I’m back at work and my baby is 14 weeks old. I have been pumping twice during my workday (9 AM and 1 PM) and I can pump about 10 to 12 ounces a day with these sessions.
My left breast is producing a lot more milk than my right, and might look a little larger.
After 2 min of stimulation, milk starts to flow from my left breast. I don’t see any milk from right breast until about 5-8 min into pumping, and maybe collect two ounces by the time the session ends between 15 and 20 min. Suggestions? ( I’m using size 27 cups with Medela freestyle).
Congratulations on making the (hard, so hard!) transition back to work, and wow, expressing 10 – 12 ounces in two sessions is great. Good job, you!
Since you mention pumping at 9 AM and 1 PM, you might consider adding a “before leaving work” pumping session after you’re done for the day but before leaving. This might mean that you arrive home with 15 ounces instead of the 10 – 12, if that is important to you. You can pump at work and still breastfeed on arrival home or to childcare.
When pumping, see if the 24mm flange might do better on the right breast, even if the 27mm does better on the left. If that is the case, it may stimulate more milk let down and removal over time. Try a dab of olive oil for lubrication and use my suggested pumping techniques (hands-on, massage and compression, repositioning angle of nipple several times, varying vacuum strength and cycling speed accordingly)
It’s normal to find a discrepancy between the two breasts – we are not mirror-image or symmetric people (we have one liver, one spleen, one heart) and each breast functions independently from the other. Between the two breasts, you should be able to make all the milk baby needs and then some, but you may not make an even amount from each.
Some women become aware that one breast makes a lot more milk than the other only once they begin doing a lot of pumping. Other moms can see physical differences in breast size (up to 1 – 2 bra cups sizes) and some moms or babies have a clear preference due to production (with oversupply or very heavy let down, baby may prefer the slower-producing other breast!).
How can you “even things out”?
When nursing your baby, you could try to start her on the right breast – babies are typically most vigorous at the beginning of the feeding session and this “enthusiasm” might help encourage the milk to flow and assist with production. Use lots of breast compression and massage to help things along.
Another perspective: if she is cranky when starting on the “slower” side because she’s used to a fast flow from the bottles and frustrated at having to work hard and wait for the milk when starting on the right side, then instead, you could try starting her on the left breast, and then switch her over to the right to nurse and linger longer. There’s no definitive answer, just try out some of these ideas and see if one helps more than the other.
Keep up the awesome hard work, Mama!