Surviving Exclusive Pumping | Tips & Pumping Schedule from An EP Mom

Sometimes... breastfeeding didn't work out like what we had expected... whether it is a latch problem or something else, some moms end up not being able to continue latching their babies as planned.

However, it is possible to continue providing breast milk by doing exclusive pumping. Now now... let me give you a heads up beforehand. If breastfeeding can be challenging especially in the first few weeks, exclusive pumping is even more challenging!

I knew that I wanted to breastfeed before even getting pregnant, so once I was pregnant with my son, I read a few books and took the Lactation Link online classes to try and prepare myself for learning what I needed to do to be successful at it.

When my son was born, I thought we were doing everything right: from expressing a little bit of milk before having him latch, to feeding on-demand, to trying different positions, etc. However between his 2-day and 2-week check-ups, he wasn't gaining back his birth weight, so his pediatrician referred us to a breastfeeding specialist, and recommended that I start pumping after feeding to try and supplement each time I breastfed.

After another 3 weeks and 3 appointments with test feedings with the specialist (along with adding fenugreek supplements, renting a hospital grade pump and various other trial and errors), we found that the combination of the roof of my son's mouth and the size of my nipples was making it too hard for him to latch on correctly.

Pumping around the clock...

At this point I decided to switch to exclusively pumping, since I would only have about six more weeks before I needed to return to work, and at the time I was basically feeding and pumping around the clock/not getting out of my house much at all. So for every time my son would eat, I would make sure I also had time to pump, so I would be able to stay ahead of him (i.e., he would eat every 2 hours, I would try and pump at least every 3 hours - even in the middle of the night).

Finding the right breast shield size...

Exclusive Pumping Tips From Kristina

(3) Tips to balance between pumping, caring the baby, and doing the chores

My husband has been a tremendous help in sharing the new responsibilities that are required to make sure our family is taken care of.

   a. Sharing feeding responsibilities

Since we both work full time, we knew we would need to share in the parenting responsibilities, but since I'm EP instead of direct latch breastfeeding, it also means we can share in the feeding responsibilities. One example is with the late night feedings.

Our son is still usually waking up twice in the middle of the night, and once we both were back at work, we made a game plan that any time he woke up before 2 am, my husband would get him/feed him, and any time after 2, I would wake up with him.

This translates really well into our daycare drop-off/pick-up schedule because my husband leaves the house early in the mornings, while I get the baby ready for the day and drop him off at daycare, so then my husband can leave work earlier in order to pick him up from daycare.

     b. Weekly routine to tackle household chores

In addition to trying to figure out a way to share feeding responsibilities that helps us both get as much sleep as possible, we have learned to balance other household chores by creating a weekly routine.

The first thing we did to try and make our lives a little bit easier was we started using a grocery pick-up service, so we can order all of our groceries online on Saturday and pick them up Sunday morning. Then, I usually do all of our lunch and dinner meal prep for the entire week on Sundays, that way our evenings can be focused on playing with the baby until it's his bedtime.

My husband has also taken over most of the cleaning chores, so while I'm cooking, and the baby is napping, he is dusting, cleaning the bathrooms and wiping down the kitchen, etc. We also make sure to have a load of laundry going a few nights a week so that doesn't ever pile up too much.

(5) Exclusive pumping hacks to streamline your pumping routine

  a. Use ziplock bag / wetbag in between pumping 

My son has six or seven bottles a day, and I also have to make sure all my my pump parts are ready to be used, so that means we spend a lot of time doing dishes. The most helpful things I have found to decrease the amount of time I spend at the sink are using either a ziploc bag or my Sarah Wells Pumparoo bag (while I'm at work) to refrigerate my pump accessories in between pumping.

This makes it so I only have to wash my pump parts twice a day: after my first pump in the morning, and after my last pump at work.

   b. Having multiple sets of accessories

Make sure to have extra bottles / pumping parts ready so that you don't have to worry about not having clean containers to pump to.

   c. Use Medela cleaning wipes when out and about

 I have also found that Medela's soap/water free wipes are great for cleaning when I'm out and about.

How to Find Exclusive Pumping Schedule that Works 

It definitely took me some time to figure out the right pumping frequency to keep my supply up, and to stick to a consistent routine (around the rest of my work schedule/weekend schedule).

When I first got back to work, I had blocked off three times in my day so I would be able to pump; however, I very often found myself moving these times around and in the first few weeks, I was missing one of my sessions almost every other day.

In order to fix this, I started waking up earlier to pump before getting ready/getting my baby ready for the day, so I could pump first thing when I got into work (and not get caught up in meetings/the craziness of the day).

I try to have at least 2.5-3 hours between my pumping sessions, and I figured out that if I can get all three of my sessions in at work, I can usually fit two more in during the evenings/before I go to bed.

I think the biggest thing that I found was needing to pump for at least 10 minutes, even if I only get 2.5-3 oz. In the long run, the few times I had been too relaxed about my pumping frequency, is when I saw a slight dip in my production and needed to do a week of power pumping to bring it back up.

My biggest focus is more about sticking to the routine, and getting at least six pumps in a day, regardless of my production (but because of this, I usually have a pretty consistent production!).

After making tweaks my schedule, this is what a typical weekday looks like for me in order to get at least six, but usually seven pumps in every day:

6:30/6:45 am - Wake up and pump (I usually try to do this before the baby wakes up), wash pump parts

9:30 am - 1st pump at work

12:30 pm - 2nd pump at work

3:30 pm - 3rd pump at work, wash pump parts

6:30-7 pm - Pump

10 pm - Pump before going to bed

2-4 am - Pump after waking up to feed baby in the middle of the night

The weekends are a little different, but I still try to stick to the schedule of pumping every three hours, and pumping at least six times each day.

I hope you find the exclusive pumping tips and schedule that Kristina shared useful for you. 

If you need more info about exclusive pumping, Amanda Glenn from exclusivepumping.com has a great and detailed resources about exclusive pumping, from how to start until how to wean from your pump.