Breastfeeding:Exclusively Pumping

What do I need to pump exclusively?

Many women want to provide breastmilk to their baby but, for a variety of reasons, are unable to actually breastfeed. Although you may have planned on nursing your baby rather than pumping, you should be proud of yourself for providing your baby with the very best nutrition. Exclusively pumping breastmilk for your baby still provides all of the vitamins, minerals and immunities as it would if you were actually nursing your baby from the breast.

It is important to select a quality breast pump that will keep up with the daily demands of pumping. It is best to find a hospital-grade pump that will allow you to pump both breasts at once. The breast pump is going to be a critical piece of equipment that can ensure your baby gets all of the breastmilk they need to develop and grow properly.

If possible, begin pumping within the first six hours after delivery of your baby. If you do not have a quality breast pump, ask the hospital staff if they have any for rent or sale. Try to pump atleast 8-10 times in a day. Ideally you should be pumping every 2-3 hours, just as a newborn infant would nurse. You should not go any longer than 5 hours without pumping, especially in the early weeks. Before the actual milk comes in, aim to pump each breast for 10-15 minutes. Once the milk comes in, you should aim to pump for approximately 20-30 minutes per breast. You should be able to pump approximately 25-35 ounces of milk a day. The more often you pump, the more milk your body will make. However, the less often you pump, the less milk your body will make.

Common Problems:

Breast Tenderness & Engorgement: Pump more often to drain the breast completely. Full breasts can become sore, engorged and even infected if not cared for properly.
Slow Milk Production: Decrease the amount of time between pumping sessions. If you are pumping every 4 hours, begin pumping every 3. If you are pumping every 3 hours, try to pump every 2 hours to increase milk production. Make sure that you are using a quality pump that can handle the demands of daily pumping.
Too Much Milk: Increase the amount of time in between pumping sessions or decrease the amount of time spent pumping at each session. Having too much milk is better than not having enough, Excess milk can be stored, or frozen, for later use.

A Fussy Baby: Because what you eat and drink is passed through the breastmilk, pay close attention to your diet. Avoid spicy and greasy foods that can cause your baby to have gas. You may notice other foods that cause your baby to be fussy. Eliminate these foods from your diet so they are not passed through the milk.

Comments: Breastfeeding - Exclusively-Pumping

Comments 76 to 98 of about 98.
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Heather12 - 297 days ago.
Kaddy I use the Medela In Style and I love it. I have no complaints.

Bri - 300 days ago.
babyofdeployment08 - I have one but I don't like it. It was more work to get it on then it was worth. Also, to get a good letdown I need them at a certain angle and the bra didn't do that. I think it was a waste but I'm sure there are women that like them

babyofdeployment08 - 300 days ago.
Do any of you ladies use a pumping bra that holds the bottles in place? My wrists hurt from holding them and didn't know if the bras really worked.

kaddy - 301 days ago.
Any pumps better than others if you are exclusively pumping? Any ones that you recommend staying away from?

Heather12 - 302 days ago.
Kaya, I would get up during the night until your milk is well established. I think I pumped every 3 hours until Aliyah was around 12 weeks old. I started exclusively pumping when she was 5 weeks old. Once you have a good milk supply then you can skip on the night pumping. Good luck with pumping. At first it is so hard at least it was for me. But now its part of my routine and so worth all the hardship I went through in the beginning.

bjh - 302 days ago.
kaya.. from my last babies I pumped since I too had issues latching on...but your body will get used to you pumping at certain times.. so if you pump before bed and then once you get up that will be ok.. you will probably wake up sore and ready to pump but as long as you get enough during the day for your baby.. you'll be fine. :) good luck

kaya - 307 days ago.
hi everyone. I'm a new mom. My baby is 10 days old now and about a week ago, i decided to exclusively pump. My LO had such a hard time latching on. She was so frustrated, she was screaming at the top of her lungs for an hour before she would exhaust her self to sleep. She also lost about 11% of her birth weight due to latching problems. now i exclusively pump. I had no idea we were supposed to pump every 2-3 hours. Does that mean that you all get up in the middle of the night to pump? I'm an insomniac and once I wake up in the middle of the night I can't fall back a sleep. usually my husband gets up to feed the baby at night so that I don't have to get up... Would it hurt my milk supply if I pump every 3 hours during the day but skip the night pumping?

