When should you start pumping if you’re exclusively breastfeeding? It depends! If you’re planning to be with your baby, you never need to pump!! An efficiently feeding baby who is fed on demand will maintain your milk supply with no need to pump. But that’s not the plan or goal for every family. There are several ways to pump and each would use different timing:

➡️ Building a Stash: If you’re heading back to work or want a freezer stash for occasional bottles, many people will tell you to start around 2-4 weeks— once baby has figured out how to breastfeed. You can start at any time, even before 2 weeks, just make sure you’re prioritizing feeding the baby over feeding the freezer. If the baby is struggling to feed or not gaining weight, pumped milk goes to baby and not the freezer. Pumping once a day after a morning feed often yields the most milk. If you consistently pump at the same time each day, your body will think that’s going to the baby and will increase your overall supply, leading to oversupply. Which is fine if that’s your goal. If you only want a small stash for going back to work, occasional or sporadic pumping shouldn’t drive up supply

➡️ Feeding it Back: If you’re planning to offer the milk soon (like for a date night or sharing feeds with a partner), you can pump as needed! Some people will pump right before they leave baby and have a caregiver offer that fresh milk while they’re gone. Others will pull milk from a collected stash and pump while they’re gone to replace that milk. It depends on how long you’re planning to be away from baby

Remember, not everyone needs to or wants to pump. If breastfeeding is going well and you’re not separated from your baby, your milk supply is typically just right for them. Pumping too early or too often can lead to oversupply which has its own risks, but it depends on your goals.

Every journey is different — your pumping plan should match your goals, not someone else’s freezer stash. 💛

When did you start pumping?
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