Exclusive pumping is a lot of work. In addition to pumping, you need to prepare bottles, bottle feed your baby, wash bottles and pump parts, and manage your expressed breast milk. Here are seven things that you can do to make life as an exclusive pumper manageable, and make pumping easier.
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7 ways to make pumping easier
Here’s what you need to do to make life as a pumping mom less stressful.
1. Go hands-free
This is absolutely the most important thing. If you’re going to be spending two hours per day tied to the pump, you need to be able to do other things at the same time, whether that’s giving your baby a bottle of milk, working on your laptop, or eating a sandwich.
Invest in a hands-free pumping bra (here is one that I love) or a hands-free pump, and free yourself to do other things while you pump. It’s life-changing!
There are two main kinds of hands-free pumping bras – the kind you wear all day (integrated with your nursing bra) and the kind you only wear while pumping.
More on hands-free pumping bras in the below stories.
2. Don’t be constantly washing pump parts
Washing your pump parts after every pumping session is a huge time suck. Here are some ways to avoid this.
Fridge hack
In between sessions, some people put their pump parts in a gallon-size zip-top bag or Pumparoo in the fridge, and just wash them every few sessions.
This is known as the “fridge hack,” and I often did this.
In September 2017, the CDC issued new guidelines recommending pump parts be washed after each use. In an FAQ, they say that “if you cannot clean your pump parts thoroughly after each pumping session, you can rinse and then refrigerate pump parts for a few hours between uses to help slow the growth of bacteria.”
Here is more information on following CDC recommendations more easily.
Get multiple sets of pump parts
Another option is buying extra sets of pump parts.
This way you can use clean parts whenever you need them and then wash everything in one big batch. (Plus, it’s always a good idea to have a backup in case your duckbill goes down the dishwasher.)
Also, pump parts don’t always work well when they are wet, so having multiple sets allows the parts time to air dry after washing.
You may be able to get extra sets of pump parts covered by insurance. More on this here.
Use the dishwasher
Another option is to wash your pump parts in the dishwasher.
Check your breast pump’s instruction manual first to make sure all of the parts are diswasher-safe. (The instruction manuals are usually available online if you search.) Then, you can put any safe parts in a mesh bag or diswasher basket, and clean them that way.
As a bonus, if your dishwasher has a heated drying cycle, that will take care of the sterilizing step, too!
Delegate/ask for help if possible
Finally, if you have a partner, enlist them to help with the washing!
For a long time, I considered the pump and everything that went with it “my thing.” Eventually I realized that since I was doing all of the work making the milk, he could help out by washing everything.
(After all – you made the baby’s dinner, so they can do the dishes, right?)
3. Pump into the bottles that your baby drinks out of
If you can, pump into the bottles that your baby will drink out out of – it saves so much time in terms of transferring milk and washing two sets of bottles.
If your baby won’t take the bottles that come with your pump, see if you can attach the bottles he or she likes to the it – you might be surprised. Dr Brown’s bottles (the narrow ones) screwed into my Medela pump parts, for example.
If that doesn’t work, keep trying the bottles that came with your pump every couple of weeks. Babies change all of the time, and you never know when they will surprise you!
You should also make sure that you have plenty of bottles – I would aim for twice as many bottles as your baby drinks in a day. That way you have plenty to store in the fridge, plenty to pump into, and you can wash them at all once.
(Another option for managing milk that a lot of exclusive pumpers find makes life easier is the pitcher method, where you store all the milk you pump in a large container in the fridge before prepping bottles. More on how to do this here.)
4. Set up a pumping station
Having all of your pumping stuff in one place can making getting your pumping sessions in a lot easier – you don’t need to run around and find your hands-free pumping bra, massagers, and chargers before you get started.
Some people use a mobile pumping cart or caddy so that they can move around the house as needed, rather than being stuck in one spot.
5. Get comfortable with pumping on the go
One thing that is challenging about exclusive pumping is that you can’t just leave the house without a plan for how and when you’re going to get your next session in. You either need to be careful to get home in enough time that you won’t get uncomfortable, or you need to be able to pump on the go.
Being able to pump on the go gives you so much more freedom. If you’ve never done it before, try something easy first, like pumping in your car while someone else is caring for your baby. Then you can work your way up to pumping anywhere you happen to be.
It’s also a good idea to have a designated pumping bag with your gear in it, so you can just grab it and go.
More on pumping on the go here.