angelaoxy - 313 days ago.
Starby- I recently flew from San Jose to Columbus Ohio and encountered the same problem. I actually brought my pump with batteries as a carry on but realized that there was just not enough room to pump on the plane, so I waited until I got to my final destination. Because I waited so long my supply was down for a few days but It built back up. On the return trip I had a long layover and it was later at night so I was able to find a quiet corner and pump. (with a nursing cover) Not the most ideal situation but I guess exclusively pumping isn't either. I think taking a manual pump would be a good idea. I don't have one or I would have. I took a cooler bag with breast milk bottles and several ready to feed formula bottles. plus the pump and the baby and all his gear it was a lot to carry. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

august20 - 314 days ago.
HaleyD I wish I had read this page earlier. I had twin boys in June and they spent 75 days in the NICU (3 months premature). Even after they were discharged they had to be on fortified breastmilk. So I put each babe to the breast before feeding and then pumped. By doing skin-to skin (knagaroo) while the boys were in the hospital helped my production, and being with them ALL the time, I never left their bedsite. After lots of struggles and frustration I am exclusively bf one twin and about 1/2 the feeds for the other... I still pump to produce milk for his brother when he does get a bottle, but my pumped milk supply is low because the exclusive bf babe is getting it all! I don't know how to increase my production more then I already am. Pumping every 3-4 hours and atleast one babe is feeding every 2 hours.

starby - 314 days ago.
Have any exclusive pumpers out there had to travel on a long flight? I'm not quite sure how to pump on the plane :( I'm really worried about jeopordizing my milk supply as I'm already struggling a little to produce enough...I suppose I'll have to bring my manual pump and pump at all layovers but I'm starting to really stress out about the 9 or 10 hours of travel before I can get to a place where I can get in a good pumping session. It gets so frustrating too trying to explain my situation to people because they just say 'why dont you just breastfeed then, if she's hungry enough she'll figure it out' ugh, if I hear that one more time....I might go crazy! I guess its really really hard for people to understand that my daughter NEVER figured out how to latch...we would just both sit there crying for hours and it just wasnt healthy for either of us. Its not like I always imagined myself hooking up to a pump every four or so hours for the first year of my childs life...not my idea of fun and bonding thats for sure. Anyhoo, sorry for the rant, if any of you have any advice or suggestions for traveling as an e-pumper, I would soooooo love to hear it :) Thanks.

mylittleman - 332 days ago.
Starby, this happened to me too! I exclusively pumped from the time my son was 5 wks old due to reflux. It does just wear you out! When he hit 8 months, I had stretched my sessions to every 5 hours and my supply dropped less than half. I too always had wayyyyyyy too much so this was a real surprise. Then I got my period back and bam got pregnant again as well! Ha! So you sound just like me....need to pump every 4 hrs. to keep it up the supply which is def. a drag!

starby - 332 days ago.
I have been pumping for almost 8 months and always had plenty of milk, even oversupply at times but now suddenly my supply is way down :( I've tried the mothers milk tea, the oats and would love to get more sleep but I think 6 hours is the most I can squeeze in right now...other than fenugreek any other suggestions? I suppose I could increase my pumping sessions back to every 3-4 hours...though between working and having a much more active baby that seems near impossible! Maybe I just need some encouraging words, hee hee, exclusively pumping can be a real drag huh?!

