Pumping: What You Need To Know Before You Start
- Feb 5
- 7 min read
Pumping can be a useful tool, a necessary bridge, or a full-time feeding method - but it works best when expectations match physiology. Before you buy a pump, build a freezer stash, or start adding bottles, here are the non-negotiables you need to know - based on where you’re starting from.
Are you a:
1. Prenatal Parents Planning to (Mostly) Breastfeed
I find that pumping is often talked about in one of two ways, either as something you “figure out later,” or something that you "have to do," but the bottom line is that what you do early and how you feel about pumping matters in determining how successful you will be on the breastfeeding journey that you wanted.
DO know this before you pump:
Milk supply is built on demand.
Your body makes milk in response to milk being removed from your body. If milk enters your baby's stomach, your body needs to know about it. AKA, you need to express milk.
It doesn't matter whether that milk given to baby came from you, the freezer, or formula - if a feeding happens and your breasts don’t get that message, your supply gets a mixed signal and ultimately reduces.
Early pumping isn’t necessary (or helpful) in most cases.
Pumping “just in case” in the early weeks can create oversupply, exhaustion, or unrealistic expectations - especially when direct feeding is going well.
Did you know that if you have formula in the house, you are more likely to give baby formula? Think about that same premise here - If you pump milk, you are probably more likely to start offering that milk to baby in a bottle... That is totally fine, but its important to acknowledge that this opens up a whole host of other potential issues - bottle/flow preference, poor pump mechanics, overfeeding, etc. Before setting up a pump, consider reaching out to a lactation consultant to help organize your pumping journey so you don't end up with a low supply as you wade your way through learning a new machine.
You don't need a pump.
There is this thing called hand expression that EVERY mom should know how to do. This will save you when you are engorged. It will save you if your baby cannot latch for any reason. And it will tide you over until you get a lactation consultant and/ or pump while you manage other issues.
DON’T:
Don't assume pumping = insurance.
A pump doesn’t replace frequent, effective feeding at the breast in the early weeks. And there is no way to easily or consistently tell if the baby empties the breast better or worse than a pump. In my experience, babies are stronger pumps - especially if you are in the minimal pumping camp. If milk is not coming out of your body efficiently, you cannot assume it is signalling to your body to continue producing more milk. This is why it is SO important to have a pump assessment.
Don't buy or use a pump without knowing your flange size.
Most or all pumps right now come with flanges ranging from 21-28mm tunnels for nipples. This is so far from the actual average nipple diameter that I see in practice - closer to 17mm. Poor fit - yes even with 1mm off - can affect comfort and milk removal. Nowadays, there are kits you can buy that have about 3 different consecutive sizes in it; so if you know your general nipple diameter, then you can trial and error without all the fuss - but I say its best to book with a lactation consultant anyway. Am I biased? Yes. But have I seen people try this themselves and tank their own supply? Yes.
Don't wait until there’s a problem to learn how pumping works.
Just a little education before birth can prevent a lot of stress later. Watching a few youtube videos or a pump-focused creator on Instagram might be all you need to know the basics so that you aren't scrambling
Don't get duped by wearable pumps.
I feel so strongly about this. So many moms are buying the cheapest wearable (like a cup that goes in your bra all-in-one pump piece) pump and assuming because it was marketed well or on a promotion that it will work. It wont. In my experience, you're better off getting a used hospital grade pump on Marketplace than you are buying a new wearable and hoping it will work. Now of course the pump industry is improving on the daily - so this may not mean anything a year from now. But from where I'm standing today, wearables are ruining pumping journeys.
2. Combination Feeders (By Choice or By Need)
Combo feeding can be flexible, sustainable, and deeply supportive - but only when expectations match how milk production works.
DO know this:
Milk removal still drives supply.
If your baby takes a bottle (breastmilk or formula), your body still needs to be told that milk was needed. For every bottle given, you need to express milk (at least most of the time).
This doesn’t mean forever - but especially in the early months, skipped expression = decreased supply.
You don’t have to pump every single time to be “doing it right.”
Strategy matters more than perfection. We can work with real life. Need a little longer than two hours of sleep overnight? Cool, let's work around that and figure out how to not dip the supply and still get a good nap in. Need to push back a pump in the morning? Okay, but put the baby to the breast an extra 1-2 times in that period... There's always something to be done depending on your circumstance.