(Also, just because you’re an exclusive pumper, it doesn’t mean that trips have to be stressful! Here is how to fly with your pump and how to travel with breast milk.)
6. Make everything routine
Carrying the mental load of pumping is work in and of itself – planning when and how to wash the bottles, remembering to put any extra milk in the freezer, etc.
One of the best ways to make exclusively pumping easier is to get into a routine and to have a system in place for things like getting the bottles washed or freezing your milk. This allows you do to things on autopilot rather than constantly having to carry the mental load.
For every task that you need to do on a regular basis, figure out the easiest way for you to do it, given everything else in your life.
For example, a routine for managing bottles might be that you wash all of your dirty bottles and pump parts during your baby’s morning nap.
A system for freezing breast milk might be that you freeze whatever extra milk you have on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after baby’s bedtime, so you don’t have to worry you’ll leave a random bottle in the fridge for too long.
Figure out what works for you, and then make it a routine.
Need help with exclusive pumping? Use EPUMP30 for 30% off
7. Have a back up plan
It’s the worst feeling when you sit down to pump at work and then find out that you forgot a crucial part at home. Or when you realize that you left your charger behind in a hotel, and now you have a day of travel and no way to pump.
It’s a good idea to have a back up plan. A few examples of things that you can do are to learn hand expression (there are videos on YouTube that can help), to keep extra sets of pump parts at work or wherever you might need them, or have a manual pump in your bag.
Once I figured these things out, life became a lot easier for me! If you have other tips, share them in the comments!
Want help putting together the perfect pumping schedule for you that saves your sanity AND your milk supply? Check out the Exclusive Pumping Playbook! Includes cheat sheets for setting up systems and routines to make things easier. Use EPUMP30 for 30% off.
Comments & Chitchat
FTM here. Trying to balance nursing and pumping. Just got upper lip tie revised. Latching is not going well. Any advice to balance the triple feedings? Nursing pumping and bottle. Tysm!
Hi Jackie! This post has some tips that might help!
https://exclusivepumping.com/nursing-pumping-and-bottle-feeding/
Thank for your tips. My method is 7-5-3. Which means: 7 minutes right breast and 7 minutes left breast, than 5 minutes right breast and 5 minutes left breast and at last 3 minutes right breast and 3 minutes left breast. total it gives 30 minutes.
All the best for you Mommies!!!!
Hello thanks for the tips! I have a question about temperature. 1) So the pumping parts that have previous residual milk stick to them in the fridge. If I use them to pump again, will the fresh pumped milk go bad by touching/mixing with those residual milk from the pumping parts? 2) I pump 8 times a day. Can I empty the bottles used from prior pumping session and then use them to capture new fresh milk in the next pumping session again? My theory is that the unwashed cold pumping parts already have cold residual milk on them and I am reusing them. Then the old cold bottles with residual milk could be used again for the same reason. But is this really okay? Will this different temperature damage the nutrients of the new milk?
This was my question as well!
I usually rinse my parts in the scalding hot water from my sink every time I pump
And allow them to air dry. I run them in my bottle sanitizer once a day. I hope that’s okay.
Dear Amanda,
As I’ve understood from the entry, I can pump first with clean parts, then put them in the fridge (in a ziplock bag), then I can reassemble those parts and use for a 2nd time.
Is my understanding correct?
Thank you!!
That’s what I did, yes. The CDC doesn’t recommend it.
Hi Amanda,
I am exclusively pumping now and I am barely having enough for my baby so I am supplementing with formula.
I currently just leave my expressed milk at room temperature until the next feeding time, which is usually within 4hours from my pumping. This is to save the hassle of heating up the milk and also my baby always wants her milk immediately when she’s hungry or she will cry for the whole 5-10min while milk is warming up.
I know it is safe to leave the milk out for 4hrs but I can’t help thinking if bacteria is building up during those 4hrs as compared to me keeping it in the fridge.
What do you think?
Hi there Kate! I think it’s fine. That’s the limit the CDC has set and I’m sure it’s conservative. So I wouldn’t worry about it. But if the idea bothers you then putting in the fridge and warming works too. Maybe a bottle warmer would help speed the warming process?
Thank you Amanda! What about storing the breastmilk in the fridge. If for example I pour out all the milk from a refrigerated vial into a bottle, can I just pour in my newly pumped breast milk into that same vial and refrigerate without washing the vial first or should I always use a clean vial/container?
Also, do you recommend once a day, washing all parts, bottles etc with soap and water and then boiling them afterwards or is this overkill? My husband thinks I only need to one or the other?
