Pumping Breast Milk: When to Start, How Often, and Hand Expression

Many parents pump or hand express breast milk, or feed their baby pumped milk from a bottle. CDC's advice on doing it safely and well:

When to start

Begin a few weeks before you go back to work or school, or before any time away from your baby. That gives you practice with the pump, and gives your baby time to get used to feeding from a bottle.

How often

When you are away from your baby — or if you only pump — try to pump as often as your baby drinks breast milk. Regular pumping reminds your body to keep making the amount of milk the baby needs.

How much

Pumping on your baby's usual feeding schedule should produce about as much milk as your baby needs. That amount differs between babies and changes as they grow. If you struggle to pump enough while you are away, add an extra pumping session: it can raise your milk supply.

Hand expression

Every nursing mother benefits from knowing how to express milk by hand. It helps when:

• your breasts feel uncomfortably full;
• you have no manual or electric pump to hand;
• you are suddenly separated from your baby;
• you want to make more milk.

You massage and compress the breast with your hand to remove the milk. It takes practice, skill and coordination, and it gets easier. CDC has a step-by-step guide to hand expression.

Keep the pump clean

Cleaning the pump parts before and after every use matters a great deal. See CDC's How to Clean and Sanitize Breast Pumps.

Choosing a pump

Many breast pumps are on the market, and many things bear on which suits you. A lactation support provider can help you choose one and make pumping work for you.

Storing and handling the milk

Safe preparation and storage keep expressed milk at its best, and your baby healthy. CDC's Breast Milk Storage Questions and Answers covers where to keep milk at work, what to do in a power cut, and more.

More from CDC: Breastfeeding Facts, travel advice for nursing mothers, and going back to work while breastfeeding.

Sources

Based on "Pumping Breast Milk," Infant and Toddler Nutrition, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. The source's stock photograph is not reproduced.