https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:10:30 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2595883 Sat, 30 Jul 2016 20:54:47 +0000 MrsLonghorn 2595883@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abmamma: i don't remember perfectly but I think I was only pumping once a day when I started dropping time. I never pumped at home in the morning - I did it at the office right when I arrived - and I know that I stopped pumping at work before I was able to stop at home....so it must have been evenings only by that time </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2595706 Sat, 30 Jul 2016 06:38:07 +0000 abmamma 2595706@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsLonghorn: thanks! Did you end up dropping both at the same time? im also thinking about trying the No More Milk tea to see if that helps. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2595625 Fri, 29 Jul 2016 21:19:46 +0000 MrsLonghorn 2595625@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@abmamma: oh my gosh, I can't believe this was practically a year ago!<br /> I used Kodybear and AmandaB8 recommendations to reduce time every few days, and took Sudafed during that time. It worked great! Oddly, taking just 1 Sudafed killed my supply for a full week a few months prior (I panicked!)but I don't think it helped it all while I was actually trying to wean.<br /> I'd say it took a solid 2-3 weeks before I was certain it was over. The first week I was finally "done" I had to do super short pumping sessions every 3 days for relief. Then, the next 2 weeks I was anxious but fine.<br /> Good luck and congrats!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2595558 Fri, 29 Jul 2016 18:35:14 +0000 abmamma 2595558@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsLonghorn: I was looking through the archives and saw your post. I'm in a very similar situation and wondering how the weaning went! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/eping-with-2-or-more-kids#post-2311949 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:10:20 +0000 AmandaB8 2311949@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm planning on doing this. </p> <p>From my EP facebook group, a key is having special activities that LO1 can do ONLY when pumping. Also - if you can get a portable pump through insurance, it's worth it. Handsfree bras also mean that you can pump at meal times or while reading to LO1. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/eping-with-2-or-more-kids#post-2311747 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 12:21:45 +0000 charlotte 2311747@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Pickles: I was for the last 3 weeks but am switching to formula now due to allergies. It's definitely tough. I missed some scheduled pumps or had to push them back from time to time. I tried to schedule them around LO1s nap and bedtime etc and allowed more TV than usual....and also used my manual pump from time to time so I could walk around the house. I don't think my methods were great though so hopefully someone has other tips.. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/eping-with-2-or-more-kids#post-2311705 Tue, 06 Oct 2015 11:24:07 +0000 Mrs. Pickles 2311705@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been back at work for almost 2 months now and DS 2 is starting to refuse to nurse. DS1 did the same thing, bottles are just easier!! </p> <p>So with DS 1 I EP'd until 6 mo when my supply crashed and we switched to formula. </p> <p>I'm wondering if anyone EP's with two kiddos? How do you handle it on the weekends when you are with the kids? At work I can pump easily but at home it's such a mess with a toddler and baby!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2273047 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 16:34:53 +0000 MrsLonghorn 2273047@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@AmandaB8: wow - and I thought I had crazy oversupply with 45-50oz at 4 ppd. That is amazing!</p> <p>Thank you so much for the warning about days 10-14. I was going to celebrate when I got to 7 days with no pumps....I will wait an extra week! ;-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2272990 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 15:35:44 +0000 AmandaB8 2272990@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a crazy oversupply - at 2 ppd I was still making 50+ oz. </p> <p>I dropped time on both pumps. 5 minutes for a few days, then 5 minutes more for a few days, etc. Once I got down to only making 6 oz or so a day, I stopped. I also cut calories, oatmeal, and beer to help stop production. It also helped me to not gain when I weaned!</p> <p>I will warn you - you will be engorged around day 10. It will feel awful. Hand express a little, and after day 14 or so without pumping you should be good to go. </p> <p>Also - you'll get crazy hormonal...you'll be angry and sad and happy all at the same time. It's normal. It too goes away around 14 days post pump. You just have to battle through (and warn everyone!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2272957 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 15:00:20 +0000 Raindrop 2272957@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't weaned yet though I plan to do it soonish maybe in the next month or two.</p> <p>I just wanted to say how awesome you are for making it to 11 months!! You go girl. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2272792 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 13:06:28 +0000 Mrs.KMM 2272792@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would try dropping time off your pump sessions for a little bit. So still do two pumping sessions but make them each shorter than normal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2272770 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 12:49:15 +0000 Anagram 2272770@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsLonghorn: I EPd and when I was down to 2 pumps, I dropped the morning pump first because I couldn't sleep at night if my boobs hurt too much. The first few days, I carried around a hand pump in case I was super uncomfortably engorged and would pump out a quick oz. I think I stayed at 1 pump for two weeks, until my boobs weren't engorged and then I went on a girls' trip and just took the hand pump to express an oz or 2 before bed. By the end of the trip, I didn't feel like I had to pump anymore!</p> <p>Randomly a week after I stopped pumping entirely, I got a plugged duct and had to pump it out--i pumped just once, emptied the boob (about 3-4 oz) and never had to pump ever again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2272712 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 12:01:04 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2272712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My supply was so much lower than yours that I doubt our experiences were similar. I'd prob just wait a few days before dropping again. You might need to go a different amount apart, like instead of 12 hours, move to 15 or 20, so you aren't totally uncomfortable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2272622 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 11:09:14 +0000 Charm54 2272622@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That's amazing that you are at 11 months!!</p> <p>I EPed for 6 months, then I got a nasty bout of the flu which killed my supply. I decided to wean and just slowly started dropping one pump a week until I was at 2. By then I was barely making anything so after a week or so at 2x a day I just went cold turkey and didn't have any problems </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2272620 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 11:06:42 +0000 MrsLonghorn 2272620@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kodybear: awesome. That sounds faster and easier! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2272617 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 11:04:13 +0000 kodybear 2272617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i eped for both kids and at the end, i just dropped the last two sessions together. normally i would pump 20 min/session. when i wanted to wean i decreased the time to 15 min for a couple days, then 10 min for a couple days, etc. once my output got low enough i just dropped them both. i was engorged for a couple days but then was fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-amp-pump-weaning#post-2272613 Tue, 25 Aug 2015 11:00:46 +0000 MrsLonghorn 2272613@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EP and it is finally time to pump wean -- woohoo!! DS is 11 months, and I have a massive freezer stash. I have spent the last 11 months battling countless plugged ducts, and still have oversupply, so I'm more than a little nervous about this process. </p> <p>I dropped to 2 pumping sessions (7a and 7p) 5 days ago, and after about 3 days, I'm no longer crazy engorged at night. I'm also down from ~35-40oz of output to ~20, which is definitely moving in the right direction! But I'm not sure where to go from here. This is the first time I've dropped a pump session and not gotten plugged ducts the next day.</p> <p>Right now, I'm using this website for guidance on how to go from 2 -&gt; 1 -&gt; 0, but I'd love any personal experience or advice from this group! <a href="http://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-the-pump/" rel="nofollow">http://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-the-pump/</a></p> <p>Which session should I drop next -- am or pm?<br /> Has anyone successfully used Sudafed to help with pump weaning? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103674 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 10:37:49 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2103674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jessie_vp: Good! I'm glad you didn't take my comment as sarcastic! I really meant that you sound like you're doing all you can and just keep up the great work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103671 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 10:36:42 +0000 Jessie_vp 2103671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: Thanks! It really does help to have some support as well. I'll just keep on going and hope I'll see a change for the better! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103632 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 10:08:12 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2103632@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jessie_vp: best of luck! Sometimes you just have to keep doing all you can and hope it improves. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103628 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 10:05:07 +0000 Jessie_vp 2103628@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, I used to pump less and longer... lowest was 6 times/day, with variable length but usually around 30 or 40 minutes with the double pump; longer at the nightly pumping session since my production is highest then and it really does take a while for my breast to feel entirely "lump free". I changed to 8 (or more) sessions a day to increase production in the first place. Those take 20minutes (or 30min for the night pump). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103615 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 09:56:56 +0000 Anagram 2103615@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jessie_vp: I know you recently said you went back up to pumping 8 times a day and you saw no increase...Can you cut down on pumps and pump longer for the pumps you keep?</p> <p>I found that my output didn't change when I went from 8 to 7 to 6 to 5 pumps a day--same output. Only when I went to 4 pumps a day and subsequently got a sinus infection followed by a stomach virus, did my supply really decrease and stay mostly decreased. When I was pumping 5-8 times I day I was producing about 40 oz a day. When I dropped to 4 pumps and got sick, I was down to 24 oz a day...a few weeks after getting well, I started taking More Milk Plus, drinking mother's Milk Tea and my supply went back up to 28-30ish oz a day, but I never added a pump back in.</p> <p>At that point, my LO was 7 months old and I was fine adding formula if necessary--in the end I didn't need it.</p> <p>How long is each pump now? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103597 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 09:46:17 +0000 Jessie_vp 2103597@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi all, thanks for the quick replies! </p> <p>I have been sick last week, however my steady decrease is from a couple of weeks before that (but being sick definitely didn't help either!). Some things I did not know, like certain foods can decrease supply. Guess I shouldn't have used that peppermint spray either then *sigh*</p> <p>No idea if my period is coming back, haven't had any stomach cramps or anything, but it could very well be. Although 5-6 weeks seems like an awfully long time?