One of the most frequently asked questions in regards to breastfeeding is, “How to increase supply?” especially for those who are pumping. If you have found yourself Googling this question, you know there are TONS of answers and even more “products” that companies are trying to sell you to increase your supply. It’s easy to fall into the marketing of “eat this cookie to instantly increase supply” or “this drink will double your expressed ounce total!” Unfortunately, these products are not going to get you to achieve your goal of increasing your milk supply. Now by all means, if you want a cookie or a special drink GO FOR IT, but do not feel like you have to have these “lactation” marketed products to increase your milk supply. Let’s talk about some actionable strategies that CAN successfully help you increase and maintain your milk supply!

How to Pump Efficiently

Learning how to pump efficiently is so important! Too many moms are pumping inefficiently, and once they learn what they need to do, they start to produce more milk.

Make sure you know how to use your pump and what all the buttons and functions mean! Pumps (no matter the brand) come with what seems like a million different settings and buttons to select. It can get really confusing really fast. Learning which setting on your pump is the most optimal for milk retrieval for you is key!

Remember that you want to start on your pump’s let down setting until you get sprays of milk, then switch a slower cycle and higher vacuum for the middle of the pumping session, and then decrease to slower cycles towards the end of the feed. Aim to pump for about 20 minutes or until milk significantly slows down. Check out the steps to Pump with One Let Down from our Infant Feeding Handbook below:

Use the Correct Flange Size

PSA: THERE IS a 99% CHANCE THAT THE FLANGES YOUR PUMP CAME WITH ARE TOO BIG.

Sadly, the standard flanges that come with your pump are more than likely NOT the correct size for you. This is a huge bummer. Pump companies typically give a size 24 or 28mm, even though most women use 15mm-21mm flange sizes (sometimes even smaller). If the flange is too big (or too small), milk removal will not be the most efficient which could increase your risk for clogged ducts/mastitis as well as decrease your milk supply. Using the wrong flange size can also cause breast tissue damage over time, so it’s important to investigate if your flange size is correct or not!

How? Invest in a low-cost sizing kit and figure out what your size is. Then you can buy sizing inserts for the pump flanges you do have, and get a better fit and therefore, pump more milk more efficiently. You should see an increase in milk when you fix the flange size if it is off!

Have a Consistent Pumping Schedule

Just like with nursing, you have to maintain a consistent and frequent schedule to remove milk. Remember, milk supply is (mostly) driven by supply and demand. If you are not removing milk consistently, you are signaling to your body that it doesn’t need to produce that much milk.

Waiting longer between feedings will NOT yield more milk over time.

You might end up with one fruitful pump because you waited 5 hours instead of 3, but continuing to do that actually tells your body to make less milk because you are engaging in less frequent pumping sessions. More frequent pumps signal to your body to make more milk. Try to pump at least every 3 hours around the clock if you can as you’re working to get your supply up.

Try a Power Pump

Incorporating a power pump into your schedule is a simple, but effective way to increase your supply!

Power pumping is short little bursts of pumping in between regular pumping sessions. This is a method that is used to mimic cluster feeding. A power pumping session can be incorporated anytime! Take a look at this page from The Infant Feeding Handbook for a look at how Power Pumping works:

Nourish Your Body

Making milk takes a lot of energy, so mom needs a lot of calories. Eating foods that are high in protein, rich in good fats, vitamins and minerals is important. Drink lots of water and stay hydrated, and try to get outside when you can. While there isn’t a lot of research to support stress levels impacting milk supply specifically, we know that stress is harmful to the body in many other ways, so we can infer that stress is not helpful when trying to make milk! Try to stay calm and know that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and in time things will be ok.

You are doing the best you can with what you have.

Increasing Supply While Nursing

The biggest tip I have is to bring baby to breast as often as you can during the day. Try not to watch the clock and instead, let baby have little “snacks” on your breast when they are showing signs that they want to eat or they are a little fussy. This also mimics cluster feeding and can really help increase milk supply! These “snacks” may seem small, but in the big picture, the more your body is told to make milk, the more it will try to!

Try to also pump in between a few nursing sessions to stimulate the supply and demand more. Pumping in the early morning (between 2-6 am) can sometimes yield more as prolactin (the milk making hormone) levels are higher in the morning! Pumping while also trying to bring baby to breast more can feel SO overwhelming because it’s like you’re feeding your baby three times in one session (nursing, pumping, bottle feeding). This is called Triple Feeding, and while it can help increase supply, it can be very draining on mom.

Please note that these recommendations for increasing supply while nursing are meant to be used short term only. I don’t want you spending ALL day trying to feed your baby- that is extremely hard on you and your little one. If you try to increase your supply on your own and don’t seem to be making progress, talk to a lactation consultant for specific recommendations and ways to help.

Feeding journeys are not linear, so know that with every down there can be an up!

The Infant Feeding Handbook can help!

I know how important increasing and maintaining your milk supply is, so I hope these tips are able to help you throughout your breastfeeding journey! If you are searching for even more information about feeding your new baby, our Infant Feeding Handbook is the perfect resource to help fuel your knowledge and feel empowered in all your feeding related decisions!

Made especially for expecting and new parents, this resource will leave you feeling confident and excited about feeding your baby!