What it means to be an Exclusive Pumping Mom

There may be many a reason why you have chosen to exclusively pump breast milk as opposed to nursing your child. In a situation where the baby has difficult latching onto the mother’s nipple is one of those reasons. As a newborn, receiving colostrums is vital and therefore you may be asked to use a hospital grade breast pump such as the Medela Symphony to make sure your baby gets that natural goodness. New parents should be informed that in the event your baby has difficulty nursing, you have other options to try before resorting to infant formula. The best option would be to exclusively pump, known to mothers as EPing. What this involves is expressing breast milk to offer it to your baby via a bottle.

A newborn baby will need to feed at least every two hours or on demand (when breastfeeding). Therefore it would mean about 8 to 12 times in one day. In order to ensure your baby gets the breast milk supply he or she needs, you will be required to pump every two hours to match the demand. In terms of breast milk production, your body will replenish the empty breast. If you were to pump for 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours, you should have enough breast milk stored for your little one. It should be noted that your prolactin level which allows your body to product breast milk is most efficient in the wee morning hours, therefore an EPing mom should take this time (1am to 5am) to use your breast pump

A question many exclusive pumping mothers have is how long should be use your pump for? Some experts say that 20 minutes should suffice, how it is recommended that you pump for five minutes longer after the milk flow diminishes. It is said to encourage increase in milk supply and also another letdown.

An important thing to note is how many feeds and how much should you feed your little one. Often when it comes to breastfeeding it is considered “on demand”. However, when you are expressing breast milk with the use of a breast pump you may have questions. These questions can be anything from “how much should you pump”, “how much is enough for one feed”, and “how many feeds a day should you feed your baby”? The following chart describes how much an EPing mom should bottle feed her breast milk to her newborn up until he or she is 24 months/2 years old. You ideally should exclusively feed your baby breast milk until he or she is 6 months of age and then supplement his or her diet with baby food.

AGE FOOD GROUP FOODS DAILY SERVINGS SUGGESTED SERVING SIZE
Newborn to 4 Months Expressed Breast Milk 0-1  Month

1-2  Months

2-3 Months

3-4 Months6-8

5-7

4-7

4-62-5 oz

3-6 oz

4-7 oz

6-8 oz4 – 6 MonthsExpressed Breast Milk4-66-8 ozGrainIron Fortified Baby Cereal21 – 2 tblsps6-8 MonthsExpressed Breast Milk3-56-8 ozGrainIron Fortified Baby Cereal

Bread/Crackers2

 

Suggest1      – 2 tblsps

 

¼ Bread Slice / 2 CrackersFruitFruit (strained)

Fruit Juice2

12-3 tblspns

3 oz (from sippy cup)Vegetables (boiled and strained/mashed)22-3 tblspns

MeatChicken/Beef/Pork11-2 tblspns8-12 MonthsMilkExpressed Breast Milk3-56-8 oz Cheese

Yoghurt

Cottage Cheese Suggest½ oz

½ cup

¼ cupGrainIron Fortified Baby Cereal

Bread/Crackers2-3

 

1-22      – 4 tblsps

 

¼ Bread Slice / 2 CrackersFruitFruit (strained)

Fruit Juice2

12-3 tblspns

Up to 4 oz (from Sippy cup)Vegetables (boiled and strained/mashed)23-4 tblspns

ProteinChicken/Beef/Pork

Dried Beans

Egg Yolk2

2

13-4 tblspns

3-4 tblspns

112-24 MonthsMilkExpressed Breast Milk4½ cup (Sippy cup/normal cup) Whole Milk, Yoghurt

Cheese

Cottage Cheese4½ cup

½ oz

¼ cupGrainCereal, pasta, rice

Bread, muffins, rolls

Crackers4-5¼ cup

¼ slice of bread, small portions

2 CrackersFruitFruit

Fruit Juice2

1½ medium size fruit

3- 4 oz (from Sippy cup/normal cup)Vegetables (fresh/cooked)4-5¼ cup (cooked)

½ cup (fresh)ProteinFish, chicken, turkey, beef, pork

Cooked beans, peas

Eggs3-4

½ – 1 oz

 

2 tblspns

1

Author Info

Ross Wallace