How to and when to pump?

Question

Hi ladies I am EBF my LO and he will be two weeks old Saturday. I’ve pumped once, just to try it but ended up losing the milk. I don’t know if my son is getting enough, however I am totally unfamiliar with pumping. Like how often, when exactly to pump, storage etc.
Any advise ladies?

Answer

I asked my LC the same thing because I need to prepare for returning to work. Here’s what she told me:
Beginning at four weeks, pump once a day on each breast. You can pump both at the same time or split them up. Pump in the morning, because this is when we produce the most milk, and you shouldn’t be leaving your little one with too little. (I have to pump each breast within an hour after my little one eats - she only ever eats from one side at a time. If I don’t split them up, I leave her with too little milk to satiate herself.) pumping before 6 am is best - you’ll get the best yield. You can freeze breast milk for later use. I freeze mine in 1 or 2 ounce increments. I also save out a bottle with 2-3 ounces that I give to my baby each evening (usually my SO handles this feeding so I get a little break) to get her used to bottle feeding. She drinks it cold - no need to heat it. 
If you’re returning to work - the stash:
Plan to have 3 days’ worth of milk frozen and saved. In general, plan to send one ounce of milk for every hour you need to be away from your baby. Remember to factor in your commute time! I have a long commute, so some days are close to 12 hours for me. I plan to have 40 ounces frozen - 3 12-hour days and an extra four ounces just in case.
Returning to work and pumping:
Plan to pump every 2-3 hours. Use the milk you pump at work one day to feed your baby the next day. Rotate through your frozen milk, using the oldest first. Basically, you should end up maintaining a 3-day stash pretty consistently.
Storing milk:
In general, breast milk will keep in the freezer for 3 months. It will technically be okay for up to 6 months in a few freezer, but it’ll start to taste like freezer. My LC recommends using nothing older than 3 months for this reason. If you are rotating through your oldest milk, this shouldn’t be an issue. 
If you pump each breast separately for now like I have to, you can store the first breast’s pumped milk in the fridge and wait to collect from the second breast before worrying about splitting up the supply for storage. Expressed milk is fine in the fridge for up to 3 days as long as your little one hasn’t eaten from that bottle.
Breast milk will keep at room temperature for 3 hours as long as your LO hasn’t eaten from it. If your baby doesn’t care for cold milk straight from the fridge, take it out and put it on the counter to bring to room temperature. Remember to use it within 3 hours.
Once your little one has put his/her mouth on the bottle, the milk needs to be used within 1 hour. For this reason, do not store a partially eaten bottle in the fridge or freezer. If it’s not used within the hour, dump it or use it for a milk bath or other non-edible use. 
Good luck!! I know each source and each lactation consultant may have different guidelines, so take these with a grain of salt, but they’ve helped me get into a pumping rhythm while ensuring my baby has enough to eat from me at the same time :)

Answer

I just pump to get enough milk for when I need a babysitter. So I’ve only had to pump a couple of times. If you’re going back to work, you’ll need to pump more to build up a stock of milk.

Answer

To establish my supply, I pumped for 10 mins after every daytime nursing session for a month. Dd is 4 months now I only pump once at night after she nurses. I get an extra 4oz to store in the freezer. She EBF. I highly suggest a pumping bra.

Answer

I started pumping only when my LO doesn’t enough off both side of ear enough out of one. It turns out to be about 1-2 times in a 24 hour period. Because I’m EBF I normally store them in the freezer instead of in the fridge because I know she won’t drink them right now and I plan to go back to work in a couple weeks so it’s nice to build a stash in case I need it later. If you know you might miss a feeding, for whatever reason, you could just leave one bottle in the fridge instead of freezing it right away so it’s ready to go easier, but they should really only be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days (you can go up to 6 but that’s pushing it. I just stick to 3 and if it gets to the third day I freeze it).

How to and when to pump?

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