Does Pumping decrease milk supply

Many moms are encouraged to pump in the first few days to increase the supply. Pumping regularly and emptying the breasts helps build the supply. But babies suck even more efficiently. So one can most often feed from the same breast that was pumped as the baby can still remove more milk from it. Try to let the baby feed from you directly too - that increases the supply as well, especially now that your baby has no problem sucking.

-L.

 

hi ampu..
pumping is a good way of feeding ur baby with ur own milk. But let me tell u something, if u r pumping jus because u dont know how much ur baby drank, then thats not needed.. and ur worry abt low milk supply will not be solved by this. Make ur baby drink directly from you, as much as possible. The more often u breastfeed, the more supply u will have. In my own experience, pumping does not increase ur milk as much as ur baby sucking does. I had to pump milk because I had the problem of flat n inverted nipples, so my son could not get hold of my breast properly. With this problem i started to pump, which resulted in low supply. So if you dont have any problems with ur nipples, pls do not go for pumping, feed ur baby directly, which will automatically increase ur milk supply.
Hope this helps.

Cheers,
suvidhya

 

Absolutely second what Lavanya and Suvidhya have said- nothing increases supply like a sucking baby. You dont need to know how much you are producing - its only the baby's satisfaction that counts. So if you want to increase supply put your baby to the breast everytime he needs a feed and dont supplement - in 3-4 days your supply will definitely catch-up. Be confident - you can do it!

Vanathi.

 

Hi AMPU,
Babies are very effecient in removing milk.Wht do you think the milk is not sufficient ? Infact Breastfeeding is easier task then pumping and bottle feeding.
Thanks
Mangai

 

How old is your Lo and how long have you been exclusive pumping? What kind of pump do you use? A hospital grade pump like Medela Lactina, motorised one, manual one? It depends on which you use. Did you talk to a lactational consultant (if you're still in the US) about low supply issues.
I know in the first few weeks of breastfeeding we moms are question prone. but if your LO is wetting 6 - 8 diapers a day and is satisfied after a feed, then he is receiving enough from you.
That said, I had a preemie who was not very effectively removing milk in the initial days, so I DID use a Medela Harmony single pump. My routine was to nurse him and then pump for 10 min after he had finished nursing around 5 to 6 times a day. I did not pump nights. I also used a galactagogue my doc had prescribed.
If you have been diagnosed with low supply and you need to increase your supply then you need to pump round the clock.
If you want to return to exclusive breastfeeding, just take a "nursing holiday", nurse your baby round the clock at least every 2 hours with a lot of skin-to-skin touch for a while, you can wean him off the bottle. Let us know if we can help you with the resources. Hugs

 

Ampu, what made you decide that your milk wasn't sufficient? . Pumping will definitely help with increasing supply but it's not as efficient as nursing. The more you nurse your baby, the more your breasts will make milk.

Also, check this thread out for more info on foremilk and hindmilk. There may be something here that you may find helpful.

How old is your baby?

Raj

 

I agree with all the posters here. I know it is very tempting to pump so you can actually see and measure the quantity of how much baby drinks, but it is really double work. I chose to pump for my son because of flat nipples, and even though I was able to make it work (my son was exclusively pump-fed for the first 6 months, and I pumped for 15 months) Thankfully I had no supply issues and had plenty of milk. However IT IS A LOT OF WORK. So don't pump just because you cannot see how much the baby drinks. Nature has programmed them so they know how much to drink and when to stop. (And it has worked for millions of years)

 

Hi,

I've 9 months old kid. As per my experience, i started BF and then it started leaking so i began pumping. It was easy for me that i's able to figure out the oz s when i started pumping. But actually it decreased my milk supply bec' she did'nt want to BF she liked in drinking bottle. The only STIMULATION FOR BREAST MILK IS ONLY THE BABY SUCKS. It stimulates your brain to flow the milk. Ofcourse you donno how much the baby drinks. But when it sleeps very well then it means the stomach is full.

1. To increase milk supply the natural method is to "eat methi seeds 2 spoon 3 times a day" it worked for me otherwise try "Lactonic granules" ayurvedha product from India, whatever the remedy is you have to start in the early stage.

2. Drink plenty of water before you BF or pump it. But again pumping will defly decrease the milk supply (as per my experience)

3. Your BM supply will increase only WHEN U BF ( suggested by Lactation consultant and my family doc')

It is better you BF in the morning time and give formula at night atleast the baby can sleep well for atleast 3 hrs. But you've to feed every 2 hrs. For sore nipples doc will recommend the cream. It is good. I had the same probs too but follow the instructions properly, even soring may occur when you pump too.
Hope this info helps