I have a friend who is an exclusive pumper, but she pumps for 40-45 minutes each time!! She has a CRAZY stash though - her entire freezer is filled with frozen milk from top to bottom.
I've always just pumped for 20-30 minutes but wondering if it'll make a difference if I increase it. I just feel like I don't get much more after the 20-minute mark so I don't know if it's worth spending double the time pumping.
How long do you spend pumping?
cantaloupe / 6630 posts
When A was first born I only pumped for ten minutes at a time... now I do 20 though because I'm more worried about supply. I'd have a hard time pumping for 40 minutes - time better spent with your sweet baby, or resting : )
honeydew / 7968 posts
Wow@45 min! Craziness! Max I ever did was probably 25-30 min, but only cuz I lost track of time. Usually do 20 min, but lately, I've quit pumping.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
I hate pumping. But I'll be doing it at least once a day going back to work... I have 15 minutes to do it 
I can't get much in that amount of time. I think normally I would pump about 20 minutes.
grapefruit / 4681 posts
I only ever pumped 10-15 min tops. It never made a difference if I pumped longer and when my supply was established I was getting 10-15 oz/session. Usually only pumped once/day in the evening.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
Ok whew - I feel better now! I'm only pumping 1-2x a day right now to build up a stash and nursing the rest of the day. I was getting worried trying figure out how I'd squeeze in all that extra time to pump in between the every.hour.feedings!
bananas / 9973 posts
The first time at the hospital the LC just left me to pump on my own without a specified time. I went about 40-45 min. and told her so when she came back and she was shocked! She was like - "Oh, you should only pump for like 10 min., maybe 15..."
I've been noticing when I pump, almost nothing comes out after 10 min. so that's my limit for now. If it changes, I'll adjust with it, but I can't see going past 20 min.
bananas / 9357 posts
15-20 minutes. Now that I've been back at work for a little bit and pumping more, I've found I don't really need to pump longer than 15 minutes.
pomelo / 5628 posts
I always do 30. I. Think it depends on his fast your let-down is, but I definitely get more right around 25 minutes even if I feel empty by then.
GOLD / squash / 13464 posts
12-15 minutes. By that time I always have enough for a whole feeding so I stop and get back to work.
grapefruit / 4441 posts
Usually 15-20, but when I do 40 I do get twice as much - maybe 4-6 vs 2-3.
persimmon / 1408 posts
15-20... I just can't see spending 45 minutes! It would make me hate pumping!
cherry / 215 posts
I used to pump for max 10 minutes as it seemed like that was enough to drain me but recently (LO is 9 months) I've been pumping while driving and so pumping for longer since I'm just driving anyways. I noticed that, although the milk pretty much stops after 10 minutes, at about 12 minutes it starts coming back and I can get a few more ounces.
pineapple / 12053 posts
I read max of 20 minutes! I try to pay attention to when it stops and then go 5 minutes more. But I have no patience for it. I know I need to do it daily to build a stash but I'm not a fan. 
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
@birdofafeather: i'm not a fan either, but this time around i'm trying to make more of an effort with the whole pumping thing, esp after seeing how successful my friend's been with it. seriously, her supply is insane. when i went back to work last time, i was constantly stressed that i wasn't pumping enough to meet her demand... so this time i'm trying to build a stash early and have plenty stocked up for when i go back to work.
the idea of pumping has been less overwhelming after hearing everyone's responses of 10-15 min - THAT i can do!
persimmon / 1035 posts
i typically only pump in the morning as both my breasts are super full and L only drinks from one side. To get 4 - 5 oz, it takes about 7 - 12 minutes i would say. When I go out and L is given a bottle (not every day), I pump when I get home to compensate and then I spend about 15-20 mins and usually get less than 4 oz.
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
I only pump once a day now right before I go to bed. Last night I pumped for 20. Before I would pump anywhere from 8-20 mins depending on my mood and how much I produced.
pomelo / 5628 posts
@birdofafeather: I read everything when I started pumping and I think 20 minutes works for most people. But for me, the milk was never done at 20. Among EPers it's common to see 30 or even 40 although most people are between 20 and 30. If you stop before the flow is done, your supply will slowly lessen.
persimmon / 1472 posts
I pumped for 15-20 minutes a session which was enough to get a second let down. 45 minutes is a long time!!!
honeydew / 7917 posts
I was an exclusive pumper and only pumped 20 minutes each session with a total of 5 sessions a day towards the end (EP'ed for a year). As an exclusive pumper it's recommended to pump a total of 120 minutes a day to maintain supply. If your friend only pumped 2-3x a day then I understand why she would pump for so long. I liked to pump long enough so that I would get a second let down.
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