Pictures of pumping breast milk

Most of us know that breastfeeding can cause changes in the size of a woman's breasts, but what may come as a surprise is how much a nursing mom's chest can fluctuate within a single day. Mom Chi-Chi LaFlare proved this point by sharing an Instagram post highlighting the size of her breasts before and after pumping one liter of breastmilk. The first photo is a snap of LaFlare's chest when she woke up in the morning, just before her first pump of the day. The second shot is an image of her breasts shortly after pumping—and they were significantly smaller in size. LaFlare runs Chi-Chi's Magic Milk , a nonprofit geared toward promoting breastfeeding and encouraging moms to share breast milk, so she's used to sharing intimate snippets of her nursing habits.

Having a baby is a big step in life. When it comes to the feeding schedule, some moms take different approaches. Some will breastfeed, while others will choose to put their children on a formula. And there are those breastfeeding mothers who will only exclusively pump. For those pumping mothers, sticking to a schedule is important so that you never miss a feeding appointment.

The photo recently went viral—and with good reason. For many new moms, breast pumping or feeding can happen anywhere, anytime—even during a bridal photo shoot. And that's exactly what's on display in a now-viral post currently circulating Facebook. The photo, shared by wedding photographer Amber Fletcher, shows recent bride Rachel Downs surrounded by her bridesmaids—one of which, Alison Hepler, is using a breast pump during the shot.

The convenient contraption can do a lot more than allow you to fill a bottle with your breast milk. A breast pump is also handy for storing a backlog of milk in your freezer, helping to keep your milk supply flowing and prevent engorgement. But for new moms, the process of pumping breast milk can seem intimidating. When should you start pumping breast milk, how often should you pump and how do you actually go about doing it?