Whether you’re breastfeeding or exclusively pumping milk is produced based on supply and demand. Once you begin and continue to demand then the supply will come!

I remember feeling like I was struggling on my first exclusive pumping journey and I knew that I did not want to be in that same position again. So at the outset of my pumping journey with my second child, I was on a rigorous routine because I wanted to ensure that I was establishing a healthy supply and maybe even create an oversupply. I guess you could say that I was successful because by the time my son was 8 weeks I was averaging 40ozs a day and producing enough milk to establish a freezer stash for my return to work.

I can personally say that initially it’s a lot of work but once you remain focused and surround yourself with good support you can get through the pumping journey.

Also, I’ve learned not to stress myself out so much like I did the first time because that affects your milk supply, but rather just do the best you can even if it means supplementing with formula!

Our bodies are all different and we each have our own experiences so what works for me may not necessarily work for you! Tweak as you need to and do what’s in your best interest! Essentially at the end of the day we just want to ensure that baby is adequately fed!

I believe the pumping schedule you follow should be in alignment with your goals. For me I’m trying to go at least 12 months this time so my suggestions will be based on this timeline.

So without further ado, here are a few pumping schedule ideas that I’ve been utilizing or have tried before:

Newborn to 3 Months (1st 12 weeks)

Pumping 10x a day – This might look like: 6am, 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm, 10pm, 1am and 4am (this was too much for me and I couldn’t handle it so I decided to switch to 8 instead)

Pumping 8x a day (every 2.5 hours during the day and 4 hours at night). This might look like: 6am, 8:30am, 11am, 1:30pm, 4pm, 6:30, 10:30pm, 2:30am

As I noted above breast milk production is all about supply and demand so to be on the safe side I will continue to pump for 8 times a day to ensure that I maintain the same level by month three. At this point supply is typically regulated (anywhere between months 2 and 3) so I won’t drop below 8 pumps until then. Just to be on the safe side.

Month 4 and 5 (Weeks 13 – 20)

Pump 7x or 6x a day – The middle of the night pump continues to be important so I won’t drop this one just yet. A sample schedule for 7x might look like 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 10pm, 2am or a schedule for 6x would be 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, 10pm, 2am.

Month 6

Pump 4 to 5x a day – At this point baby is probably having longer stretches of sleep and you’re looking forward to the same so while I would still keep a pump in the middle of the night, the stretches are much longer so that I’m only getting up once. My schedule would look like 6am, 11am, 2pm, 6pm and 10pm.

Month 7 and beyond

At this point you can pretty much begin to drop more pumps as you desire. It is important however, to remember that once you begin to drop pumps you need to compensate by extending the time of your remaining pumps. So if you typically pumped 8 times a day for 20 minutes each time and dropped to 7 times a day then you can split the 20 minutes over the 7 remaining pumps. Ultimately do whatever works best for you though. We all have different goals that we’re trying to reach on our journeys so do what gets you there in the most sane way!

Also, this is obviously not a strict schedule as you may recognize that you regulate sooner therefore you’re able to drop pumps sooner. Or you may even be someone who finds output is better with less pumps… if that’s the case, do what’s working best for you! You will feel better for it and so will baby when they get that liquid gold!

And don’t forget… you rock mama!