I don’t think the issue is washing the bottle you pour into, but a temperature thing. (You aren’t supposed to mix warm and cold milk, is my understanding?) I think if you cool the newly pumped milk first that would be ok.
I always just washed with hot water and soap and occasionally used a Medela steam bag for sanitizing.
So if for example you were pumping 8 times a day, did you start with clean parts, pump- then reuse it four times, wash again and reuse 4 times? Did you use a new ziploc bag after each wash? Just trying to make sure I’m being as sanitary as possible 🙂
Yes, that sounds right. When I was working, I did the split at work – new ziploc bag and clean parts for work, a different set at home. I used the same ziploc bag until I washed the parts, then threw it away. I tried washing the bags to reuse, but I failed miserably.
So you wash your pump pieces twice a day?
I did, yes! (I’ve weaned now.)
Hi, I have a 3 week year old and just learned of the trick to store parts in the fridge during pumping sessions. Before I was disassembling everything but the tubing (for the spectra s1) and washing in hot soapy water. Needless to say I had splitting hands and no time before the next session occurred. Now we are trying both nursing and pumping as we work on her latch (with a tongue tie assessment for tomorrow as well). If I rinse the bottles, valve breast shield with cold water and then assemble back together to the flange piece, is it okay to leave all the extra water on the parts and put back into the bag or do I need to dry? Do you recommend I don’t rinse them at all? Also, what’s a good schedule to wash the parts? Once a night? Do you recommend the pumparoo bags for both storing used unwashed pump parts in the fridge and for on the go pumping sessions? Do you recommend any vials to store milk in? We are using the playtex bottles with the drop in liners at the moment to supplement about 1.5-2 oz after she feeds from the breast and I use the spectra pump. So I’m trying to figure out the best method to be efficient.
I know a lot of women rinse, but I did not – just put them in the bag. I washed twice day (morning and night). The pumparoo can work for either BUT you have to line dry it so I would get two if you decide to use it.
I’m not sure about vials. I pumped into Medela bottles and was lucky that my baby took them. Sorry I can’t help with that one!
I am currently pumping exclusively and I love the idea of storing the pump parts in the refrigerator instead of cleaning them each time especially since I am going back to work soon. I have one question, I use coconut oil on my nipples to avoid soreness. Is it still safe to store the pump parts in the refrigerator and re-use the same ones throughout the day?
I don’t have any expert ability to answer this question (so you should take my answer with a giant grain of salt), but my guess would be that the oil doesn’t make it less safe?
Hello, ill be pumping next week, just want to ask if i can use tap water in washing the pump parts every after session and will just sterilize it once a day? Coz in my workplace there’s no available hot or warm water to use for washing.
Yes, you don’t need to sterilize every time unless you have a preemie or other health concerns for your baby. The CDC does say to use hot water, though. If a microwave is available, you could always use a Medela sterlizing bag. Or you can just bring enough sets of pump parts that you can wash at home.
Hi,
I am starting to EP as a FTM with my little one who will be 1 month on Monday. I was nursing but we are having so much trouble latching and positioning. We started to give her bottles at night with my freshly expressed milk. I am having trouble keeping to a schedule to pump and I have an over supply of milk already and get out about 3-5 ounces with every session. I would like to have a days worth maybe even 2 of bottles In the fridge so I can just grab and go. Is that possible and how would you go about doing that? Also I have a bunch of bottles and nipples but I’m struggling with having to pump and switch to other bottles. It’s so time consuming and I feel like I never bond with my baby due to the time involved. Any recommendations would be great especially on how to get and store the milk in fridge so I can save some time. I am so overwhelmed it’s not even funny.
Hi Devin! That is definitely possible. What are you doing with the extra milk now? And are you able to pump into the bottles that your baby will take?
So I’m nursing and pumping and I usually nurse on one side while pumping the other. When I go back to work, I will only get to pump three times a day because I’m a teacher. How long should these sessions be? Someone said in a comment that you should pump at least 15 minutes on each breast. Is that 15 minutes if you are pumping both breasts at the same time? Or 30 minutes? My baby is almost 3 months. About how many ounces should she be drinking and I pumping?
Hi! 15 minutes if you’re doing both breasts at the same time. 🙂 As far as how much should she be drinking, I’d give her a few bottles right before you go back to work and see how much she takes. I would guess 3 or 4 oz bottles and would pack 3 or 4 of them but that’s based on my own experiences.
