1. Make sure you are relaxed, warm, hydrated and not hungry before you sit down to pump.

2. Skin-to-skin with baby before pumping is key to increase your output.

3. Check the size of your flange. There is no standard nipple. A flange that is too small or too big will affect greatly your output and supply. Click here and here for more info.

4. Sterilize pump parts once a day and wash with soap and hot water in between pumping sessions.

5. Whether using a double or single pump, do it for around 20 minutes to mimic a full feed. Pumping for less time might miss the end of the feed/fatty milk. Another rule of thumb is to pump until the flow of milk is minimal and then pump for a further minute.

6. When pumping after a feed only do it for 10 min. This can help empty the breast when baby struggles to do it themselves.

7. Use the highest setting that feels comfortable.

8. Pump at least 8 times in 24 hours. Do not exceed 5 hours between pump sessions.

9. Pump at least once between 1am- 5 am, this is when the milk hormones are most active.

10. Add what you pump in the same bottle and collect throughout the day.

11. Expressed breastmilk can stay out of the fridge up to 6 hours, at the back of the fridge up to 6 days and in the freezer up to 6 months (guideline below).

12. When feeding baby your expressed breastmilk use the PACED method. Video link, click here.

13. Research shows that ending a pumping session with hand expressing and/or doing breast compressions while pumping make a significant difference in output and supply. Watch the next video for how to maximise your supply when pumping. To find out more, click here.

14. When pumping to increase supply while also putting baby on the breast consider POWER PUMPING (mimics cluster feeding, essential to increase supply) and/or PARALLEL PUMPING (pump from one breast for 20 minutes while the baby feeds from the other).