There are a number of factors that play a part in how much breast milk you can expect to express.
- Baby’s age – You will produce more milk at month one than at week one if breastfeeding is progressing well.
- Time of day – Expect to produce more milk in the morning.
- Time since last breastfeeding or expressing – the longer the gap, the more milk you should expect to express.
- Quality of the breast pump – A high quality, comfortable pump will encourage greater milk production.
It is important to remember that babies will often take more milk from the bottle than you express in one session. This does not mean that your supply is low and is more likely to be due to the fact that the fast and steady flow of baby bottles causes baby to overfeed.
It is also important to remember that the amount you express can vary from mother to mother. It may be as little as 5ml or as much as 200ml (approximately 0.2 to 8 oz.). The following amounts are good guidelines:
- Week One - 30-60 ml (1 to 2 oz.)
- Weeks Two and Three 60-90 ml (2 to 3 oz.)
- Week Four - 90-120 ml (3 to 4 oz.)
For more information, contact your doctor or other suitably qualified health professional. You may also be interested in advice regarding storing breast milk.