So something I struggled with was finding someone who knew how to help me find a schedule that worked for me as a working mom who wanted to continue to primarily nurse but needed to pump for stash and sitter.

When I say stash I mean that precious treasure trove of liquid you build up to have extra in case of emergency.

I ended up piecing together some advice and trial and error to find what worked for me.

Lilo has not ever been a good sleeper and still, at 5.5 months, she is not. Couple this with reflux and apparently a cow milk protein intolerance through my breast milk and finding a schedule was extra difficult. I ended up feeding throughout the day, pumping IF I had time after a feed occasionally (I got very little out but figured the stimulation couldn’t hurt). And then after bedtime feed (7-9 pm). Then set my clock to pump at 2 am. She used to get up and eat at varying times throughout the night but now usually just once. I still always pump at two.

Now that my supply is somewhat regulated, although I still fight with that at times, I pump the following on weekdays when I work:

Last feed is usually around 5-6am. If I have time I will pump after for a few, otherwise I pump at 8:00 when I get to work before I start seeing patients for 15-20 mins.

I pump again between patients at 10-10:30 am for 20.

Pump at lunch 12:30 for 15-20.

Pump at 2:30 for 20.

Then I feed the baby again when I get home usually between 5:30-6pm. Then on demand until bedtime around 8-9. I pump after I bath/shower and then wake up at 2am to pump. I feed on demand throughout the night which can be none-2 times usually. I also feed on demand on weekends and days off.

I have not been able to space my pumps out at work or drop the middle of the night and I probably won’t be able to or else I won’t have enough for the sitter. It’s challenging but to me it’s worth it. Especially as she has issues already with dairy and soy, even organic has a whole different set of concerns.

How often do you pump? What schedule works for you?