Pumping and Storing Breast Milk

Four weeks is often when breastfeeding mothers begin to think about pumping and storing extra breastmilk. That's when most babies are breastfeeding well and you can usually be less concerned about nipple confusion from taking a bottle of pumped breastmilk.

If you are pumping before then, it is usually because you are trying to increase your breast milk supply or because your baby isn't latching well.

What are the benefits of pumping?

One benefit is that you will have breastmilk to feed your baby if someone else is watching her. This is especially helpful if a breastfeeding mother is going back to work and can help avoid formula supplements.

Having pumped breastmilk can also provide you with something to feed your baby when you are on the go if you don't want to nurse in public.

And of course, pumping can be very helpful if you ever need to boost your breastmilk supply. Remember that breastmilk production is mostly based on 'supply and demand.' So any extra pumping you do, in addition to your baby's nursing, can simulate an increased demand and help increase your breastmilk supply.

Some mothers even prefer to pump, relying on exclusive pumping so that they know exactly how much milk their baby is getting.

Are there any downsides to pumping?

The main downsides are the possible discomfort of pumping if you are not doing it properly, the costs involved in purchasing a breast pump, pumping supplies, and bottles. There is also the time involved in pumping and cleaning the breast pump and bottles.

And be sure to pump right after your baby is done feeding. If you pump too soon before your baby is going to nurse, then you may take breastmilk away from a feeding.

While the most basic "pump" to express milk is your hand, other types of breast pumps include:

• manual or hand-held breast pumps
• battery powered pumps
• electric pumps
• hospital-grade pumps (can often be rented)

There are also single (one breast) vs. double (both breasts at the same time) breast pumps.

While most insurance plans now cover the cost of a breast pump because of the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, they typically just pay for a basic electric pump.

While they are the most expensive, a hospital-grade pump is likely going to be the most useful if you need to boost your milk supply because your baby isn't latching and nursing well early on or if you need to pump quickly and efficiently once you go back to work.

If you have a good supply of breastmilk and your baby is nursing well, you may quickly build up a supply of pumped breastmilk that you now have to store safely.

Common breastmilk storage guidelines state that breastmilk can be safely stored for:

• 4 to 6 hours at room temperature
• up to 24 in a cooler with ice packs
• 5 to 8 days in the refrigerator
• 2 weeks in the freezer (if the freezer compartment is inside the refrigerator)
• 3 to 4 months in the freezer (a separate freezer compartment)
• 6 to 12 months in a deep freezer

Be sure to write the date on the containers so that you will know to use the oldest ones first.

So what do you do with all of the pumped breastmilk?

While you can try to arrange a donation to a breastmilk bank if you aren't going to be able to use it all, you will mostly want to thaw, warm, and feed it to your baby.

It is important to do that safely, such as by:

• allowing frozen breastmilk to defrost in the refrigerator over several hours (up to 24 hours)
• defrosting the frozen breastmilk container under cool running water
• warm the defrosted milk by placing it under warm running water for a few minutes and then shake it up and test the temperature before feeding it to your baby

You should not defrost frozen breastmilk at room temperature, refreeze leftover breastmilk that has already been thawed, or warm it in a microwave.