What Time of Day to Pump

Hi,
I pump at night after she goes to bed because that is the longest stretch in between breastfeedings. I just pump about half of what I could so that if she needs to feed I will still have milk. I wish you the best!

Congrats to you for making it this long - the first 2 months are tough for a new mother! A few thoughts that might help....anything you pump will add to the volume of milk that you will have, consequently, you'll probably want to pick a time of day, etc where you'll always want to pump every day. 2) you will have the most milk in the morning (dont know why). 3) Consult breastfeeding.com it's a great site and will give you great detail on what to do from experts.

Best of luck to you!
Jen

Hi there,
I have a 7 month old and I think the best time to pump is about 30 minutes after the first morning feeding. I had so much milk in the morning that I could pump a 4-5 ounce bottle and be fine for the rest of the day!

Congratulations on your baby!

I don't know about you, but I was never sure if my baby was getting enough at each feeding. No matter how long my boys would nurse, they were still hungry soon after. Oinkers!

I began pumping at the same time as nursing....crazy huh? It actually gave me a good insight on how much (approximately) they ate at one feeding. My pump was always set up and ready to go. And after a few days, it was easy.

This also taught me , that as a first time mom, I don't have to answer the door and the phone ALL THE TIME! The world became about "me and my baby"....oh yeah, and my husband when he got home from work :o)

Truly, after I "mastered" the nursing/pumping thing, then I found other times of day/night that actually worked better. Your babies routine will change, so you will have to adjust.

Congrat's and good luck to you!

:o) N.

When I was first trying to build up a supply in the freezer, I would pump during middle of the night feedings. So, while baby was on one side, I would pump the other. It's hard, but just leave it set up and ready to go so that all you have to do is stumble out of bed and plug yourself in. I found this to be easiest as I had a big let down and was feeding anyway. Instead of leaking... I just pumped it and saved it! Just always make sure you're alternating the pumped side if doing it this way. When the baby was so young I couldn't pump all the milk (both sides) as well as breastfeed... and this worked well. After only a week I had probably about 50-60 ounces! If you will be going back to work... I'd put a standing appointment on my Outlook calendar for 10 and 2 and that way the alarm would go off and no one could book over it! It was awesome and people got used to it very quickly! Good luck!

The best time to pump is right after you nurse your little bundle. Collect all of your milk and store it in the freezer. Remember to label the time and date when you start to pump.

Whatever time of day works best for you, be sure to pump immediately after removing your baby from the breast. Your body knows the difference between baby and pump, and wont produce as much for the pump alone.

When I started pumping I did it first thing in the morning while my daughter was having breakfast. I'd put her on pillows in a football hold on one side and the pump on the other. Having her there helped with let down on the other side too.

Hi A.,

Congrats on your new baby! Most women have more milk earlier in the day. Quality and quantity seem to go down after a busy day. What works for me is nursing on one side and pumping the other. Then I switch and nurse/pump on the other side. Your body will adjust and will produce enough milk for your baby and for pumping. I also took More Milk Plus tablets (Google it) and my supply doubled over night. I don't take it any more because I have plenty of milk now. My baby is eight weeks now and I have a freezer full of milk for him. I like to pump at the first feeding of the day because I'm usually pretty full by then. If you don't want to pump while nursing you could wait a little while after nursing and pump. Definitely use a double pump.

Oh, and just because I saw someone wrote this I thought I'd mention it: do NOT heat your breast milk in very hot or boiling water, or in the microwave. Use increasingly warm water and warm/thaw it slowly.

Good luck!

E.

I would pump right in the morning after the first feeding and then once at night before you go to bed, if you can. Also, contact your local lacatation center - they are a wealth of information!

Congrats on your new little bundle! I read a lot of stuff when I first started breastfeeding...I have a 1 year old and a 3 year old now. The thing I remember reading the most is that the timing is not as important as the consistency--i.e., as long as you do it about the same time every day. Also, I know this is contrary to what other moms have suggested, but the book I read said to pump first and then feed. The reason behind that as I rember it, was that your little one is a better "sucker" than the pump and will be able to get more than the pump would at that point. Good luck! There is a great la leche book out there that really walks you through everything, including storage, etc, but I can't remember the name.

