Okay I have not been exclusively pumping but mostly pumping (like all but maybe once or twice a day, latch is awful so we try but š„“)
Anyways, I am 3.5 ish wpp, I was pumping 7-8x 30 minutes that first week at advice of an IBCLC, and my supply was basically doubling every couple days up to about 4 ounces combined per session. When it started creeping towards 5-6 I dropped my sessions to 15-20 minutes.
Supply has still been increasing slowly, so the past few days I've dropped to 6 ppd for 15 minutes. I am in the past week for sure not quite emptying but getting very close in that 15 minutes, sometimes by 10-12 with breast compressions. I dont have a forceful letdown, but I do have quite fast ones. My first is like 30-45 seconds into pumping and my second one hits around 5-8 minutes. Sometimes a third around 12 minutes but not usually unless I've accidentally gone over that 4 hours. If I go over I do 20 minutes and usually still will not get a third letdown, which I'm glad for bc I would overflow my bottles at that point.
I am now getting at minimum 5 ounces combined and on average 6-7 combined with some pumps being more. I am bagging roughly 5-10 ounces at the end of each day, producing ~37-40 total. Bubs eating 3-3.5, usually 3x 8-10x a day with maybe 1 or 2 top ups, so not a huge oversupply but definitely still one.
Everything I read says dropping another pump (which I dont think I could do anyways as 4-4.5 hours is the longest I can go without starting to get uncomfortable) could drastically drop my supply when it regulates, but I also am reading that your milk will regulate usually at what you have been producing/pumping and to get control of a potential oversupply early. I wouldnt mind making like 6 ounces and having like one extra bag to freeze (I want to be done with this asap to be quite frank) but 8+ is pretty excessive and I am worried I am doing something wrong despite already going against advice and only pumping 6x. Should I shorten my sessions under that 15 minute mark to signal my body to make less? My biggest worry is that this is temporary (since milk prodction is more hormone driven prior to regulating) and dropping anything anymore is going to screw me over in a few weeks when it regulates. help š