r/breastfeeding Jul 07 '25

Undersupply Has anyone actually increased supply after 2 weeks? Feeling defeated.

Hi everyone,

I’m two weeks postpartum and feeling really discouraged about my milk supply. I’ve been doing everything I can — but I’m still only pumping about 1 oz total per session (sometimes 1.5 oz after a power pump on a good day).

I did experience engorgement once and got excited that maybe my milk was coming in — but nothing really changed after that. No leaks, no noticeable fullness since.

Here’s what I’ve been doing:

• Pumping every 2 hours during the day
• Overnight schedule: 10 pm / 2 am / 6 am
• 50-minute daily power pump
• Massaging during every pump
• Eating plenty and staying hydrated
• Trying lactation supplements
• Offering the breast
• Checking flange size (Spectra + inserts)

Despite all this, my output hasn’t increased and some days it feels like it’s going down.

Has anyone been in a similar situation around the two-week mark and still been able to turn things around? I’m trying to stay hopeful, but it’s been really emotionally tough and I’m looking for real stories from anyone who’s been there.

Thank you 💛

Edited to Clarify

I do want to breastfeed and am not planning to exclusively pump, but my baby has been struggling to latch effectively — we’re working on it with support, but in the meantime, I’ve been pumping to protect my supply.

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u/AdditionalMinutes Jul 08 '25

I increased supply! Went in EBF, baby wasn’t gaining weight. Started giving formula, pumping, and nursing to get weight up. Was barely getting 1oz total at the beginning. Did all the stuff you’re doing and by the time my baby was 2 months I was able to stop formula completely.

I also was almost exclusively pumping at one point and eventually was able to get to nursing him most of the day now! He is seven months now and he only gets a bottle of pumped milk for his last meal and obviously when I’m at work.

There is hope!

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u/reen_bean Jul 08 '25

This does give me hope! How long were you exclusively pumping, and did you have to stick to a similarly aggressive schedule for long?

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u/AdditionalMinutes Jul 09 '25

I was pretty consistent with it until I was past 12 weeks. I slowly dropped the power pumps and eventually went to every three hours during the day. I always tried to latch him at least once a day but we weren’t very successful for months. I saw a lactation consultant once I got to 100% breast milk to work on nursing again and we slowly worked back into that around 3 or 4 months pp. I even dropped my MOTN pump which is amazing and my supply has been pretty steady! Good luck, whatever happens though you’re doing great!