Breast Pumping: When, How And Why

Posted by Brenda Kosciuk on January 27th, 2019

If you are a new mom who will soon be returning to work, but you REALLY want to continue breastfeeding, rest assured that it's absolutely possible.

First, let't talk about when you should start pumping after the birth of your baby. 

Are you thinking that you need to have 36,488 ounces of milk stock-piled in your freezer? Because what if you are separated from your baby for an extended period of time and baby needs 50,000 ounces?! 

This is of course an extreme example, but I'm telling you, the new mom brain thinks weird, off-the-wall things sometimes. Oh right, you probably already know that. 

While you're probably desperate to start pumping because you need a huge stash in the freezer because the unlikely catastrophe is bound to happen, it's best to wait until your baby is about 4 weeks old. 

It's best for you AND for your baby. 

Doing otherwise could result in crazy things happening. Your milk production could go into overdrive (which is NOT a good thing). Your baby could start to prefer the bottle, or become confused between breast and bottle (also not a good thing). 

You also want to make sure that you don't wait longer than 4 weeks, because then you might deal with the opposite problem.

A baby who refuses to drink from a bottle. Oh, yes. I can tell you from experience that a baby who refuses to drink from the bottle is anxiety-inducing. 

Not because you'll be afraid that your baby isn't getting enough milk. Oh, no. She will make sure that she gets plenty of breast milk. As soon as your get home from work. And all evening. And ALL. NIGHT. LONG.

It's a real thing called reverse cycling. Couple it with a recent return to work and you'll wish for the first days and weeks of newbornhood back because this will be a whole new level of tired. 

Okay so know that you know when to pump, let's talk about how often you should be pumping. Every mom's situation is different. Therefore every mom's breastfeeding and pumping schedule is going to look different too. 

Before going back to work, you don't really need to overdue it and have hundreds or even thousands of ounces stashed. Simply pumping once per day is likely sufficient enough to make sure that you have a small amount of frozen breast milk ready to go in case you need it. 

Just make sure to pump at the same time everyday. That's pretty important. 

Once you go back to work, you'll want to aim to pump as often as your baby nurses. Of course, after a week or two you can see how that's working and adjust your schedule as necessary. 

Just remember that just because you have to return to work doesn't mean that your breastfeeding relationship has to end! I did it successfully for a year with both of my children, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

Pumping isn't fun, but it's totally worth it. Good luck!