breastfeeding/pumping

Hello Ladies,
Does anyone have a good rule of thumb on when a good time to pump would be? Before I feed, after,?? An ounce here & there?? One breast now? I just don't want to do something to make my milk run out or not have any when the baby is hungry because I have just pumped. I don't know how long it takes to replenish or anything??
I have only pumped 3 times but would like to get a small supply going for emergency and when daycare start.
Many thanks

[mum2beagain]

I would say to pump in the morning, say 1/2 an hour after the first feed as your supply should be quite good at that time and maybe once or twice during the day, again about 1/2 an hour after feeding if you feel up to it, you will probably find as the day goes on you will not be able to get as much. Don't be worried if you only get an ounce or two at first, your body will need to adjust to producing that extra milk for you and the pump will be different to the baby suckling. I think the most important thing, wheter you pump once a day or three times a day is to be consistent so your milk suppy is sufficient to get a few ounces of milk at each pumping session, it will confuse your body if you pump somedays and not others. Best of luck.

[nalla]

When my son was born he had to stay in the hospital for 4 weeks. That first 2 weeks I couldn't nurse him, so I pumped and then took the milk to the hospital. Then after the two weeks were up I was able to hold him and start nursing. The NICU nurses and the lactation consultant had me pump right after I nursed. (he needed a bottle at times that we couldn't be there, like sometimes in the middle of the night or during shift change) They said that pumping right after a feeding will also ensure a really good milk supply. So after about a week of pumping after nursing I would pump out 2-4oz every few hours.
I know our situations are different, but hopes this helps some. Good luck and make sure you drink lots and lots of water to keep up a good milk supply. It's not hard to lose your milk supply if you dont drink enough water, especialy in the begining. By 3 months you should have a pretty good milk supply going. And after you go back to work, make sure you pump everytime it's time for your babies feeding so you don't lose your milk.

[AnnieBrooke]

(Presumably your baby is not choking on the onrush of milk when nursing?  I've heard of moms having to pump before nursing because the milk flow was so copious that it was too hard for the baby to keep up.)

[emma10]

I'm not sure where your question is coming from but I remember this a bit.  When your milk first lets down for some feedings there is a rush of milk but you can always release the hold and give baby a second to get a breath.  They won't "choke"; that's a scary way to put it.  You can hold them up a little higher too so their heads are elevated more on a pillow. Once they are past the first couple weeks I never had babies have any problems with flow.  I guess if they really did you could pump a little bit before but really, the body is a very refined sensitive machine that adjusts. And the babies are so smart about getting what they need.

That said, do pump everyday on a regular basis--that is the ONLY way your body will understand you want some extra milk. Be sure to freeze it if you are not using for a while---there are strict conditions under which you keep it if you are stockpiling for future emergencies/special occasions (not for immediate consumption).

[AnnieBrooke]

The word I've heard for it is that the baby "gags," but that sounded worse than choke.  I have a couple of friends who have told me their milk flow was so excessive that they could do things like lie on their backs and the milk would actually spray in the air.  One of these mentioned that her baby would latch on and then gag and cough because there was so much milk, she began to pump before nursing (not very much) just because of that.  There might be a better way, such as pausing and starting again.  This is just the way she did it.  But it doesn't sound like this is a problem the original poster is having anyway.

[emma10]

Yes,it can be quite explosive, I agree (but not in a dangerous way).  I think it is how baby learns to control it with tongue, with pressure etc. then when s/he gets a little bigger s/he never ummm "sputters",how does that sound?  It sounds like a good idea, take the top off there with a pump. I can remember it happening esp. if I had been gone awhile.  Sort of terrified to go through all that breastfeeding again, even though between the first 2, I was going 4 years with it (all that ended 7 years ago though).  I do remember it being mostly positive.  Wish more people had help starting in the beginning; it can be quite daunting the first few days.

[mommyandaidan]

This may be weird, but I use to pump while I nursed at the same time. Seemed like I got more milk that way. I didn't have to switch sides. I would just pump the other side when I nursed again. This worked for me. I also would pump at work during my lunch break when my baby was not around.