https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 09 May 2026 05:29:49 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-782376 Wed, 15 May 2013 09:03:25 +0000 butterbean 782376@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i have the same problem too! i feel like my supply is starting to dip because i'm not pumping as much to keep up with my son's demand (he's almost 5 months).</p> <p>Last weekend, we supplemented with formula so I could pump during the day (i'd nurse him in the morning and at night). Supplementing did help take off some of the pressure to produce milk cuz it was stressing me out. I plan on giving him breast milk (bottle and nurse) as much as possible and supplement (only if needed)</p> <p>I'm taking fenugreek but i haven't really noticed a change...i may look into the more milk plus since that seems to work for some of the moms here :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-782360 Wed, 15 May 2013 08:58:33 +0000 LemonLong 782360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Does she take a paci? Maybe daycare is confusing her signals and thinking she's hungry when she just wants to comfort suck. I pump 4 times a day to get the 15 oz I send to daycare for my 6 month old. We had maybe two weeks where I had to send 18 oz because she hit a growth spurt, but after that it went back to normal. I build up my stash for growth spurts by only feeding on one side in the first morning feeding and pumping the other side on the weekend. On weekdays I also only feed on one side, pump the other in the morning since that's when I get the most milk. I can get 4-5 oz that session, where later in the day I only get 2-3. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-782354 Wed, 15 May 2013 08:57:18 +0000 bunnylove08 782354@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we had to supplement at 5 months. DD finished my freezer stash within 2 months and pumping was not able to keep with demand. You can try more milk plus, mothers milk tea, fennugreek, lots of water and increase pumping sessions. In the end I stopped pumping at 7 months and she is on formula. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-782337 Wed, 15 May 2013 08:51:51 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 782337@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@BlueWolverine: My supply severely dropped after I went back to work. I found taking More Milk Plus was more than worth it (Fenugreek did nothing for me). I went from only getting an 1-2 oz from each session to getting 3-4 each session, sometimes more. That stuff gave me so much that I didn't have to pump overnight. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-782331 Wed, 15 May 2013 08:49:25 +0000 Pink Champagne 782331@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have a 3 am date every night with my pump too :). Honestly, as hard as it is, I would probably top off with formula just to take some of the pressure off you.<br /> Have you tried all of the tricks to increase your supply? I found that the Yogi brand mothers milk production tea works well for me.<br /> And good for you for keeping up with pumping at work! It's SO hard to do, and you're doing great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-782224 Wed, 15 May 2013 08:12:14 +0000 BlueWolverine 782224@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, I'm away from her for about 8 hours. She STTN, so she doesn't tank up overnight. I'm going to try to keep it up until we see the ped for our four month appointment next week. Will ask the ped her advice and which formula to use if we need it. Just kind of bummed about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-781898 Wed, 15 May 2013 01:14:09 +0000 brownie 781898@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So you are away from your little one for about 8 hours a day? Because baby should need between 1 and 1/2 and 2 ounces per hour away. I was gone for 9 hours a day, nursed and pumped at 5 am (got 4 oz), pumped at 8 am (2-4 ozmax), nursed him at lunch, pumped at 2 pm (2-4 oz) and nursed him at 4 pm. He took 8 oz a day while away from me plus the lunch time feed.</p> <p>I found pumping one side while nursing the other really helped. Then I switched sides. He got plenty of food in the morning from that. He also nursed all night long.</p> <p>We did supplement at 9 months old with formula because he was failure to thrive but that was from food allergies not from not enough milk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-781895 Wed, 15 May 2013 00:59:41 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 781895@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you have to supplement, do it. Once you do, a lot of the pressure will decrease. And you might only need a few ounces a day. How long are you pumping for at each session? I have to go a full 30 and do compressions to get completely empty. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-781834 Tue, 14 May 2013 22:50:55 +0000 78h2o 781834@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had/have the same problem. Only I am being really stubborn and trying to continue with the crazy pumping until 6 mo. It's probably not sane though! I think your plan sounds good. If I didn't work from home 2 days per week, that's definitely what I would have had to do, I'm pretty sure. My sister supplemented in the way that you are describing and my nephew did fine... though I will say that eventually her supply dipped because once she started with the formula, it was too tempting to skip pumping sessions. I know I'd do the same thing, which is why I'm trying to avoid supplementing. </p> <p>Daycare wanted me to send more, but I'm not doing it. She is gaining fine so I really don't think she needs much more than 16 oz. I am nursing 3-4x at home. Sometimes I send 2 x 1 oz bottles if I have them, in addition to 4 x 4oz bottles... that way they can top her off or give her a snack to test if she's really hungry... sometimes I end up getting a 4oz or 1oz bottle sent home that way because she's fed on demand.</p> <p>ETA: There have been a few days when I haven't had the full 16 oz and she's been okay... in that case I send her with something like this: 4oz, 4oz, 3oz, 2oz, 1oz. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-isnt-keeping-up-with-demand#post-781826 Tue, 14 May 2013 22:37:41 +0000 BlueWolverine 781826@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I went back to work last month and now, in our fourth week of day care, I can't keep up. I generally only get 2.5-3 oz per pump session during the day and LO is taking 16 oz at day care (and they want me to send more!). I pump before going to bed at night and even got up at 3am a few times to pump for the next day. That's something no one tells you about -- baby is sleeping through the night but you're not because you have date with the pump.</p> <p>So, I think I'm going to have to start supplementing her day care feeds. I plan on pumping just as much and only nursing when we're together at night and on weekends. I'm still a little bummed, though. I think we'd be fine if I didn't have to pump and were with her all the time. It's massively stressing me out, though. I'm thinking I'll pump like normal and just top off the day care supply with formula (mixing with breast milk).</p> <p>Anyone else start supplementing later on? LO is 4 mo. </p>