Free tool · For breastfeeding and pumping parents
Pumping Schedule Builder
Enter your first session, your last and how many sessions you chose. Get a printable timetable with a log column, your back-to-work sessions marked, and the CDC’s storage times for expressed milk, with a helper that dates your labels.
- Free
- No signup or email
- Works right on this page
- Nothing you enter is sent anywhere; saving is your choice
This is a planner, not feeding advice. How often to pump depends on your goals and your baby. A lactation consultant or your provider can help you choose; the builder only spaces the sessions you pick.
Building a schedule that fits your day
Pick the time of your first session and your last, and the number of sessions you have settled on. The builder spaces them evenly between the two and shows the gap, so 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with six sessions comes out at one session every 3 hours. If you pump through the night, tick “around the clock” and the sessions are spread across 24 hours from your first one.
The builder does not predict how much milk to expect. That depends on your baby, your body and your goals, and a lactation consultant or your provider is the right person to help you decide.
How often to pump
Choose “Exclusively pumping” or “Nursing and pumping” under the number of sessions and the guidance for your situation appears with your timetable and on the printed page. Without a choice, both are shown.
Exclusively pumping
If you are exclusively pumping you should pump 10-12 times in a 24 hour period for the first month. It will slowly reduce over time as your baby grows. By 4 months you may be pumping 6-10 times. Every situation is different and you should work with a lactation consultant for support.
Nursing and pumping
If you are nursing and pumping the number of times a day you pump will be completely up to you. Many families like to pump one or two bottles a day once they establish nursing. The best time to pump is often first thing in the morning after you feed your little one. If you are pumping a second bottle choose a time that works best.
Going back to work
Open “Going back to work or school,” add your return date and working hours, and the timetable tags every session that falls during work. That gives you something concrete to plan breaks around and to share with a manager. The builder also counts the days until your return.
Milk storage at each temperature
The storage table is the CDC’s human milk storage guidance, copied as published:
| Type of milk | Countertop, 77°F or colder | Refrigerator, 40°F | Freezer, 0°F or colder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freshly expressed or pumped | Up to 4 hours | Up to 4 days | Within 6 months is best; up to 12 months is acceptable |
| Thawed, previously frozen | 1–2 hours | Up to 1 day (24 hours) | Never refreeze human milk after it has been thawed |
| Left over from a feeding | Use within 2 hours after the baby is finished feeding | ||
The CDC notes its table is adapted from guidance for full-term babies at home. If your baby was born early or is in the hospital, ask the care team. The CDC also advises labelling milk with the date it was expressed and storing it at the back of the fridge or freezer, not in the door.
Keeping a session log
The printed timetable has columns to tick each session, note an amount if you want to, and jot anything you want to mention at your next appointment. The label helper under the storage table adds the CDC’s published times to the date and time you expressed, so you can write the dates on the container. It does not tell you whether any milk is safe; it only does the date arithmetic on the CDC’s numbers.
When to ask for help
If pumping hurts, if you are worried about supply, or if feeding is not going the way you hoped, contact a lactation consultant or your provider. BBU’s Breastfeeding class covers feeding cues, schedules and paced bottle feeding, and how to work through common challenges in the first weeks.
Questions people ask
How often should I pump?
If you are exclusively pumping you should pump 10-12 times in a 24 hour period for the first month. It will slowly reduce over time as your baby grows. By 4 months you may be pumping 6-10 times. Every situation is different and you should work with a lactation consultant for support. If you are nursing and pumping the number of times a day you pump will be completely up to you. Many families like to pump one or two bottles a day once they establish nursing. The best time to pump is often first thing in the morning after you feed your little one. If you are pumping a second bottle choose a time that works best.
How long does pumped milk keep?
The CDC’s table says freshly expressed milk keeps up to 4 hours on the countertop at 77°F or colder, up to 4 days in the refrigerator, and in the freezer within 6 months is best and up to 12 months is acceptable. The page shows the full table with its source.
Is this schedule medical advice?
No. It is a planner. Ask a lactation consultant or your provider about your own supply and situation.
Is anything I enter saved?
Only if you choose. Nothing is sent anywhere. Your times stay on this page and disappear when you close it, unless you press “Save on this device,” which keeps a copy in your own browser. You can also print the timetable.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Storage and Preparation of Breast Milk (PDF handout; storage table adapted from the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine protocol for full-term infants). PDF last modified January 2025. Checked October 9, 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Breast Milk Storage and Preparation. Reviewed March 25, 2026. Checked October 9, 2026.
- Birth & Baby University. The Breastfeeding information page (linked above). Checked October 9, 2026.