Breastfeeding- Breast milk pumping guidelines
Key points below
Breast milk pumping guidelines
Day 1 to 4
Colostrum Phase
- Start pumping within 1hour after delivery. If unable, pump as soon as you can.
- Use a hospital grade double electric breast pump.
- Health insurance often covers the cost of a breast pump.
- Ask your nurse or the Lactation Consultant for help to get a breast pump.
How often
- Pump every 3 hours from the start of the last pumping.
- Pump day and night. This would be 8 times in 24 hours.
- You may need to use an alarm clock to wake up at night to pump.
- Keep a record of the amount pumped and put on the schedule. You can use a pumping phone App.
- Drink 6 to 8 ounces of fluids, at each pumping. Water is best.
How long
- Use the INITIATE pump program for the 1st day of pumping to stimulate milk production.
- Use the MAINTAIN pump program after the 1st day of pumping to empty better.
- Start to pump on the lowest suction setting. Turn up the suction as high as is comfortable for you. Turn the suction down if it hurts.
- If you have nipple pain, the pump flanges may be too small.
- Ask the Lactation Consultant to fit you with larger flanges.
Tips
- At first, some mothers pump nothing or only a few drips. Others may pump much more.
- For the first 3-4 days, hand express more colostrum on to a spoon or into a medicine cup after you use pump.
- After that, hand express while you pump to empty more completely.
- Hand expression: Form a “C” shape with your hand. Place your fingers under your breast and your thumb on top about 1 inch back from the areola. Compress, Relax & Repeat 10 times. Switch back and forth on each breast. Collect milk onto a spoon, small cup or breast pump cup.
- You can make or buy a pump bra to hold the parts on. Ask your Lactation Consultant for information.
Storage
- Swab drips of colostrum with a sponge tip applicator for mouth cares. Ask your Lactation Consultant or nurse for more information.
- Small amounts of colostrum can be drawn up into a small syringe from the spoon or cup.
- Pump & store into the small (1 ounce) containers until they are half full.
- Do not put breast milk from different pumpings together while your baby is in the hospital.
- Always pump into a container that is larger than you can fill.
Day 4 to14 and Beyond
- Transitional Milk to Mature Milk
- Breast milk usually comes in on day 4 - 6. Or slower if mom is ill, had a C-section or took some medicines.
How often and How long
- Pump every 3 hours, day and night.
- Pump for 2 minutes past the last drop from the yellow valves. Once milk comes in this can be 20 to 30 minutes.
Storage
- Leave extra room in containers when freezing.
- Use the containers from the hospital, not use storage bags.
- Use the containers once.
After 2 weeks
Mature Milk
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Goals for Pumping
- If you plan to breastfeed or feed all breast milk, you should have a minimum amount by week 2.
- Your goal is to pump a minimum of 2 ½ to 3 ounces each pumping (75-90mls) or 20 to 25 ounces per day (600-750 mLs).
How often
How often you pump is based on your supply.
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If you are at goal:
- Keep pumping every 3 hours.
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If you are below goal:
- Increase pumping to every 2 hours during the day.
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If you are more than goal:
- Talk to the Lactation Consultant to set a schedule. Some moms may need to pump less often.
- Do not skip night time pumps unless you have a good supply or you need rest.
Storage
- Pump into bigger bottles and pour milk into storage containers.
- If your baby is taking fresh milk, store 96 hours’ worth of feedings in the refrigerator.
- If your baby isn’t feeding all your fresh milk, freeze it within 24 hours from when it was pumped.
If using frozen milk, thaw only the amount to be fed within 24 hours.
Tips
- Massage and hand expression with pumping helps empty more milk. You will make more milk. It can also speed up the pump session.
- Hand express into the pump cup or a bottle after you stop pumping to get even more milk.
- Use the Pumping Record to keep track of times and amounts. This will help you see if your milk supply is going up or down. Your milk supply may go down with missed pumpings. Pumping more often should increase your supply.
- Do not skip pumping. Pump early if you will be unable to pump at the planned time.
- If you have to, pump earlier than 3 hours instead of skipping or waiting too long.
- A written schedule may help keep pumping on time.
- If your baby isn’t taking all of your milk do not decrease pumping frequency. It is often hard to increase your supply again after cutting back. You will want to keep up your supply as your baby grows and is eating more.
Talk to your Lactation Consultant if you have questions about:
- Storage of breastmilk.
- You have a low supply of milk.
- Each mom produces a different amount.
- Any breast milk is good for your baby!
- Some mothers take longer to get to the goal amount of milk.
- Talk with the Lactation Consultant if you have a low supply.
Other helpful information
Ask for these teaching sheets
- #1402 Breast milk: Bringing it to and from the hospital
- #1401 Storage and preparation of breastmilk