Expert: Joanna Liberty - 12/20/2011

Question
I work irregular hours and I am not sure how often I should pump. Sometimes I work evenings and baby feeds from breast in morning and I pump at work. Other times, I work early mornings and feed him in the evenings. How many times is ideal to pump during an 8 hour shift?

Answer
Breastfed babies usually take 2-4 ounces of milk during any feeding. You know better how oftern your baby is nursing, so you can tailor how many ounces you'll need for your little one, but most will need probably 6 2-ounce bottles during the time that you are at work. So you'll need to make sure you are saving about 12 ounces each day. If you're working at night when your baby is sleeping, you might not need that many bottles, but it's a good place to start.

When you're working, it depends on what you're able to do with your schedule to determine how often you should pump. Pumping every 2-3 hours when your baby normally nurses is most helpful for maintaining your milk supply, especially since you're working different shifts. So for example, my son normally nurses at 9a, 11a, 3p, 5p, 8p, so I would try to pump at those same times if I were away from him.

I would personally recommend from my own experience to top off baby before you leave for work (right before you walk out the door, do a nursing session. I used to nurse in the car before I left him at daycare), pump halfway through your first chunk of work before lunch, pump at lunch, pump halfway through the second half of the day and do a quick pump before you leave work. Your baby will still be able to get milk as soon as you get home, and you'll have a little extra in case you didn't get enough during the day, missed a pumping session or just need more for the freezer.