_2568

I was just reading someone’s post here on Reddit from a couple of years ago, and a few people were discussing how the dropped their MOTN pump, as well as instead of every 2-3 hours they pumped more like every 4-5 or something like that, and said that they actualy started producing more per day?

And I understand it can “appear” like you are pumping more per session if you miss a pump. But these people were claiming that they were actually getting more ounces per day.

I’m an undersupplier and have been pumping around every 2-3 hours. I get around 14-15 oz per day it’s looking like. Everything I’ve read says to pump every two hours and to not miss MOTN pumps in order to increase supply. Which makes sense to me. But they were claiming that maybe being more rested, and less stressed with all the pumping sessions may have been why dropping pumps actually helped.

Has anybody experienced this? Obviously would love if I could drop a couple of pumps/go a little longer than every 2-3 hours, if it also meant I could potentially increase my supply. But I definitely cannot afford to decrease any of my supply by any means.

So I made a post just a bit ago asking for wearable pump recommendations. Based on the responses I got, I think I’d rather look into non wearable pumps if my priority is to increase my under-supply..

I’m trying to stay in the 200$ range. I’d prefer to not be tethered to the wall if possible. I currently use the medela pump in style advanced. I’m unsure if the pump is what my issue is, as I also tried to EBF but baby became failure to thrive. I feel I have done everything else under the sun to try to boost my supply with no luck. So I’m hoping pumping and with the right pump will do something. Right now at 3 months pp I’m consistently pumping 1-2 ounces every 2-3 hours. So ideally I need to double, if not triple my supply in order to meet babies needs and hopefully wean off of formula.

And is it worth it to buy second hand? I’d hate to purchase one second head if it’s had a lot of usage and the motor not work as well. Money is tight and I don’t have the ability for much trial and error. TIA

Edit to add: I’ve heard how it is important to establish your supply in the first 3months. I am right at 3 months pp… is it too late to boost my undersupply if my supply is already regulated?

I have a few questions. I have an under supply and have been working really hard to troubleshoot my issue and try to wean off formula yet again.

I’m now thinking my flow/letdown is too fast for my baby, or that maybe it is a milk transfer issue, so I’m trying to pump as much as possible

This wall pump is not cutting it for me. It’s a medela pump. It works fine I believe, just a lot of hassle, stuck to wall, the tubes are annoying etc. I’ve also heard some people respond better to wearables. It also would obviously be a lot more convenient as I can stand up and be hands free.

Any reccomendations on a wearable/portable pump? I am smaller chested if that makes a difference. I’m trying to stay within the 200$ range…

I’m trying to boost my supply as well.

Also, can you use the portables/wearables for every session? Or do they wear out very quickly? I’d hate to spend a couple hundred on a pump just for it to wear out within a few months. We are tight on money. TIA

Long story short- I am 3 months pp, and have an undersupply. Tried EBF for a whole month, no bottles or pumping, he was constantly nursing on me, and he “failed to thrive,” so I had to introduced supplementing with formula. I have since began pumping either after nursing, or will replace nursing all together and pump to get a rough idea on my supply.
I’ve been trying to to pump every 2-3 hours, obviously am not perfect with it, but I seem to consistently get 1.5-2 ounces (combined) every 2-3 hours. Although first morning pumps I yield more like 3, maybe 4oz if I don’t nurse first. If I nurse first, I get more like half an ounce to an ounce when I pump directly after nursing.

My question is, could my baby not have been gaining properly if he is only able to extract the foremilk, and can’t seem to adequately extract hind milk? since I can pump half an ounce after feeding, is that what that is? (I usually have to supplement an ounce or 2 of formula after nursing, because he gets to a point he gets frustrated and won’t stay latched after 10-15 minutes.)

I definitely still have an undersupply as I still have to supplement even when I exclusively pump for a feed. But I wonder if my undersupply is due to inadequate milk transfer. His patch looks and feels great on one side (according to LC) but in my right side, even though his latch “looks” good, it feels significantly weaker, and I only ever pump half an ounce to an ounce if I’m lucky from that side. But I’m wondering if it’s because he’s never been able to transfer milk efficiently for the past few months.

But is that a thing? Baby giving up because hind milk is harder to transfer? And could that be the reason for my “undersupply?” I’ve done everything else to attempt to boost and nothing seems to have worked. I’ve only just now started to try pumping consistently for almost a week now, and not sure if I see a difference quite yet.

EDIT: thank you all so much for all of the suggested sources and reassurance! i definitely have been really pushing it harder lately but i never thought maybe she just truly isn't developmentally ready. i just thought well she's of kindergarten age and this is what they learn in kindergarten, therefore she should be capable... this is my first year homeschooling so it's definitely a bigger learning curve than i expected.
i will try to take a lot of pressure off! that may be a bigger issue than i realized. i was so worried nearing the end of the school year, that ive been doing the opposite. one of the reasons im homeschooling is so we can go at her pace, and i realize now ive started steering away from that and was more focused on what society says she should be doing.
thank you all so much for reminding me we can slow down, and that this is completely normal. i have been really stressed/worried about it. thank you❤️❤️

we are wrapping up our kindergarten year (although i plan to continue schooling during the summer.) and we are still struggling. she's able to sound out her letters in the word, but when it comes to putting it together she will blurt out a completely different word 😭
example: the word is sat. she will properly sound out each individual letter "s-a-t" and when told to put it all together ... "at? ... log"
like what 😭 she almost always leaves of the first letter. and after a few failed tries she ends up just blurting out random words. i'm at a loss and getting frustrated. i'm sat one on one with her for a while. i do not believe public school is the answer as she has pretty bad adhd, and she seems to excel in math. i'm at a loss.
i also am aware of not putting the "uh" sound when sounding out letters. like we pronounce "t" not "tuh," so that isn't the issue

i have a huge undersupply, i only pump half an ounce to and ounce and a half, granted, that is after nursing, but still. i really thought that if i kept baby solely on the breast, my supply would adjust. i did that for a month and my baby was then diagnosed failure to thrive. so i am now trying anything i can.

