3 Easy Ways to Pump More Milk!

3 easy ways to pump more milk? It doesn’t have to be complicated. This post will be short and sweet because making more milk can really be that simple! Read on for tips and tricks from New Little Life founder and IBCLC, Allison.

(This post was originally a video. Check it out, here!)

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Empty Your Breasts More Consistently

First, to pump more milk, empty your breasts more consistently. Look at your schedule. Are you skipping pumps? Are there long breaks in between your feeding and pumping schedules?

Working moms, especially those combining breastfeeding and pumping, might struggle to figure out when to pump or when to feed at the breast. For example, after work you get home and you mean to feed your baby but you forget and don’t end up feeding them at the breast again until bedtime. Then all of a sudden you have this five or six hour gap in between your milk expression sessions.

So, take a look at your schedule and see what’s up. Have you recently started to skip nighttime feedings? Skipping feeds or pumping sessions is the fastest way to experience decreased milk supply. So don’t do skip feeds/pumps! There is no substitute for consistency.

Empty Breasts More Efficiently

Second, empty the breast more efficiently. There is a lot of things that go into pumping. Pumping really is an art. All of the things have to line up and work together to be able to get the milk out efficiently.

A few things to consider:

• Do you have the correct flange size?
• Are you maximizing your letdowns? Do you have more than one letdown per pumping session?
• Are you using the best pump settings for you?
• Have you changed your parts recently?
• Are you using an efficient pump?

The New Little Life Webinar has more information about efficient pumping. You can watch a replay of the most recent webinar, here.

Have you tried experimenting with different pumping techniques or different equipment? You can try to alter how things are going to pump more efficiently. All of these tips, and more, are inside our Pumping for Working Moms Program.

Not emptying breasts efficiently is probably one of the biggest mistakes that moms make just because they simply don’t understand pumping or are not doing things correctly.

Empty the Breasts A Little Extra

Third, empty the breasts a little extra. To do that, you can add in an extra pumping session. Typically, we recommend right before bed. You’ve put the baby down, you’ve had your relaxing time, and pumping can be the last thing you do before sleep.

In the morning is also a great time to get extra milk. If you actually need that extra boost after your baby’s first feed or you’re trying to get that extra pump in before you go to work, first thing in the morning is a great idea.

Try Power Pumping

Next, you can also try power pumping. That’s not a long-term solution but it might help boost things in the short term, especially if you’re having a decrease or a dip in supply. Sometimes a decrease in supply might be normal. Maybe you started your period or maybe you’re sick both these things can cause a dip in supply and you just need to get it back up a little bit. Power pumping can be a great way to tell your body, “Hey we need more milk! Step it up.”

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These 3 easy ways to pump more milk are not the only way to increase your milk supply but they are the most effective! Your breast milk production relies heavily on supply and demand, so maximizing that process will really give you the best results in your milk supply. (Notice that none of these solutions included cookies, supplements, or a magic pill to fix your milk supply)

If you want personalized help in managing your milk supply, you can learn how to work with Allison in our Pumping for Working Moms Program.