Hi there! Do you have any advice on storing methods? Initially my hubby and I were planning on using the Kiinde storage bags – we bought the attachments and they screw right in to the Spectra 2 pump. However we are feeling like it may get costly pretty quick, they are about $15 for a pack of 40. We also have an adapter that works with the Medela flanges so I am able to pump right into the Medela 2.7oz milk storage bottles and Abbott 2oz – but I only have about 20 total and pretty much use them all in 1-2 days (so they are all filled up when it’s time to pump again). Any advice to save some $$$ in the long run on storage would be much appreciated!
Hi Haley! What are you doing with the milk after you pump? Do you generally feed fresh milk, or keep a day’s worth in the fridge, or put it in the freezer? I’m just trying to picture what you’re doing and am not very successful (clearly it’s time for bed)!
Do you think you could pump into the same bottles you pumped into last, therefore adding milk to previous bottles?
This should be fine. You just have to treat all the milk as if it were pumped at the earliest time.
Thank you for this website. My son is 3 weeks old and I am exclusively pumping because he will not latch on. I have a large output, I am able to pump enough for him to eat for the day and enough to freeze. However, I am only pumping 5-7 times a day. Should I be pumping more, so I don’t lose my supply later? If my son never learns to latch on, I want to be able to pump and feed him breastmilk for a while, but I know supply can drop. How can I avoid that?
Hi Montgomery! I would target at least 6 sessions per day at 20 minutes each, but I wouldn’t worry about doing more than that if you are an oversupplier. Hope that helps!
How do you practically pump into bottles you feed with? I always find myself pouring in/out of the bottles because my pump output is never exactly what I put in the bottle to feed her. All the tweaking to get the feeding bottles filled correctly seems like it is just as much extra pouring as transferring from the pump bottles or bags. If you have a practical tips for this, I would love them!
Hi Laura! I usually just top off the bottles by pouring a little extra in or out, like you said. You’re right that the pouring the labor is the same either way. The time savings is really in the washing up – if you pump into the same bottles your baby eats out of, you only have to wash one set of bottles instead of two.
Thank you so much for this site! One thing that helps sometimes is to start the pump cycle over at the halfway mark on 30 minute pumps. It seems to encourage more let down. I am so excited to start cutting out middle of the night pumps (baby is almost 6 months) and get on a better schedule.
At what age is it safe to start storing the pump parts in the fridge? How often do you suggest sterilizing?
I started doing this from the beginning, but the CDC’s new guidelines don’t have an age specification.
Hi, my sister used a portable sink called Sinkboss. All-in-one device that turns the sink environment into a sanitary washing and drying environment and she loved it. If anyone is curious the url is https:// sinkboss.com
I love love love your site! I have been EP with my first baby for 5 months now and have relied very much on your advice. The game-changer for me was going handsfree portable (Medela Freestyle) with a big nursing apron (I use one from Udder Covers https://www.uddercovers.com) as I can then pump in front of family and friends while fully covered. I can do dishes, change baby, answer the door, even sit at the table with my folks for a meal while pumping away. This made it so much easier to keep on schedule as I didn’t have to go hide in another room 8x per day!
You should amend your article to include that you can buy adapters so you can use different bottles with various pumps pretty cheap on Amazon. I bought a set of adapters so I could screw the dr brown and Madela bottles directly into the spectra pump for like $5.
When u say 15 mins each session, its 15 mins each side. Right?
Yes!
Also, when I’m pumping, about after 10 mins, there’s no output. Should still continue to pump until 15 mins ?
Yes. The idea is that the nipple stimulation will help maintain your supply long-term and/or you might get a second letdown.
Hi,
I’m a FTM and I’m not sure how everyone finds time to pump 6-7x a day. I can barely pump 3x a day. We moved so I don’t any help with my baby and Hubby is back at work so by the time I breastfeed, put baby to sleep and make something to eat and pump, the whole routine starts again. I barely get a chance to take a nap as it is but I really need to store a stash for when I go back to work and baby is already a month old. I pump for 15-20 mins and get about 1.5-2 oz. Any suggestions?
Hi! Are you nursing and pumping or exclusively pumping? It’s sounds like you are nursing and not bottle feeding?
My baby is 2 months old now. Can i store the pump parts in the fridge and only wash and sterilise them at the end of the day? Currently, im sterilising them after each pump as im not sure if my baby is still too young for me to only sterilise the parts at the end of the day.
