Breast pumping tips
1. Babies often take more milk from the bottle than you pump at one pumping session. This does NOT mean your milk production is low. The faster, steadier flow of the bottle causes many babies to overfeed.
2. Some mothers do well with a standard breast flange. But some need a larger or smaller size.
3. Try pumping in the morning. Most women get more milk then.
4. Pump 30-60 minutes after a nursing and at least an hour before a nursing. This leaves plenty of milk for your baby at the next feeding.
5. If your baby wants to breastfeed right after a pumping, go ahead. Some babies are patient and are willing to feed longer to get the milk they need.
6. A mother with more room for milk in her breasts (a large storage capacity) may pump more milk at a time than a mother with less room, but both have plenty for their babies.
7. A pump that offers one speed of 30-35 cycles per minute may not keep up milk production for women pumping more than once a day, so it is recommended only for occasional use.
8. Any clean, sealed container can be used to store milk. But avoid thin bottle liners, which can split when frozen.
9. Store your milk in amounts no larger than what your baby might take. This means less waste. It also makes the milk faster to warm. If the baby wants more, more milk can be added.
10. Feeding amounts will vary by your baby’s age. During the first week, a feeding is about 1-2 ounces (30-60 ml). After week four, a feeding is about 3-4 ounces (90-120 ml).
11. Write the date and time on your milk container with a sticky label or non-toxic marker. Add baby’s name if your baby is in daycare or in the hospital.
12. You can combine milk pumped at different times. If you combine milk from different days, use the date of the oldest milk.
13. If your milk is used within 8 days, keep it in the fridge. Otherwise, plan to freeze it in the coldest part of the freezer. Avoid the door.
14. You can add fresh milk to cooled milk. And you can add fresh milk to frozen milk if it’s cooled first and is less than the amount frozen.
15. If a baby takes some milk from a bottle and there is milk left, don’t save it. The baby’s saliva mixes with the milk during feedings, and that affects storage recommendations.
16. Your milk is not “homogenized” like the milk in the store. So it may separate into layers. This does not mean it’s spoiled. If this happens, just gently swirl it to mix.
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