How Often Should I Be Pumping?
Wondering how often should I be pumping?
Then let us help with this guide on how often should you pump breast milk!
Pumping is when you use a breast pump to remove milk from your breasts to feed your baby by bottle.
It seems simple, but pumping can be very time-consuming and tiring.
To avoid taking up lots of time and energy by pumping, it is essential that you pump at the right times.
This article will inform you of how typically you should be pumping so that you can make sure that your baby is receiving the correct amount of milk without you dedicating all of your time to pumping.
Find out everything that you need to know about how often should you pump milk below!
And if you love this guide on how often should I pump breast milk, then check out our guides manual vs electric breast pump, can you reuse breast milk storage bags, and how to power pump with Spectra S2.
How Often Should You Pump?
When you pump too regularly, it can become very painful, and it can result in exhaustion, so it is important to make sure that you are pumping the right amount.
When your baby is young, they will feed every 2 to 3 hours, so you should try to pump every 2 to 3 hours to make sure that they have a good milk supply.
Pumping every 2 to 3 hours means you should be pumping between 8 to 12 times a day, and pumping every 2 to 3 hours will help to stimulate your body to produce milk.
Not pumping regularly can make it more difficult for milk to be produced.
When your baby starts to get older, they won’t be feeding as often as 2 to 3 hours a day, so the feeds are more spread out.
You should always keep a good milk supply, but you might find that you do not have to pump as regularly as they won’t be feeding as typically.
If you’ve returned to work then you may want to check out this guide on how to pump at work for some helpful tips!
How Much Breast Milk Should You Pump?
When you begin to pump, you can pump as much as you can in a session to build up a milk stash and then store the milk correctly in the fridge or in a freezer.
The first time that you pump, you will only be able to remove a small amount of breast milk.
This milk is known as Colostrumis, and it is very concentrated, meaning that it contains all the right nutrients that your baby needs.
After a week since you have given birth, you should be able to produce between 2 and 3 ounces of breast milk every 2 to 3 hours.
This is an ounce an hour, but the amount will need to be increased depending on whether you have twins or triplets.
After a month, you will need to produce 3 to 4 ounces every 3 to four hours, and then 6 to 8 ounces every 4 to 6 hours when your baby is 6 months old.
You need to make sure that you are not overfeeding your baby as this can be easy to do when you are bottle feeding.
Make sure that you are giving your baby the right amount of breast milk, so they can get all the goodness that they need, and do not overfeed your baby.
How Long Should You Pump For Each Time?
When you are pumping, make sure that you are pumping for a minimum of 15 minutes on each breast.
You want to make sure that you are fully emptying your breasts of milk as this helps to stimulate more breast milk production.
Once you have pumped all the milk out of your breasts, continue to pump for an extra 5 minutes.
The extra 5 minutes of pumping lets your body know that you need to produce more milk.
Pumping for 15 to 20 minutes a few times during the day will help to produce more breast milk than not pumping regularly but for longer periods of time.
It is better to pump for shorter periods of time rather than longer periods of time as this will stimulate the production of milk in your breasts and make it easier for you to pump.
Final Thoughts on How Often Should You Pump
To conclude, pumping is a popular way to feed your baby breast milk if you do not want to breastfeed.
Regular pumping helps to stimulate the production of breast milk, so it is essential to pump for regular 15 to 20-minute sessions a day.
Your baby will start to feed every 2 to 3 hours, so it is important to keep a good milk supply when you are pumping.
As your baby begins to get older, they won’t be feeding as regularly, but it is still important to keep a good milk supply.
This means that regular pumping throughout the day will help to keep you producing milk and producing a good supply for your baby to feed.
And if you’re looking for more great guides, make sure to check out these guides on best freezer for breast milk, best mini fridge for breast milk, and best bottles for breastfed babies.
