New Mommy here - pumping question

Hi everyone!! I'm a new mommy so I'm definitely going to have lots of questions.

I tried breastfeeding in the hospital but DS wouldn't latch on. DS is three days old today and I just started to pump milk today. My poor girls are engorged and sore (sorry TMI). However I pumped for two hours and got less than one oz. Is this normal? How much pumping should I do in a day to get more milk?

Sorry if this has been asked before but I'm new to this. Thanks ladies!!

New Mommy here - pumping question

Its still early. You should get more as the days go on... Try to massage your breasts as well. Gets the milk flowing. Try apply warm compresses to soften them up so you can pump more easily. If I ever became engorged I would take a shower and then pump. I'd be dripping by the time I got out of the shower. LOL. God how I don't miss that

Good luck. Exclusively pumping is soooo not an easy task. My dd has a tongue tie and therefore couldn't latch properly so we EPed as well. If you have any question, please FM me

New Mommy here - pumping question

First off, congrats!

I would suggest meeting with a lactation consultant before you give up. In the end it's much easier than pumping. I've never been a great pumper, but I would say you're probably not getting a let down and so not really draining your breasts well. I'm sure there are people on here who can give you more specific advice but it definitely takes practice. Where are you located? I used a great LC in Riverhead who saw me within a day and was covered by my insurance.

BTW, definitely don't apologize for asking for help! I know I've gotten so much good info here and am always glad to pay it forward. GL

Re: New Mommy here - pumping question

Congrats!!!! If you would like to exclusively pump you should be pumping every 3 hours for 20 min ish. However, if you would like your ds to bf I would keep trying to get him on and get in touch with an lc. Also, there is probably a bf support group through the hospital you delivered at. I have been e pumping for the past 14 months. I would try whatever you can to get your ds to bf. pumping is so much more work.

My twins were in the nicu so I had to start out pumping. I remember being so discouraged in the beginning because I was pumping so little. I had to keep being reminded that my babies bellies were very little and that was why I was making so little. Breast milk is also a supply and demand situation. The more you tell your breasts to make milk by feeding ds or pumping, the more milk you will make.

Hope that helps

Message edited 11/6/2012 8:33:40 PM.

Re: New Mommy here - pumping question

Thank you girls. I was definitely getting discouraged by DS not latching on. I even cried to DH. I was given the information of the lactation consultant at the hospital so I will definitely give her a call.

I'm trying pumping now because I started to bottle feed him just so he would eat and they said he may not want to latch on because he is used to the bottle (don't know if that is true lol). I will definitely try the warm compresses and pumping more frequently. I'm going to keep trying and not get discouraged because it is a bad feeling when it doesn't come out as much.

New Mommy here - pumping question

BF and pumping is not easy. So many people think it is and I want to punch them in the face lol. It is so hard and frustrating. I remember wanting to give up in the beginning. I just cried and cried because DS was always crying and didnt want to latch but I am so glad I didnt give up because now Im 6mths in and its the best thing! Even if your DS doesnt latch dont give up on the pumping. Sure its a PITA but its so worth it. Def. do what the girls suggested with the warm compress. Your milk will come in soon and you'll be producing a whole lot more. Good luck!

Re: New Mommy here - pumping question

Pumping is not easy but it settled my wants of not having to breastfeed (had no desire to) but still wanting my kids to have teh benefits of breastmilk.

How long are you pumping for every time? Try doing it a little longer. Your supply will continue to come in and it will take your body some time to get used to how much your baby needs. Dont worry if you have to supplement with formula until you have enough breastmilk for full bottles.

If you have any questions feel free to FM me!

Re: New Mommy here - pumping question

Congratulations!!!

I had a hard time getting DD to latch and also to stay awake long enough to feed completely.. I eventually ran out of patience and turned to exclusive pumping. I am coming up on 11 months and although I am happy and proud to have provided DD with BM for this long, exclusive pumping IS a lot of work and I wish that I had tried harder to get her to breasfeed.. But at the time I was really srtarting to stress out over BF and pumping was so much easier.


I too., got very little out of my pumping util I was about 6 weeks in..at the 6 week mark my supply increased tremendously( from 2oz to 6oz + per session).

Some suggestions, pump every 3-4 hours for 20 minutes, eat well, and drink LOTS of water, try to rest as much as possible and try to massage your breasts while pumping. fenugreek helped me too! good luck!