Questions about pumping

[mcmorfit]

Just got back from my bfing support group and totally forgot to ask some of the questions I had written down, so here goes:

1. Amount of time pumping. I'm noticing that I get a lot of milk in the first five minutes. Is the pumping like a bfing session- should I stay on for 10 or 15 minutes to get the hind milk?

2. Time of day pumping. I've read that some posters pump in the morning. Do you pump right after a feeding?

DH is giving Lucy a bottle everynight, so I pump when he is feeding her. I also have been pumping right after her early morning feeding session. I am not going back to work, but would like to start building up a supply as I will be in summer school and having to give bottles.

Thanks,

[brubeck]

Technically yes, you should pump enough to get some hindmilk, but even if you pump for 5 minutes you will notice fat rising to the top if you leave the bottle in the fridge for an hour or two. There is fat in every pumped bottle, so I don't think this is critical, especially if you will be BFing at other times.

However you might want to consider pumping longer to help keep your supply going.

The reason so many of us pump in the morning is that we've just gone through a long stretch (all night) without BFing so we're engorged with plenty of milk. I actually pump for 3 minutes BEFORE I feed my son because I get a lot out that way, and he still seems to get enough when I am done. If I let him feed first I pump much less but he doesn't seem any more satisfied.

It is also a good idea to pump when you skip a feeding (such as when your husband is giving a bottle). Sounds like you are doing just fine here. The basic idea is to find a time that works for you and schedule the baby's feedings around it.

[C99]

1. I used to pump for 15 minutes each side. Now I find that i can get most of the milk out in 5-7 minutes so I stop after that. As someone else said, you can see the fat rising to the top in a bottle so chances are that you're getting some hindmilk.

2. I pump during the middle-of-the-night feeding, when I skip a feeding and he gets a bottle instead (such as when I am at work) and to relieve engorgement at various other times. If you have supply issues, you can pump for 5 minutes after each feeding to increase your supply.