How often should I use my breast pump?

Question

Okay so I’m 20w1d and I’m looking for advice for after my baby comes. I plan on exclusively breast pumping I personally don’t want to deal with latch issues and a few other personal reasons feeding from the boob just won’t work for my family. 
In that case should I be bringing my breast pump to the hospital for post delivery? And if so did any of you have insightful information given to you by the lactation consultant? 
As for you moms who exclusively pump, how often do you pump? Especially in the first 2-3 months? 
Once again for personal reason I want to try and breast milk feed exclusively for the first 2-3 months but I have no problem with substituting with formula. I plan on switching to formula no later than 4 months old.  
Since some people are nosey like me here is why— I’m a full time college student and with that being said it would just work out easier for her daddy and I to keep her on a schedule for feedings if we use formula when we return to school with her in the fall. I don’t want to worry about having to arrange my class schedule or having to leave early to pump in the middle of class. I probably sound like a brat but I just think pumping would stress me out ontop of being a new mommy, a junior in college and her daddy watching her all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays since we have alternating schedules I just don’t see how I could do this after school starts back up. Sorry for all the extra info

Answer

I’d bring your pump to the hospital. They usually only have a few on hand and if you bring yours they can help you learn how to use it. As for finding out info on how/when to pump and basically all things pumping, check out the YouTube channel Momma Alia. She’s EPed for two kids now and she has a whole series on basically anything and everything you could ever want to learn about EPing

Answer

No shame in wanting to exclusively pump at all! There are definitely great benefits in doing so!
So I would recommend bringing your breast pump with you to the hospital. I used the hospital's and it was different from mine, so learning how to use mine at home took some time. The lactation consultants were good at teaching you to use the pump. I'm not sure how they would help if you told them you want to pump exclusively. Mine pushed help with actual nursing, since that was my plan that didn't work out. I know one helpful tip was to do the highest setting on the pump that doesn't hurt. So when you go up to high settings, once it hurts, go down one.
As far as how often to pump, for the first 12 weeks, pump 6-7 times a day or every 2-3 hours, including the middle of the night, unfortunately, but it really helps. The lactation consult told me 15 mins a session was fine, but I actually get my most milk between 20 and 25 mins, so I pump until 25 minutes. In the beginning, pump for like 2-5 mins after you see no more milk coming out. This teaches your body to keep producing.
Also, another tip I didn't learn until I was like 2 months postpartum was that you can put your pump parts in the fridge after you pump and you can leave them in there until your next pumping session. They're good to use for 24 hours. This is acceptable to do since all you have is milk on your pump parts, no need to wash. Also invest in another set or 2. And buy different size flanges for your breasts. You will most likely need a bigger or smaller size at some point, I did.
I hope these tips help and aren't too overwhelming!

Answer

I EPed for my son for 10 months. He was a preemie and couldn't nurse. The hospital should be able to provide you with a pump while you're there, just let them know you plan to pump. You need to pump just like you would nurse, every 2-3 hours, even throughout the night. Around 12 weeks your supply just start yo regulate. I always pumped until empty and then 5 extra minutes to stimulate more production. Before your milk comes in pumping for 15 minutes should suffice, since not much will be coming out. My son started sleeping thru the night around 4 months and probably around 5 months I stopped pumping in the middle of the night and my supply was fine, I had a huge first morning pump and less throughout the day

Answer

I tried to breastfeed and for various reasons didn’t end up enjoying it and just caused me stress. When my daughter was about 5 days old I scheduled an appointment with the lactation consultant at our hospital. I found her very negative about EPing and always turning the conversation back to breastfeeding. I left crying and so upset. I would recommend doing a ton of research now, reading blogs, watching YouTube videos. I ended up EPing for my daughter for 9 months and had enough frozen for her to drink breastmilk until she was 12 months.

Answer

Honestly, to establish your supply, your baby is the best tool. Even if you let them get through the first week and a good cluster feed, it will be very beneficial. My son ate so much his first week that I got oversupply, which would be great if I was pumping. He cluster fed every 30 minutes for 7 hours the day my milk came in and since then I have had a great supply. Like I said, just even if it was a week, it would help. 
Otherwise, you need to pump every time baby eats and sometimes that will be a lot in the first 2 weeks as their trying to gain weight. Just watch for hunger cues and keep in mind that breastmilk metabolizes much quicker than formula.

Answer

Do you have Facebook? There's a Facebook group for exclusive pumping that has a bunch of moms who can help you with every step of the way! They'll help with schedules, routines, etc. In my opinion, the hardest part of pumping is trying to multitask! I recommend a few hands free bras, extra flanges (get sized in the hospital), or freemies if you're able to afford them. Also, a boppy pillow to prop baby on for those days you have to pump while feeding baby a bottle at the same time. Instead of putting my flanges in the fridge, I let the water run really hot and do a quick clean then dry them with a paper towel.

Answer

I exclusively pumped for my first for ~9-10 months and had enough frozen to get him to a year. I pumped every 3 hours for the first ~7 months - but that’s how often my son was up and eating during that time.

How often should I use my breast pump?

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