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@Mrs D: Sometimes it takes a while for your body to get used to the pumping schedule! If you can manage it, I'd try sticking to the 30-minute pumping sessions for a week or so. In a perfect world, your body would get used to the "demand" during those times" and start producing more milk. I know that's so hard when you're not seeing the reward right away, but it's worth a shot!

When I went back to wrk with DD, the first few weeks I had to pump in the morning before work and at night again to get enough. After a few weeks though I could get the full 12-15 oz in 3 sessions at work.

@Mrs D: w hat pump do you have? What size flanges? Have you met with a lactstion consultant about pumping? And also there isn't a lot of milk in a single session. You're going great

I didn't read the other's response but here is what I think:

1. 1500 calories is what I eat WITHOUT BREASTFEEDING, and I am between 105-110 lbs! Wow! Aren't you hungry? You need to eat more to make more milk. I was constantly hungry and ate nonstop when I was breastfeeding.

2. Stress with first day of work and the big change of leaving your baby. When I first returned to work I went crazy within the first few days/weeks, drinking crazy amount of water and worry about pumping and ended up went to the ER. So in a way 3 oz is "normal" for the situation you are in right now.

3. Back then I think I got 6-7 oz at 7am (if I pump not nurse), 5-6 oz at 10am, 5 oz at lunch time, and 3-5 oz at 3pm. So it decreases as the day goes.

4. Did you say you pump only 1 time and got 3 oz? I think you should plan on pumping 3 times a day down the road, 15-20 min each time. Have your baby's photo with you and look at it when you pump....

5. try to relax when you pump. Find a time/location that you will not stress out. Milk is not going to come out if you get stress out. Easy to say hard to do but that's science.

6. Have you tried lactation cookies? Those things make me pump 8 oz a session!

7. Are you using a double electric pump?

8. If you REALLY want to up the volume, add one extra pumping session somewhere during the day.... it can be after work, even an hour after you nurse your baby to sleep at night. It will really up your volume overall and it helps build up a stash. I used to pump at around 8:30pm (I remember my baby slept through from 6:30pm to at least 10:30pm... and later on he sleeps through till 2am) for months, and my freezer was filled with milk because of that.

If you don't have time to make lactation cookies, I found that storebought oatmeal raisin or oatmeal chocolate chip cookies did the trick for me. Maybe not as "clean" as you want, but yummy and milk producing! I would eat one or two for during each pump session, so something I looked forward to and helped me relax ( as other previous posters have mentioned.)

I also fiddled with my settings, sometimes turning it off for a minute and turning it back on in the letdown setting. I echo other previous posters in saying breast massage really helps.

Laatly, don't cut your pump sessions short. I made a habit of doing that too often, and over 7 weeks my daily output decreased by about 25%. I used to have a surplus of 5-6oz per day, now I have to dip into the freezer almost daily for 1-2 more oz. So even though pumping can be boring and annoying, make those minutes count!

@Mrs D: Actually why/how would you know exactly how much calories you ate... are you on a diet? Don't worry about dieting when you are breastfeeding.... I was doing the math and when I was full on pumping/breastfeeding 5-6 sessions a day (4-6 oz per session), I burn 600 calories just pumping, per day. I was stick thin, no belly, while eating like a horse. So don't worry. You need to eat more than 1700 calories..... xoxoxoxoxo best wishes....

@Mrs D: There also could be a chance that you just have a higher fat content BM with less ounces. If you have been eating and nursing like that for 14 weeks and things are going fine, I think your pumping output is still in the range of normal. So I would try not to stress. The lower ounces may be normal for you.