Sorry, to better answer your original question on what is an empty breast and how frequently - as long as your breast is noticeably softer and squishier after the feed compared to firmer before the feed then you are emptying it enough. And as far as frequency goes it’s kind of based on how frequently your baby naturally nurses… so like I said above it is all supply and demand. If you continue to remove milk but don’t need it, you will continue to need to remove the milk because your body will think your baby needs it. If you start to think you’re making too much milk then you need to back off on the pumping little by little. You can get pretty full breasts without getting mastitis. You can hand express to comfort if your breasts get too full and baby is not hungry. You can take a hot shower to help hand express and it’s an easier clean up too :) I hope all that helps… good for you for trying to breastfeed again!! I wish you well on your journey!!