Whether you’re gearing up to go back to work, or you’re needing to have a stash of breastmilk on hand for bottle feedings, it’s hard to know exactly how much of a stash you need. And it doesn’t help seeing all of those Instagram photos of women’s freezers packed with bags upon bags of breastmilk. Before you send yourself into a shame spiral thinking your supply is inadequate, remember, every family’s needs are different.

If you’re needing help picking out a breast pump or need more information about milk storage and handling, check out my blog post: Breastmilk: Pumping & Storing & Warming, Oh My!

There are a few things to consider when figuring out how much milk you’ll need to have in storage.

Feeding Amount Per Day

Depending on the age of your baby when you’re ready to start building a stash, you’re likely giving your baby between 4-8 oz per feeding. On average, a baby over the age of 4 weeks is eating approximately 28-32 oz of breastmilk per day.

If you’re solely breastfeeding, you can pump in place of one or more feedings to see how much milk you’re producing per feeding to figure out exactly how much your baby is getting. Remember, every baby is different. Trust that your body is fully in tune with your baby’s needs and is producing the correct amount that’s specific to your baby. The way to truly know you have an over or under supply issue is by your baby’s weight gain and output (wet and poopy diapers). Talk to a Lactation Consultant and your Pediatrician if you think you may have an issue.

Pumping Schedule

Now we’ve got to figure out the logistics of your pumping schedule. Will you be able to pump at work and store that milk to be brought home with you later? Will you just be pumping after each breastfeeding session to store for late-night bottles? Are you just wanting to pump periodically to have some milk on hand just in case?

How frequently you’re planning to pump and whether or not those pumping sessions will be in lieu of a breastfeeding session will tell you how much stored milk you’ll need to be replenishing.

Put It All Together…

Now that we know how much our baby is eating per feeding and per day, and we know how often we’ll be pumping, we can now set a plan.

If you’re going back to work and will be pumping instead of feeding at the breast, you’ll really only need about 2 days worth of milk stored up ahead. This is because as your baby is eating the stored milk, you’ll be pumping that same amount out while you’re at work and bringing it home to replenish what was eaten that day. The additional day’s worth of milk is a “just-in-case”: in case your baby is super hungry that day, in case your caregiver accidentally spills some, in case your baby doesn’t finish a bottle and they have to throw out the remainder.

If you’re pumping just to have bottles on hand for periodic feedings or so your partner can get involved with feedings, you’ll likely need about 1 day’s worth of milk on hand. You can then pump while your partner feeds the baby a bottle (which is immediately replenishing that used storage milk), or you can pump for 5-10 mins after each breastfeeding and slowly build your daily stash that way.

So you see? Building up a milk stash doesn’t need to be as daunting as it may seem. Throw away the notion that you need to have 6 months worth of milk in your freezer! (I mean, unless you’re going to have to be away from your baby for 6 months and need to ensure they’re being fed.) Milk stashes are based on you and your baby’s needs. Period.

My Favorite Breast Pumps

If you’re currently looking at breast pumps and don’t even know where to start, here’s a few that I absolutely love that have also been favorites among my clients:

1. Spectra S2PLUS Electric Breast Pump

2. Medela Pump In Style® with MaxFlow™

3. Haakaa Suction Manual Breast Pump