What Are the Benefits of Choosing an Exclusive Pumping Schedule?

Written by Allison Torres Burtka
Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on July 15, 2025
11 min read

Exclusive pumping is when you feed your baby with only pumped milk, rather than direct breastfeeding or nursing.

In practice, you express (or squeeze out) milk from your breast using a pump and then put the milk inside a bottle. You then feed your baby using the bottle or a nasogastric tube (if they are premature). Just as you would when breastfeeding, you follow a pumping routine based on when your child needs to feed, or you can express a lot of milk and store it in the fridge to warm and use it later when the baby needs it. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that breast milk be the only source of nutrition for the baby’s first six months. This may be either through breastfeeding or through feeding pumped breast milk. After six months, the AAP recommends continuing to feed breast milk, along with introducing other foods, as long as you and the baby want to continue. This could be for two years or longer.

Breastfeeding may also be called chestfeeding.  According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, the language used about lactation can be gendered, and people may prefer “chestfeeding” because it better reflects their identity.

Exclusive breastfeeding is not for everyone. You may choose to pump exclusively for many reasons, including trouble with breastfeeding, your baby’s or your physical conditions, and your preference. Here are some reasons to pump exclusively:

Trouble breastfeeding. The most common reason for exclusive pumping is when your baby is not latching as they should. Latching is how the baby attaches onto the breast while nursing. You may have other challenges as well, such as pain while breastfeeding. A lactation expert may be able to help with these problems, but if breastfeeding isn’t working out, you may decide to pump exclusively.

When your baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). If your baby is in the NICU, you may not be able to breastfeed them. Exclusive pumping is a way to feed your baby breast milk. 

When distance separates you and your baby. If you are away from your baby for a longer period, exclusive pumping may be the only way to feed them breast milk. If you’re returning to work, pumping allows you to feed your baby with breast milk while you’re at work. Sometimes, in these situations, families choose to pump exclusively than combine pumping and breastfeeding.

Having your partner help feed the baby. Some families choose to pump exclusively so the partner can feed the baby often, says Janet Jones, IBCLC, RLC, a lactation consultant and co-owner of Breastfeeding Success Company, as well as treasurer of the International Lactation Consultant Association. Whether this is pumping exclusively or pumping and breastfeeding, “we hear from the vast majority of moms that they just want some support, and they want some help to be able to feed the baby and not feel so much pressure that they’re the only ones who can do it,” Jones says. 

Concerns about whether the baby is getting enough milk. Because you can’t see how much breast milk the baby is drinking when you’re breastfeeding, you may choose to pump exclusively so you can tell how much your baby is getting. Sometimes, moms with postpartum depression or anxiety worry about the baby failing to thrive because they’re not getting enough milk, Jones says.

Previous trauma. If you’ve had trauma in the past, from previous difficulty with breastfeeding or other experiences, it may cause you to choose pumping exclusively rather than breastfeeding. 

Other reasons you may opt to pump exclusively include:

Sometimes, you may pump exclusively the whole time your child is an infant, but in other situations, you may have periods of pumping exclusively and periods of breastfeeding or combined breastfeeding and pumping.

In the U.S., among the families who fed their infants breast milk, between 5.6% and 14.3% were exclusively pumping during the baby’s first six months. 

To start exclusive pumping, you will need a breast pump. Breast pumps vary widely in type and price. Here are some of the options available:

Manual pumps. A simple hand-operated pump is the cheapest option. But it takes a lot of time and effort, and you’re not likely to be able to pump enough to feed your baby exclusively breast milk. But, because they are usually small and easy to carry and don’t need power, you might want to have one on hand for specific situations.

Electric pumps. These pumps either pump one breast at a time or both breasts at the same time, which takes less time. A double electric pump may be the best option if you are pumping exclusively. These pumps work automatically and usually mimic the suck-release pattern of a baby while breastfeeding. They use electricity, and some can also be powered by batteries. Electric pumps vary in size, and some come with a carrying case that looks like a handbag. 

