Hi! I think more than likely your baby is just far better at getting milk out of you than the pump is! I had that problem anyway! If baby is growing, weeing & pooing fine, etc, then there is no problem with feeding direct. Just try all those ideas for increasing your milk supply. I think there are some articles on Minti about pumps - worth doing a search? Amongst my friends, those who relied on pumping used electric pumps, and those of us who didnt used hand pumps and got less. Though one of my friends hand expressed without a pump just fine - wish I could have done that! Oh, the best supply for most women is in the morning, not last thing at night when we're tired. If you're enjoying feeding then WORRY NOT - keep on going, and one night with a little less breastmilk, or a one off formula feed, for the babysitter to give, is highly unlikely to harm her or affect your milk supply. And if you want more milk, basically then just feed more, rest more, drink more water and eat healthily. I'm sure the supplements help, but baby feeding frequently from a healthy mum is pretty hard to beat.

If she seems happy and still has wet nappies, then maybe she's getting enough? everyone has different appetites, and I beleive this goes for babies too. If her weight is increasing at "normal" rates, then I would say she's ok. My first had still not regained his birthweight by 7 weeks, and was terribly irritable and putting him on formula was the best thing I ever did. We're all different luv, and maybe seeing your doctor or baby nurse will help too.

kind regards

Nharelle

 My wife had the same problem after she went back to work.  She travels about a week or so a month, so we rely on the pump for lots of our milk.  We needed to stock up for when she goes on her trips.  We asked a lactation consultant what we should do.  She said to pump as often as she could.  Be sure to feed the baby on both boobs.  And most of all... drink tons of water.  

Not that this is the best idea in the world... but does work... try drinking a beer every once in a while, and see what happens to your boobs.   An ingredient in beer has been shown to increase maternal prolactin levels, but this is with non-alcoholic beers as well.

Make sure that baby is nursing efficiently. This is the "remove more milk" part of increasing milk production. If milk is not effectively removed from the breast, then mom's milk supply decreases. If positioning and latch are "off" then baby is probably not transferring milk efficiently. A sleepy baby, use of nipple shields or various health or anatomical problems in baby can also interfere with baby's ability to transfer milk. For a baby who is not nursing efficiently, trying to adequately empty milk from the breast is like trying to empty a swimming pool through a drinking straw - it can take forever. Inefficient milk transfer can lead to baby not getting enough milk or needing to nurse almost constantly to get enough milk. If baby is not transferring milk well, then it is important for mom to express milk after and/or between nursings to maintain milk supply while the breastfeeding problems are being addressed.

• Nurse frequently, and for as long as your baby is actively nursing. Remember - you want to remove more milk from the breasts and do this frequently. If baby is having weight gain problems, aim to nurse at least every 1.5-2 hours during the day and at least every 3 hours at night.
• Take a nursing vacation. Take baby to bed with you for 2-3 days, and do nothing but nurse (frequently!) and rest (well, you can eat too!).
• Offer both sides at each feeding. Let baby finish the first side, then offer the second side.
• Switch nurse. Switch sides 3 or more times during each feeding, every time that baby falls asleep, switches to "comfort" sucking, or loses interest. Use each side at least twice per feeding. Use breast compression to keep baby feeding longer. For good instructions on how to do this, see Dr. Jack Newman's Protocol to increase intake of breastmilk by the baby. This can be particularly helpful for sleepy or distractible babies.
• Avoid pacifiers and bottles. All of baby's sucking needs should be met at the breast (see above). If a temporary supplement is medically required, it can be given with a nursing supplementer or by spoon, cup or dropper (see Alternative Feeding Methods).
• Give baby only breastmilk. Avoid all solids, water, and formula if baby is younger than six months, and consider decreasing solids if baby is older. If you are using more than a few ounces of formula per day, wean from the supplements gradually to "challenge" your breasts to produce more milk.
• Take care of mom. Rest. Sleep when baby sleeps. Relax. Drink liquids to thirst (don't force liquids - drinking extra water does not increase supply), and eat a reasonably well-balanced diet.
• Consider pumping. Adding pumping sessions after or between nursing sessions can be very helpful - pumping is very important when baby is not nursing efficiently or frequently enough, and can speed things up in all situations. Your aim in pumping is to remove more milk from the breasts and/or to increase frequency of breast emptying. When pumping to increase milk supply, to ensure that the pump removes an optimum amount of milk from the breast, keep pumping for 2-5 minutes after the last drops of milk. However, adding even a short pumping session (increasing frequency but perhaps not removing milk thoroughly) is helpful.
• Consider a galactagogue. A substance (herb, prescription medication, etc.) that increases milk supply is called a galactagogue. See What is a galactagogue? Do I need one? for more information.