If you are working 8 hours, I would pump 3x while you are there. I usually pump at 9am, 12pm, and 3pm. But right now my son is refusing the bottle again so I go to his daycare and nurse him on my lunch.

Pump early in the morning because that’s when you have the most milk. Then pump every 3-4 hours after that. I pump twice at work but it definitely takes time so you’ll have to allow about 30 minutes per session. Then each day mix a little frozen milk into your fresh milk for the bottles that way you keep your frozen milk rotated. If you’re still coming up short try to pump a little on weekends.

Try to build up a small stash while you are out on leave. That’ll relieve some of your anxiety knowing you have a stash. I only was able to pump once during the 9-10 hours I was away from my son (elementary teacher, can’t leave my class to pump). I didn’t have an issue pumping 9-10oz on my lunch break. My son did nurse a lot during the night so I’m sure that helped keep my supply up. You may need to wake and pump a few times a night to maintain your supply if you don’t get many pump breaks. Good luck. It’s not easy, but so worth it!