https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 21 Apr 2026 01:28:00 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1136756 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 16:13:55 +0000 Pepper 1136756@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You guys are amazing, this is really starting to make sense to me! Thanks to everyone for the info. So far I've been pumping when I would normally feed him, and then giving him that milk in a bottle. I plan to follow up the bottle feed with nursing 2-3 times a day for his comfort and to hopefully stimulate my supply. I need to do this whole refrigerating the parts move, because washing everything so frequently is the worst. </p> <p>@kodybear: He will be 15 weeks tomorrow! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135989 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 12:48:19 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1135989@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You want to make sure that you are pumping the same number of times that your LO is eating first of all. Everyone seems to need to pump for a different amount of time, but I always needed to pump for at least 30 minutes to mostly fully empty. If you pump for too short of a time, it could hurt your supply. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135900 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 12:14:19 +0000 mrs. wagon 1135900@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EPed for almost a year! </p> <p>Here was my schedule:</p> <p>Pumped when I woke up first thing in the morning, into used refrigerated bottles from the night before. Consolidated that milk into bottles waiting in the fridge from the day before. Refrigerated those empty bottles and parts for the pumping when I come home that day. Go to work.</p> <p>At work: bring 1 set of parts and 4 bottles. Pump into new parts/bottles, consolidate into one bottle, refrigerate everything. Second pumping: pump into one used/one new bottle, consolidate into first bottle (and second if necessary), refrigerate everything. Third pumping: pump into one used/one new bottle, consolidate, refrigerate.</p> <p>Back at home: consolidate all milk from work pumping into bottles refrigerated at home. Pump into the used refrigerated parts/bottles from that morning. Consolidate into bottles from work, refrigerate old parts/bottles. After this is usually when I washed all the used bottles and pump parts and nipples. Then at night I'd pull out a new set of parts/bottles and pump into those, then consolidate and then refrigerate the parts/bottles for the next morning.</p> <p>I hope that makes sense!! Once you've got the rhythm down it's really not that complicated at all. </p> <p>I pumped about 15 mins with a double electric, doing breast compressions the whole time and always waited for second let down. I pumped enough to cover her feedings for a while and built up a frozen stash, then as I eliminated pump sessions one by one, I started using my frozen stash (when she was about 6 months old since that's when the oldest milk had to be used) to cover the deficit. I'm lucky I never had to use formula but I would have done that if I didn't have enough frozen stash left. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135895 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 12:11:19 +0000 pl0508 1135895@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EP and have for the past 4 months ! </p> <p>I pump into new bottles each time. When I'm done I screw new bottles on and throw them in the fridge in a ziplock for next time. I pump 3x a day for about 15 min total (I use a double electric). I've been making enough to cover his needs until just recently so now I add in a freezer bag every few days to supplement </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135881 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 12:06:11 +0000 Ra 1135881@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't EP, but I do pump.</p> <p>My work schedule is not flexible, so I'm only able to pump once for 15 mins. I am not able to pump enough for all of his feelings so we supplement. He gets about 50/50 mix.</p> <p>-I wake up at 6:00 am and pump for 15 mins.<br /> -B wakes at 7:30 and takes a bottle of formula.<br /> -7:30 i do a quick 10 min pump before work<br /> -I usually pump enough for him to have all breast milk while I'm at work. Sometimes, he gets a bottle of formula.<br /> -12:30- 15 min pump at work<br /> -I nurse as soon as we get home (around 5) and usually around 7<br /> - Bottle of formula before bed<br /> -I pump before I go to bed </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135873 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 12:03:20 +0000 kodybear 1135873@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>how old is your LO? I've been EPing since almost the beginning. i usually pump into a bottle, transfer the milk to another container, then refrigerate the pump part until the next time. i only wash the pump part once a day. sometimes i pump into a bottle with milk from the previous session and i haven't seen any affects from it.