https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:55:55 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-616083 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:43:52 +0000 mrs. wagon 616083@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@photojane: good luck!! pumping is a huge commitment because you really have to be disciplined about doing it every day, several times a day. When I started exclusively pumping I would pump FIRST thing in the morning (I'd set my alarm and wake up before both kids woke up and pumped), LAST thing before falling asleep at night, and several times throughout the day. If the baby woke up for a night feeding, Wagon Sr. would feed her a bottle while I got up and pumped. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-616077 Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:40:43 +0000 photojane 616077@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks so much everyone for the insight &amp; input. I guess I'll have to evaluate how it will work for us. I really would like to make it work! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611802 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:10:32 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 611802@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think you have to make the pumping the priority (not before lo, but before dishes, etc.). I pump at 6, 12, 6, 12. When it's getting close to noon let's say (since I'm pumping now and it's noon). I look at when lo last ate and how long he's likely to sleep for. Today he was already asleep, but fussing a bit in his stroller and will probably need to eat at 12:30, so I knew I needed to get started right away. I brought him by me in the stroller so I had rock him if he starts to cry. </p> <p>Sometimes I'll sit him in the boppy next to me and if he's really upset, I hold him on my legs while pumping (get a hands free bra...total necessity).</p> <p>I also agree that you probably need to pump more often to keep your supply going. You might be lucky, but I think it's more likely that it will dwindle very quickly. (If it's important to you to keep it.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611636 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:23:40 +0000 hellobeeboston 611636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>when I was home on my maternity leave, I would always try to pump in the morning like an hour after he ate, then he was usually down for a nap so I could squeeze in a pump session --- this sometimes meant that I couldn't shower though, so that was a bummer - but I always had more milk in the morning!</p> <p>maybe try when LO is napping? Or if she's happy in a swing or something, pump when she is in there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611568 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:02:32 +0000 meganmp 611568@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If I need to pump when the kiddos are awake, I put them in their bouncy seats in the pack n play. I will sit in front of them and pump, that way they can see me and I can pump. Also, if either of them gets fussy, I can wiggle the pack n play with my feet and it helps to soothe them . </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611535 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:55:15 +0000 mediagirl 611535@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Essentially, my life was pump, feed the baby, rock the baby, change the baby, repeat. I ate if I had time. I didn't leave the house for 8 months for longer than an hour at a time so I would be back in time to pump/feed the baby. I strongly believe that if you want it to work, you have to want it to work. </p> <p>To keep the baby happy, I would pump on the couch and put her in her bouncy seat. If i turned on the vibrate feature and bounced the seat, she could be soothed for the most part. Sometimes I held her awkwardly while I pumped if she was not having the chair. It was hard to EP but it worked out well for us while I did it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611530 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:54:25 +0000 DillonLion 611530@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@photojane: Also, you don't have to sterilize after every session. I Just keep all my pump parts in the fridge and sterilize once a day. I even leave the same bottles on them. That saves time when you are alone with LO during the day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611522 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:52:50 +0000 DillonLion 611522@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@photojane: I rarely get that many breast stimulations in (combo of nursing and pumping while I'm at work). But knowing that ideally that is the number to shoot for helps me get in as many sessions as I can (7 is usually the max I get these days, but LO is older and my supply is established, even if it is low, it is here) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611521 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:52:43 +0000 anbanan15 611521@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I pumped whenever I could, even if it was with a hand pump while doing something else. I was really fanatical about getting as many pumping/nursing sessions in per day and not allowing X number of hours go between sessions. This meant pumping in the middle of the night, just before bed, in the morning, between nursings etc. Pump in the car, while you eat, while warching tv. </p> <p>It is exhausting but so worth it! If you can keep that up until your supply is well established it will not be as critical if you miss a session. I got the Baby Connect app to help keep track of my pumping and outputs. It was SO rewarding to see it graphed out and my outputs increase :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611514 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:51:24 +0000 photojane 611514@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@highwire: ACK! 8-12 times?! I was overwhelmed trying to get 2 in... haha. I'm going to need to get a hands free bra for sure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611492 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:48:25 +0000 tororojo 611492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have no experience pumping, but could cleaning wait until nighttime when DH is home and maybe you could try and pump during the day instead when you might be doing household stuff? Bonus--you might get out of cleaning! ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611486 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:47:31 +0000 DillonLion 611486@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Something I learned from the LCs I worked with - you have to get in as many breast stimulations per day as you can. Once the milk starts drying up, it is just about impossible to bring it back. If you are exclusively pumping - they usually recommend 8-12 sessions per day! So I'd definitely do everything you can to get in more pumping sessions if you are not nursing at all. </p> <p>Do you have a hands free pump bra? If you don't GET ONE. Set up your pump, bra, flanges, and hook up and pump every single time you give LO a bottle. Any pump any other time you can. Even 5 minutes is better than not at all.</p> <p>I'm not trying to scare you, but I don't want you to lose your supply before you are ready! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-find-time-to-pump#post-611466 Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:43:54 +0000 photojane 611466@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you don't already know, we had a trying time at BFing. She never could latch properly due to her anatomy (and a little bit because of mine), so we've been exclusively bottle feeding. She gets mostly formula right now, and one mixed bottle of breast milk &amp; formula. I'm only pumping once daily now, and getting about 2oz (the ped said this amount is fine since she only needs 50ml daily to get the benefits - any is better than none). I've been pumping at night, since that's when Dan is home, and can hang out with her. If I try to pump during the day she always ends up crying, and I can't finish. Plus, the days are just so busy here by myself with S.</p> <p>I'm starting to see that it's going to be a problem even getting that one pumping session in. The past two nights we had plans, and I didn't get a chance to pump. So, she's gone two days without an breast milk, and I'm sure my poor boobies are drying up. I had great intentions of pumping twice today to make up for the past two days, but it's already 1:30, and I haven't gotten around to it! Between feeding, changing, &amp; spending time with her, and then cleaning &amp; taking care of household things time goes by so quickly! I want to increase my supply, but even managing to get that one pumping session in is difficult.</p> <p>I really don't want to give up pumping, since I already feel guilty enough that we couldn't breastfeed. Pumping mamas, how do you find/make time to pump during the day?! </p>