Struggling to make sense of your breast pump settings? Here’s everything you need to know about how to use all of the buttons on your pump, and settings to maximize your pumping output.
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Types of breast pump settings
Here are the three main pump settings that you should understand when it comes to determining the best breast pump settings for you.
- Mode – Most breast pumps have two modes: letdown/massage/stimulation (different pump manufacturers give it different names) and expression.
- Vacuum Strength – The determines how hard the pump pulls.
- Cycle Speed – The determines how fast the pump pulls (how many times per minute). Some breast pumps, like the Spectra, allow you to control cycle speed, while others do not.
On some pumps, you may also see buttons for power (to turn the pump on and off), LED (to turn a backlight on and off), to pause the pump, etc.
Mode
As stated above, most breast pumps have two modes:
1. Letdown mode
This mode is intended to be used at the start of a pumping session to get the milk flowing. Letdown mode is also called massage mode, stimulation, or “bacon” mode (because some breast pumps have wavy lines that look like bacon on the button).
Letdown mode is fast (many pulls per minute) and light (lower) suction.
2. Expression mode
Expression mode is intended to remove as much milk as possible after your milk lets down.
It is slower (fewer pulls per minute), and stronger suction.
Some pumps (such as Medela pumps) start in letdown mode and then automatically switch to expression mode after a minute or two. Others (like Spectra pumps) start in whatever mode they were last in, and then you switch it manually.
What I generally recommend is starting in letdown mode, and then once you see your milk start flowing, switch to expression mode.
Can you stay in letdown mode your entire pumping session?
However, sometimes people find that they get more output by staying in letdown/massage mode for the entire pumping session, and they wonder whether or not it is okay to do this.
Whatever removes the most milk from your breasts is the right way for YOU to pump.
Vacuum strength
Vacuum strength refers to how strong the pump’s suction is.
Lots of new moms think that the higher they set the vacuum strength, the more milk they’ll get. However, if you put the suction too high at a level that is painful for you, this can actually reduce the amount of milk that you pump, because pain can inhibit letdowns.
On the other hand, having the vacuum strength set too low will make it harder for you to effectively empty your breasts.
To get the right vacuum strength for you, I recommend increasing the vacuum strength up until you start to feel a bit of discomfort, and then decreasing it slightly so that it’s still comfortable.
More on breast pump suction here.
Cycle speed
Cycle speed refers to how many times the pump pulls and releases per minute. Cycle speed is measured cycles per minute, so setting the cycle speed to 54 means that it pulls 54 times every minute.
Some pumps don’t allow you to modify the cycle speed, but if yours does, you have to test it out and see what works best for you. (There is no “correct” cycle speed that you should be using.)
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How to use breast pump settings on specific pumps
While I can’t go through every breast pump on the market, I thought it might be helpful to go through how these settings work (and examples of how you might use them) on a few of the more popular pumps.
Spectra S1 and S2 breast pump Settings
Spectra pumps start in the last mode that you were using before. That means that if you were pumping with high suction at the end of your last pumping session, you may want to adjust it back down before you start to pump.
Most women find that starting in massage mode and then switching to expression mode once the milk starts flowing works well.
Once you switch to expression mode, set the vacuum speed to the highest level that is comfortable for you, and start with the cycle set to 54. You may want to test out a bunch of different cycle speeds to see what works best for you.
More on the Spectra S1/S2 here.
Medela Pump in Style with Max Flow breast pump settings
The settings for Medela pumps are pretty straightforward – you have the ability to change the vacuum strength by pushing the plus and minus buttons, and you can push a button to switch from the mode you’re in (either letdown or expression) to the other one.
More on the Medela Pump in Style here.
Have questions about the breast pump settings on your pump? Let me know if the comments!
Comments & Chitchat
I recently got a Spectra s1 plus after having twins. I was an EPer for my first baby, using a Medela swing maxi (and this website!) but felt I needed something more powerful this time. I’d heard such good things about Spectra! But I’m struggling with it… it’s so uncomfortable, the way it kind of vibrates on the nipples… is it supposed to do that I do I have a dud?! I’ve tried different sized flanges but it doesn’t make a difference. It causes me discomfort and it doesn’t empty my breasts. Do you have any advice? Thanks!
Hi Grace! Oh that’s no good! I think in this situation I would call Spectra customer service and talk to them. If they think that doesn’t sound right, it should be covered under warranty and hopefully they’d send you a new one. Most people say it’s pretty gentle so if it’s uncomfortable for you I think it’s worth a call. Good luck!!!!
Hi, I am finding that to fully empty my breasts, I have to do continuous manual compressions which is exhausting and I’m finding unsustainable. I am using the spectra S1 pump and have played around with the settings and that doesn’t seem to have helped. I am getting good output but just constantly massage and compress or the milk flow stops. Any suggestions? I do have elastic nipples, could this be the reason? I was previously using a medela pump in style max flow and the problem was actually worse, so things have improved with spectra but my arms/hands/back are absolutely killing me!
Hi Margaret! Have you tried vibration at all to see if that helps! Like a lactation massager? That might help!
https://lactationmassager.com/pages/warming-lactation-massager?rfsn=2239465.ff3298
Would a massager help with just let down or with emptying after let down too?
It can help with both!
This helped me so much with baby number 2! I’ve had the spectra pump with my first baby and didn’t use it properly. This gave me hope and pumped more milk 🙌🏽
Thanks Michelle!
Thank you sooooo much for posting this! I switched from a medela to a spectra and I was following the recommended pumping settings from them and was getting so frustrated because I went from painfully pumping with medela but getting 5oz at a time to pumping non painfully with my spectra but only getting 2oz at most. Found this post and I used your recommended settings and I just pumped 6oz! Thank you so much!
You did a very good job! I found this information very helpful especially for a new mom like myself. I’m overwhelmed by all the different breast pumps on the market. I was able to use your information to narrow in on which pump would work best for me. Keep up the good work.