Pumping & Oversupply

[@llli*blue2000]

This may be a little bit of a brain dump post, but I have some free floating questions about pumping with oversupply, and would love advice opinions.

DS is 6 weeks old and doing great. He and I have no issues with breast feeding and he is able to switch between bottle and breast fine. He is definitely a comfort sucker and takes a paci during the day sometimes.

Currently, I'm working 3 mornings a week. I feed him right before I leave at 8 AM, he takes a bottle of about 3 ounces around 11 and then I feed him again at 1pm when I come home. He has full access to me the rest of the time and I don't even keep track of how often he feeds, because it's a lot and he has plenty of wet and dirty diapers.

When I'm gone from him, I usually pump around 10-11 depending on my work schedule. In about 10 minutes of pumping I get 7 ounces. The day that I pumped at 10:30 and 1:30 and was home at 3 I got 14 ounces total from the two pumping sessions. He drank about 5 ounces while I was gone.

Maybe I'm borrowing trouble because with DS1 I had supply issues starting around 8 months and eventually ended up supplementing. I have anxiety about my supply tanking again, but I'm also a little tired of feeling full and uncomfortable and leaking regularly. I know all the tips about pumping til empty, but I'm worried that it will worsen my oversupply. On the other hand, I don't really want to do anything that will harm my supply in the long term, and I'm happy to build my freezer stash. Right now, I'm pumping for about 10 minutes at a time but not fully emptying my breasts. What would you do? As I read this, I have to laugh because it makes me realize I'm simultaneously worrying about over and undersupply.

[@llli*bfwmomof3]

Hi Ellen, I'd keep doing what you're doing. He's still so little I think it's likely that your supply will continue to regulate on its own in the coming month-6 weeks. If it doesn't then you can start more actively trying to do something about it then. Pumping for 10 minutes once a day is not a crazy amount of pumping. And it is really nice to have a freezer stash for when you will be working longer hours... patient emergencies... having to delay a pumping session - you know what I mean!

[@llli*bluesea]

i noticed my supply regulated right on cue at around 3 months. 7 oz is a lot tho! way to go mama! that's like 2 or 3 sessions for me