Even a little bit of direct-breast and skin to skin everyday can still be tremendously helpful.
If you are not the breastfeeding gal and want to just offer the breast a couple times a day, let's say? Great. We can pump around that. No one gets a medal for exclusive breastfeeding, but wouldn't that be something.
DON’T:
Don't expect supply to stay the same if bottles slowly replace feeds.
This is just physiology. Milk that isn’t removed eventually isn’t replaced. And often we give more milk in a bottle than a baby would naturally take at the breast. So unless you are hyper-aware of this, you may fall into a bottle trap that slowly replaces breastfeeds for a number of reasons.
Don't view pumping as punishment.
Pumping shouldn’t feel like the cost of giving a bottle. It’s a communication tool, not a moral one. Sometimes, especially in this day and age, we got things to do? We need to go to our pelvic floor physio appointment, or we gotta get a few more zz's, or we gotta do whatever you want to do that isnt being strapped to a baby every 1-3 hours for eternity. In these cases, pumping is the saviour. It supports our supply. It supports our baby. It supports us. So use it when you need to and be rid of the guilt.
Don't assume low output means low supply.
Pumps measure response to a machine - not what your baby would take in or need /not your baby's total capacity. Sometimes, because of the pump, or your response to it, or the accessories needing to be replaced, or the stress in the home, or your flange size, or whatever else, you wont get much from it... Sort it out and figure out what is your normal pump efficiency. Don't assume that your pump output means you are losing or not gaining supply until you test it out.
3. Exclusive Pumpers
Exclusive pumping is breastfeeding. Let's get that straight. Sure it's not at the breast. Whatever. It deserves just as much support, planning, and respect - if not more. The requirements of an exclusive pumper are many, and I applaud you.
DO know this:
Do understand that your pump is your baby.
Consistency, frequency, and effectiveness matter just as much as they would with a nursing infant. I'd argue that for many it matters more. This is because your body gets into a very specific rhythm of pumping x amount out at x times. Whereas a baby snacks, and buffets, and strikes, and returns... and although it follows a routine, our breasts are always expecting a range to be taken... Whereas when you are an exclusive pumper and your body expects to take so much milk out at these times, and you forget or pass your pump time, I feel its much more likely for clogged ducts to appear, its easy to push back times because the pump is not screaming at you, and ultimately, its easy to get a dip in your supply. So you have to remember, treat your pumping likes you are treating a baby.
Do know that frequency protects supply more than volume per session.
Early on, think in terms of “number of removals per day,” not how much you pump at once. You should be removing milk 8-12 times minimum in the beginning. Do not skimp on this.
Do know that fit, comfort, and setup matter SO MUCH.
Flange size, suction settings, and posture can directly affect output and long-term sustainability. I always push for hands-on breast pumping instead of a wearable or a bra. I also prefer hard flanges to these new inserts. The thing about hard flanges is also that you can get them in a number of sizes and shapes, and this can really impact your ability to let down milk if you are using the correct shape - not just the right flange size.
DON’T:
Don't rely on one pump session to “catch up.”
Milk production responds better to steady signals than big, infrequent efforts. Contrary to what it looks like, a big pump output in the aftermath of skipping a pump is actually not telling you you saved up all that milk... The milk left in the breast past your pumping time is actually slowly signalling to your brain that you made too much milk for this baby. If this happens frequently (or even 1 to a few times for some), it can drastically reduce your supply in no time.
Don't ignore pain, numbness, or recurring clogs.
These are red flags. Something is not right. And, just like breastfeeding is not supposed to hurt - neither should pumping. This is not something to push through. See a lactation consultant if this happens to you to work out what is going wrong.
Don't automatically assume exclusive pumping should look just like nursing schedules.
EP is its own feeding method, with its own rhythms and needs. There are so many blogs and channels on this topic alone. And there are SO MANY pump settings that can be leveraged for the exclusive pumper that the combination feed/pumper may not need to avail.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re planning to nurse, combo feed, or exclusively pump, milk removal needs to match milk intake if supply is something you want to protect. Simply using a pump according to manufacturing instructions does not ensure accurate milk removal.
And you don’t need to figure this out alone.
Thanks for reading!
-Nicole
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions
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