Is it okay to only pump every 4 or so times in 24 hrs?

Question

I'm 6 weeks pp and I really hate pumping but cannot breast feed-multiple reasons posted about it before. For the last week or two I've only been pumping 3-4 times in 24 hrs about every 7-8 hours. I pump until empty and get about 14oz which is enough to keep my son full. Is there any reason why this would be bad besides the discomfort of getting so full? I know my supply won't get better but I'm not looking to store breast milk. Is it dangerous for me or will I end up going dry?

Answer

You might- probably- will run into supply issues

Answer

Your supply will start to drop

Answer

Baby's appetite will increase. You should be pumping every time a bottle is given so your body knows it needs to make that milk.

Answer

You might have to watch for mastitis as well. Be careful.

Answer

I do it 2-3 times a day. 😐 Had no idea it's a problem

Answer

I'm EPing since 3 weeks (now at 13 weeks). I only pump 4x a day, sometimes 5 if I can squeeze it in. I started tapering down from 6-7 pumps to 5 and now I'm at 4. Sometimes my supply isn't enough for the baby and I supplement a bottle of formula. I notice more of a supply decrease when I don't drink enough water and eat enough food during the day. I decided not to stress the pumping like I did the breastfeeding (I made myself feel bad enough for not being able to do that) so I do what I can. I actually supplemented a bottle of formula from the beginning to build a freezer supply and now I supplement with my freezer supply and I can still put at least one bottle's worth to freeze each day. I never power pumped or put myself on a regimented schedule. Maybe if I did I would be pumping more, but I'm happy with what I do produce.

Is it okay to only pump every 4 or so times in 24 hrs?

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