Hospital-grade pumps. This pump is used in a hospital setting when you are separated from a prematurely born baby. Hospital-grade pumps are more consistent than standard pumps and have been shown to increase milk production, Jones says. So, if you need strong stimulation to produce enough milk, you may rent a hospital-grade pump from a hospital or lactation consultant. You may need to rent it for only a short time, until you get your milk supply up, and then you can go back to your own pump, Jones says.

Wearable pumps. These are small, powered pumps that fit into your bra. They don’t need to be held in place. They’re made to be discreet so you can go about your activities while pumping, and others may not notice that you’re pumping. “Wearable pumps have been a complete game changer for so many people,” Jones says. But you may need to pump longer to get the same volume of milk, such as 20 or 30 minutes rather than 15 minutes with a standard pump, she says. 

The Affordable Care Act requires health insurance companies to cover the cost of a pump, but the type of pump or amount covered may vary. Insurance companies typically cover a standard pump or renting a hospital-grade pump but not both, Jones says.

In choosing a pump, you might want to consider how good it is, whether it needs to be plugged in, how much you move while using it, how noisy it is, and how portable it is.  

While hospital-grade pumps are made to be shared, typical pumps are not — they are made to be used by only one person. It’s not a good idea to use a used pump because bacteria and viruses could get trapped inside it.

Other than the pump itself, you will need some other supplies. These may include:

  • Bottles to feed your baby and accessories needed to clean them
  • Storage bags to freeze pumped breast milk
  • Sterilization supplies to clean and sterilize pump parts in between uses, such as microwaveable sterilizing kits
  • A pumping bra to hold the flange in place, which may make pumping easier

Pumping might feel strange if you have never done it before. To do it best, start by finding a comfortable place with no distractions. It is important to be relaxed when collecting milk. 

You may want to look at pictures of your child or listen to relaxing music. Hand-expressing milk for one or two minutes before using the pump may also help. The touch of your hand offers stimulation that helps produce milk. 

Instructions on how to use the pump differ from one model to another. But generally, you hook up the pump to the milk collection container and breast shield, or flange, and you fit the breast shield over your nipple before turning the pump on.  

While you’re pumping, you may want to try “hands-on pumping,” which involves gently massaging your breasts as you pump. This approach makes pumping more of a conscious expression of milk, Jones says. This can include applying pressure in different areas of the breast and noticing, for example, “Do I feel nodules over here? Is it more firm over here? [And then] consciously trying to get that milk to move and even using your hands to help.” 

If you need to use lubrication, consider olive oil and lanolin. Using a lubricant helps avoid nipple damage and lower friction. 

It’s also important to stay hydrated while you’re pumping, so make sure you drink plenty of water or other fluids during the day. 

If you still feel like there’s milk in the breast after pumping, you might want to get your pump checked by a lactation consultant, Jones says. “We can troubleshoot different parts, and we can look at the flange size,” because you may have better milk output if the flange properly fits the nipple.

For the first three or four months of exclusive pumping, you’ll need to pump regularly to keep your milk supply up. This may be 8-12 times in 24 hours, although your schedule can vary depending on your needs. For example, you may be able to go four or five hours at night without pumping if it doesn’t lessen your milk supply.

After three or four months, depending on how much milk you’re producing, you may decide to pump less often. If you’re producing more milk than your baby needs, you may decide to freeze it for future use. 

Setting up a routine is important. “Lactation requires consistency. If we’re skipping feeds, if we’re going really long times without stimulating the breast, then it can cause engorgement, and then eventually down-regulation of milk supply,” Jones says. She recommends setting a timer to go off every three or four hours or as often as you need to pump.

If you need to increase your milk supply, here are a few things you can try:

Hands-on pumping. Hands-on pumping can help boost milk production. It helps drain the breast when you pump. When you’re pumping, pump for two minutes after your milk stops flowing. Also, it’s best if you pump both breasts at the same time.

