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EBF and Pumping Question

justkeeptryingjustkeeptrying member
in May 2015 Moms
FTM here so excuse my ignorance...

I've been EBF my DS who is 8.5 weeks. When he was 4 weeks old I pumped a few bottles to make sure he could take them, which he did no problem.

Since then my milk supply has been overabundant and as pumping is known to increase your supply, I have stopped pumping other than to express a bit off if I get too engorged.

Now I am wondering about pumping bottles for when a babysitter comes. I am fortunate to not have to go back to work for a year so I plan to continue EBF. But I would like the option of leaving DS with a babysitter and a bottle if needed. So I guess I have a few questions for anyone who's been in a similar situation:

How do I pump without introducing my milk supply again?

When is the best time to pump to not interfere with DS's intake?

Am I going to have to pump while out because I will become engorged if he's at home with a sitter and I miss a feed?

Is it worth it in the end? Or does it make more sense to just plan outings/date nights around his feeds? I know others who have done this but it seems very restricted.

Any suggestions from any new moms or STMs who have been through this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
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Re: EBF and Pumping Question

  • danibonellodanibonello member
    I can't EBF so I won't be a huge amount of help... just wanted to give my 2 cents. I would recommend that even if you try to plan around feeds, that you'll still want to pump and leave an "in case" bottle. I'm sure you already know that. Just throwing it out there. :)
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  • HOLLYSODENHOLLYSODEN member
    I also have an oversupply which is worse in the morning. I pump at about 9 am and get like 12-14 ounces to stash in the freezer. My husband takes a frozen bag of milk out of the freezer and gives him a bottle while I pump. It helps them bond and I'm building quite a stash this way for when I return to work and it hasn't made my oversupply worse.
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  • erin79erin79 member
    I would suggest pumping once in the morning, only off whatever side he doesn't eat off. I always get more milk in the morning, so you should get enough for one bottle. Do that a couple of times a week to build up a freezer supply. Since you're only doing one side, and not every day, it shouldn't mess with your supply.

    I'm back at work, so pretty much everything I pump during the day goes to daycare. If I want to have some extra to leave with DH while I go out, I just pump one side on Saturday or Sunday morning right after DD eats.
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  • kmb0324kmb0324 member
    Agree with PP. Pump in morning on whichever breast you do not feed on. I do this almost daily, or sometimes every other day. I have gotten a decent supply in my freezer. Typically you should have more milk in the morning and it shouldn't amp up your milk supply.
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  • justkeeptryingjustkeeptrying member
    Thanks ladies. @kmb0324 and @erin79 - how long do you pump for? A set amount of time? Until you get x amount of ounces? Or until the breast just feels soft? And can you mix frozen milk in a bottle from different pumping sessions if one session doesn't get enough?

    Thanks for your help. I feel so completely clueless about this stuff!! And I really don't want to screw up my supply because we struggled with breastfeeding so much at the beginning.
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  • saric83saric83 member
    chambersbaby2015 said:
    Thanks ladies. @kmb0324 and @erin79 - how long do you pump for? A set amount of time? Until you get x amount of ounces? Or until the breast just feels soft? And can you mix frozen milk in a bottle from different pumping sessions if one session doesn't get enough? Thanks for your help. I feel so completely clueless about this stuff!! And I really don't want to screw up my supply because we struggled with breastfeeding so much at the beginning.

    You're only supposed to do this if the fresh milk is already chilled, which is just one extra step that I would forget if it were me.  But you can keep it in the fridge for a week before freezing, so I just keep adding to the fridge pile until I have enough for a freezer storage bag.  Also, keep in mind that once you thaw it, it has to be used within 24-hours, so don't fill the bags up more than what DS would take from the bottle in a day, or you'll have to toss it. 
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  • erin79erin79 member
    During the day at work, I pump for about 13 or 14 minutes, which usually leaves me pretty dry. You can tell just by how fast or slow the drops are coming into the bottle you're pumping into. If I'm doing an extra pumping session on the weekend just to add to my stash, then I cut it off after 10 minutes just because I don't want to take the time.

    With my first, I had to pump closer to 16 or 18 minutes to feel empty, so it really just depends on how fast your milk comes out.

