Is Pumping Necessary?

These days, pumping can be synonymous with breastfeeding as so many nursing parents have to return to work and need a way to maintain a supply and feed their babies while separated. Many parents also feel pressure to start pumping early to build a freezer stash like they see on social media.

However, if your baby is latching well, transferring milk effectively, and gaining weight appropriately, there is no need to pump unless you are planning to be away from your baby for >3 hours.

Reasons you may want or need to start pumping before* or soon after birth:

• Delivery by C-Section

• Baby has oral restrictions like tongue tie and is not transferring milk effectively

• Parent has risk factors for low milk supply like diabetes, PCOS, prior breast surgery, insufficient glandular tissue (IGT), or thyroid dysfunction

• Premature delivery

• Slow weight gain in baby

• Medical conditions in baby like cleft lip or palate or significant jaundice

• Or any other reason that milk supply needs to be maintained or increased due to difficulty at, or the absence of, baby at the breast

*always check with your healthcare provider if pumping while pregnant is safe for you. in most full term pregnancy with no risk factors for preterm delivery, it is safe to start pumping or hand expressing around 36 weeks.

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