Power pumping. Power pumping uses a period of pumping for short intervals to boost milk production, as it mimics the feeding of a baby in a growth spurt. For example, you might do three shorter pumping sessions within one hour. 

Use reminders of your baby. To help with your let-down reflex, if your baby isn’t with you, try looking at a picture of your baby, have a piece of clothing that smells like them with you, or make a recording of the sounds they make so that you can listen to it as you’re pumping. If your baby is with you, try skin-to-skin contact right before pumping. 

Holding your baby. If you’re pumping exclusively, skin-to-skin contact “allows for some of the things that happen naturally with breastfeeding, like that oxytocin release and the bonding that occurs,” Jones says. “That pump is a cold, lifeless machine, and the baby is this beautiful, precious thing that you created, and it’s so much easier to get that hormonal response and get that milk to flow to make things happen if you can pump after doing some cuddle time.”

Exclusive pumping has certain advantages, including the following:

Someone else can help. Unlike breastfeeding where only the mother is involved, pumping allows your partner or someone else to be in charge of some of the feeding, while you rest or do other things.

Your pumping schedule can be more regular. You may find that a regular schedule of pumping is less stressful or easier to manage than breastfeeding whenever the baby is hungry.

It protects your milk supply. Pumping helps keep your milk levels up. 

You can still feed your baby exclusively breast milk. The AAP and other medical organizations recommend that babies be fed only breast milk for their first six months.

There are also some disadvantages of exclusive pumping, such as: 

Being expensive. The costs of a pump (if your insurance doesn’t cover it) as well as bottles and other supplies can add up.

Involving a lot of cleaning. The tools used for pumping need regular cleaning to make sure that you and your baby are protected from germs. Bottles also need to be cleaned often.

Being time-consuming. Unlike picking up your baby and holding them to your breast to nurse (feed), pumping involves additional tasks, such as thawing frozen milk you stored in the freezer.

Bringing lifestyle change. Because it is recommended that you pump at least once every night to ensure a good milk supply, waking up every night can change your sleep patterns. 

When you begin to exclusively pump, it is normal to feel overwhelmed. Talk to your doctor or a lactation consultant to create a schedule that works for you and your baby and to address any difficulties you’re having.

To wean your baby off pumping, shorten or drop pumping sessions slowly. If you stop pumping suddenly, you may have problems with blocked ducts or mastitis. Stopping suddenly can be hard on both you and the baby.

To wean your baby gradually, you might increase the time in between pumping sessions or lower the length of your pumping sessions after a few weeks.

When your baby is 6 months old, you may start introducing solid foods. The AAP recommends a combination of breast milk and solid foods between 6 months and 1 year, so you may slowly lower the amount of milk you’re pumping and feeding while you introduce more solid food.

Pumping exclusively is when you feed your baby with only pumped milk, rather than direct breastfeeding or nursing. One advantage of exclusive pumping is that, unlike with exclusive breastfeeding, more than one person can feed the baby. To pump exclusively, it’s important to have a good pump that works for your lifestyle, and there are many options. Exclusive pumping needs a pumping schedule, which will help make sure that you keep your milk supply up.

Is exclusive pumping as good as breastfeeding?

The AAP recommends that babies be fed only breast milk until they’re 6 months old, but this can be through either breastfeeding or feeding pumped breast milk. Breastfeeding offers some other benefits that might not be the same with bottle feeding, such as bonding between you and your baby. But there are ways to get some of those benefits while pumping exclusively. This includes cuddling your baby before pumping.

How long should exclusive pumping last?

If you’re pumping exclusively and not breastfeeding, pumping should last at least six months. When your baby is 6 months old, you may combine pumping with introducing solid foods, until at least a year of age. 

Does milk supply drop when exclusively pumping?

Everyone’s body is different, but exclusive pumping doesn’t mean your milk supply will drop. In some cases, exclusive pumping could boost your milk production.

Can I go eight hours without pumping at night?

How long you can go without pumping at night depends on your and your baby’s circumstances. But especially in the beginning few months of exclusive pumping, you may need to pump every few hours at night.