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I didn’t know you could find a sample breastfeeding and pumping schedule for a newborn online. If you struggle with your decision to breastfeed, you aren’t the only mom to think this way.
When I first became a mom, my doula and doctor wanted me to try breastfeeding. Since I would be a prime candidate.
While I didn’t know everything that would go into a breastfeeding schedule at the time, as a new mom, I wanted to try it.
My journey ended at the one-month mark, but many moms go on to breastfeed for years with their little ones.
You will also discover that some moms will give you their experiences of why breastfeeding may not always be the best option for new moms.
Take their advice with a grain of salt. Do what you know will be best for you and your family.
Below is a general guideline. The number of times you must pump or breastfeed your baby will vary.
This is to give you an example of the different ways of getting liquid gold for your new baby.
New parents and new babies all have different needs, and the goal is to provide you with a sample schedule of something that I did in the few weeks that I was a pumping and breastfeeding mom.
I have a list of the best hospital bags for moms that you should check out since some are pre-packed and have dual uses.
Here is a sample breastfeeding and pumping schedule for a newborn
Remember that you will develop a schedule based on your child’s needs. This is the one I used when I was in the early stages of trying to get my milk production to come in.
Your body will make enough milk for your child, so you don’t have to work about the amount of milk you make for your baby.
Here is the sample breastfeeding schedule
2:00 am: Nurse, pump until breasts no longer feel full, or your breast no longer feels hard and tender to the touch.
Sometimes when you nurse, you will find that your baby will not empty your breast, so you must pump to get the milk out.
Your hormones (prolactin) that drive milk production are at their highest levels in the morning, which will be the ideal time to pump.
Usually, newborns nurse for 20 to 30 minutes at each breast.
Try not to nurse for longer than an hour each time, as your baby uses a lot of energy in sucking, and nursing for too long might burn more energy than the baby consumes.
6:00 am: Nurse, then pump if needed
8:00 am: Nurse, then pump if needed
12:00 pm: Nurse, then pump if needed
2:00 pm: Nurse, then pump if needed
4:00 pm: Nurse, then pump if needed
Newborns may sleep during the day and not wake up for feeds every 2 hours. This is okay.
The American Academy of Pediatrics or the (AAP) recommends waking your baby if they sleep more than four hours for the first two weeks.
6:00 pm – 10.00 pm: Nurse, then pump if needed
Some babies are unsettled around this time, from early evening to nighttime. The only thing that works is to cuddle them, feed or even cluster feed and wait for it to pass.
Morning hours of breastfeeding
1:00 am: Nurse, then pump right after. For many, your milk production is at its highest between 1 am and 6 am, and this will be the best time to pump.
Power pumping at this time will also be great, as it’s the best way to get the most milk out at a time.
4:00 am: Nurse, then pump if needed
Also, you can try these tips below if you would like to increase your milk supply (it may not work, but this is a natural way of getting your body to do the work for you without taking supplements):
- Pump the opposite breast while your baby is feeding to take advantage of the letdown from your baby’s stimulation
- Pump for 5 or 10 minutes beyond the last drops you produce
- Finish off with a few minutes of hand expression on both breasts.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Nursing a newborn on demand and fitting pumping sessions into your day is challenging.
With cluster feeding and newborn day/night confusion, you have no sleep, no rest, and no time to do anything but have a baby or a machine attached to your breasts all day and night.
So please be kind to yourself.
You are doing your best, and that’s enough. You’re an excellent mother, and you deserve to feel that way.
Sample exclusive pumping schedule
Suppose you are looking for an example of an exclusive pumping schedule. In that case, you can do the same as breastfeeding; instead of nursing, you would express your milk.
2:00 am: Pump
6:00 am: Pump
8:00 am: Pump
12:00 pm: Pump
2:00 pm: Pump
4:00 pm: Pump
6:00 pm – 10.00 pm: Pump, if needed.
1:00 am: Pump; as mentioned with breastfeeding, milk production is at its highest between 1 am and 6 am, and this will be the best time to pump.
If you can pump, go as long as you can to ensure to get the adequate supply needed for your baby’s needs
4:00 am: Pump
Pumping also gives you much-needed rest on days you don’t have the energy to do anything. This allows other family members and loved ones to help so you can rest, which will benefit your physical and mental health.
