Hellobee Boards

i didn't get my pump for a while and i wish i had it sooner (looking back) to start my stash! i would wait a couple weeks (4-6) for your supply to regulate and get used to everything. then you can start pumping in the mornings after the first feeding to get a stash going.

here are some resources from kellymom: http://kellymom.com/category/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/

I started pumping when he was around 10 weeks, but didn't do it often. I really only pumped when he had a bottle to "replace" what I took from the freezer. I didn't try to create a stash.

I teach in a public school and went back when my son was 4 months. Do you have a set schedule? I pumped during my lunch, my students' specials classes' and after school (sometimes before school as well). Sometimes the timing didn't work out or we'd have professional development and I had administration get someone to cover my class for 20-25 min. It was kinda a pain, but I'm glad I did. Don't be shy - you have the right to pump & they have to allow you time! I came up with a plan for my schedule and presented it to my principal when I came back from leave. It got tweaked during the year & it was a pain in the butt sometimes, but I rarely had need for the freezer stash (like when I spill milk).

I also read to try not to rely on frozen milk as a regular resource for replacing pumping sessions, because your body starts thinking you don't need that umpumped milk.

ETA: my son is 8 months now & I made it to summer break. I plan to keep pumping for the beginning of the school year until he's 1.

My lactation consultant told me to start pumping seriously from Day 1, and I am SO glad I did. I think it definitely upped my supply, but I never really had oversupply issues like leaking or being too uncomfortable or overwhelming LO... for me it really just meant that I always had a really easy time pumping and tended to get a ton of milk in a short period of time. We also gave LO a bottle of pumped milk a day starting on Day 1, and I'll definitely do the same for my next kid. I built a huge stash on maternity leave and continued to expand it for my first few months back at work because my supply was so high that I could pump almost twice as much in a day as LO would eat at daycare for a while. I loved pumping- I felt like it was easier than nursing and I felt like it was so productive since I got so much milk. Then for various reasons my supply started to tank after I'd been back at work for a few months and I was really happy to have my huge freezer stash to supplement what I could produce on a daily basis.