</p> <p>i pump 3 times a day right now. Lo is 10.5 months old. in the beginning i pumped 8 times a day tho. we supplement with formula. from my experience, it seems like unless you have an oversupply or pump around the clock (basically work hard at it and maybe even having to take supplements), its harder for EPer's to keep up with a babies supply. i'd def recommend nursing, then supplement with pumped milk after to keep up your supply. i made the mistake of exclusively pumping for a week and we couldn't get back into the groove of nursing (she also had latch issues which didn't help) so i'd def recommend keeping up with nursing if u plan to keep nursing! :-)</p> <p>ETA if u want to go the EP route, i'd try to establish your supply first. those early growth spurts help so much. its so hard to mimic them with a pump and it will be much easier to provide enough to cover your babies needs with that established supply. so i'd try to get to 1-2 months old before eping. (i'm hoping with my next baby i can at least get that far b4 eping!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135855 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:55:24 +0000 Smurfette 1135855@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I was pumping at work, I pumped into the same bottles till they were full. Then at night I poured into bottles for the next day or froze what I didn't need. I pumped for 20 mins, which usually let me get a 2nd letdown.</p> <p>Also, put your pump parts in a Ziploc bag and in the fridge and then you don't have to wash them every time, so that saves you some time too.</p> <p>I pumped three times at work and usually could cover her bottles. Then for awhile, she wouldn't nurse first in the morning, so I send a 4th bottle of formula. But I was ok with formula. I wouldn't pump at night unless for some reason she didn't eat on one side. After she goes to bed, that was my time. I just didn't want to be pumping 24/7. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135836 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:50:24 +0000 Adira 1135836@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I read this article (and another that I can't find now) about pumping directly into refrigerated milk:</p> <p><a href="http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/pumping-and-storing-breastmilk" rel="nofollow">http://www.breastfeedingbasics.com/articles/pumping-and-storing-breastmilk</a></p> <p>"You can pump directly into refrigerated milk as long as you add the milk within 24 hours of when the original milk was expressed." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135823 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:46:08 +0000 Adira 1135823@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not an EPer, but I am a WOHM, so here's my info:</p> <p>I pump into the same bottles. So at the start of the day, I pump, put the bottles and pump parts in the fridge, and then when I pump later in the day, I pump into the SAME bottles. No consolidation needed and less bottles to wash!</p> <p>I pump 3x a day (or more depending on my output). I nurse at 5:30 a.m., pump at 6:00, 11:00, and 3:30, nurse at 6:00 p.m. and 9:00. I pump for 20-30 minutes and always hand express after. And usually massage during.</p> <p>I have a double electric pump, so I pump both sides at the same time for 20-30 minutes. One side produces more than the other, so this morning I got 3 oz from the right and 3.5 oz from the left. I'll probably get 2.5 oz from the right and 3 oz from the left at my next pump. This morning after nursing, I got 1 oz from the right (I nurse Xander from the right side first) and 2.5 oz from the left. Total for the day should be ~15oz. But sometimes I get less and then I pump in the evening to make up for it (Xander takes 15oz at daycare). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135809 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:42:39 +0000 lawbee11 1135809@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I pump (not exclusively) but I remember reading online (kellymom I think?) that you shouldn't pump warm milk into a bottle of previously refrigerated milk because of the risk of bacteria growth, so I always pump into new bottles. You can combine refrigerated bottles from the same day, though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135787 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:35:37 +0000 mrsjyw 1135787@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm not an exclusive pumper, but I do pump</p> <p>I pump into new bottles and consolidate bottles from the same day. (It helps immensely with no spilling etc). When A was 3 months and I first came to work I was pumping 3x regularly (sometimes four)... </p> <p>I'd feed him on one boob, pump the other as I was getting ready for work, then pumped every 3 hours at work, 9am 12pm 3pm. </p> <p>I nursed 1-2x after I got home from work. He was easily taking in 30 oz from months 3-7.</p> <p>I pumped double (at the same time) for 20 minutes. After AF made her appearance, I pumped for 30 minutes to make sure I got a second letdown and make up for my diminished supply. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/ep-questions#post-1135775 Mon, 07 Oct 2013 11:30:11 +0000 Pepper 1135775@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, my Peditrician wants me to try feeding C bottles (with the exception of a few times a day that we'll nurse) in order to monitor how much he's getting. So I have a few questions! </p> <p>When you're at work, do you pump into a new bottle everytime and consolidate into one or two bottles? Or, do you pump into the same refrigerated bottle when possible? This is probably such a dumb question, but I'm just trying to figure out the easiest way. </p> <p>Also, how long do you pump on each side? How many times a day do you pump? Do you also supplement with formula, or are you able to pump enough for all breastmilk? Thanks! </p>