Breastfeeding (I need help!!)

Your body is used to the demand of your baby and has adjusted your supply to meet that demand. Pumping will boost that supply, but it doesn't happen over night. Also, the pump is very different than your baby. I exclusively breastfed two kids, but I never was able to pump more than an ounce or two at a time.

1. Don't fill a five ounce bottle. Baby will get overfed. 1 - 1.25 ounces per hour of separation in servings of 3 ounces.

2. Normal pump output is half an ounce to two ounces total both sides. Morning gets best output.

3. My milk management secret: One pump session = one feeding. Keeps things very simple.

How long are you talking about being gone? In the first six weeks I wouldn't make it more than an afternoon; your supply is still settling and you could find yourself hurting. (By the way, bring your pump and stop to pump every three hours away.)

And what pump? Some are pure junk.

Are you using an electric pump or a manual one? How often are you feeding and pumping? A baby is much better at getting milk out of a breast than a pump is, so you'll never get as much from the pump as your baby will take in during a feeding. I wouldn't recommend going away for a whole weekend unless you plan to pump every few hours, even during the night. It might be too soon to leave your baby for that long. She could find the bottle easier to feed from, even if it is your own milk, and refuse the breast when you return because she doesn't want to work that hard. If you do decide to go away for the weekend, start freezing your milk in small portions; there are breastmilk bags made for that purpose. And be sure you have a way to keep your milk fresh while you pump during your vacation. It only stays optimally nutritional for a few days if not frozen.

My baby is 7 weeks. I can pump 2 oz from both breasts combined in a good session. It is normally about half an ounce per breast. I pump several times a day to get to 2 oz to freeze. She feeds hourly. Go to kellymom dot com. Breastfed babies take in way less milk in a feeding than formula fed babies.

Going away for an entire weekend is a bit much. You will have to freeze enough milk for two full days of feedings. That could take a ton of pumping and time. Then you will have to pump while away. Is it far? Could you take the baby?

Not all women respond to a pump it is common to only get 1-2 ounces per pumping sessions especially if it is a manual one or you fed the LO first. That does not mean that your much more efficient baby is not getting enough. Good luck!

I never got more than a couple ounces at a time at any point when my babies were nursing. When they were around 6 months and I was ready to be away for more than 1-2 hours at a time I started using formula to supplement on those rare occasions.

It took me that long too when I was BF and pumping. If you arereally concerned about it go to the dr's and they have meds that will help your milk come in more and also this may sound weird but my sister would drink half a can of beer and pump and dump and check her milk for alchol and when it was safe pump more and it really helped hers come in.