best time to pump?

[amandaychloe]

My daughter is 12 days old. She has a good latch and nurses well during the day, but at night she gets very frustrated because my let down is too fast for her and she chokes. So we have started pumping and giving her a bottle for her middle of the night feeding. This just makes things easier on our whole family. My question is when is the best time to pump? I would also like to pump to have extra milk for when I have to go somewhere without her. When is the best time to pump just to have extra milk on hand?

[Rhona]

Great job getting off to a good start. Generally I don't recommend pumping until baby has well established supply at about 4 weeks. But the best to ever pump is after a baby nurses so that you don't interrupt her production patterns. That is why I don't recommend pumping with such a little baby. Your body is just learning how much milk to make for your baby. Just like your daughter is learning to nurse and adjust to things like a forceful letdown. You can also give her a break right before the letdown to help with it. Good luck and best wishes.

[amandaychloe]

Thank you! Yes I know pumping this early is not a good idea, but it was risk i had to take to get her to nurse at night. She nurses fine during the day. I always offer her my breasts during the night, but she usually just throws her head back and screams after she latches on.

Is there anything you can suggest for getting her to nurse during the night? I would love to be able to do it all the time.

[Rhona]

Have you tried the side lying position It sometimes can be comfy and cozy for both of you and try hard to really support her head. It may also allow you to move her away if you need too if the let down seems forceful. I can hear that you are trying your best and that is all we can ever do. Good luck.