yield test

[owelley]

how much do u usually get??

[15milner]

Hi

I never managed to pump more than 2 oz and that was from both breasts.  Pumping is not indicative of your supply.  Baby is the best pump around.  so if you can't pump much please don't worry. 

alex

[Samuel's mum]

Definitely agree with all of the above. The yield test is a nice idea but in truth it doesn't work for most women. The breast becomes used to the baby's sucking action and for some doesn't allow any 'let down' at all with the pump. It really isn't something to be too concerned about. It's especially common for women to pump more when their babies are younger and then find it decrease significantly even though their babies are still feeding very efficiently.

[JacobMarksMummy]

Yes all of the other posters are absolutly right, yeilds just arnt accurate for most women. I used to be able to pump about 2oz but only if DS was nursing on the other boob to help with the let down. This was at the peak of my supply when DS was 5months old, I shud have been able to pump tons!!!

[daisymelan]

I agree with the above posts.

I yield 2oz as well.   

[The Vern]

I so agree with above posters.  I've had supply issues and at the hospital they started to measure by a 'yield test', so that's what I went by, but I later learned that the baby is more efficient than a pump and can actually extract I think it was 60% more than a pump (or thereabouts, but then again, I'm unsure how they arrived at that number). In the end, I was told to just go by wet diapers as the indication she is getting enough.  For me, she ended up not getting enough by breast only, whereby I supplement with bottle at every feed.  That's just my 2 cents!

[owelley]

I feel so much better now.  I can barely pump 2 oz.  I wish I was like other moms who can pump so much.  Does anyone recommend mothers milk tea??  It's just that I was worried that I wasn't making enough milk and I so love to bf!  I was also worried about going back to work in Sept.  My mom suggested formula but my mil insists I pump. 

[Mia and Lily's Mom]

Well, I have been back at work since dd was 3 month old (now almost 8 month) and she is still exclusively bf (about to change that - but that is another post).  I tried the mother milk tea, and it worked some, the other thing that really works for me was non alcoholic beer  , something about the yeast in it.  In general, the most important thing for me is to drink a ton of liquids, the more hydrated I am the better my yield.
Good luck

[LucyA]

Hi, you can also get brewer's yeast tablets or powder - I found it very effective.

[jaxnp]

A much better indication of how much the baby is getting is to have him or her weighed before and after nursing on the doctor's scale.  You can do this at the pediatrician or lactation consultant's office.  I did it a couple times with both dd and ds and was always reassured by the result.

[owelley]

I definitely have to try that!