I Just Don't Get It (Pumping ?)

eg214 · May 2014

Okay so I just don't get it...I don't get when I'm supposed to pump. After she's done eating, I hardly get much of anything. I'm trying to pump for stash for when I get back to work or have a sitter, so giving her a bottle of frozen while I pump makes no sense. I don't want to jack up my supply either. I know I have an easier time of it in the morning and after a shower. Is it okay to do it when she hasn't eaten in like an hour and is napping/won't eat again for another hour or so? Thanks for the help gals!

RootBeer29 · May 2014

I was going back to work and had to make sure DD would take a bottle, so I started pumping in the morning and DH would give her a bottle. I would pump more than she would drink, so I would stash the difference.

meganengler · May 2014

To build a stash I pumped just before I went to bed, around two hours after DD went to bed.

Lena122 · May 2014

I built a good stash by pumping after her morning feed. She only eats from one side so the side she didn't eat from would produce 2-3 oz and the side she just ate from would usually produce an ounce or so.

BootsOrHearts · May 2014

Just pick one or two times a day as others said. You may only get 1-2 ounces each time and that's ok. You don't want to go crazy with the pumping if you're still nursing or your supply may go nuts! The morning is always better than the afternoon or evening, your supply of milk is highest first thing in the morning and wanes as the day goes on.

MrsBigTime · May 2014

I had a hard time figuring it out, too. Especially since LO ate both breasts every time. I also found about an hour or two after she went down worked best, even if she woke to eat an hour later. I totally agree, that an ounce or two adds up after a while. I just stored the little amounts in the fridge for a few days and combined them every few days when I had 3 or 4 ounces.

Juliebird8307 · May 2014

theresat858 said:
If you're trying to get a stash for going back to work, your best bet is to pick one time of day that works for you and be consistent about it. If you always pump after the morning feeding, for instance, do that - -at first, yes, you wont' get much milk. But if you pump at the same time each day for 15-20 minutes, your body will get the message to make more milk at that time - and you'll gradually get more (I'd expect an increase after 4 days or so of pumping).

What worked well for my stash was to pump one side while LO nursed the other during her first morning feed. I always got a better letdown that way than just pumping alone. I'd also pump any time that she got a bottle.

This is exactly what I do. I get 5oz every morning which goes straight to my stash.

eg214 · May 2014

@mrsbigtime - I've been majorly inconsistent with it because I hate pumping and since I'm a single mom, can't seem to find the time between being a mom and succeeding at school...anyway...

When I do pump, I do the same...fridge the ounces I do get, wait til both pumps get cold, combine, and freeze. That way I can get a bottle's worth in about two sessions on both sides. She too eats both sides so it's hard to do the pumping thing but I did one side nursing this morning and then she was content enough for me to pump on the non nursed side and then on the nursed. I am going to pump here again in a little bit as she went down about 30 minutes ago. We'll see how that goes!

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