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Breastfeeding vs. Pumping Schedule?

astout2009astout2009 member
in Breastfeeding
Hi! I'm only about 16 weeks along, but I have a question about the pumping/breastfeeding cycle. I work 9.5 hours a day plus a 30 minute commute. That's a long time away from the little one, and a lot of milk to store. 

My question(s) is this: could I, almost from the beginning, pump on one breast and feed the baby on the other with every feeding? Would that be enough milk for the little one? Would that produce more milk than I'm going to need?

Does anyone have a recommended schedule for building up their milk supply?
~Katie~
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Re: Breastfeeding vs. Pumping Schedule?

  • maplebarmaplebar member
    About 4 weeks before I went back to work I pumped one side and nursed from the other every morning to have some milk saved. Doing that for every feeding would give you an over supply. I was gone from my LO for 11 hours at a time when I first went back to work and I was able to pump 3 times at work and usually keep up with the demand. I'm not sure if that answers your question.
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  • astout2009astout2009 member
    Ok, so it sounds like the simple answer is to feed on one side and pump on the other, but only in the mornings, and only after the baby and I have a rhythm going. Then introduce a bottle in one feeding per day around week 6 and pump during that time as well.

    So on a normal day, I'd pump twice, once on just one breast and once out of both breasts. Then, of course, on work days, I'd pump probably 3 times a day and nurse the rest of the time.

    How much freezer stash should I have?
    ~Katie~
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  • vvvvvfeevvvvvfee member
    i don't think you need to pump 2x a day while you're still at home on leave. once should be fine.

    what i did was pump one side as DS nursed from the other each morning, starting when he was about 6 weeks old. i don't think you need to offer a bottle a day- just once every few days should be fine. just have someone give your LO an ounce or so. you don't have to give them an entire feedings worth.

    you really only need to have enough frozen milk for your first day back at work- so about 12-15 ounces. so just aim for that as minimum. if you can get 2 days worth, great. when you are pumping but not missing any feedings, you will likely only get about an ounce or so per session. so it will take you a little while to build up that amount. 

    and yes, at work, to start out you would generally pump (both sides) three times a day, for about 15-20 minutes per session.
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  • astout2009astout2009 member
    Thanks for the feedback, I feel much more comfortable now!
    ~Katie~
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