Below are the schedules my daughter and I followed, there was flucation with each day but ultimately this was how our days would go! I never had any intentions of how I expected to feed my daughter, if I had to exclusively pump, so be it. That ended up not being the case because my daugher did a fabulous job bouncing between boob and bottle. I will admit it didn't start out so seemless, it wasn't until we switched to Even Flo Balance bottles that her latch improved at the breast.
My goal moving foward was never to nurse during the day but to keep her familiiar with the breast. If there is anything I have learned while pumping for 5 years it is how important sleep is. My preferred combo feeding schedule will always be pumping and bottle feeding during the day and nursing at night. Nothing beats putting baby to the boob and being able to go back to sleep after a feeding, rather than pumping. I pumped every night for 6 months with my multiples, we would feed then I would pump- my nights never felt like they were goingt to end.
The best take away from this blog will be acknowledging that you do NOT have to choose how you're going to feed your baby before they are here. Hell, you don't have to figure it out when they arrive, allow you and baby(ies) to find your groove together. The worst thing we can do is force something that is not natural. If they latch and do a killer job at the breast, great! If they do not but that is your goal, find a skilled IBCLC to help establish baby's latch and continue to pump while they are learning. You must always consider removing milk to keep milk in demand, thats a fact.
month 1️⃣ combo feeding schedule
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adequate milk removal is top priority.
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if baby isn’t removing milk regularly it’s even more important to remove milk by pump. regular and consistent removal in these early weeks can be essential to long term production.
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also notice her 5 hour stretches between feedings. this is another reason of why the pump was necessary for my supply. I would pump while she slept and bottle feed when she woke.
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I was pumping 6-7x a day & nursing approx 2x a day. The nursing sessions weren’t always true feedings, more for practice or a snack
month 2️⃣ combo feeding schedule
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adequate milk removal is top priority.
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if baby isn’t removing milk regularly it’s even more important to remove milk by pump. regular and consistent removal in these early weeks can be essential to long term production.
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I was pumping 5-6x day & nursing approx 4x a day. Nora’s nursing skills are quickly advancing, she often roots for the boob for snack time.
month 3️⃣ combo feeding schedule
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adequate milk removal is top priority.
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if baby isn’t removing milk regularly it’s even more important to remove milk by pump. regular and consistent removal in the early weeks can be essential to long term production.
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I know from past experiences 5 pumps per day (5ppd) is my sweet spot for maintaining supply. So I generally try to stay around here. I do offer full nursing feeds before we start the day, I’m finding her “full feed” is about 3.5ounces. I know this because I’ll pump after that feeding and I don’t have much of a slacker boob- so when compared post session 3.5 ounces are typically missing from the nursed breast. We still snack before most naps.
5 Pumps Per Day combo feeding schedule
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adequate milk removal is top priority.
⠀
if baby isn’t removing milk regularly it’s even more important to remove milk by pump. regular and consistent removal in the early weeks can be essential to long term production.
⠀
I know from past experiences 5 pumps per day (5ppd) is my sweet spot for maintaining supply. So I generally try to stay around here. I do offer full nursing feeds before we start the day, I’m finding her “full feed” is about 3.5ounces. I know this because I’ll pump after that feeding and I don’t have much of a slacker boob- so when compared post session 3.5 ounces are typically missing from the nursed breast. We still snack before most naps.
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✨You may notice this schedule is the exact same as my 3rd month scheldule! That’s because from month 3 I have continued to maintain this schedule while also successfully maintaining my supply!
(edited 9/25/23) I am currently 15 months old and still sitting strong at 5 pumps per day! However my supplt looks a little different now a days!
Are you into podcasts? This episode of Tired Moms Club with bemybreastfriend with Courtney Olsen, @lactationchat is a must! We chat on bottles, nipple confusion and latch!
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