How to Start Pumping Before Work

Wait until around 7-8 weeks if you can to start pumping as baby is getting your supply to meet his demands at this point.

Your breasts are adjusting to breastfeeding so that's why you don't feel as full as you did in those first days and again, your supply is getting regulated. The good news in that baby takes about the same amount of milk per day from around age 1 month to age 6 months. Around 6 months baby will hit a pretty good growth spurt and will nurse like crazy to up your supply. Of course there are other growth spurts along the way too but 6 months is usually a biggie. Please don't think you don't have enough milk! If you follow baby's lead and put him to breast when he tells you that what he needs you will do just fine!

Please know that what you pump and what baby gets can be 2 very different things. Baby is far more efficient at the breast than the pump.

It is ideal to thaw the breastmilk in the fridge and then gently warm in a cup of warm water prior to feeding baby.

Because breastmilk is rich in antibodies you can use the leftover milk for the next feeding but no longer than that. You can not do that with formula as it has no antibodies whatsoever.

Check out kellymom.com There is a calculator on there somewhere that will help you estimate the amount of pumped milk baby will need while you are away from him.

If you begin pumping now and start saving up for going back to work, you will not only have a safe supply of expressed milk, but you'll also bump up your milk supply. If you're going back to work at 12 weeks, now would probably be a good time to start pumping, getting used to the pump and practicing bottles with your baby. Once the milk is thawed from the freezer you cannot re-freeze or refrigerate it. It will stay good for 24 hours. You can thaw it in the fridge, put it in warm water or use a bottle warmer.

The best way to get your volume up is demand.

When I returned to work with both kids, I had a pretty consistent routine:

1. Wake-up and pump
2. Nurse if possible
3. Pump around 10 am
4. Pump after lunch
5. Pump ~4-5pm
6. Nurse in evening
7. Pump ~10:30-11pm

At my peak (~6-8 months), I was pumping 24 oz during the day and ~18-24 oz at between morning and evening sessions.

Having your child nurse to stimulate your production really is key, though.

I started at ~6 weeks with my son, and I really wished I'd done it earlier. So, I started pumping at week 1 with my daughter. As much as I hated it, I had to throw away several weeks worth of milk once we transitioned my son to whole milk at a year. Had it not been in the freezer for months, I would have donated.

Luckily I was a producer even when it didn't feel like I was full.

Best wishes to you as you transition back to work.

what you should do is go to www.llli.org and find a nearby la leche league. remember to search all towns nearby. if nothing else, email your concerns to a la leche league leader! they will have the best information out there, from real moms to real moms. its the best breastfeeding support that there is .

otherwise, try to nurse on demand whenever you are with your daughter. never give her a bottle if you are with her.

breastmilk is awesome stuff; it is constantly being made. your breasts are never empty, because the supply is constantly being replenished. i never felt like i was full either; but i always had milk.

pumping is hard, what you could do at first is just try pumping for 10 minutes during the day when baby is not hungry. always nurse baby first if baby is hungry. even if you dont get any milk out, you are stimulating the breast to make more milk. (just so you know, leaving your breasts to fill until you can feel it is counteractive; it tells your brain "oops we made too much milk this time" and it can reduce your supply.)

so nurse often - whenever baby needs it. add some pumping here and there during your day, and just do the best that you can. a recording of my son crying was the best thing to help me let down my milk
be careful with pumped milk to make sure you get the foremilk and the hindmilk. the hindmilk is the thicker, fattier milk and it is what helps baby put on weight, and keep everything normal. you should massage your breasts, from all the way up to your collarbone to clear under your arm just massage while pumping to help stimulate the hindmilk letdown. hindmilk imbalance can lead to runny slimy stool, green stool, gassiness, spitting up, and other things. so remember that and be careful of it (if you nurse her whenever you are with her, this will be great.)

dont worry about pumping at the same time even if you arent working. if baby isnt hungry, you can pump, but dont pump and give her a bottle to keep her in a "routine" or anything; just nurse nurse nurse when you are with her. the pump wont stimulate the breast the same way as her sucking, so its always better to have her sucking if shes with you. ;):)

anyway, i know theres great information out there about milk storage information. www.askdrsears.com might have some great info, and the la leche league will for sure have info.

anyway, get ahold of the la leche league. :)

Does your area have lactation consultants? We have them in the hospitals, my peditrician office has a dr that that is all she does, and we have a business that is devoted to nursing mothers.I would start pumping now. Everytime he eats during the day, pump and empty out. I started doing this right away with my baby (day 2 cuz she lost too much weight so i had to pump and feed). Around 3 months i was able to decrease to a morning, noon (my only break to pump that I had to have a medical release for!) and at night. For the last few months I only pump at work. because i was lucky enough to have a large back up supply and she's not a bottle fan. (only up to 3 oz feedings in the last month).
You'll be able to get a feel of how much you'll need to pump. Some people say they make up for it at night, in case your baby doesn't eat much during the day. I pump for 10 minutes, my sister always pumped for 15. I get about 5-6 oz total each pump session, I know someone who got 8 oz each side each pump session! Everyone varies so much!
Most daycares won't be able to give the bottle after an hour - however since I work at the daycare my baby is at, I am able to take it to use with cereal so it's not wasted. Some babies are particular to bottles/nipples so it may take some playing around.
The Lansinoh brand milk storage bags has a chart on it for how long milk is good in fridge, freezer...and how to store it and thaw it. Make sure your sons daycare knows absolutely NO MICROWAVE!
and yes drink lots of water!! with my older daughter, she was preemie and I didn't think I could have water glass in the NICU then my milk went WAY down...and the nurses stepped in and made sure I was getting plenty of water and REST!!
I know you're overwhelmed with all this info! Good luck!

Start pumping now! Make sure you have a good pump! Either rent or buy an Ameda Purely Yours, a Medela Pump In Style, or a Lansinoh double electric. The best time to pump is in the morning when your milk supply is the greatest. Either pump first thing in the morning if the baby is still asleep or wait for about an hour after the babies first morning feed. Store milk in small 1-3 ounce qunatities to decrease waste.
Storage guidelines:
fresh milk at room temp up to 10 hours
fridge 5-7 days
freezer above fridge 3 months
deep freeze 6 mos

Breast milk is like cows milk in that you can smell it and know if it's good.

Thaw frozen breastmilk in warm/hot water. DO NOT REFREEZE THAWED BREASTMILK!

Thawed breastmilk is good in the fridge for approx. 24 hours. Room temp about an hour.
Probably not a good idea to save used bottles for later due to increased chane of bacteria growth from transfered saliva. Better to make up smaller portions.

Hope this helps. I am not a lactation consultant, but I am a mother/baby nurse.