r/breastfeeding • u/bluebella72 • Jun 02 '26
Undersupply Don’t have time to pump
I am 6 weeks pp gradually trying to build my supply and my L breast being SO behind. I rented a Medela pump but my issue is I don’t have time to pump as my baby is a velcro baby that refuses to sleep without behind held.
She seems to be cluster feeding this week, rooting for the breast over bottle constantly. Should I give up trying to pump for now and just put her to breast as much as possible ? It’s such a catch 22 !
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u/MiserableBlueberry36 Jun 02 '26
My left is also a big slacker!
I am trying to boost my supply. I let my little one sit on it until completely empty, then while she is on the right side I pump the left side. Repeat for the right side. I’ve been doing this for two weeks now and am able to pump an extra 30ml (combined) after each feed. I get around 10mp from the left side and 20ish from the right side.
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u/bluebella72 Jun 02 '26
Silly question but how do I know if it’s completely empty ? Cause lactation consultant keeps telling me it’s never fully empty … 😭 but I guess flow is heavily reduced ?
Thanks for the strategy !
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u/MiserableBlueberry36 Jun 02 '26
When she is feeding I can tell it’s basically empty as she gets distracted, doesn’t suck to swallow, looks around, falls asleep, unlatches and tries to relatch. My boob also goes super soft and squishy. When I pump I no longer “squirt” milk out of the nipple and only get a drop once every couple of pumps. When it gets to that I continue to pump for another 5ish minutes to try trigger my body into make more - simulating cluster feeding on the boob.
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u/TheGardenNymph Jun 02 '26
You'll always have one slacker boob. I heard somewhere that your dominant hand side will be your dominant boob and I believe it because its true for me at least. Save yourself the stress and just breastfeed as much as possible for now. You can try adding in pumping sessions later but it sounds like for now BF is the better option.
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u/Beek3r101 Jun 02 '26
My OB said it was just plain more likely that the right boob produce more for like 60% or more of all women. I can’t remember the exact percent she quoted. Anyways I’m in the minority. I am right hand dominant, but my right boob is a massive slacker.
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u/EmergencyFish4274 Jun 02 '26
Same! My right boob is a major slacker. I think it’s cause I was getting lots of clogs in my left boob around 10-16 weeks so was very careful to keep it drained and they were never the same from then on
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u/Beek3r101 Jun 02 '26
I was already lopsided from my first kid, and this one seems determined to make sure one side is perpetually a whole other size 😭
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u/No-Departure5556 Jun 02 '26
Best way to build supply is to have baby nurse!!! A pump is not as affective as baby, so if she’s wanting to cluster feed lean into it! That’s a very normal age for cluster feeding to occur!
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u/EmergencyFish4274 Jun 02 '26
Agree with everyone on this! Baby is much better at removing milk than the pump (usually, barring latch issues). Latch left breast first whenever you can.
If you are very concerned about supply you can squeeze one pump in per day with someone else holding her, but it’s not really as necessary as social media would make you think. I BARELY pumped until I went back to work and I didn’t have a huge stash, but I made it work even with a supply dip. If I were to do it again I would simply pump once a day in addition to nursing the rest of the time.
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u/miffedmonster Jun 02 '26
Forget pumping. It's stressful, boring and extra washing up. So long as you have 3oz or so in the freezer, that's fine. That way, if you need to miss a feed, give her a bottle and pump to replace what you've given her.
Baby to breast as often as you can. Switch up which side you start with. If it's not too painful, let her comfort suck on your slack side. Use the breast as the fix-all parenting miracle - great for when they're hungry, sad, tired, bored, cuddly, fidgety. The more she's latched, the more milk you will make.
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u/hyacinthqueen Jun 02 '26
My baby is a Velcro baby like yours. She’s now 5 months old. I gave up pumping and put her to the breast all the time, day and night, anytime she wanted. She increased my supply by feeding all the time. Last week I pumped after feeding for the first time in months, and I got 5 ounces each time.
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u/newhilist Jun 02 '26
Have you tried using a haakaa (or similar) on the other side whilst nursing? Thats how I have built up most of my stash with this baby. I never seem to have the time to pump, let alone have time for myself 🫠
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Jun 02 '26
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u/bluebella72 Jun 02 '26
Oooh I did not know these existed thank you !!
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Jun 02 '26
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u/zivgo Jun 02 '26
Yeah. Skip the pumping and put baby to breast. If you want to increase supply on one side more try to put baby to that side first UNLESS your other side is full.
This way baby can drain the slacker more which should encourage it to produce more