breast feeding, help!

so, when i first started breastfeeding, my daughter wouldn't latch on so i began to pump them. i would pump every 3 to 4 hours & get like 3-4 ounces each time. Now, for the past two weeks, i've only been gettin like an ounce everytime i pump & i havent changed anything. Does anyone know why this is happening? It makes me just want to quit breastfeeding because im not even getting enough for one bottle.

Your milk supply dwindles when the baby isn't suckling the breast. You can only pump for so long before you lose your supply completely. If you want to continue her on breast milk you are going to need to try & get her on the boob. If you need help they usually offer breastfeeding classes, you just need to google or call the hospital & ask where they are offered at.

How old is baby? How often is she being fed? How many ounces re you feeding her?

From what you wrote already, if you are only pumping every 3-4 hrs, I can tell you that you aren't pumping anywhere close to often enough. You need to pump every 2-3 hrs in day & every 3 at night. You need a bare minimum of 8 session per day& aim for closer to 12 pumping sessions. It would be far better for you to get help with nursing from a professional, like La Leche League or an IBCLC & just breastfeed. Pumping is tons more work & you have to be more diligent about it or it does ruin your supply.

She is two months old & being fed every 3-4 hrs. & she eat 3-3 1/2 ounces when she eats. When i pumped them before three hours or so, there was like hardly anything at all in them. & I can't do twelve sessions in a day, i got to school. So, that's completly out of the question.

Did you try using a nipple shield? I have flatter nipples so it's the only way DS will latch... but I've been able to feed him and pump at least one extra bottle (anywhere from 4-8oz) a day.... if you're not able to produce because you're just pumping then I'd say it's worth a shot..

Quoting LivvyGail:" She is two months old & being fed every 3-4 hrs. & she eat 3-3 1/2 ounces when she eats. When ... [snip!] ... anything at all in them. & I can't do twelve sessions in a day, i got to school. So, that's completly out of the question."

I worked from 6 weeks on & I did 12 pumping & breast feedings a day (pumped at work, fed boobie when home). It isn't actually "out of the question".... It is standard for a baby that age as far as feeding patterns go. Some will go longer, most do not do that on their own though, most settle into every 2 hrs. Breastmilk is ruled by biology - not rules that anyone makes up to make it impossible to do. The average breastfed baby eats about 2-2.5 oz every 2 hrs or so...so that is about 12 feeds per day. If you do less, you will likely loose supply over time. It is whatever it is momma. I am not telling what to do other than what to do if you want your milk back. You are already seeing what is happening now with what you've been doing. You can keep on keeping on & you will just end up formula feeding....OR you can step up how often you pump, get with a lactation consultant & get that baby to breast & keep breastfeeding.

And yes - when you pump more often you get less per pump session, but you will yield more overall in the course of a day. You are getting more in a session early on because you were waiting too long & waiting for engorgement. When milk sets in the breast & the breast gets full your body absorbs these special amino acids that are setting in that breastmilk. Those amino acids are called suppressor peptides & they TELL your body to make less milk by down regulating. So yah - at first you can get tons of milk easy by waiting for yourself to get super full - but you are telling your body EVERY time you do that to make less milk. I am not telling you to pump mor eot be a PITA - I am talking biology here & you either follow the rules of biology & how your body is meant to be told what to do - OR you tell your body to reduce it's milk making.

Have you recently tried to get her to latch on? I had that problem with my baby the first week and I just gave up and strictlyu pumped but a a week or so later my nurse advised me to keep trying and I did using the nipple shield and to my amazement she slowly got the hang of it! Try again, keep trying you have nothing to lose (: seriously i thought I would NEVER get it down but we both did (: