What It Means
A pumping schedule is the plan for when you express breast milk with a pump. CDC's guidance is to pump about as often as your baby drinks breast milk whenever you're apart or pumping exclusively, because each session tells your body to keep making milk. At work, the Office on Women's Health (OWH) and Cleveland Clinic put the usual rhythm at every 2 to 3 hours.
Try It: Count the Pumping Sessions in Your Workday
Enter how long you're away from your baby, including the commute, and pick a gap. The session count uses the every 2 to 3 hours rhythm from OWH and Cleveland Clinic. The hours are an example.
OWH says a session takes about 10 to 15 minutes once you're used to the pump, and sometimes longer.
How Parents Say It
- "I pump at ten, at lunch and at three."
- "Can we move the meeting? It's time for my pump break."
- "I'm up every three hours whether she eats or not."
The Breakdown
Schedules by situation
| Situation | How often | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Away from the baby, or pumping exclusively | As often as the baby drinks breast milk | CDC |
| At work | Every 2 to 3 hours, about two to three times in an 8-hour period | OWH and Cleveland Clinic |
| Each session, once you're used to the pump | About 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more to 15 minutes, sometimes longer | OWH |
A sample workday. Leave home at 8, pump around 10:30, again at lunch, and once more mid-afternoon before the drive home. Many parents fit sessions into their regular breaks and lunch, as OWH notes. Treat the times as an example and move them to fit your baby's day.
No single right answer. Cleveland Clinic points out that needs differ from person to person. The aim is to remove milk as often as your baby would feed.
When to get help. If your supplyMilk supplyHow much breast milk a parent's body makes. It's driven by supply and demand: the more often milk is removed, the more the body makes. See more drops after going back to work, or pumping hurts, talk with your doctor or a lactation consultant.
Good to Know
Under the federal PUMP ActPumping at workExpressing breast milk with a pump during the workday, protected for most U.S. employees by the PUMP Act's break time and private space rules for 1 year after birth. See more, the Department of Labor says most employers must give break time to pump each time it's needed for 1 year after the baby's birth, in a private place that isn't a bathroom. The DOL lists an undue hardship exception for some employers with fewer than 50 employees and separate rules for some transportation jobs, so check its pump-at-work pages for your case. CDC's storage times for pumped milk are on Buhata's freezer stashFreezer stashA supply of expressed breast milk frozen ahead of time, often built before a parent goes back to work or has to be away from the baby. See more page.
FAQ
How often should I pump at work?
Every 2 to 3 hours is typical, which works out to about two to three sessions in an 8-hour workday, according to the Office on Women's Health and Cleveland Clinic.
How long does a pumping session take?
About 10 to 15 minutes once you're used to your pump, per OWH, though some sessions take longer.
Does my employer have to give me time to pump?
For most workers, yes. The Department of Labor says the PUMP Act requires break time and a private place other than a bathroom for 1 year after birth, with limited exceptions.
Do It in Buhata
Reminders and Calendar
Set a repeating Reminder for each pumping time in your workday and block the breaks on your Buhata Calendar.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Power pumping
A pumping pattern of short sessions with rests inside one hour, such as pump 10 minutes, rest 10, three times, used to help raise a low milk supply.
- Freezer stash
A supply of expressed breast milk frozen ahead of time, often built before a parent goes back to work or has to be away from the baby.
- Milk supply
How much breast milk a parent's body makes. It's driven by supply and demand: the more often milk is removed, the more the body makes.
- Breastfeeding
Feeding a baby milk directly from the breast. The AAP recommends breast milk alone for about the first 6 months, then alongside solid foods.
Sources
CDC, "Pumping Breast Milk"; Office on Women's Health (HHS), "Breastfeeding and going back to work"; Office on Women's Health (HHS), "Time for breaks"; Cleveland Clinic, "Pumping at Work: Example Schedule and Helpful Tips"; CDC, "Breastfeeding and Returning to Your Workplace"
- www.cdc.gov/infant-toddler-nutrition/breastfeeding/pumping-breast-milk.html
- womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-home-work-and-public/breastfeeding-and-going-back-work
- womenshealth.gov/supporting-nursing-moms-work/break-time-and-private-space/time-breaks
- health.clevelandclinic.org/pumping-schedule-pumping-at-work
- www.cdc.gov/infant-toddler-nutrition/breastfeeding/returning-to-your-workplace.html
Last updated .