Breastfeeding- over production!
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Are you trying to stop? How long do you pump for? And how many times a day? I wouldnât do more frequent shorter pumps if you want it to decrease. That would Increase your milk
I had the same issue. Express until it's bearable but don't empty yourself otherwise you'll produce more.
Only pump what your baby drinks. This will mean your supply is correct for your baby. If you pump more than he drinks you will make an oversupply and produce too much and it can get out of hand
@Maddy Jaffie I'm not trying to stop , just settle how much is being made .. i was pumping 3x a day for 20 mins each side and getting alot of milk ! Then the midwife said I should up the pumping to 8 times a day for shorter periods, and take off less volume each time . . But now struggling through the night as getting so sore and painful
Oof pumping 8x a day when youâre already having issues with engorgement and possible oversupply doesnât sound wise to me!! Frequent pumping will increase your supply. Oversupply can easily snowball and cause blockages, swelling and possibly mastitis
In the first 6w itâs not overproduction- itâs just busy making milk and feeding either 1, 2 or 3 babies and the body settles after 6w thatâs when milk has regulated to YOUR baby. And by then itâll know if itâs feeding 1,2 or 3 babies. The body is confused right now and you pumping extra will promote oversupply because your body will think baby needs that milk. Or that youâre feeding 2. I did pump a lil extra, only because he needed topups on top but my gosh my body made a lot of milk- I just froze it. And as they get older theyâll slowly use up the milk esp if you take breaks and the OH is heating it up here and there. I wonder why she suggested to pump 8*, thatâs what 1 baby typically drinks. BF on top of 8 pumps will force oversuppply.
Thanks for this .. I'm not really breast feeding, just pumping - so would u suggest I just pump what the bay is feeding each time , or do less pumps and bigger volumes to last the day ?
Ok I missed the post where it said âIâve been expressing mostly via pumpâ I was assuming youâre pumping on top of normal BF sessions. No keep at it. It seems like oversupply right now coz babyâs only drinking what, 30-60ml. Then itâll get to 120mls. Then 150mls. Then 180mls and maybe, maybe (not all) 240mls in one go (My baby only ever took 150-180 ever) so by that time it wonât seem like oversupply. It does right now, coz babyâs so little and drinking so little. I would keep up as youâre doing but do not miss a pump, youâll get mastitis. As they get older you can go longer in between pumps, say 3hrs to 4hrly etc
I would listen to MV and pump less milk more often. Baby feeds little and often at this stage and your pumping should mimic babyâs feeds, pump every time he/she has a bottle. If painful during the night hand express the minimum to make it comfortable but your supply will settle eventually. Check out La Leche League website theyâve great advice
Production does settle but it takes a while. My boobs are like this at the moment and I remember with my first it took a good while for it to settle, like maybe even a couple months. Try to just pump when you want to pump, if you start pumping at 3am because your boobs hurt then unfortunately your boobs will continue to make milk at 3am because they think that's when you need it. So just pump when you want to be. I used to try to express bigger volumes just because it suited me more but do what works for you. Also, Cabbage leaves are meant to be good for easing the pain!!