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I found that I pumped the same amount whether I pumped 3x/day or every 2 hours, so I just got into a routine of pumping every three hours at work - at 10:30, 1:30, and 4:30. Your first few days back, you might want to wear nursing pads in case you leak, but that was never an issue for me.

My LO sounds like yours when I went back to work - still nursing all the time. I did exactly what you suggest - pumped every 2.5 hours (3x at work) and hoped for the best! It worked out fine. I did have to add pumping sessions outside of work to keep up with her demands.

Good luck!

pumping every 2.5 hours, wearing nursing pads and just in case I'd suggest keeping an all purpose shirt/sweater at your office.

I found that I needed to pump every 3 hours or so, regardless of when LO ate while away from me.

When I went back to work, D was still nursing really frequently, but I couldn't do more than 3 pumping breaks. So I pumped every 3 hours (9, 12, 3). I did that until he was 10 months, when I dropped to 2 sessions (9, 2), and then dropped to one session (12) 2 weeks before his first birthday. I dropped that 2 days before he turned one. I wore nursing pads until the day I dropped that last pumping session. I don't remember that I ever leaked during the day, but usually had some spillage when I removed the pump.

@Pirouette: I use the Lansinoh disposables as well! I have a couple nursing bras and I wear the pads in those. They have a hard enough exterior that the pad doesn't show through! When I've just worn the pads in a nursing tank, you can definitely see them, so I totally hear what you're saying! They seem fine in a bra though.

I think it is also highly dependent on your body and something you may not be able to predict well. My daughter takes a bottle every 2 hours at daycare (four bottles) and likes to nurse that frequently if not more often when we're together. I only pump twice at work though. For some moms that would cause problems with leaking or decreasing supply but it had worked well for me for the past 3.5 months. Just want to offer perspective that conventional wisdom can help you avoid potential problems, but sometimes it's ok to deviate from that if you do so cautiously. In my case, DD had gone for a stretch of 12 hour STTN for a while so I had confidence in my own ability to go for a long time without emptying the breasts, with no issue other than discomfort after 8-10 hours +.