When do you pump?

starsinnight · March 2016

Now that I've been exclusively pumping for 3 weeks, I have so many questions as I'm trying to hopefully make it easier...

Do you pump on schedule or when baby eats? I was doing every 3 hours but this requires extra wakings in the night so now I just pump when she eats.

Do you pump before or after baby eats?

How long do you pump? I did 10 minutes but read the fattiest milk is at the end so now I do 15 minutes.

what do you do if baby starts crying while pumping? My newest challenge! I stop and try again later but then I worry about engorgement if i wait too long.

do you clean the pump bottles after each use? I started refrigerating mine.

do you feed out of the pump bottles? I have Ameda and can't find nipples & lids that fit.

When will I use stored milk? Whenever I have surplus I freeze it but when will I need it unless I stop producing?

Can you reuse milk that's been warmed up and is leftover?

can you reuse bottles if refrigerated?

do you need to sanitize bottles if cleaned in the dishwasher?

I thought this could be a Q&A thread where we could help/support each other since pumping is a pain. I obviously have so many questions as a FTM!

VitaLuna · March 2016

I didn't EP, but I did pump at work until DD was 14mos.

-I always pumped every 3hrs, even when she was spreading feeds out more.

-I pumped 15-20 minutes. You want to pump until the flow stops, and I'd always pump for 5 min after to stimulate supply and hopefully get a second letdown.

-I refrigerated pump parts between pumps, then washed every night.

-I didn't use the pump bottles to feed. I used Dr Brown's. I would portion it into bags, since it was easier to heat that way for the caregiver, then they'd pour it into the bottle.

-if your supply drops, you'll use your freezer stash (or you can use it up after you stop pumping). If you don't use it after all, you can donate to someone.

-my mom would reuse the milk within 2-3hrs. Otherwise, it needs to be tossed. Baby's mouth bacteria will contaminate it.

-I'm not sure if you mean can you pump into bottles that already have refrigerated milk in them? If so, the answer is no. You shouldn't combine warm and cold milk. If you mean reusing an empty/drank bottle for the next feed, you shouldn't do that either (again, mouth bacteria). My mom occasionally would rinse with really hot water, then put it back in the fridge for next time, which I think was fine.

-I only sanitized bottles and pump parts maybe once a week. Otherwise, it was just hot soapy water. I don't think you'd need to sterilize if using the dishwasher.

starsinnight · March 2016

This is awesome. Thank you!

ambdtb · March 2016

I have also been exclusively pumping for about 3 weeks. I have been pumping every 2-3 hours except for at night. Usually I will do a midnight pump and then and early morning 4, 5 or 6am whenever DS wakes up around that time. Ideally I should be pumping at the time he eats but it's not always working out that way. My husband is home with me and so I have extra hands for feedings. I have gone 7 hours at the longest bc DS shockingly slept longer than expected one night. It doesn't feel good but it wasn't the end of the world.
After each pump I put all of the parts into a plastic zip lock bag and store it in the refrigerator until the next pump session. I wash it all in hot soapy water after my last session of the day and let it air dry overnight. I use the pump bottles for feeding. I have Medela and use the slow flow nipples. I store an empty extra bottle in the refrigerator if I used it for pumping and poured the milk into another bottle. There is a limit to how long you store breast milk in the refrigerator - I think 24-48 hours? I can't remember. We don't warm up the milk. DS drinks it cold. I don't know if you can reuse it it's been warned. Rule of thumb however, if your baby starts on a bottle and doesn't finish it you should throw that extra milk out. If you reuse it there could be bacteria on it and it's not safe. We have sanitized all new bottles once and wash with hot soapy water or dishwasher thereafter. No need to sanitize again. As for freezing...we haven't gotten that far yet. I wish I had surplus milk!!!
hope this helps!!

dragonfly321 · March 2016

Fresh pumped Breast milk can stay in the fridge up to a week. We hve a rotating stash, usually about 10-12 of the medela tube bottles of 2.5 oz each. I have 4 sets of pump parts so I rotate those through the day and reuse the one set for my over night pump.
Some pumps are 15 minutes, sometimes 30. Whatever my little mess will stay asleep for

I pay attention to how much is coming out to gauge my pump time length.

ambdtb · March 2016

I forgot to mention I pump 15 mins minimum but mix in going longer if the milk is flowing or just to stimulate longer. Also you can do power pumps which is like cluster feeding.... Pump every hour for a few hours.

starsinnight · March 2016

Thanks again for the input. My LO has been having bad gas and I'm worried it's a sanitation issue. I've got tons of tips now to put to good use!!

