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 I have a 13 week baby and have been back to work for about 5 weeks. When I BF the baby she seems satisfied with the volume of milk and demand feeds about every 3-4 hrs during the day. She has been sleeping through the night for the last 3 weeks. When I'm at work she drinks about 3-3.5 oz every 3 hrs. However, when I pump I'm not able to get that amount of milk. The maximum I get, which is in the morning is about 3.25 oz and that progressively decreases to about 2 oz by the end of the workday. I pump before I leave in the morning and then try to get in at least 3 pumping sessions every 2.5-3 hrs while I am at work.

Any suggestions on how to increase the amount of milk through pumping? I'm at the point where I will have to supplement with formula during the day to meet her needs. I am using the Medela Freestyle. I am also taking 3 tabs of Fenugreek 3/day and drinking the Mother's Milk tea twice a day.

Thanks!

When I had issues getting milk when I pumped, my biggest thing was to sit back and RELAX.  I was always so worried about getting enough milk, that I was actually hurting my supply!  Are you BF when you are not at work?  If you are, you can also try pumping after each BF session -- this will not only increase your supply, but have you and your body get used to the pump.   I now pump exclusively, but when I BF, I did 10 min of pumping after each BF session.  and that's what helped my supply! I also take Fenugreek and this helps .. so keep that up.  I never acquired a taste for the Mother's Milk tea.  Ohhh ... and drink LOTS of water!

Hope this helps!

I have the same problem - I think it's common.  I have just recently started to get a tiny bit ahead by always feeding on only one side first thing in the AM and pumping on the other side.  I think it works because production is so much better in the night that my son gets enough from one side to be satisfied.  I'm just learning to trust that he's getting enough that way (hard to do I think - especially when you get so little from the pump that it makes you feel like you aren't giving baby enough).  A La Leche League leader recommended even trying to pump one side while nursing the other side - a little to discombobulated for me, but perhaps it would work for you. 

I was told by a LC back with my first child that the baby can suck up to 1 ounce more off than you can pump so apparently that is pretty common. I went through a phase with my first child when he was eating more than I was pumping and I had to supplement for about a month. As long as you keep pumping as much as possible, you should eventually even out. Is that 3 oz off each breast you are able to pump and are you pumping both at the same time? That may be a suggestion if you are not doing that already is to double pump.

 Do you know if it is safe to take Fenugreek?  I keep hearing about it and think I may need to take it when I return to work.

Yes ... I have been taking Fenugreek since my son was 1 month old! I take 3 capsules 3 times a day as per my lactation consultant. I noticed there was one brand that said not to take when pregnant or nursing, but I'm not sure why it said that. I use the Nature's Way brand. Good luck!

I occaisionally have similar issues.  Sometimes I just can't get quite enough.  The best thing I found that increased my pumping output was the MotherLove More Milk Plus Special Blend Tincture.  It tastes gross, but it helps a lot.  It's got goat's rue in it and that stuff is awesome.  I had zero luck with the tea.  There's just not enough of the good stuff in it.  You'd have to guzzle it constantly all day!  If you want to stick with the herbal tablets, you might want to add in Blessed Thistle, 3 tabs 3x/day.  The fenugreek/blessed thistle combo is supposed to be really good.  Honestly though, I've had the VERY best luck with that tincture.

 A couple of general questions, though, are you sure your horns are the right size?  If they're too small that can effectively pinch off the milk ducts preventing you from getting enough.  An LC should be able to tell you for sure.  Also, when was the last time you changed those white membranes?  I change mine every 10 days.  Are you pumping for AT LEAST 15 minutes at a time?  You want to pump for 5 minutes after the milk stops flowing.  Sometimes that means I have to pump for 20 minutes.  I set a timer and whip out a good book so I can relax.  Do you have a picture of your baby?  I actually have some videos of her laughing and rolling around on my cell phone and that helps a lot too.

 Good luck!  You can do this!

 Thanks so much!  It is so good to hear from other mothers.  I actually had my first cup of mother's milk tea this afternoon.  It actually tasted pretty good w/ honey.  So, we'll see how it goes.  Thank you for the helpful advice.  I really appreciate it!

I had the same issue when I went back to work.  I could not pump enough to replace my daughter’s bottles.  Here is what worked for me:

• I had to get a bigger breast shield
• DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!
• Pumped after the first morning feeding before leaving for work – sometimes even an hour after I nursed her.

I hope this helps.  I also thought about drinking the mother's milk but these other things helped my supply so I did not try it.

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One thing that really helps me is every Saturday and Sunday morning, first thing (when I have the most milk), before my daughter wakes up, I pump for 5-10 minutes on each side. Not only does that stimulate my supply more, but I can get a good bit of milk right there to help make up for what I don't get during the week. If you do this, do NOT worry about there not being any milk left for your baby. It doesn't work like that. There's always milk there for the baby that he or she can get that the pump just can't.