Breast milk provides superior nutrition for growing infants. Medical research shows that breast milk can be the only form of food for the first six months of life without the need for any other food source.
Some physicians suggest feeding breast milk to a newborn and growing infant for at least 12 months and even into the second year of life if possible. Armed with this information many women, especially moms with other children at home, or moms who return to work choose pumping their breast milk to provide bottles of milk for their baby while they are unavailable for breast feeding.
Mothers can still feed the baby at the breast when they are home and maintain an adequate milk supply for many months. The key is to continue to maintain a healthy diet, drink adequate amounts of fluids that support breast milk production, and pump regularly and for enough time to maintain a full milk supply.
Choosing a pump is one of the many decisions moms must make since there are so many to choose from. Merely looking at all of the breast pumps on the store shelves is intimidating if you don’t know what you are looking for. Friends and family often advise a new mom based on their own personal breast pump history, and although that can be very helpful some of the time, often their needs may not match your needs. It is always a good idea to talk to a lactation specialist to discuss your needs, your work routine and your individual goals. You can read information on the websites of the manufacturers of the different pumps to see what the specifications are on the different classifications of breast pumps.
Storage of breast milk — the most up-to-date information available at the time of this posting is:
- Freshly pumped milk can stay at room temperature for up to 4-5 hours. After this time the milk should be placed in a refrigerator or freezer until it is time to be used.
- Milk that has been placed in the refrigerator should be used within 4-5 days or placed in the freezer.
- Milk can be frozen after being cooled under running water, within any of the time frames listed above. (So if you have just pumped, you can use any of these methods, or you can place the milk in the freezer for up to 4-5 months.)
- Milk can be placed in a freezer for longer period of time, but the temperature must be able to remain stable so that the milk is not compromised.
Whichever methods you choose to store your breast milk, remember to use proper storage containers, and safe locations in the fridge or freezer. Place all of the milk baggies or bottles in zip-lock type plastic bags, or plastic containers, so that they do not absorb odors from other food in the fridge. You also want to protect the milk containers from spills or other products leaking onto the bags or bottles.
When to pump —
There is no special rule on time of day to use the pump. Some women feel they have more milk in the morning, while other moms feel they have a fuller supply in the afternoon or night. Everyone’s milk supply is different and you can get your best results based on your own feeding routine. If you have long breaks in the daytime when your baby sleeps, for example 2pm-6pm, then you may take that opportunity to sit and pump for 15 minutes at 4pm. If your baby takes a long sleep break from 9 am until 1pm, you may choose to pump at 11:30 for 15 minutes. Since these long sleep breaks are different for every baby, it is impossible to set aside a specific time to tell a mom to go to the pump for a full bottle of milk.
How often and how long should you pump —
When you decide to start pumping on a regular basis, it is best if you have your pump set-up and clean all of the time. You will want to collect fore-milk and hind-milk so that the bottles you leave for the baby offer complete nutrition. To do this you should choose some feedings to use the pump before you start the nursing session, and other times to pump after you feed the baby. Each of these pumping sessions should last about 5-10 minutes each. Whatever volume you collect during these various times should be cooled in the fridge and then pooled into one bottle until you reach a 24-hour period when you divide the collected milk into the appropriate amounts for each feeding.
Consider the long sleep breaks that the baby is taking as opportunities for you to use the double pump for 12-15 minutes. You may find that you have a higher yield at these pump sessions, and that can be very encouraging for a mother who has milk supply concerns. Another favorable time to use the breast pump is during feedings when your baby only nurses on one breast. Although this does not always happen for every nursing, many moms report that the baby will only take from one side at a particular feeding. Place the pump device into the single sided position (when applicable) and only pump the side that the baby did not nurse on. Remember you are always going to pump and pool the milk, so that you are always getting the best nutritional composition of milk for the baby.
Pooling your breast milk –
One guideline for using a breast pump is to keep in mind it may take several pump sessions to completely fill one bottle for the baby. Whatever volume you can pump at various pump sessions should be combined into one bottle after a 24 hour period. For example, you may pump 3 or 4 separate sessions, each yielding anywhere from ½ ounce to 3 ounces of pumped milk. After all the milk has cooled in the fridge, the milk should be combined and gently mixed and then poured into separate bottles of the volume you need to leave for your baby while you are away. If your baby is taking 3-4 ounces at a feeding, they you should leave as many 3-4 ounce bottles as you can provide from your 24 hour pumping sessions. If you do not know how much your baby is taking at each feeding, (which is very common), then leave 2-3 ounces bottles at tell the person caring for your baby while you are away, to defrost one bottle at a time, and see how much the baby requires. Whatever the baby does not drink, should be placed back in the refrigerator with a clean cover (remove the nipple) and re-warm for the next feeding.
Some women can pump large volumes of breast milk at each session. The more you pump the more milk you will produce. Over-pumping can provide you with a freezer full of milk, but that may not always be the best idea.
Pumping routines will change depending on your circumstances. An example is when an infant is in the NICU for special care and requires pumped milk for many months. Another example would be where a mother has to go back to work as early as 6-8 weeks after delivery, and requires large amounts of pumped milk to last while she is away from the baby for 8-10 hours a day. Pumping ahead in these situations can be a good idea.
Increasing your breast milk production
Another guideline pertaining to pumping breast milk is that whatever you pump on one day generally increases the volume of milk 24 hours in the future. If you pump extra on Tuesday, you will usually feel more full or productive on Wednesday.
Drinking extra fluids
When you are trying to increase milk production, your diet may require additional fluids for a few days. In these instances, drink a couple of extra glasses of water each day, as well as fresh juices and other liquids such as herbal teas (Fenugreek Seed, Mothers Milk or More Milk Tea) and even dark ale or non-alcoholic beer. All of these forms of liquids have been known to increase milk volume. Follow the label guidelines for the appropriate quantities of these products. Within 3-4 days of increasing your fluids you can see a shift in your milk supply.
Eating nutritious foods
It is important to follow a healthy well balanced diet while nursing. This will allow you to maintain high quality milk for your baby, while also supporting your personal health and well being. Use the Increasing Milk Diet Guidelines on this website to boost your milk production. When you notice your milk supply decreasing at any time, you can restart the program for 4 days and see if you get positive results. If you are no longer able to increase milk production, there are other remedies to support milk supply. Contact your physician or a lactation consultant for more advice.