In the past I would have said yes. However, the CDC just came out with new guidelines about this. I am in the process of writing a post on it.
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/pdf/hygiene/breast-pump-fact-sheet.pdf
I am an a first time mother who is exclusively Pumping for girl.She is going to be 7 weeks tommorw and I have been pumping 7 times a day.i am very keen to drop a session as it will give me more time with my little one.Any advice on how I figure out that dropping one session does not mean my supplyncannot catch up with my babies milk demand.
Hi! Here you go:
https://exclusivepumping.com/dropping-pumps/
Basically, increase the length of your remaining sessions so that your total amount of time pumping in a day stays the same.
I’m storing pump parts in the fridge between pump sessions as well; do you think the condensation that collects &a adds to baby’s milk is safe? Thanks!
Hi Ellie, yes, I don’t think there is any issue there. Obviously, I’m not a doctor, but in my personal experience I haven’t had an issue.
I have been pumping about 25min per session about 7 times per day. Glad to hear I can cut back on that some… My only concern is at 15 min, would I be getting hind milk in the same session, or would it be mostly formilk?
You should definitely get hindmilk. Do you usually get more than one letdown? You should get hindmilk at the end of each.
I so appreciate this website. I am an exclusive pumper for both of my kiddos. (Both had latching issues.) Pumping ATC right now for Baby #2 born in late March. I pumped for my first-born 7 years ago for about 5 to 6 months and produced enough milk to last him until his first birthday (which was my goal). I’m hoping I can do the same for Baby #2. I go back to work tomorrow; so wish me luck! Thanks for all the great advice and support for us EP moms! :o) It’s comforting to know I am not alone and someone else understands the struggle!
Hi I’m a new mum and just start pumping yesterday, for how long do you pump per session. I only pump for 20min and I don’t get much milk
Hi! I think this will help! Short answer is it depends on how many times a day you’re pumping – the total should be at least 120. Good luck!
https://exclusivepumping.com/exclusive-pumping-for-a-newborn/
Instead of a zip lock bag that would need to be thrown away, would a Tupperware container work? Pump and put the parts in the container without rinsing everything?
Ps…I’ve loved all of the tips and articles on your blog! It’s been a life saver!
Yes, that would work!
Re:storing pump parts in the fridge in between pumping–do you need to wash them off first or do you just throw them in the ziplock with any milk residue on them? Also, do you change the bag daily or can you get more than one day out of it? Lastly, do you wash with soap and water before you sterilize or can you put pump parts in the sterilizer machine with just rinsing them off? I’m a germaphob so I want to make sure I’m safely handling everything! Thanks!
-Kate
Hi Kate! Okay so here is what I do – I do not wash them or rinse the pump parts first, though I know some people do. I do change the bag daily (I tried to wash them but it didn’t really work), later I switched to a Pumparoo. This I machine washed/line dry daily. I have two. I do not sterilize, just wash with soap and water. Hope that helps!
Rather than spending money on a store bought hands free bra, I just took a bra that I don’t really use anymore anyone cut small x’s of them. The flanges fit through the x’s and it works great for hands free.
I have the Medela pump on style pump and tried to clean my house while pumping. The issue I ran into was that once the milk reaches a certain level, it will pour out of the little holes in the connectors when you bend over 🙁
Great article!! Knowing that I can store my pump parts in the fridge between pumps and only wash/sterilize them once/day is such a time saver.
My daughter was born 2 months early and spent 59 days in the NICU. She is 3 months old now and still will not nurse. I wish I had found this article back in January. I would have saved SO much time!!
One more tip; I keep a mini fridge in my bedroom. Our kitchen is downstairs so having the fridge I our bedroom is a huge help for the overnight pump. Plus, I keep water in there to drink.
Great idea on the mini fridge!
Hello! I need some advice on storing my breastmilk. I prefer to give my baby freshly expressed milk to avoid having to warm up a bottle. So what I’ve been doing is expressing my milk and leaving it at room temperature for 4 hours. If the milk hasn’t been touched at all after 4 hours, I put it in the fridge. Then if the milk in the fridge hasn’t been used for 2 days, I move it into the freezer. Is my milk okay? Should I be refrigerating or freezing my milk immediately after expressing it. My baby will want anywhere from 2-6 ounces in a feeding so it’s difficult to know how much milk to warm up for him, so I prefer to leave it at room temperature.
I think that’s fine! That’s what I did, too.
I really appreciate this website. Thank you!