VitaLuna · March 2016

starsinnight said:

Thanks again for the input. My LO has been having bad gas and I'm worried it's a sanitation issue. I've got tons of tips now to put to good use!!

The gas could be from the bottles you're using, something you're eating, etc. I wouldn't think it's a sanitation issue.

I will also add that if I had had a better supply, I would've had my mom dump all unfinished milk, but if it was more than a couple ounces, I had her save it because I was barely making enough milk day to day and had no extra in the freezer.

meg+on+the+DL · March 2016

@VitaLuna You said you can't combine milk from the fridge and warm milk. I read that you can add them once they are both refrigerated to the same temp. I pump off leftovers and only get like 1-2ozs. I added those together so I can have a full feeding amount.

ashton2190 · March 2016

I pump after the baby eats. She typically only eats from one side so I just pump the other. Then I give her the pumped side the next time and pump the other. I just pump until no more milk comes out. I will also pump if she's taking a really long nap and I'm starting to feel really full.

I I have a stockpile started for when she goes to daycare at 3 months. Otherwise it's nice to have it if you get sick and are taking something that would be bad to pass through breastmilk. Or if we go on a trip.

I refrigerate my pump parts in between times during the same day and then dishwash them on the top rack every day. I don't sanitize them on top of it. I pump into bags when I'm at home but I'll pump into bottles when I'm at work. We use different bottles so we pour it into the bottles we use.

If baby doesn't finish the bottle, we'll keep it for 1 hour but then we toss it because of the bacteria that starts to grow, even in the fridge

egraves4 · March 2016

A pp was talking about power pumping. I haven't tried this but may give this a try to help boost my supply to get through nighttime feedings.

Also you asked about the whole foremilk/hind milk thing and someone in a Facebook group posted this article and I thought it was interesting!

https://balancedbreastfeeding.com/the-good-milk-foremilkhindmilk/

VitaLuna · March 2016

meg+on+the+DL said:

@VitaLuna You said you can't combine milk from the fridge and warm milk. I read that you can add them once they are both refrigerated to the same temp. I pump off leftovers and only get like 1-2ozs. I added those together so I can have a full feeding amount.

Yes, you can always combine cooled milk. I always combined everything at the end of the day into a larger bottle, lightly inverted it to distribute the fat, then portioned into bags.

MississippiCatfish · March 2016

egraves4 said:

Also you asked about the whole foremilk/hind milk thing and someone in a Facebook group posted this article and I thought it was interesting!

https://balancedbreastfeeding.com/the-good-milk-foremilkhindmilk/

**STUCK IN QUOTE**

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this. It's how I always knew it to be true, but I've never seen it in writing.

kira91499 · March 2016

starsinnight said:

Now that I've been exclusively pumping for 3 weeks, I have so many questions as I'm trying to hopefully make it easier...

Do you pump on schedule or when baby eats? I was doing every 3 hours but this requires extra wakings in the night so now I just pump when she eats.

Do you pump before or after baby eats?

How long do you pump? I did 10 minutes but read the fattiest milk is at the end so now I do 15 minutes.

what do you do if baby starts crying while pumping? My newest challenge! I stop and try again later but then I worry about engorgement if i wait too long.

do you clean the pump bottles after each use? I started refrigerating mine.

do you feed out of the pump bottles? I have Ameda and can't find nipples & lids that fit.

When will I use stored milk? Whenever I have surplus I freeze it but when will I need it unless I stop producing?

Can you reuse milk that's been warmed up and is leftover?

can you reuse bottles if refrigerated?

do you need to sanitize bottles if cleaned in the dishwasher?

I thought this could be a Q&A thread where we could help/support each other since pumping is a pain. I obviously have so many questions as a FTM!

I don't exclusively pump but have an Ameda breast pump too. They have storage bags that you can pump into directly with an adapter. Not sure if you have them. I received a huge stash with the adapter from my insurance and can order replacements every 90 days. Will save you from extra washing of parts! I breastfed my two older boys and always used the bags to store. They're great!

willkc · March 2016

When you say you guys store parts in the fridge in between pumps- do you have to wash them with soap and water first or just rinse them or what??

ashton2190 · March 2016

willkc said:

When you say you guys store parts in the fridge in between pumps- do you have to wash them with soap and water first or just rinse them or what??

I just rinse and put them in a ziploc bag. If you refrigerate them you don't have to wash each time. Just make sure they're dry

egraves4 · March 2016

ashton2190 said:

willkc said:

When you say you guys store parts in the fridge in between pumps- do you have to wash them with soap and water first or just rinse them or what??

I just rinse and put them in a ziploc bag. If you refrigerate them you don't have to wash each time. Just make sure they're dry

I don't EP but I pump the additional with my morning feeds and would have never thought to do this - awesome.