    And yes, you can mix milk, just make sure to go by the date of the oldest milk. And as the PP said, once it's thawed, you have to use it within 24 hours.
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  • prettypiggyprettypiggy member
    I have not been pumping much either and basically have all the same questions. 12 to 14 ounces sounds like a huge amount especially after a feeding if Im understanding correctly. When I have pumped I'm lucky to get 7 oz and I'm 6 weeks pp.
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  • saric83saric83 member
    prettypiggy said:
    I have not been pumping much either and basically have all the same questions. 12 to 14 ounces sounds like a huge amount especially after a feeding if Im understanding correctly. When I have pumped I'm lucky to get 7 oz and I'm 6 weeks pp.
    Everyone is different, and some people are just lucky to be milk-making machines! :)  I exclusively pump, and I usually get about 31 ounces per day with five to six pumping sessions so five or six ounces each time. 
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  • justkeeptryingjustkeeptrying member
    Thank you all so much for your help. One more question:

    So if I feed DS in the morning on say the right breast and then pump on the left as PP suggested. At my next feed should I feed him again on the right or switch to the left? I never feel like he fully empties my breast so if the pump does a thorough job should I go back to the right breast at the next feed?
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  • HOLLYSODENHOLLYSODEN member
    prettypiggy said:

    I have not been pumping much either and basically have all the same questions. 12 to 14 ounces sounds like a huge amount especially after a feeding if Im understanding correctly. When I have pumped I'm lucky to get 7 oz and I'm 6 weeks pp.

    I don't feed him then pump, my husband feeds him with already frozen milk while I pump instead of Breastfeed. Sorry I should have been clearer. After that, I get 12-14 oz. I agree with PP that some ppl are just natural milk makers.

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  • kateandsiahkateandsiah member
    I also easily get engorged. So what I find helpful is feeding DD, then pumping the other side just before we go out on a date. That way they are both empty when we are out and it takes care of one "feeding" while we are away. I should mention she gets enough from the one side and don't usually have to feed from both. We also leave some frozen milk so if the fresh stuff isn't enough they can tap into the stock. FTM here too, but that's what has worked for us.
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  • menta84menta84 member
    I also have over supply but I do pump every day, usually in the morning. I can get 10oz even after my son has eaten. Then I breastfeed the rest of the day and sometimes I pump again before bed so that I don't wake up leaking everywhere. We give our son bottles over night, he sleeps better and longer that way. I usually put the bottles of pumped milk in the fridge because since we use them every night I saw no reason to freeze it. Recently though I started to freeze whatever I pump in the morning because I just had too much milk in the fridge and it only lasts 3 to 5 days there. Whenever I run errands my husband just takes a bottle from our fridge stash, which I usually keep at about 20oz. I also have about 30 oz in the freezer I don't know what to do with lol
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  • erin79erin79 member
    prettypiggy said:

    I have not been pumping much either and basically have all the same questions. 12 to 14 ounces sounds like a huge amount especially after a feeding if Im understanding correctly. When I have pumped I'm lucky to get 7 oz and I'm 6 weeks pp.

    I get around 16 ounces total, pumping both sides twice a day. Everyone is different.
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  • erin79erin79 member
    chambersbaby2015 said:

    Thank you all so much for your help. One more question:

    So if I feed DS in the morning on say the right breast and then pump on the left as PP suggested. At my next feed should I feed him again on the right or switch to the left? I never feel like he fully empties my breast so if the pump does a thorough job should I go back to the right breast at the next feed?

    I feed DS off of whatever side wasn't used last, whether from nursing or pumping. So if I pumped off the right, then I feed her off the left. I basically just go back and forth all day.
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  • tvgirl102tvgirl102 member
    My daughter wakes up once in the middle of the night to eat and Im always engorged on both sides. So I pump the side she didn't eat off because it just has to emtpy after 6 or more hrs of not being used. So that's another way to get some. Then when we officially wake up for the day I pump the side she doesn't eat off of again so I'm empty when I go to work
    :)
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  • mandrews629mandrews629 member
    Wow you ladies are impressive! I EBF 7 times a day and my LO is typically satisfied, but when I pump I usually only get 4oz total
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  • prettypiggyprettypiggy member
    I agree .. 7 oz is the most I have gotten ever in one session but I don't generally pump. I thought this was pretty good but I'm not sure what is normal. would like to feed on one side and pump on the other in case I go out based on previous suggestions. Anyone feed and pump at the same time w luck?
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  • SarahBethDSSarahBethDS member
    edited July 2015
    I'm wondering the same thing! What side to feed on next if I pump one side and feed the other?
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  • marijaa333marijaa333 member
    @SarahBethDS If you emptied both, it doesn't matter... Unless you have a plugged duct or something, which the baby will be better at resolving!
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  • erin79erin79 member
    prettypiggy said:
    I agree .. 7 oz is the most I have gotten ever in one session but I don't generally pump. I thought this was pretty good but I'm not sure what is normal. would like to feed on one side and pump on the other in case I go out based on previous suggestions. Anyone feed and pump at the same time w luck?
    I tried this once, but the logistics of it were just too complicated.  I have to kind of lean forward to pump, which was awkward with DD on my lap, plus her body was kind of in the way of the bottle.  It was a big ole mess, so never again.  I just pump as soon as she's done eating and happy to lay on the floor next to me.
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