Another pumping at work question

tarheelgirl8

Do you pump until you're empty? Or do you stop once you have enough ounces for that session? I've been pumping until empty but it's very tempting to stop once I get enough ounces, because I have other things to do. I definitely don't want to lose my supply though

princesslockness

I typically pump until almost empty, or about 30 min. Right now, I'm trying to increase just a bit because LO is due for a growth spurt, so I'm pumping longer.

KateDerek

This may be a completely idiotic question but since I have limited pumping experience and only do it 5 times a week or so, how do you know if you're empty? I only pump about ten minutes and I'm wondering if that's not long enough. But I seem to stop getting much. Maybe I should hold on for longer. I do it about as long as she feeds. ??? I will be going back to work in a little over a week.

tarheelgirl8

@KateDerek I can usually watch and see that the milk has stopped flowing. It will usually slow way down once about 10 min in, and then I'll get a second let down. In the morning it takes about 30 min for me to empty completely, all other sessions about 20. I'm sure each woman is different on that though

KateDerek

Especially when I'm back at work I'll probably want to see if I can always get that second let down. I guess I just gotta be patient!