pumping?

[sophrosune]

I plan on breastfeeding exclusively, but don't want to always be the one to do it... this means pumping.

I have an elctric pump and everything, but am confused how to go about it. How do I do it so that I don't mess up my supply and not have enough milk for the next feeding, but get enough milk to fill a bottle? when is the best time to start pumping/when should I introduce the bottle such that he can learn how to use it without causing nipple confusion? (he's 3 weeks old now)

I'd love to hear your experiences with it and how you managed.

[Clutterbug]

There are many, many ways that you can do this. The best way that I found to pump extra while exclusively nursing was to tandem pump or pump on one breast while baby nurses on the other. I did this during my first morning nursing session because my supply seemed best in the morning. I tandem pumped and when ds was done with the first side and still seemed hungry I then let him feed on the side that I was pumping. He was still able to get milk even when I was done pumping. I didn't do it every day but was still able to get a pretty good stash for when I had to go back to work.

You could start pumping any time, but I would wait another week or two before introducing a bottle.