How much should I pump?

[MamaMorgana]

DS is 11 weeks old, about 13 pounds. I just went back to work and am figuring out the science and art of pumping! I've been trying to pump every 2-3 hours that I'm away from him. I get about 2 1/2 ounces in 5-10 minutes. That's where I stop, since I read that we make about an ounce per hour. I go home during breaks in the day and nurse him when I can, and I want to be sure to have plenty of milk for him then. Am I correct that a baby his age only takes about 24 ounces per day? But when he gets older/bigger, won't that increase? When should I aim to pump more? Or should I just keep pumping until the milk stops flowing?

[mum06]

I'm no expert, but when I worked I pumped until the milk stopped flowing. It's better to have extra milk than run short.

[LindsC]

When I pump, I pump until a minute or two after the milk stops flowing. For me, that is approximately 17 minutes. I typically have a second letdown around 15 minutes, so if I stop too soon, I lose all that extra milk.

[Altair]

Consider joining the Yahoo Group PumpMoms you'll get great advice!

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pumpmoms/
http://www.pumpingmoms.org/

But to answer your question you can and should at this early stage pump for longer than that and couple your pumping with breast compressions to get more milk. I was pumping 5-6 oz at a time at that age with a lot of compressions and double pumping. I have always left 2-3 3.5-4oz bottles throughout his entire first year.

Babies drink anywhere from 24-30oz a day and it does NOT increase with age. However, it's really good at this age to start a freezer supply of extra milk because many women will experience a problem down the line that can be solved but they need freezer milk to get through the hurdle. Or, what I did was donate all my freezer milk when it got to a certain point, except the last few months of pumping. Now that I'm still nursing but not pumping (baby is older) I can give frozen milk.

Are you doing breast compressions? How often are you nursing/pumping? Do you have a hands free bra?

My secret trick has always been Gatorade. Not the most natural... but it works wonders for me.