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By the time my son was just three months old, I had filled almost our entire garage freezer with bags and bags and bags of breastmilk. It was a glorious feeling and gave me so much security as a first time mom.
My other new mom friends asked me all the time how I managed to freeze extra breast milk EVERY DAY when my son was a newborn and what contributed to my oversupply. I always did my best to tell them everything I knew so read on for the best tips about how to fill up your freezer with that liquid gold!
I exclusively pumped for the first three months of my son’s life. I had complications during my pregnancy so my doctor delivered my son via a planned c-section at 35 weeks. Since my son had to be born early, he needed to spend some of the first days of his life in the NICU.
Not too long after I had made it up to my recovery room, my nurse told me I needed to start pumping to get my milk to come in since we didn’t have the opportunity for me to nurse my son for the better part of his first day of life.
That was something I definitely didn’t see coming!
I later learned that after c-sections it can take longer for your milk to come in so pumping is often recommended to help establish your milk supply and it’s definitely something you need to do if you won’t have the opportunity to try to nurse your baby in the first few hours after they are born.
I always assumed I would just nurse my son right after he was born, like most people do. Like, out pops the baby and then brought up onto my chest, ready to do what seemingly all moms did with their new babies. It never occurred to me that that moment would be intercepted and that I’d need to start this way but I went ahead and learned how to set up my pump and got started. My nurse told me to pump every 2-3 hours but also said I should try to nurse my son first when I was finally given the okay to do so.
So I tried the nursing thing. I thought it wouldn’t be that hard to do. That it would be natural and automatic and instinctual and easy.
But….
It wasn’t any of those things.
There are a number of reasons for why nursing is difficult for moms and it was really frustrating to keep trying when I was struggling. There are several factors to blame for this- it hurts a lot in the beginning, positioning isn’t easy, not all nipples are created equal, and lots of other problems. Any one of these can be a part of any mom’s breastfeeding story. Another struggle for me was that when my son was in the NICU he was hooked up to all these monitors with cords everywhere so I was already nervous to even hold him, let alone try to work out this breastfeeding thing. It was just a challenge overall.
Over the next few weeks I would try to nurse here and there and I just couldn’t get it down. I tried everything but pumping was easier. It was predictable, measurable, controllable. With all the other things I had to figure out as a new mom, I liked having this one thing that felt routine for me. It was something that I had a system for and I thrive on having systems.
Initially it was tough to get used to having a schedule to follow- for my BODY- but sticking to a schedule (and other important components) really helped keep my supply up and I produced quite a bit more than my son needed each day.
Having this surplus of milk for my child was the kind of blessing many moms hope for and believe me, I was grateful and didn’t take it for granted. We considered ourselves lucky that I was able to provide for my son in this way but it took some real effort and at times the oversupply was an annoying part of new motherhood that I had to figure out how to manage.
With some consistency that gave me great results, I began to not mind the process so much. It doesn’t mean I loved feeling like a cow whenever I hooked up my pump- I definitely didn’t- but I liked feeling in control of this important part of my life and began to get excited whenever it was time to prep the bottles for the next few feedings because I could see how much extra I always ended up with.
I followed the advice I was given from the start and developed a very good routine that helped me regularly produce excess milk and that inspired me to keep going and keep steady with several habits in place that played a big role in encouraging that supply.
If you want to learn how to get great results on your pumping journey, here is my routine and my best tips to keep your milk abundant!
Pumping Routine
This is the pumping routine that worked GREAT for me and allowed me to freeze milk every day for my son but first ensured that I always stayed ahead with the milk we needed for the next few feedings.
Supplies Needed
- Breast pump
- A few milk collection and storage bottles with measurement markings and lids (I used these bottles)
- 6+ Baby bottles (preferably more, but first test out what you and your baby like; our kids loved these bottles)
- Milk storage bags (I used these bags)
- Pen
- Small storage bin that fits in your freezer
My Pumping Routine
- Do a full pump session and do your best not to cut it short because the milk at the end of a pumping session is richer and higher in fat content and you don’t want your baby to miss out on that.
- After pumping, take note of how much you’ve pumped and then slightly swirl each of the bottles, just enough to ensure that the milk composition is evenly distributed.
- Check how many full baby bottles you have in the fridge. If you have six bottles, anything you pump should be distributed into milk storage bags to be frozen. Keep the small storage bin in your freezer and anytime you have a new bag to freeze, lay it on top of the previous bag so that it freezes flat and takes up less space. Once that bin is full of frozen milk bags you can store them however you choose more easily!
- Pour into a baby bottle if you know you have enough for a full feeding. Once that bottle is filled, see how much is leftover. If it’s enough for a second full bottle, pour into another baby bottle. Place full baby bottles in the fridge in the order of oldest pumped milk at the front and most recently pumped milk at the back so that you know what order to use them. Keep the remaining milk aside for the next step.
- Then look to see if you have any other spare milk from your previous pumping session and see if it’s enough to combine with the leftover milk from what you just pumped to make a full bottle. If it is, pour the older milk into the baby bottle first and add in enough of the milk you just pumped to make a full bottle and put that bottle in front of whatever bottle(s) you just made. Pour whatever milk that is remaining into a storage bottle with the lid tightly secured.
- Wash your pump. And make sure to sterilize the parts once a day! Same goes for any bottles used.
