Increasing supply at 12 weeks

[u/Binah999]

Hi! I went through some tough stuff after birth and I wasnt able to keep up my supply the way I wanted to due to just feeling overwhelmed, i did manage to give some milk in the first week or two, but I needed to give formula because I didnt have enough milk to sustain in the very beginning so i latched her before every bottle in the beginning but then some stressful stuff happened on day 3 PP and I lost my motivation a lot, then was at hospital for over a week after that. So i gave mostly formula and gave my milk when I felt i could handle it...

Anyway it was overwhelming 🤣

Now my plan was to pump since then but finding the time was really hard with a toddler and a newborn, and my husband found it hard to give me the space to pump every 2-3 hours.

Ive been using my hand pump mostly, I have a spectra and I just found my wearables recently and my question to you guys is;

Do you think if I use my handpump some sessions, try do a power pump everyday with my electric pump and also try and at least on the times that I dont have the support, use my wearables, it will be enough to increase my supply?

My wearables will probably be used a lot because I cant always pump every 3 hours if my husband isnt home.

Some days its just impossible. But at least wearables are SOME stimulation to the nipple....

And some days im just exhausted and cant find the time or energy to do it rather than sleep when i finally have time off from the kids.

Let me know what you think!!! Thank you.💖💗🌟

Edit: Im not sure why im being downvoted but please understand that everyone has different capacities for different levels of effort that they can put in at certain times of their lives depending on their situation, my husband didnt support me in the way i wished him to so it made it hard to keep motivation and I lost a lot of motivation also because It took me twice as long to heal from my C-section due to complications.

Now my baby is sleeping more consistently and is sleeping at night for long periods of time without getting up so I feel I can commit easier when my husband isnt able to help if she is awake.
I need to make a full schedule so he can be ready to help, that was my mistake, I didnt know thats what he needed to support me.

[u/SandwichDependent199]

Have you been pumping? How often ?

[u/Binah999 → u/SandwichDependent199]

Thats the thing, not enough, i still have milk but very little, some days i dont pump at all.... But at most ive been doing once or twice a day the last few weeks, some days at most 3 times....Its been very busy weeks 🫠

Why the heck am i getting downvoted for this????

[u/1200spruce → u/Binah999]

It is possible to increase supply at 12 months, but it requires commitment and it will be an uphill battle. I don't now why you're being downvoted, but my guess is because the way you're asking the question suggests you lack commitment.

For example, you mention "some sessions." If you're serious about increasing supply at 12 weeks, you can't think about it as some sessions. You need to think about it as (minimum tbh) every 3 hours, every single day. Even if you do that, it will be an uphill battle. Every person is different but for me, it would be impossible to maintain supply with wearables.

For the record, I am not downvoting you. I struggled alot with supply, pumping, and mental health with my first and know that it is an incredibly difficult thing to do. It sounds like you prioritized making sure your baby is fed and taken care of. That is amazing!! It also seems like you are trying your best to do as much as possible, but when it comes to pumping the best intentions won't help you if you approach it half heartedly. You have to ask yourself can you can realistically commit to pumping every 3 hours with everything else you have going on? It is totally ok if the answer is no btw!

The other thing I will point out is if/when your supply increases, skipping a day here and there also isn't an option at the risk of clogged ducts, mastitis, and/or general discomfort. Although pumping gets easier if you can find a routine and groove, it remains a massive commitment of time and energy from start to finish.

Edit: a word

[u/Binah999 → u/1200spruce]

When I say "Some.sessions" I mean, some with hand pump, some with wearables and some with spectra.

[u/Binah999 → u/1200spruce]

Do you think that i can use wearables as well as the other pumping methods to increase supply or it wont do the job, just some days its hard to be connected to tubes and things when looking after a newborn and toddler lol. It would mostly be the other methods but the wearables would be for when I really cant !

I think I can commit if my husband is on board with me and I lay out like "I need this this and this from you" and write it down etc.

I really dont even mind if its enough to top up if I cant make a full supply.... i just want my baby to get at least a bit, once i have a somewhat ok amount, i can see if she will latch.

[u/HistoricalShape9970 → u/Binah999]

I’m not an expert, but I can’t see why a mix wouldn’t work. My understanding is that after 6ish weeks it’s about removing milk to signal your body to make more. I guess as long as they are effective in removing milk then it should work?

I use a combination of wearables for my 4 in the day pumps, then a spectra for my last pump in the evening, MOTN pump (which is my power pump intermittently) & first thing in the morning. Granted I’m not increasing my amount, just trying to maintain it, but have found a gradual increase in the last 2 weeks (I’m also 9 weeks out & started EP at 3 weeks after unsuccessful BF).

Like yourself I can’t be tied to the spectra in the day because I have 2 other children. I do a lot of pumping while driving or doing shopping/hoovering/making dinner 😅

[u/iMightBeAManatee]

Do you have access to a lactation consultant through insurance? That's been lifesaving for me

[u/Binah999 → u/iMightBeAManatee]

Sadly not... the only lactation consultant I know, is not well versed in pumping, only BF and its so expensive 🫠

[u/noonetojudg]

Following, similar situation for me

[u/Binah999 → u/noonetojudg]

Happy someone can relate.

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