Hi A.,

When I was breastfeeding, the nurses said if you want to increase your supply to pump after a regular feeding (might be best to do in the morning when you have more milk supply). In the beginning you won't get much until the stimulation of the pumping helps to increase your supply. I'd double check with your doctor/advice nurse, but I'd start with only 1 pumping a day as not to have your breasts produce more than your baby needs at one feeding. But remember, everytime you give your baby a bottle and don't breastfeed, you increase your risk of diminishing your supply, so if you want to exclusively breastfeed, I'd be cautious since you are still in the early stages. Good Luck!

S.

Pump in the mornings. Your breasts will be at their fullest then. Feed your baby and then pump to relieve the pressure from the excess milk that built up over night.

A lactation consultant told me that in the morning the hormones for milk production are highest, so it's easiest for your body to respond to the pump, and be ready for the next feeding. It seemed to work for me, but it sounds like others had other good times for this. You'll figure out when makes most sense for your body and your baby's needs. Good luck! I remember being intimidated by the pile of parts and the mechanical aspect before I tried it, but it all works quite simply.

I too am a 1st time mommy of an 11 week old. I found that pumping after I feed my little girl works well. We produce milk on demand, so as long as you are stimulating the breast (baby suckling or pump)you will produce. Hope this helps.

Hi A.. Not to confuse you or anything, but after seeing all these responses saying "first thing in the morning" or "right after/before you nurse your baby" I thought I'd chime in.

My best time to pump is at night, right before I go to bed. That usually leaves a couple of hours for my breasts to fill up after my daughter's pre-bedtime feed and I get a decent amount of milk at that time.

That said, I think the real messages here are (1) try different times and do whatever works for you; and (2) once you find a good time, stick with it. As others have pointed out, pumping will increase your supply, so don't be discouraged if not much comes out at first.

www.kellymom.com is a great resource for breastfeeding moms as well.

Good luck!

congrats on the little one! I found that pumping during/before/after (which ever one of us work up first) was the best time to start pumping as it let off all the accumulated milk from the extended sleep time at night. If you're feeding all night that may not help. But anytime you're engorged with extra large breasts is certainly a great time and helps deflate before latch! Just give it a try and you'll find your own rhythm. The machine pump is a huge plus. They are really easy to use and save so much time!

I found that pumping right after the first morning feeding is when you have the most milk. The more you feed/pump, the more milk you will produce so I wouldn't worry about having enough assuming there are no other issues. Another thing that worked for me, once you have some reserves, is pumping while your husband gives the baby a bottle at night. This establishes two thing, a break for you :) and also introducing the nipple so the baby gets used to it. I forget when I started this...sometime around 6 or 8 weeks I think. My son never had an issue taking bottles or eating enough.

Good luck!
L.

after i had all 4 of ,my boys...i pumped with all 4 of them. i pumped at any time of the day which i pumped 3 times a day & 12 ounces each time.i produced milk real well..a little to well! but if i had milk left i saved the remaining & put it in the fridge & thn reheat it on the stove in boiling water...you will also have to feed alot more then you would have to using formula. what i also did was use formula & breast feed my boys. that worked great! let me know what you think or even if i helped you out at all! wish i could help you more! thank you!!!

Some books suggest after a feeding to pump a little bit. I have a 6 month old and have breast fed exclusively also. What worked for me was -
after baby fed- pump on last fed breast until milk is to slow coming out then switch to other. I would do this twice a day(about 3 ozs each sitting) to build up milk (train my breast to provide more milk). As Baby grew(about month 4) I would pump every other day- mainly in the morning since baby was sleeping through night-I was blessed). I had so much milk(about 6ozs out of one breast) in morning. Eventually by month 5 I really slowed down on the pumping but would have to wake up in at night to pump cuz breast ached. Now at 6 months I pump in the morning also(I do this before I feed him-I seem to have plenty of milk)

The best is to start pumping every time after you nurse. I started pumping right away after delivery in the hospital. Soon your milk supply will start to build. It's all about supply and demand, the more you nurse/pump, the more milk your body will produce. In the beginning, when you pump, you might not have a lot of milk (especially after nursing your baby), but you should still pump- the motion alone will eventually stimulate your body to start producing more milk. Within a few days, you should notice an increase in your milk supply.
Good luck!

