Pumping question?

bossyfnp

Do you have to pump til empty or just pump until you get the ounces you need. I could go 10 min. But i may have more than whay my LO eats. I dont know if having oversupply is a bad thing or not. Right now I pump 3-4 oz in less than 10 mins, is it okay to stop once I get the ounces or should i continue to pump umtil the breast is empty. I dont want oversupply but i dont want to shorten my supply. Also, around 6-7pm my lo gets real fussy at the breasts, like nothings coming out, when this happens ive just been alternating or distract him put him back on the breast. Do i need to pump during this time along with taking him to breast,to signal a higher supply. Right now i just pump one breast in the morning, when i start pumping at work should I attempt to pump both breasts

mommatotwo2

I am not sure how old your LO is, but to build a stash before returning to work, I found the easiest way was to pump the opposite breast that LO took first thing in the morning, that's when supply is generally highest. Offer LO one or both breasts on demand the rest if the time. Pump a couple of minutes past milk flow. Your breasts are never fully empty. When you return to work, you should pump both breasts each time.

mommatotwo2

Also, I forgot you asked about fussiness at the breast in the evening. That is totally normal for an infant to be fussy and want to cluster feed for hours in the evening.

BootsOrHearts

It depends on your goal. If you're trying to increase your supply, you will want to pump until empty. If you are just trying to build up a little freezer stash, then you don't want to do that or you will risk getting into an oversupply situation. Some people will pump for 5-10 minutes after baby eats, once or twice a day, you'll only get an ounce or less, but for building up a little extra for most people that is plenty.