How to handle breastfeeding problems
I’m not sure about you, but when I was growing up, breastfeeding wasn’t something every woman did. Many kids who are the children of baby boomers like me got fed Similac and called it a day.
Nowadays, there is pressure to breastfeed your baby, and it can be very overwhelming, especially for first-time moms. You can read about my first-time mom postpartum journey for more context.
Later, it was discovered that my son was allergic to my breast milk and could not consume the milk I was expressing because of his newborn milk-protein allergies.
While I was sad, I was also relieved. I didn’t have to stay up and express breast milk every few hours. Since we were already bottle feeding him, there wasn’t a big transition for that. Overall, a fed baby is best, and everyone agrees on that.
Milk protein allergy in infants
By the time you enter your 3rd trimester, you will probably hear almost every appointment about breastfeeding. Sometimes, like in my case, your baby will let you know when it’s time to feed them, so you don’t have to waste time trying to figure it out.
But what the doctors don’t tell you is that there are reasons why a mommy can’t or shouldn’t breastfeed.
After discovering that my son had a milk protein allergy, my husband and I had a choice regarding how to proceed with feedings.
After looking at all the options, we had already given him Nutramigen, which is given to babies with gas or allergies.
Since he was doing well, we decided to go with that. If you want great bottles, this post is about Dr. Brown’s Bottles and their many products, including bottle warmers and sterilizers.
We were using the powder. But noticed my son was still gassy and not comfortable after feeding.
So we switched to the liquid and have used that ever since. Nutramigen is an Enfamil company, so if you use Simalic, Alimentum would be the same for that company and brand.
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My Breastfeeding Story
The story is funny about how my breastfeeding journey began. The pediatrician noticed that my one-day-old son was crying.
That’s because he hadn’t eaten in 12 hours when he was firstborn. Hey, I didn’t know. Because my milk hadn’t come, which can take 3-5 days, I didn’t realize we could supplement with formula for the first few days until my milk entered.
This was when the expression started, and for the first month, I expressed along with formula until we became exclusively formula-fed. This blog post covers six new parent hacks if you need help getting your baby to sleep at night.
If you want the best breast pump, I used the SPECTRA S2 Plus Electric Breast Pump. It was perfect for my needs.
This breast pump is a .hospital grade pump. The pump came with two bottles and a portable pump (which could have been more robust but still suitable for quick pumps).
It was effortless to clean, quiet for the most part and had a light in case you needed to see in the dark. Highly recommend it for new moms, and it has a two-year shelf-life.
Conclusion on the best sample breastfeeding and pumping schedule for newborns.
Breastfeeding is a personal decision that moms make. It can be based on the recommendation of their doctors or something they want to do themselves.
If you find that you are having breastfeeding issues, you can always reach out to a lactation consultant. They will be able to help you get to a place where you can feel comfortable breastfeeding, and you can make up your own schedule.
If you don’t want to breastfeed exclusively, there are other options. You can be an exclusive pumping mama where instead of nursing, you use that time for pumping and bottle feeding your child.
You can also do a breastfeeding, pumping, and formula feeding hybrid. Ensure you set realistic expectations, especially as a working mom, so you aren’t making yourself sick.
Exclusive breastfeeding is possible.
Becoming an exclusive breastfeeding mama is possible. You can find the ultimate exclusive pumping class online if that is something that you want to do.
They can provide you with a workable pumping routine so that if you have pumping goals, you can achieve them.
If you discover that you have a low milk supply or your milk supply is not meeting the needs of your baby, you can always reach out to see if there is a more significant issue.
As a new mother, you will go through so many things in the first year that you want to ensure your breastfeeding and pumping journey is the best experience possible.
This schedule can also work for a twin mom since both babies must feed at the same intervals.
Again, your body will produce what you need to make for your babies, so never feel like you won’t be able to feed them or provide your babies with what they need.
Always ensure you eat healthy snacks; if you need a quiet place to pump or breastfeed, do that. In the comments below, share your sample breastfeeding and pumping schedule for a newborn. This will help other women know what is possible.
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Wish I would have had all of this information when I nursed my baby. I was clueless. Very helpful article!
Glad it was helpful!