When do I start pumping?
It is okay to start pumping four to six weeks after baby is born, so that you can start to save up a freezer supply for times where you need/want to be away from baby for more than 2-3 hours or for when your return to work comes and you desire for baby to continue to receive breast milk during your work days.
The best way to incorporate a pumping session into your baby's 24 hour sleep/wake/feeding cycle is to pump at one of the following times:
1) First thing in the morning once you (and yes, probably baby too!) wake up. Your body is coming off of naturally much higher prolactin and oxytocin levels in your brain overnight, which means this is your greatest amount of production in your twenty four hour cycle of feedings and production amounts. You can feed him or her first and then pump for an additional ten to fifteen minutes after the feeding. This may take a few days for your body to realize it needs to produce enough for the feeding AND pump session. OR - you can pump for that first feeding, feed some to baby for their first feeding of the day (which will help them to get used to a bottle which will help with their eventual separation from you) and then save the rest of what they don't eat since your amount will likely be high enough to accommodate both!
2) Between baby going to bed for their first stretch of sleep at night & you heading to bed for the night. If your baby goes to sleep between 7:30 and 9pm and you go to bed later in the night (about 2hrs after baby), you can use this time to squeeze in an extra pumping session to save whatever milk your body produces. This will, in turn, increase your supply because you are essentially requesting an "extra feeding" from your body, breasts and hormones levels. The more consistent you are with this time every night, you will notice an increase in what you get during this pumping session and will be able to store it since baby is already asleep for their first stretch of their night time sleep! Keep in mind, your body and baby have been utilizing milk ALL day though - so this is typically the more challenging timeframe to incorporate a pump into and get a worthwhile amount from. It isn't impossible, but a bit more challenging than a morning time pump. : )
How long do I spend pumping? Do I pump both breasts or just one at a time?
For an adequate amount of stimulation, you need to pump for fifteen to twenty minutes per pump session. This allows for potentially a few let-down reflexes to be stimulated and ensures that you are adequately stimulating and properly removing all the milk from your breasts as possible. Though your baby doesn't FEED from both breasts simultaneously, it is best if you pump both sides at the same time to ensure your brain allows for the letdown to remove milk from both sides during the same letdowns. Most mom's will report this being the most effective way they found pumping to work and for production to be adequate at the end of the pumping session. Not to mention, who has time for two separate fifteen minute sessions back to back with a newborn or baby around to care for too?!
What do I do before four to six weeks if I am full or want someone else to feed baby?
Which is the best one to have once I begin using an electronic pump?
Since every woman is entitled to a breast pump via health insurance benefits - it is important to know which pump will be best for you and your breastfeeding needs.
Medela Pump in Style
If you plan to exclusively pump for your baby - it is best to invest in a more expensive pump and receive partial reimbursement by your insurance company for whatever amount they will offer. The PIS is small, compact, easily transportable and is within a small case secured by velcro. It can be plugged into a wall and an adapter can be purchased separately to use within your car or in places that have the appropriate adapter connection.
Medela's are known for its effective effort in completely removing milk from the breast and has proper suction force level adjustment via an adjustable knob for newborn all the way up to suction needed to mimic a one year old's ability to remove milk during a feeding. It also has a letdown button that can be pressed throughout the feeding to stimulate additional hormone release in the brain to cause for more milk removal.
Many hospitals, L&D and postpartum floors have Medela branded pumps available for patient use if medically indicated. Because of your potential need to use a pump in the hospital, the pump part kit your nurse will give you to begin pumping if/when needed is compatible with your Medela pump that you can request from your health insurance and doctor. This is a common motivating factor for choosing a Medela, as you will have a head start on obtaining pump parts if you end up having to pump in the hospital!
Another popular pump to request from your health insurance benefit is the Spectra S2. In recent days and with the development of some complications related to Medela pump production during COVID, the Spectra has become a very popular pump for patients to request or by default, receive when Medela was out of production as their pumps and parts are developed within Wuhan, China.
It too, is a very compact pump that has a handle on the top of the actual pump which allows for you to carry it around to different parts of the house or elsewhere, if needed. Esthetically, it is well developed and has "cute" colors built into the design of the pump. Spectra pump parts are easy to purchase from stores such as Target, Walmart, Buy Buy Baby and on Amazon - however, many hospitals do not routinely supply or stock Spectra pump parts which make it a bit difficult if you need to pump from the beginning.
If you receive a Spectra pump prior to delivery, make sure to bring it to the hospital with you so that your lactation consultant on the postpartum floor can help to show you how to use it properly and effectively. Also- don't forget to alternate the settings within the pump. When turning it on, it defaults to very gentle suction settings which can affect your supply and stimulation efforts long term if it doesn't match your baby's efforts as he or she grows and demands more from your breast.
-->With either of these pumps (or any other you choose to obtain!), if you plan to pump frequently, make sure you order a hands free pump bra so you are able to let go of the pump flanges during the fifteen to twenty minutes you are pumping each session. I recommend the Lansinoh Hands Free Simple Wishes Pump Bra!
When I return to work - How often do I need to pump?
Pumping at work needs to closely mimic your baby's feeding schedule by the time you return to a regular work life. Essentially, you do not want to go longer than three to four hours without removing milk via stimulation from an electronic pump. Thanks to state and national breastfeeding laws here in the US, no matter what job you do on a regular basis, you are entitled to two fifteen minute pump breaks AND your lunch break. You do not have to clock out or stay at work longer to compensate for this time! During an 8 to 12 hour work day, this means you will be given adequate time to remove milk from your breasts on a regular basis to take home for your baby at the end of the day.
It is important to ensure you are meeting these time frames and adjust accordingly as baby grows and begins to breastfeed less once solids are introduced. Remembering too, that the pump will never remove milk from your breasts like baby does - so having as close to your baby's typical output in OZ as they should be receiving, will be good enough! This is why if you plan to return to work, it's important to begin saving a freezer stash up before the week or two prior to your return.
Last things, Last...
Once you begin to pump, the time you spend pumping and the parts you purchase or gain from your health insurance supplied pump is all important to consider so that your breast health remains of utmost importance! Because pumping can't completely mimic your baby's removal of milk from your breast, pumping CAN cause an increased risk for developing clogged ducts or mastitis. Make sure you have properly fitted/sized flanges and that you are not increasing your production to the point that baby is unable to completely remove your demanded supply from the breast when he/she is feeding. These circumstances can all contribute to development of oversupply or engorgement, clogged ducts or eventual development of mastitis - none of which any mama wants or has time to deal with!
Any lasting questions - feel free to always reach out to the Mama that Knows Breast!
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