Although cumbersome... pumps are great, especially to store milk in freezer for the future. Get a surplus now while you can. So... I pumped in between feedings, not too close to mealtime. Just get into a routine because you want your milk supply to be consistent. Many people stop breast feeding because of one reason or another... I say stick with it. I nursed until 20 months, even though there were times i just wanted "my body back". It was worth it. He is very nurturing, loving, and we are close. I am convinced nursing helped... Good luck! My two cents: use your pump a couple times a day-don't make it a chore, just know you are providing for your baby; store in freezer bags made for baby's milk-mark dates; Put on the TV or music when you pump... or if you are on the phone-just know other line knows what's going on-my friends didnt care!; Enjoy your time, because as everyone says, it goes WAY TOO FAST!!! Best wishes...

Pump first thing in the morning after you feed your baby. You produce more milk while sleeping, and if you pump after feeding, you don't have to worry about not having milk for the next feeding b/c you'll regenerate more. Good luck!

Depends on your milk flow. I could nurse the block! So, I pumped before nursing - since I knew my little ones could still get what they need. If they ate first, the pump wasn't as effective at filling a bottle on a nursed breast.

When you pump AND nurse, you'll produce MORE milk. So, get the freezer ready!

I would start pumping after every feeding..
Once baby is sleeping through the night, if you wake up full and uncomfy pump.
If not pump after baby nurse's after that long of a stretch you should have a fair amount.

Hi Andrea, DayOne has great classes on using your breast pump. Check out their website to see if there is one that would work for you. http://dayonecenter.com/education/
A class like this really helps out with all those questions you don't even know you will need like 'I heated up the bottle but she didn't eat it can it go back in the fridge?' 'Can I add warm milk the milk I pumped earlier?' There is also a good book called the working mothers campaginon that has great info on pumping. Good luck!
A.

My daughter is now 3 1/2 months old, and I started pumping right around the time you did. I found that the early morning was best right after I fed my daughter. In general, it's best to pump immediately following a feeding because you're already producing the milk at that moment. Don't be discouraged if you don't get a lot of milk at first. Eventually your body gets used to the pump and produces more. I suggest getting this invaluable book - it's called The Nursing Mother's Companion. It has a whole section on pumping. My pediatrician suggested it, and it was the book for my breastfeeding class. Also, a good website for tips on pumping, saving & storing milk is breastfeeding.com. Hope this helps & you can ask me any other follow-up questions too.

I found the first morning feeding to be most effective for me. That seemed to be the only time I had milk left over. So I would have the pump set up and ready before I went to sleep so that at 5am I could just start nursing my baby on one side and pump the other simultaneously. Our pediatrician had said that if you want to pump during the day, to pump about an hour after the baby nurses. That will give your body enough time to reproduce the milk before your little one's next feeding. Good luck and congrats!

I agree with the other mom - after the first morning feeding, I'd still have quite a bit of milk left. That was a good time to pump. Also you could try right after your baby goes down to sleep at night. The first day you might not get much, but after a week or so your body will adjust to the added demand.

Hello- I have a 3-1/2 month old and am breastfeeding exclusively. I started pumping (Medela Advanced pump-in-style) right after the morning feeding at around 4 weeks and have continued diligently every morning. (It started off after the 4 am feeding, and then gradually worked its way to after the 8am feeding.) The morning is the best time to pump since your body produces the most milk then. If you are consistent, it becomes an additional "feeding" that your body produces milk to accomodate. I was trying to build a milk supply for when I return to work at the end of July, and also for times that I need to be away for feedings. Your body produces milk in real time, so there is always milk for the baby. A couple of times I misjudged and pumped for comfort (thinking I had an hour or so until the next feeding), and then the baby needed to be fed. She still breastfed fine after those pump sessions. When I miss a feeding, I still pump to make up for it, either while I'm out (get the car charger plug for your pump if it has that option), or when I get home. If my husband feeds the baby in the middle of the night- I pump before I go to bed to make up for that feeding. This has worked really well for me, although I do have a very large milk supply, and my freezer is overflowing with frozen milk. Hopefully none of it will go to waste! I believe the key to successful pumping is consistency. Good Luck!

I pump as soon as my little one isdone eating. Pump dry