</p> <p>I know formula isn’t the end of the world (used it before to supplement a couple of times when I didn’t have a freezer stash yet), but I can’t help feeling a bit saddened by that fact. Especially since autoimmune disorders run in the family and I really want to give her the best start as possible. I know formula doesn’t magically undo all the good she got (and gets), but still :)</p> <p>@ANAGRAM I really do hope its just a decrease and not a forewarning to a total stop. It IS a lot of work! And my daughter has been sick a couple of times too now, so its not like BM is the magic cure for all things bad, unfortunately.</p> <p>I guess being stressed out about the fact that my supply is low doesn’t help either, so its kind of a vicious circle here :D<br /> As for the calming music: perhaps I can do that as well, especially in the evenings and nights (instead of checking every 2 minutes how much milk I’ve produced). Does a nagging baby count as relaxing music too? ;)</p> <p>If anything, its nice to have some support as well! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103568 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 09:23:45 +0000 avivoca 2103568@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm also wondering if your period is coming back. I pumped 2-3 times a day and always noticed a decrease in my output when I was ovulating and when I was on my period. As far as food, try eating some avocado if you can. That always helped to boost my supply. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103556 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 09:17:30 +0000 regberadaisy 2103556@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also, are you sick? Do you think your period is coming back?</p> <p>I regularly supplemented with my first. I firmly believe that was why we made it so long! We didn't wean till 25/26m. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103547 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 09:14:51 +0000 erwoo 2103547@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Try looking at your diet to see if you're eating foods that decreases your supply. I remember when I was nursing I'd forget and eat chives. Hopefully it's just a temporary drop and will eventually get back up there again. If you can, listen to relaxing music while pumping? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103528 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 09:07:09 +0000 Anagram 2103528@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jessie_vp: You seem to have most of the bases covered. You probably already know this, but make sure you are eating enough calories--I was eating probably 3000 calories a day when I was EPing, and I was still (very, very very slowly) losing weight. I was just ravenous, but some people don't feel that kind of hunger so you might have to make yourself eat more.</p> <p>Other than that--decreasing supply doesn't necessarily mean you are drying up entirely! My supply permanently decreased when LO was 6-7 months old and it stayed lower until we stopped at 13 months. I had just enough to cover her daily needs, but if you end up not having enough--it's totally FINE to supplement with formula. Really. You've already given her 4 months of exclusive breast milk and I have to tell you as a fellow EPer--it's a lot of work with none of the "reward" that breastfeeding gives like bonding.</p> <p>Annnnnd my LO was sick all the time her first year, so BM didn't help much in that regard either. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103513 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 09:00:14 +0000 regberadaisy 2103513@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not a EPer but am running into the same issue.</p> <p>We'll just be repetitive in case I'm doing anything you haven't thought of?<br /> More water (like 80oz + daily), oatmeal, flaxseed in smoothies, lactation cookies, more milk plus pills helped me more than mothers milk tea, power pumping. After 4 nights of power pumping 30m + I finally got 2 oz. first night was only 1.5oz, second night literally 2 drips, third night 1/2 ounces. Looking at videos and pictures of LO helps. And I know this is way easier said than done but I think stress contributes too. Good luck!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103433 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 07:58:20 +0000 blackbird 2103433@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had this problem. I don't think it's uncommon with EPing. I ended up quitting once I was getting about 7 ounces a day (at week 13). Some bodies just don't respond well to the pump. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/decreasing-supply-no-matter-what-i-do#post-2103416 Wed, 11 Mar 2015 07:50:04 +0000 Jessie_vp 2103416@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hi,</p> <p>I'm getting a bit desperate here... I'm an exclusive pumping mom since day one (my now 4 month old daughter had a very bad latch). My supply was never high, but up until a few weeks it was always enough, and I could even freeze some excess milk that way. I usually pumped 27-30 oz each day. Unfortunately, something changed (no idea what) and I've been facing a steadily decreasing supply since a couple of weeks, no matter what I do. I went back to 8+ pumps a day, tried power pumping, drinking water and mother milk tea, I've always pumped in the middle of the night, eating oatmeal, taking fenugreek etc etc. I have a double electric hospital grade rental pump and changed all the parts; to no avail. I use breast compression, warmth and massage... but my supply doesn't increase one bit, on the contrary. My daily output is now around 24 oz, a bit less every day. I have to supplement her bottles with my diminishing freezer stash and it won't be long till I have to use formula :( I'm getting desperate since I wanted to go for at least a year, but now it seems I'd be lucky to last 6 months... I don't really want to take drugs unless I really, really have to. Any ideas or should I just accept the fact that I'm drying up?</p> <p>Thanks! </p>