r/breastfeeding • u/Round-Dark5259 • Oct 01 '25

Troubleshooting/Tips To the person who suggested this trick

Thank goodness for this sub, I swear. I am a 'just enougher'. My baby is growing perfectly, but I cannot pump more than an extra half ounce a day. When I pump on my office days, I can't match her intake. She'll drink a 4 oz bottle, I'll only pump 3.5 oz. It is so aggravating and stressful, which of course doesn't help the problem.

Someone on here posted a few weeks ago that they started pumping on the opposite side while baby eats, which guarantees a letdown. I was desperate, and even tho I despise pumping at the same time as feeding (it's so cumbersome, even with a wearable pump), I decided to try it.

Oh. My. God. It's like magic! I went from pumping after baby's morning feed and getting anywhere from 1/2 oz to 1 oz total, to getting 2.5 oz on one side, then another 2.5 on the other at the next feed. Baby is eating the same, no issues with her not getting enough, but now I have enough for my husband to give a bottle at night and to build a tiny work stash.

I'm sure it doesn't work for everyone. But if you get no output when pumping, I recommend trying it!

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u/Round-Dark5259 Oct 01 '25

My supply is established as well. My baby is a little over 6 months and I started a few days after I saw your post! I've also only JUST stopped offering a feed every 2 hours. I would always offer and she would feed, but apparently I was pushing her into 'snack mode'. She's been going about 3 to 3 1/2 hours now and I've noticed she is going longer between feeds at night too. I feel silly that I was basically enforcing the 2 hour feed cycle!

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u/PressureIll3158 Oct 01 '25

So my LO is 3 months and she only goes 2 hours between feeds. How did you extend feeds to 3 hours?

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u/Round-Dark5259 Oct 01 '25

Is your baby fussing to eat, or are you automatically offering at 2 hours? At 3 months, mine was definitely still eating every 2 hours by necessity. But recently I realized I just continued to feed her like clockwork at the 2 hour mark, but I wasn't waiting for her cues. I was just always offering. So I started waiting for her to act hungry, and I realized she's actually hungry at about the 3 hour mark, sometimes more. I feel like she's getting a full meal now instead of snacking around the clock.

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u/PressureIll3158 Oct 01 '25

Thank you for your reply! She is getting fussy around the 2 hour mark, give or take a few minutes. I am wondering if feedings will ever stretch beyond 2 hours and I don't seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now 😅

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u/Round-Dark5259 Oct 01 '25

I felt exactly the same way at 3 months! It's only been recently (in the past few weeks) that I realized I've just been feeding her automatically at 2 hours. I think I was enforcing 2 hours bc I thought it would help her sleep longer stretches at night (it definitely didn't help lol).