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I didn't start a routine, I just pumped once a day after morning feeding to build up a little stash. About a week before i went back, i practiced pumping in a real shirt and removing it to put on my pumping bra so i could get used to that!

I didn't do a routine. She feeds on one side at a time, so I would pump the other side while she fed to build up a stash.

I didn't start a routine either. In fact, I didn't "prepare" for pumping at all before I returned to work beyond knowing how to use my pump, an odd-session here and there, & the half-day when he went to daycare for a "practice" day. I just jumped in on my first day. It worked out - I pumped until he was a year and we're still nursing together at 18 months!

I'm not going back to work, but I have just been pumping once per day after his morning feed. I have been getting 3-4 ounces this way and stashing it away so that one day if I ever leave the house DH can feed him and so on weekends DH can take a MON feeding or for when we have company and I don't want to sneak away to BF for an hour.

I didn't prepare either besides building a little stash by pumping during his morning nap for the 2 weeks before I went to work. But then I had oversupply issues so I def. didn't want to pump more than necessary. That helped me get the whole pump set up incl. the hands free bra etc. down though.

When I took DS to daycare at 8 weeks, I sent 3 bottles with 3 oz each. I didn't pp nearly enough because I started 2 weeks before going back to work. This time I've pumped just a little every day, about 4 oz. hopefully I'll have 100 oz before going back to work to keep ahead.

No routine here either! All I did differently was pump once/day on the weekends to make up for the deficit between what I pumped and what she drank at daycare.

I'm just finishing my 2nd week back at work and there are a few things I wish I would have done differently.

I was pumping once a day after a morning feeding to try to build up a little back supply ( I was really lax about it and would take days or weeks off), my LC told me not to stress about having a freezer full of milk before going back to work as I would be able to pump as much as LO needed the day before for the next day, so I never stressed about it. Great idea in theory, but that's not how it's worked out for us! DS was eating a lot more than I was able to pump for the next day so we dug into our little stash very quickly and drained it very quickly Luckily, I was able to keep up with him by pumping instead of doing a dream feed and pumping after I was nursing him at home. The first week he had every ounce that he needed but that was it! No extras! I worked hard for what we got!

If I could go back this is what I would do and what I plan on doing for any future LOs. The last two or three weeks I was at home I would nursing LO and then pump after nursing him/her anytime I would be pumping while at work. For example...DS eats at 10am, 1pm, and 4pm while I'm at work so during those times before I'm out of maternity leave pump after he's done. You may only get an ounce or two but you're helping tell your body that you need to maximize the amount of milk during those 3 feedings. I don' think the pump can pull out the milk quite like a LO can so the more the better! It will also help get you in the groove of having to wash bottles and practice getting yourself all hooked up to the pump multiple times a day, which is a task all on its own!

Hopefully that helps!

I hardly pumped before she started day care. I never got a chance she wanted to be held all the time.

I didn't really prepare much. We had thrush for a while and I was never able to build up much of a stash. I did make a list of all the things I needed to bring with me. I also wasn't sure how much to send to daycare, so I sent way more than he needed. I knew from having fed him formula occasionally that he typically took between 2-4 oz, so I sent 5 3oz bottles.

I did end up watching a video where a woman explained her pumping routine, and I found it really helpful. She said she double pumped, then took the breast shield and put it in one of the bottles and then hand expressed into it (the shield helped catch the milk). Then she poured the milk from the other bottle into the one with the shield, catching all the milk droplets. I like this technique because it gets me emptier, and it makes good use of the bottles by combining them.