LIQUID GOLD! Building a milk supply to work with

Once you and your baby have become comfortable with breastfeeding, that's a great time to start thinking ahead. I was much quicker to start pumping for a storage supply with my second child than my first. When you have an ample supply to work with whether its to try to transition to a bottle or to let dad take a feeding all are great. It allows you as mom to have a little more flexibility once baby has fully transitioned over to the bottle. I found that when my son struggled to take a bottle I felt helpless to have any sort of independence at all. That three hour window closes quickly when breast feeding a newborn, taking care of other children, taking care of your daily obligations and pumping. There never seemed to be enough time in the day. Here are some tips to pump less and get a bigger supply. It takes organization and effort, but can be done with one pump a day!

I found the best time to pump was in the morning one hour after that first feeding. My body had a surplus from the evening hours and was rested enough to replenish its supply quickly. Timing can be tricky those first couple of weeks (especially if your baby starts cluster feeding) Here was a schedule that worked for me: 1st feeding 4am, 7am then pump between 8 - 8:15 (FREEZE and label with ounces and date) feed at 10am so on and so forth.

Get a storage container to freeze bags flat so you can fit more in and organize it by date. This is very helpful, so you know which ones to use first before they expire. Thats a lot of hard work to throw out!

When dividing your milk into storage bags, you can split into 2/3/4 oz each. This also helps to provide baby with as much or little as they need in those early feedings. 
(do not use regular freezer bags, get the specialized bags made for human milk.)

Get a good pump! I use the Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breastpump - On-the-Go Tote
and absolutely love it!

This is one item i would tell you to spend the money on. It makes all the difference in the world when pumping is simple.
HINT: many hospitals offer pumps at a discounted rate so call and check!