When it comes to how often and when to pump, this is something that is great to chat through in person with a lactation professional, because it’s often specific to your situation (your goals, your milk supply, how you’re feeding your baby).

The Two Options
In general, pumping needs fall into two camps: the daily bottle (people who want to use bottles regularly, for example giving a nighttime bottle so the breastfeeding parent can sleep), and the occasional bottle (people who want to have pumped milk available to use occasionally, for example if they are out on a date or in the car).Â
In the case of a daily bottle, you will want to choose a regular time to pump so that your body adjusts to that time and it is included in the milk supply schedule developing in the first few weeks. It doesn’t matter too much when it is, it just matters that it occurs regularly. Make sure that whenever Baby is given the bottle, you don’t go longer than 4 hours between pumping/feeding if you’re within the first 6 weeks of establishing a milk supply.Â
In the case of the occasional bottle, you just need to pump one or two times a week to have some milk available to use. You don’t need a lot, because what usually happens is that when you give Baby one of the bottles of stored milk, you will pump that feeding that you were away and they took a bottle, so that bottle is replaced, and your ‘stash’ doesn’t ever draw down. So even pumping one or two times a week will still develop a supply of frozen milk in the freezer.Â
One way to plan the occasional pump is to aim to pump in the mornings when your milk supply is usually higher (we make more milk at night) and babies are usually either awake and content, or going back to sleep for a nap. If you make space to do it every morning and actually do it only a couple times a week, you’ll have more than enough stored milk to use for bottles and storage. But there is no hard and fast rule - find a time and rhythm that works for you.
When to start using a Pump
Whichever way you are leaning, it is usually a good idea to pump a couple times a week once your milk supply is fully established and your baby is latching well, so that your body gets used to the pump, and so your baby can practice taking a bottle as well. If you haven’t started yet, 3 or 4 weeks after birth is a good time, but this is flexible and can really be done when it makes sense to you.
What to do if Pumping Hurts
Pumping should not hurt, so if something doesn’t feel right, turn down the settings, check your flange size, ask your postpartum doula to take a look or see a lactation consultant. Larger or smaller flanges can be purchased online or oftentimes from your lactation consultant (or places like the Breastfeeding Center or Metropolitan Breastfeeding).Â
Common Mistakes
Using a pump isn’t hard once a milk supply is established, but using it in a personalized way during the process of building a supply will make it a more efficient tool. So it really can be helpful to use a lactation professional to discuss the details of your personal goal in pumping and to help you set up an individualized plan. Some common pumping mistakes we encounter are pumping for too long and spending too much time on it, or injuring sensitive tissues; pumping too often and creating an oversupply; or pumping too infrequently and not putting enough demand on the system to bring in a full milk supply. A few tips I often give to try to avoid these problems are:
Pump for 20 minutes max - more than that isn’t usually that productive, and can stress the tissues.
If milk has slowed to a trickle and then stopped, go ahead and stop pumping, regardless of how long it’s been. Continuing to pump won’t bring on any more milk and will just stress the tissues.
If you’ve collected 4 ounces of milk between the two bottles if you’re pumping on both sides, or in one bottle if you’re just pumping on one side, stop pumping, regardless of how long it’s been. This is a full feeding for a breastfed baby, and pumping more can develop an oversupply!
~ Naomi, Infant Feeding Expert*
*If you need help to schedule your bundled Infant Feeding session with Naomi…email Elizabeth Parish.Â
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