6 day old- my body not responding to pump

[BarnMomma]

typing one handed as i nurse...

i just had my dd 6 days ago and all went well. she latched on right after birth and hasn't moved since. but I need to pump too just for a little freedom-as in dh can feed dd as I put ds to bed. with my ds I could pump lots right away with no problem and now i feel like even with a big full breast, only an ounce comes out and it looks like hindmilk from the start.

maybe my body doesn't like the new pump w the two settings? the new medela that starts out quick, then changes to slow? My old one just had one setting in that regard but the motor is worn out.

keep going? pump more? what to do?

baby is nursing great- milk came in quickly- but I really want to pump too

[PatioGardener]

you are getting a whole ounce at 6 days pp? wow!!! that is really good - the women i have seen usually get 1/4 - 1/2 oz max. i bet the volume will increase with time.

i would avoid introducing a bottle for at least a couple more weeks to reduce the risk of latch issues/flow preference.

congrats on your little one.

[dziwozony]

I have never had much success pumping, despite having plenty of milk for my babies. I've tried different pumps, etc, but don't usually get more than 1-2 oz at a time. Not trying to discourage you!! But just letting you know that pumping can be tricky for some mums depending on your milk flow. So maybe enjoy these early baby days & deal with pumping a bit later on?

[rlmueller]

Don't sweat yet. I wonder if you have faulty memory. I seem to think things should go faster with this baby than they are...An oz at 6 days is fine. It will come with time. Contratulations.

[lilmissmommy]

I think you are doing great! An oz at 6 days! That's fantastic! I was really frustrated at first because I would pump forever and only get out an ounce. I think maybe you should postpone the pumping thing for a while, at least for a month so that you can avoid any latching problems or him preferring the bottle for its faster-flowing nipple. Maybe your husband can take over baby duty while you put your other child to bed? If your baby wants to be fed 24-7 (which I'm sure is the case), your baby can wait a little while if your husband walks around with your baby and tries to rock him to soothe him.
Just a suggestion...

[crystal_buffaloe]

This is my first, and I was afraid that my pump just wasn't working / I was going to have to use formula when I went back to work, but I produce A LOT more for the pump now at 6 weeks than I did at 6 days

[smpayne]

I would only get 1/2 oz when I would pump without missing a feeding, especially the first couple weeks (never did get much of a stash). However, after I went back to work, I pumped alot, by 6mo I was pumping 6-8oz per session.

[Ruthla]

Did you have oversupply with your first baby? I remember being able to pump 7oz from one breast at one time, but that really wasn't a good thing, as I was constanly engorged and had a hard time getting my breasts to make only what the baby needed.

It's too soon to introduce a bottle anyway. If you really want to continue pumping now, you can combine the milk from 2 pumpings to get enough for one bottle (1oz is probably a full feeding now, but she will likely need 2oz per feeding by the time she's a month old and you introduce the bottle.) Freeze the milk and start up a freezer stash, but don't worry about using the milk now. Alternatively, you can put the pumping on hold until the baby is a bit bigger.

I would focus on other ways to include your older child in the family routine, other than letting Daddy give a bottle. I used to nurse the baby in the big bed or the couch while snuggling with the older kid(s).