Pitcher Method
There is another milk storage method that many moms love called the pitcher method. It involves pouring all pumped milk from the day into a pitcher and then distributing it among bottles at the end of the day. I didn’t try this but you can try it if you are shorter on time after pumping and if this appeals to you. I chose not to because I felt that the pitcher would take up too much space and that it would be messy but it’s an option!
Tips & Advice for Keeping Your Supply Strong
A healthy diet and plenty of calories
Don’t jump into any calorie restriction to try to lose weight when you’re freshly postpartum. You burn tons of calories whether you pump or nurse so consider that your workout! BUT that also means you need to take in enough to keep your own body healthy and some extra to make that milk! Eating a mostly healthy, balanced diet will help your milk too and definitely continue to take your prenatal or postnatal vitamin for as long as you are feeding your baby.
Drink lots of water, 24/7
Stay hydrated! Keep your water bottle or whatever you like to use with you everywhere you go, around the clock. I like using something with a straw, insulated and to be honest, I do better when I like the look of my water bottle. This one is my favorite and makes a great gift for new moms! Do whatever makes you want to drink that water- add flavoring or lemon slices if you need to! And if your bedroom isn’t on the same floor of your house as your kitchen then you should keep a full backup water bottle nearby too. Or do what I did- I kept a pack of disposable water bottles under my bed in the first several weeks after my kids were born!
Do full pump sessions
Every time you pump you need to make sure you’re pumping for long enough and to recognize when you’ve fully emptied your breasts. When it’s time to stop, you’ll see your milk has slowed way down to occasional drops and your boobs will feel very soft and squishy. In the beginning it may take longer, like 30 minutes or so, but then it’ll usually take about 15-20 minutes for most women. For me, I pumped for about 23-25 minutes most of the time because of a magical thing called the second letdown! A second letdown is just how it sounds and it can come on naturally if you pump for a bit longer than you need to or you can read about how to bring on a second letdown by changing the settings on your pump. Look into it if you want to try it!
Stick to a schedule
You should be aiming to remove milk from your breasts as often as your baby eats in order to meet that demand. Makes sense, right? Find what works best for you to keep on top of pumping around your baby’s schedule. That can mean wearing a wearable pump while feeding your baby a bottle or pumping after you’ve fed your baby or sometime during your baby’s nap. Again, essentially you want to make sure that you’re pumping as often as baby eats. That’s also probably going to mean nighttime pumping and I know it’s no one’s favorite activity but you need to stay on schedule to remind your boobs to keep making milk. Plus you definitely don’t want to get mastitis from waiting too long in between pump sessions.
Keep your pump clean and prepped
You never know what kind of wrench will get thrown into your schedule. Your baby could have had a massive blowout all over the couch that you have to clean up during naptime and suddenly your window of opportunity has been cut in half. Best to try to clean your pump and get as much set up as possible right after using it if you can.
Keep spare parts and replace as recommended
OH MY GOD. One time I was cleaning my pump and a tiny little piece went down the sink drain and I had no spares and I was in trouble! Amazon Prime couldn’t even save me- pumping isn’t something that can simply wait until the next day. I was so fortunate that my husband had a free moment at work and was able to run into Buy Buy Baby to grab what I needed and drop it off at the house for me. I vowed to always keep spares of the tiny parts from then on and truly could appreciate the value in having a second pump or a manual pump as well. In regards to replacing parts, some just don’t allow the pump to work as well over time so make sure to read the manual and get whatever you’re going to need.
Mini fridge
Okay so this one isn’t a necessity but it definitely came in handy to keep in my son’s room instead of having to walk up and down the stairs to grab bottles from the fridge every time I had to feed him! It was also super convenient to keep the mini fridge in our room for the first few months for the night feedings to keep our whole routine right in our bedroom! We kept a bottle warmer on top and it was a perfect little milk station!
Wireless Temperature Sensor
You guys, I didn’t know about this until recently but now I can’t imagine not having one of these! Have you ever heard of someone losing power and all their breastmilk stash melting and being completely unusable?!? This is a pumping mama’s milky nightmare. This temperature sensor hooks up to Wi-Fi and alerts you if the temperature of your freezer is going out of range so that it’s not too late to save all your precious liquid gold (and all your frozen food) from spoiling! I’m so in awe of technology sometimes!!
Building a Stash for Nursing Moms
Bonus pump
With my daughter, I nursed her for all of her feedings but a few hours after I laid her down for the night I would pump. This “bonus pump” happened each night around 11:00pm, right before I went to bed myself and since she didn’t usually wake up for several more hours (if at all), it truly was a bonus! Straight to the freezer.
Post-feed pump
You can also pump after you’ve nursed your baby to get a little more bang for your buck, so to speak. This works best in the morning when you have the greatest supply and probably a little milk to spare. Some say to wait about 30 minutes before pumping. You can also try this at a different time of day after a feeding but definitely make sure to give a good hour or so before the next time you’ll need to feed your baby.
Pump with a Haakaa
The haakaa is an AMAZING tool to catch the letdown on one breast while your baby feeds on the other! I have a friend who built her freezer stash by doing just this! It definitely helps any time you’re engorged and need to take the edge off when you aren’t able to pump.
I hope these tips help and that you try my routine to help you get your pumping process streamlined and get all the liquid gold you can for your little one! Now go chug some water! 🙂