when pumping to boost... does it boost your supply overall? or does your body respond to the time of day you pump? i try my best to pump at least after every feed. i feel like my most output is after dinner, whereas that used to be the least output. is that because that is the one pump session that is most consistent? its easier to to that pump session as hubby is home to help with baby, its the end of the day etc. do i really need to be pumping the same time every single day to boost my supply? i cant imagine anyone can stay in such a strict schedule with an infant😭 i've been doing this for a couple weeks not and feel i haven't really seen much difference. i'm still having to supplement around 4-5 oz after most nursing sessions, which sounds like baby is getting virtually nothing from me. i feel i have done all the things and triple feeding forever is just not really doable. yet i have not been able to let myself give up just yet either. i'm at a complete loss and refuse to believe there's nothing i can do for me body to feed my baby properly...

I have always heard breast milk is supply and demand. as well as hormone driven. but i read on google (google ai... so i take it with a grain of salt) that by 3 months pp, your breast production regulates, and now is supply-and demand, rather than hormone driven?

i am almost 3 months pp. i have always had an under supply and really struggling with it. i cannot continue triple feeding for the next year. IF the above statement is true... would i have more luck boosting my supply with pumping, than i have been? i've been triple feeding for maybe 2-3 weeks now (roughly.. i definitely do miss a few pumps, maybe 50% of after feedings do i pump. i try to as much as i can but i just can't always squeeze it in.) and i've not seen a whole lot of difference in my supply i don't think. it's hard to know since im not exclusively pumping though. i always put him on the breast first and then pump. i only pump half an ounce to maybe an ounce and a half at times.

so is it true that 3 months pp, it is supply and demand driven instead of hormone driven?? and if it is, would i potentially have more luck boosting my supply by then?

I have always heard breast milk is supply and demand. as well as hormone driven. but i read on google (google ai... so i take it with a grain of salt) that by 3 months pp, your breast production regulates, and now is supply-and demand, rather than hormone driven?

i am almost 3 months pp. i have always had an under supply and really struggling with it. i cannot continue triple feeding for the next year. IF the above statement is true... would i have more luck boosting my supply with pumping, than i have been? i've been triple feeding for maybe 2-3 weeks now (roughly.. i definitely do miss a few pumps, maybe 50% of after feedings do i pump. i try to as much as i can but i just can't always squeeze it in.) and i've not seen a whole lot of difference in my supply i don't think. it's hard to know since im not exclusively pumping though. i always put him on the breast first and then pump. i only pump half an ounce to maybe an ounce and a half at times.

so is that true? and if it is, would i potentially have more luck boosting my supply by then?

Edit to add: he also goes a pretty decent stretch at night at times. not always but a lot of times he will go a 7 hour stretch before waking to eat. i'm guessing that since he usually needs more formula by evening time bc my supply is so low, that the formula keeps him satiated longer.

i started triple feeding when he was born due to low supply, tried to wean off supplementing and EBF for a whole month, and by his 2 month appointment i'm having to supplement again. so i am triple feeding to try to boost my supply, or at the very least maintain it.

i always nurse at the start of every single feed, i never miss a nursing session if he is hungry. if he still seems hungry after nursing both sides, i will supplement anywhere between 1-5oz. (5oz is typically in the evening time, especially if i have freshly pumped and am "dry.") i pump sometime after feedings, whenever i can squeeze it in, but i don't pump after every feed. maybe 50% of them.

when i was EBF, i was VERY dry down there, and i've heard that was typical while breastfeeding. however, around since i've began combo/triple feeding, i've noticed it "wetter" down there, (for at least the past week or 2) and have some discharge. is this a sign my fertility is returning? i haven't had a period yet but im wondering if i should expect that fairly soon. i'm hoping not lol

for an entire month, my 2 month old EBF on demand 24/7. a lot of times on the breast for up to an hour bc he was still fussy and giving hunger cues. and sometimes even after an hour session, would be back in again within 30 minutes. i was literally, constantly nursing him. i didn't supplement even though he was fussy, because ive been told its normal and that he is trying to boost my supply. but even after a whole month of that, his 2 month appointment they said he was failing to thrive and i now need to supplement.

i've been told by everyone that the best way to boost your supply is by extracting milk. why do i still have such a low supply with him constantly nursing? im trying to eat and drink enough. lactation consultant said there appears to be no ties nor latch issues. im taking milk thistle as well. i'm at a loss. by evening he is only getting about 1 oz from me. (i have a scale here at home and have been doing weighted feeds.) everyone says it's normal and to push through it so your supply will boost but my baby is failing to thrive bc of it. i feel so defeated. how can i boost my supply. i cant seem to come to terms with the fact my body won't feed my baby adequately as it should.