Where do you start

When I had my son, we did formula in the hospital and then I began pumping when we got home! I pumped every 2-3 hours and have been exclusively pumping for 4.5 months now!

I decided on day two in hospital when breastfeeding was not happening for us. He took to the bottle straight away and I pumped exclusively for around 7 months and never looked back. I received some push back from midwives initially but once I made the choice it felt like a weight had been lifted and I knew it was right for us. My advice would be to try and see if it works for you and your little one when the time comes

My son was in the Nicu for the first 2 weeks so I started pumping immediately. 8 times per day (every 2-3 hours) for approximately 20 minutes each time at the beginning. The first couple of days doesn’t seem like much (there should be some colostrum) but it will eventually start coming in more.

I used the hospital pump at the hospital. My milk didn’t really come in until 3 days after birth.

I pumped every 3 hrs. I pump a wearable pump (Elvie stride) and that has helped me pump for 1 year now. I’m finally tapering down little by little

My son ended up being by an emergency C-section, we tried nursing at the hospital and he would sometimes latch sometimes not,so we were combo feeding. When I got home I decided to exclusively pump. So I was 5 days pp at the time.
Biggest piece of advice is pumping every 2 hours until your supply regulates, around 12 weeks. Even if baby sleeps through the night, you still need to do your night pumps. You can stretch the night pumps to every 3 hours.

If you can afford it, I would recommend getting at least a second set of pump parts so you aren’t always washing parts. If you could have multiple bottles this helps too. Pumping and feeding takes longer than nursing/formula feeding, and if you need to wash parts every time they’re used it can get overwhelming.

Some mamas are over suppliers, just enoughers, or under suppliers. Don’t stress out about where you fall

I used this website a lot in the beginning https://exclusivepumping.com

I’ve now been exclusively pumping for 5.5 months

Those first few days until your milk really starts coming in, give formula and whatever milk you can make (combo feed) or you can just give formula until you have a substantial amount of milk to give per bottle. It took me about 2 weeks for my supply to come in fully and since my LO was only eating 2-3 oz at a time, it also allowed me to start making multiple bottles and then building a freezer stash.

Do what feels right! No matter what path you choose, an IBCLC can help! :)

I learnt everything from this website! https://exclusivepumping.com/exclusively-pumping-guide/

It takes a few days for milk to come in but pumping frequently mimics a baby cluster feeding and tells your body to make milk. At first it won’t be much and it will be colostrum, but this changes after a few days to proper milk. You can mix formula and breast milk in the same bottle if you aren’t making much milk at first. Try to pump (for about 15-20 mins - empty the breasts) every 2-3 hours around the clock until your milk starts to regulate (6 weeks) you might then be able to space them a little. Get a hospital grade pump and spare parts. Your parts will need replacing every few months in order to maintain decent suction on your machine. Stay hydrated, and eat well - both help supply.

It’s also worth noting that exclusively pumping can be hard work. It’s ok to do a mixture of breast milk and formula if that’s more manageable! Hopefully this helps!