How much milk should I be pumping?

Milk Production Is Natural

Milk production is typically a natural occurrence. For the most part, you do not have to do much for your body to begin changing immediately following birth. Immediately after delivery, the hormones in your body start to transition. The body stops producing progesterone and starts producing hydrocortisone, insulin, and prolactin - all hormones that signal the body to produce milk or colostrum. Colostrum is the substance that provides nutrients for the baby until milk fully comes in. The process is fascinating, but again, it requires no work on your part. As you begin to produce more milk, you will notice your breasts may appear to grow, and may even be tender for some time.

There are so many exciting parts of motherhood. One of the most exciting of these changes is how our bodies change during and after pregnancy. Our bodies prepare to nourish our babies while we are pregnant and after we give birth.

Train Your Body

Many new moms ask “What is a normal amount of breast milk to produce?” It’s important to know that there are no hard and fast rules regarding the amount of milk a woman’s body can produce and the following information reflects amounts that are typical, but are by no means true for everyone. Once a new mom with average breast milk production gets into the swing of things, she may produce about is 25-35 oz. every 24 hours. However, you should not worry if you feel like you are not producing this much milk or if you are producing more, because all women are different. In the first few days, you will probably produce less than 5oz per day. Milk production is a slow build. Many factors play a role in how your body creates milk. And there are things you can do to promote milk production.

The amount of milk your produce is directly related to how much milk your little one needs. For example, if your baby has 4oz every six hours, your body will adjust to making 24 ounces per day. Again, there are no hard and fast rules to the amount of milk a woman’s body can produce. Different factors affect the amount such as diet, health, and even the age of the child. As your baby grows your body will start to produce more milk.

Using a Pump to Increase Production

The truth about breast milk is that for some mothers it is slow to come in and in rare cases some moms may never produce much milk at all. But for the most part it is all about supply and demand: showing your body how much milk it needs to produce based on how much milk it thinks your baby is drinking. Mothers who pump typically can produce more milk than mothers who do not pump. When moms use a breast pump, the body assumes the baby is suckling. This reaction teaches the body that it should produce more milk. If you have ever heard that you should pump immediately after your little one nurses, that is because the effect of that pumping is that it shows your body that more milk is needed.

So, if your little one nurses and drinks 5 ounces., and then you pump another 5 ounces. immediately after, and you do this consistently, over time you are teaching your body to produce more milk. The amount of milk you produce will increase as your baby gets older and has an increased appetite.

The best part about using your breast pump to train your body is that a breast pump is an expensive medical device that you can receive either for little to no cost through your insurance. Many women like the idea of doing everything naturally but using a breast pump has a wide range of benefits for both mom and baby. Not only do pumps increase milk production but having bottles of prepared milk allows others to help with feeding so mom can get some much needed rest every now and again.

Do Not Get Discouraged

Three days is the amount of time it normally takes for moms to fully start producing milk, however, for some moms, it may take longer than that. Other factors to mom's milk production are diet, emotional well-being/stress levels, clogged milk ducts, or a number of other factors.

If you feel like you are not producing enough milk, there are some things you can do. Again, milk production is a natural process in which your body regulates how much it makes and when. Therefore, other aspects of the mom and baby’s life affect eating and milk production. The less time the baby spends nursing, the fewer signals are sent to the body to tell it to produce milk.

If you think your milk supply is low, please talk to your health care professional or a certified lactation consultant. Some things you can do at home that can ease the pain of trying to increase milk supply are:

• Pump - pumping signals a need for milk. Your body does not know the difference between a pump and the mouth of a little one, so the suction, in general, will promote milk production.

• Feed when hungry, not on a schedule. We know, the advice many parents get is to “put the baby on a schedule early on and stick to it.” While this is well-intentioned advice, it is not always the best for baby or meal production. Every baby is different. Some will want to feed a small amount often and others may eat large amounts less frequently, or any pattern in between. Get in the habit of feeding your baby when he or she is hungry, and not just when scheduled. This is how you keep your milk supply high.

• Some women opt to use supplements to help with milk production, but before introducing anything new to your diet, it is strongly recommended that you discuss it with a healthcare professional as anything in your system typically ends up in the baby’s system.

Milk production is a natural and even predictable process in most instances. Introducing a breast pump can be a game-changer. If you feel like your little one is still hungry after nursing, or you just cannot produce enough to get and keep him/her full, it may be time to introduce a breast pump to help. For more information about acquiring a breast pump through insurance, finding the best breast pump for your needs, or information about nursing in general check out a video from our founder and CEO, Amanda Cole here.

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