ajen - 339 days ago.
hey all- i am pregnant with my second, but i have just finished exclusively pumping for my little one for 9 months. i am a pro. if you have any questions feel free to ask i would be happy to help :)

newmomtobe85 - 350 days ago.
ok i need some advice, i cant get enough milk out of my right breast, i let my baby feed from it for like 1hr+ to try and stimulate it but she just keeps coming off crying,so i started pumping it and got out 1/2 ounce in more than an hour. i know the milk is there because it comes out when i squeeze it, but nothing comes out when i pump or when she suckles, i have tried everything, massage, hot flannels, skin to skin, i cant take fenugreek because im allergic to nuts and they say its from the peanut family, i cant produce enough from one breast to keep up with her so have had to start supplementing with formula, any advice would be GREATLY appreciated, im worried my milk is drying up on the right side

blooming-angie - 350 days ago.
hi everyone just thought i would let you all know my experience. I have a 9 day old and exclusively breastfeed by bottle. I started on the breast which was slow going to get him latched on but once he did he was fine. Then my hubby really wanted to feed him so i started expressing a couple per day so he could feed him (especially in the night!)... then my boy got fussy and prefered the bottle teat as it was easier for himto suckle on and got more food quicker! so now he just has expressed milk which suits us fine! its time consuming and makes each feed a long process for me but totally worth it - especially watching him have his daddy time and knowing he is still getting breast milk. I seem to be a dairy cow too...i can express 8oz on a morning for two feeds and up to 5 oz every other express through the day! so im sitting here with 5 made bottles in the fridge, some in the freezer and i will still express every 3 hours when he feeds...the weight is dropping off! so i believe if it is right for you - exclusively pumping is not as bad as some people make me feel! xxx

turtlemom - 351 days ago.
haleyd, keep it up. by the time you read this, i imagine you'll supply has increased.

HaleyD - 353 days ago.
I need help!!! I am pumping because my baby is in the NICU. She is 5 days old and each time I pump I am only getting about 10ml out between the two breasts!!!!! Help! Any tips or advice???? I am pumping every 2 hours for about 30-45min. Why can't I get anymore??? Is this normal?

soulmama - 354 days ago.
Okay, so I finished the last leg of my qualification process to become a breast milk donor today. A lab technician actually came to my job to draw the blood. Now I just have to wait a couple of weeks to get the okay to ship the milk off. I know a lot of mothers have problems keeping up a supply for their own babies, but if you have an oversupply and your baby isn't drinking it, please consider signing up to become a donor. I'll be the first to admit that it is not an easy process. You have to have both your doctor and the pediatrician sign off as well as have blood drawn and do a DNA donor sample, but to me it's worth it. I'm giving mine to the International Breast Milk Project. 75% goes to preemies here in the States and 25% goes to children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. If anybody has a lot of stored milk and is thinking about throwing it away, please consider volunteering. They need all the help and support they can get.

mrsdenney - 375 days ago.
veesalazar- i had an emergency c section they allowed me to pump a few hours after my surgery. my husband would get the pumping supplies and bring them to my bed for me. it worked out pretty well. but i do have a question for everyone else. i am concerned about my milk supply. i have to pump because my son is in the NICU. yesterday i got about 2-3 ounces every 2 hours. today i am struggling to get an ounce every 2 hours. i am pumping for longer (20 minutes instead of 15) and it just doesnt seem to be working. is it possible that i am drying up or is it normal to have less milk every once and a while?

veesalazar - 375 days ago.
For those of you that are exclusively pumping and already have your children. How did you handle pumping at the hospital after a medicated birth? I am a planned Csection and I wanted to start pumping right away so my baby starts with breastmilk rather than formula at the hospital. Do I need to tell the nurses not to formula feed my baby while I am recovering or can I pump before I go in for my surgery?

starby - 375 days ago.
Heather, I dont think you have to tell the pediatrician if you dont want to for any reason but I suppose if it comes up you may want to mention it....I honestly dont think it really matters though and the fact that you are feeding her breastmilk is what is important anyway :)

angelaoxy - 376 days ago.
Hello everyone. I am new to this site I found this when I was searching for ways to increase milk supply. I have been pumping exclusively for 6 months now and am very glad to see that I am not alone :)

Heather12 - 385 days ago.
Ive been wondering something. Aliyah has her 4 month check up tomorrow. Do I need to tell the dr that I pump my breast milk and feed her with a bottle? Does it really matter? What do you think?