If you’re anticipating returning to work and continuing your breastfeeding journey, you are likely poring over all the information you can find on pumping at work. Many questions immediately come to mind: “when,” “where,” “how,” and “how often?”

After a short six-week maternity leave, I headed back to the office after having my first baby. When you’re new to the pumping game, the unknowns can feel overwhelming. Once you hit your stride and find what makes you most comfortable, pumping will no longer be intimidating. Instead, this could become a routine you grow to love!

Check Your Pumping Supplies

It’s easiest to begin by gathering what supplies you will need. A breast pump is the biggest decision to make because there are so many options. Seeing what pump you could get free through insurance or WIC may help you make your decision. You don’t need to have the most expensive one out there to have it work best for you.

Before considering a used pump, be very careful as many are not safe to share. Breast pumps also come with one size flange, but you can buy different sizes cheaply. The wrong size could impact your milk production, so be sure to size it once it comes in.

Here are the other items found in my pumping bag:

• Spare Pump Parts, especially the tiny, easy-to-lose pieces.
• Milk Storage Bags, by far the cheapest addition.
• Nipple Cream or just coconut oil if you are strapped for funds.
• Nursing Pads. The reusable kind can save you money long-term.
• Nursing Bras. Check the off-brand types.
• Gallon-Sized Snack Bags for storing your milky parts.
• Snacks and Water, because pumping makes your thirst and hunger hit hard.
• Permanent Marker to date and name your milk storage bags.
• Milk Catcher for the over-producer to discreetly collect milk at her desk.
• Pumping Lunch Box, a thermal lunch box of any kind can work.

Prepare to Return to Work

Ideally, your breast pump came in at least a few weeks before your return to work. This way, you have had plenty of time to check your part size and watch some videos on how to put it together and take it apart. If it took a while to figure out what all the parts do, you’re definitely not alone.

If you can’t get the flanges to “suck,” reach out to the lactation consultant at the hospital where you delivered. Perhaps the consultant can guide you, as she has likely seen many pumps in her work. Know that many women before you have needed help getting started.

Now that you have your pump and have at least become acquainted with it, here are a few things to sort out before your first day back to work with a breast pump.

Begin Pumping Two Weeks Before Your Return Date

I was worried that there would not be enough milk in the world for me to leave my baby all day. It certainly feels that way when you aren’t sure how much your baby eats. I remember doctors asking how much my son ate in ounces per day. “I don’t know...four boobs? How many ounces is that?”

Rest assured, you only need to pump once a day for two weeks to build your freezer stash. A rookie mistake I made was pumping too early, thus creating an oversupply when my body wasn’t ready for that volume. When you empty your breast, your body starts to produce more.

Review Pumping Schedules

Once you find your rhythm, you will know what works best for you and your baby.

Keep in mind that your milk supply is greatest in the morning and lowest in the evening. Pumping to empty the breast and still saving some milk in the morning and evening to nurse your baby as well is a bit of a balancing act that you will feel out as you go.

You are well on your way to a successful pumping at work plan. Although women have been pumping for decades now, you will likely come up with your own tips and tricks along the way. Give yourself some wiggle room as plans change but hold your ground when it comes to the time and privacy you need. Making a plan is a huge checkbox marked complete.