When to Pump?

Hi S.,

I think that they recommend that you nurse first then pump for a few minutes after the baby is finished. Few minutes being like 5-10. You won't get a ton of milk, but you can build up a supply to have enough for a bottle. I had to do this to go back to work part time when my baby was 9 weeks old.
I would have like 2-3 ounces after a couple of times, then when I was at work he would feed her that, and occasionally formula, which I really didn't want him to do. But I worked 12 hour shifts on the weekend and he did what he could without me. I would just pump at work every 4 hours and bring that home and freeze it to be there for the next weekend. I would just put it in the fridge if it was for the next day, but found that even though the La Leche League site claims that it can be in the fridge like 5-8 days or something crazy like that, I found my spoiled after 2 days in the fridge. One look at her face as she took the bottle and you knew it was bad milk. Good luck to you. I still nurse my 11 month old once a day. I know I'll miss it when it's over. It is special time where it's just you and your baby.

you can certainly do both. there is so much that I could write here, it might take me a long time. and you might know alot more that I dont know about. if youd like me to discuss it with you on a individual level please email me directly. ____@____.com. I am a breastfeeding councelor as well as childbirth educator. have been helping women for years to do this :)
R. Kraft CLD (CAPPA) CD (DONA) FCCE HBCE
mother of Emma & Jacob
Doula ,Photographer & Childbirth educator

Congratulations and kudos for deciding to breastfeed your baby. Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for your baby. Bonding with baby can be done without dad feeding the baby. How about just holding him, carrying him in a sling, giving him his bath or changing a diaper! Mom is the source of nutrition for baby and dad can be there in many other ways. Breastfeeding is much more than just food, it provides emotional, physical comfort to the baby also. Dad's can be there for mom, supporting her, encourageing her being sure she eats right and gets the needed rest after baby arrives.

Hi S., I have three children I breastfed my last two...Once they were about 2 months it made it easier to pump in between feedings, when there newborn they eat often but not a whole lot at once, but when they get to about 2 months there eating more and its easier to pump every other feeding...Hope this helps!

Pump after your first morning feeding. Then have your husband give her a bottle when she wakes up at night or the feeding right before bed. What ever you choose keep it consistant. Babies love a schedule, and maybe you could get a couple of extra minutes of sleep if he can wake up for a feeding each night!
Good luck!
E. and MAdylin 7 months

This may or may not work for you BUT this is what I was able to do. I just had a baby in July and decided to breastfeed him. He is a lazy eater, another words he will nurse for 5 minutes and then fall asleep, and when I go to lay him down he will fuss and want to nurse again. I noticed that he will not empty my milk supply, so when he is done nursing, I pump. This way I will continue to produce more milk then he will eat, and I can pump when he goes to sleep. I freeze my milk so it can be used at a later date. Hope this helps.

You first need to get your baby use to breastfeeding before you introduce a bottle even if it is pumped milk. A lot of babies will like the bottle more and refuse to nurse because they can get their milk easier from a bottle, thus you need to at least strickly breastfeed for the first 6 weeks to 2 mths. What I did once I was going back to work was nurse my daughter from one side and pump the other. I would of course only do this for one or two feeding a day normally in the morning when I had the most milk available. This made sure there was enough milk for my daughter and enabled me to start storing milk for daycare. I started storing milk about a mth before she started daycare and then once I went back to work I would pump 2-3 times a day and strickly nurse my daughter in the evening, morning and during lunch. The more your baby eats and once you start pumping your milk supply with increase. thus, when your husband feeds the baby with the pumped milk I would be sure to take that time to pump. Good luck. It will be difficult to get your baby and you use to breastfeeding (honestly I hated it for the first 2 mths and then I loved it) but in the end you will love the bonding you get from it and your baby will be getting the best food source out there.

Right now I wake up overly full...usually one side is soft enough for my son to nurse...so I just feed him from that side...when he is done, I pump both sides and empty out the breast...Whenever I feel too full, I will pump some out..sometimes I only pump a few ounces out to have some to save, but other times I will pump after he is done eating and freeze that.

Congrats and good luck!

It sounds as though you have not given birth yet. If this is the case, my best advice is to relax and let these things happen naturally. I know you want your husband to help feed, but it would be better for you to breastfeed most of the time and perhaps let him participate in something else like bathing or rocking. If it is necessary for you to pump (to go to work or having milk on hand for an emergency) you will find those times when the baby has fed and is satisfied, but you still feel "full". Pumping is not a replacement for nursing and consistent pumping may affect your milk supply. The movement of the baby's tongue/mouth on the breast is the most effective way of sustaining a good milk supply. Babies use different facial muscles to nurse and to suck a bottle. Some people think they need to do both in case the baby has to have a bottle. While it never hurts to have a little milk in the freezer for an emergency, find a method that works for you and put a little aside, but save bottle feeding for emergencies.

What my doctor advised was to do a full feeding on one side and then pump the other. That way you can be sure that the baby is getting the rich hindmilk. It's quite a time commitment (20 min to feed and then 20 to pump) but it's nice to have your husband involved. Besides, if you will be returning to work you can start using the pumped milk to stock the freezer. It's what I wished I had done so my little one could've been on breast milk longer. Good luck!

Hi S., the invention of the breast pump was the best thing in the world. I too am a first time mom with a soon to be 6 month old boy. I am not working so what I would do was nurse throughout the day and pump at night for the next day or night. My husband would usually be involved in the night feeding. If you want him to be able to feed more often than at night you can designate a time during the day to pump. Unfortuneatly I couldn't really get it down pat either for storage so I just pumped for the next feeding. It seemed as though I had other things to do during the day and pumping was not one of them. Hopefully you can get the hang of it.

I have a friend that pumps right after each feeding. This may also work for you too.

Good luck!!

K.