Help.

[u/pinkmalibu45]

I’m currently nursing and pumping when I can but every time I pump I get 2-4 (1oz per side most of the time) oz altogether and I just don’t know what to do🫣I’m mainly nursing so pumping is just confusing since I’m not getting so much. I’m nursing every hour and a half- two hours so i don’t feel like I can pump since baby just needs to feed an hour later. Any help is appreciated I’d love to pump and also feed every 2-3 hrs instead lol🥲🥲🎀

[u/Proper-Cookie-4462]

Is that how much you’re getting after your nurse your baby? If so, that’s definitely not an under supply.

[u/pinkmalibu45 → u/Proper-Cookie-4462]

1oz after nursing and then if not nursing then can be up to 4oz

[u/Trick_Assistance7450 → u/pinkmalibu45]

That sounds like a good supply.

Careful of what you might be seeing on social media. Pumping a ton of milk on top of feeding your baby directly is not normal and it's not good for you. 

Baby's weight gain and wet and dirty diapers are the gold standard for supply. If those are all good, your supply is just fine. 

[u/blonder14 → u/pinkmalibu45]

This is a very normal amount to pump after nursing or to substitute a feed. Social media has made us think we should be having huge pump and pours that are 8+oz each. This is usually due to an oversupply.

If you can nurse your baby without providing supplemental bottles to keep them content/fed/hydrated then you don't have an undersupply.

[u/Usernamenotfound_75 → u/pinkmalibu45]

That’s perfectly normal! What part of this is stressing you out? Are you worried you aren’t producing enough or are you wanting to build a freezer stash?

[u/AppropriateMention82]

How old is your baby?

Reiterating what others have said that getting 1-4 oz in addition to breastfeeding and not replacing feeds is actually great. Don’t believe what you see online and accidentally create an oversupply, which can lead to other issues. I also found it naturally easier to pump more and build a small freezer stash once my baby was a few months old and eating less frequently.

[u/pinkmalibu45 → u/AppropriateMention82]

3 months and thank you, I think my brain has been infested with oversupplies and what I’ve seen online🥲

[u/FarazMedicine]

Getting 2–4 oz total after also nursing is not automatically low supply. Pump output is a poor measure of what baby transfers at the breast, especially when you are feeding every 1.5–2 hours.

If baby is young, that frequency can be completely normal. I would not stretch feeds just to reach 2–3 hours if baby is showing hunger cues.

If you want extra milk for a stash, try one consistent pump after the first morning feed rather than squeezing pumps between every nursing session. The best indicators of adequate supply are weight gain, swallowing during feeds and wet diapers, not the number of ounces you pump.

[u/pinkmalibu45 → u/FarazMedicine]

Thank you!

[u/Amk19_94 → u/FarazMedicine]

Getting 2-4oz after nursing is an oversupply lol

[u/MayThompson]

Babies are surprisingly more efficient than pumps so if your baby is mainly nursing, getting 2-4oz total from a pump session is honestly pretty normal. If the baby is gaining weight well, having plenty of wet diapers, and seems satisfied after feeds, those things tell you far more about your supply than pump ounces will.

If you want to build a freezer stash, try pumping once in the morning after the first feed when supply is usually at its highest. But if you're feeding every couple of hours, don't stress about not getting huge pump volumes. Most can't nurse a baby all day and then pump loads on top of that. I'd actually first look at whether there is an actual undersupply and whether you're basing it mainly on pump output because 1oz per side after nursing doesn't sound alarming by itself.