Supply follows demand: regular emptying matters more than long sessions. A good-fitting flange, hands-on pumping and a photo or blanket of your baby help let-down. If supply falls, add a session rather than lengthening one.
| Baby's age | Typical milk needed |
|---|---|
| First week | 30–60 ml per session |
| 1–6 months | 90–120 ml per bottle, ~750 ml a day |
| 6–12 months | about 600 ml a day alongside solids |
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Going back to work while breastfeeding? Enter your baby's age and how long you'll be away to see how often to pump, how much milk the carer needs, and how much to store before your first day. Exclusive pumpers get a full-day session plan and daily target.
Breastfed babies need about 750 ml a day between 1 and 6 months, so bottles of expressed milk are smaller than formula bottles — usually 90–120 ml.
| Age | 5 months |
| Situation | Going back to work |
| Hours away from baby (incl. travel) | 10 hours |
| Pump at work | 3 times — about every 3 hours you are apart |
| Milk the carer needs | 281 ml a day: 3 bottles of about 94 ml (3.2 oz) |
| Freezer stash to start with | about 844 ml (3 days) — begin pumping once a day 2–3 weeks before returning |
| At home | Breastfeed before leaving, as soon as you are back, and on demand in the evening and at night |
| Your rights (India) | Maternity Benefit Act: 2 nursing breaks a day until the baby is 15 months, and a crèche at workplaces with 50+ staff |
3 times — about every 3 hours you are apart; 281 ml a day: 3 bottles of about 94 ml (3.2 oz).
Try this example →| Age | 1 months |
| Situation | Exclusively pumping |
| Pumping sessions a day | 8 sessions, about every 3 hours (including 1 at night, ideally between 1 and 5 am) |
| Target milk per day | 750 ml (25 oz) |
| Target per session | 94 ml (both breasts together) |
| Time per session | 15–20 minutes, or 2 minutes after milk stops flowing |
8 sessions, about every 3 hours (including 1 at night, ideally between 1 and 5 am).
Try this example →About every 3 hours you're apart — usually 2–3 sessions in a working day.
Enough for 2–3 days of bottles; a big stash isn't needed if you pump at work.
8–10 times a day for the first weeks, including once at night; 6–8 once supply settles.