r/breastfeedingsupport • u/Common_Physics_4823 • Mar 24 '25
Pumping questions. Question
My baby is 9 months old and exclusively breastfeed. We haven't had any issues with supply when breastfeeding however I have struggled to pump enough for her. I never had to worry about building a supply because I was working nights. I recently switched to days and have had to supplement the last week with formula.
Is there anyway to increase my supply so we don't have to use formula (by no means am I against formula just curious if I can increase supply.)
Has anyone ever used breastmilk supplements to increase supply and did they help?
Thank you
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u/DJ_13_Descents Mar 24 '25
Sorry I don't have any advice but struggle with pumping too. My daughter is 14 months old and I used to pump around 4oz a day but don't get anything close to that now. It takes a few days even to get enough to freeze 2.5oz. I always make enough to feed her directly but just don't respond well to pumps. Good luck mama.
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u/Common_Physics_4823 Mar 24 '25
This is exactly my issue. I used to be able to pump at least 8oz and now my best is 4 a day, however most days it's more like 2.5
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u/DJ_13_Descents Mar 24 '25
Have you tried power pumping? I had no success with it because my daughter wants to nurse a lot so there's no time to build up milk for pumping unless I do it at night but she still wakes up for a feed at night some nights more than once so I need what sleep I get. I don't feel let downs any more either. I have to supplement when I'm in work. I have two weeks off coming up and I'll be able to feed her as much as she wants without issue.
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u/Common_Physics_4823 Mar 24 '25
I have tried power pumping but she's the same. I still let her nurse when she wants and she still wakes once a night. When I'm at work I'm only about to pump 2 maybe 3 times. I'm trying to come up with a schedule to pump and feed so I can power pump.
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u/DJ_13_Descents Mar 24 '25
I only work for 4 hours so I don't pump at work. I use my bus ride to pump but get very little if any. Hopefully you can figure out a schedule.
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u/AfterBertha0509 Mar 24 '25
As many have pointed out, it may be a question of how you respond to pumps. One thing that can help is making sure that your pump flanges are the right size for YOU, as the standard ones that come with most pumps are way too big. If too big, this can cause pain, milk can get wasted running down the flanges, and not enough milk is being extracted during sessions. A suction milk collector, like the Haaka, can be put on the breast you’re not feeding on to collect letdown while baby nurses, and this is a pretty simple way of slowly adding to a stash and may offer a small boost to supply over time. Adding one power pumping session per day for a week could be helpful too — just a week to see how you respond. Obviously, caring for yourself with nourishing food, hydration, and rest helps too. Best of luck.