VitaLuna · March 2016

ashton2190 said:

willkc said:

When you say you guys store parts in the fridge in between pumps- do you have to wash them with soap and water first or just rinse them or what??

I just rinse and put them in a ziploc bag. If you refrigerate them you don't have to wash each time. Just make sure they're dry

EDIT: Since I found an article. I heard from several places not to rinse, just out straight in the fridge, which is what I did. I didn't trust the water at our work not to contaminate things. Worked great just to put them in a bag in the fridge and skip the extra step!

OP: while I was looking around for rinsing info, I found this article that I think you'll find helpful. I love Kelly Mom.. One of the top breastfeeding resources. https://kellymom.com/mother2mother/exclusive-pumping/

ashton2190 · March 2016

VitaLuna said:

ashton2190 said:

willkc said:

When you say you guys store parts in the fridge in between pumps- do you have to wash them with soap and water first or just rinse them or what??

I just rinse and put them in a ziploc bag. If you refrigerate them you don't have to wash each time. Just make sure they're dry

EDIT: Since I found an article. I heard from several places not to rinse, just out straight in the fridge, which is what I did. I didn't trust the water at our work not to contaminate things. Worked great just to put them in a bag in the fridge and skip the extra step!

OP: while I was looking around for rinsing info, I found this article that I think you'll find helpful. I love Kelly Mom.. One of the top breastfeeding resources. https://kellymom.com/mother2mother/exclusive-pumping/

Ironically I never actually rinse because I'm usually running back to make my LO stop crying lol good to know that's actually the correct thing

Fullerj21 · March 2016

I exclusively pumped with my first and I did it every three hours for 20 minutes. This was the schedule until I went back to work at 4 mos. I then dropped down to about 5 pump sessions per day. If DD was awake I would put her in the Boppy in front of me and either feed or play with her.

Rodkey2007 · March 2016

I've found pumping first and then feeding works really well. Since the pump can only get so much out and she is way more efficient at getting the rest out, I can go longer between pumping. I usually pump for 10-15 minutes and get 3 to 5 ounces total (between the two sides-double pump allows for a quick job) then I let her feed from one side until she fusses (and I'm empty) then switch sides. Every once in a great while I will need to "top her off" with a little bit from a bottle. Doing it this way, I don't ever get engorged and I've built up and maintained a stash of about 30-40 ounces. (Granted, she's a month old now)

willkc · March 2016

For those of you that pump and supplement with formula- how much formula do you give your LO? With my breast milk I've just fed him till he's content (usually 4-5 oz), but that seems like too much formula. He's three weeks old tomorrow.

paytonpedro · March 2016

@willkc I pump and supplement with formula. My supply has been dwindling and everyday I pump less and less. So sad. Anyways, when I feed my LO a just formula bottle (sometimes I mix breast milk and formula) I usually give him 3-4oz. He will be 4 weeks on Tuesday and a month on Wednesday. When I mix breastmilk and formula I use 2oz of each. He's basically eating about 4oz at every feeding now. His pedi told me that as long as he's not spitting up and not still fussing because he's hungry after eating that he's getting the right amount. I don't force him to finish a bottle and I burp him and give him a break between ounces.

willkc · March 2016

paytonpedro said:

@willkc I pump and supplement with formula. My supply has been dwindling and everyday I pump less and less. So sad. Anyways, when I feed my LO a just formula bottle (sometimes I mix breast milk and formula) I usually give him 3-4oz. He will be 4 weeks on Tuesday and a month on Wednesday. When I mix breastmilk and formula I use 2oz of each. He's basically eating about 4oz at every feeding now. His pedi told me that as long as he's not spitting up and not still fussing because he's hungry after eating that he's getting the right amount. I don't force him to finish a bottle and I burp him and give him a break between ounces.

Thank you! I've felt like he drinks so much breast milk, but if he comes off the bottle still screaming, I can't just let the poor baby starve. It's harder and harder for me to pump what he needs each day. We've avoided formula so far, but I know I will have to start supplementing soon as my supply dwindles.

ambdtb · March 2016

Hi ladies, my LO is almost 7 weeks and I'm pumping and supplementing with formula. He gets about 50/50 breast milk formula- some days more beast milk all depending on my supply. Today he ate 39 oz total! How much are your LO's eating? It seems so crazy how much he is eating. He is not spitting up at all.

srecupido · March 2016

The 'rule' I've heard from our LC is 2.5times their weight in oz. based on weighed feedings my LO is taking about 25 oz per day which is in line since he is just under 10 oz. I wouldn't stress about it to much thou if your LO is hungry- feed them

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