When you first start out exclusively pumping, you could be pumping up to 10 or 12 times per day. At some point, you’ll want to start consolidating the amount of time you spend attached to your breast pump. Here is everything you need to know about how to drop pumping sessions.
There are a couple of ways that you might know that it’s time to drop a session:
- Your baby is older than two or three months, and your supply has regulated;
- You are happy with your supply (whether you supplement or not) and you are okay with risking a drop in supply while you experiment with a dropped pump;
- You are losing your mind and need the sanity of more sleep/fewer pumps, or
- You are ready to wean from the pump.
(If you’re struggling with whether or not to drop a pumping session, here’s a flowchart that I made to help with the decision.)
What affect will dropping a pumping session have on my supply?
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer here – different women will have different results. When you drop a pumping session, your output might not change, it may decrease, or it may even go up. (Mine stayed the same when I dropped from 8 to 7 to 6 to 5, went up when I dropped from 5 to 4 pumping sessions per day, and decreased with every session I dropped after that.)
The most important thing that you can do to protect your supply when you drop a pumping session is to add the time from the dropped pump back to other the pumping sessions. The total amount of time in a day that you spend pumping should stay the same, just consolidated.
For example, if you are going for 6 pumping sessions per day at 20 minutes each to 5 pumping sessions per day, you should change the the length of your sessions from 20 to 24 minutes so that you are still pumping for 120 minutes per day.
If you are weaning from the pump or trying to reduce supply, keep your sessions the same length of time.
Does it matter which pumping session I drop?
For the most part, no. When deciding which pumping session to drop, think about what works best for your schedule. Do you need more sleep? Are you having difficulty getting away for work to pump? Or are you at home with your baby and are having difficulty pumping while he or she is awake?
Figure out which pumping session going away would make your life better, and that’s the one that you should drop.
The only time I’d recommend keeping a certain session, even if you want to drop it, is if it affects your overall supply for the day significantly when you skip it.
For example, many women are able to pump more milk in the middle of the night than they are at other pumping sessions. Normally, when a breastfeeding mother drops the middle of the night session (more info on how to do this here), she just gets that milk later, in the morning. If for whatever reason this isn’t the case for you, you might want to keep pumping in the middle of the night.
How to drop pumping sessions
There are four ways to drop a pumping session:
- Drop it cold turkey
- Slowly reduce the time of the to-be-dropped pumping session
- Slowly reduce the volume of the to-be-dropped pumping session
- Gradually bring the pumping sessions closer together
The method that is best for you depends on how quickly you want to drop the pump and whether you are prone to clogged ducts or mastitis. Cold turkey is the easiest way to go if you don’t frequently get clogged milk ducts; but if you do, one of the gradual approaches will be better for you.
1. Dropping a pumping session cold turkey
This one is pretty simple – you just stop pumping at the to-be-dropped pump time. However, you may need to re-space your other pumping sessions. For example:
Old Schedule: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 10pm
To drop the 3pm pumping session, you might rearrange your schedule to the following:
New Schedule: 6am, 9am, 1pm, 4pm, 10pm
You can just switch over one day, and then you’re on the new schedule. If you see a supply drop, you can think about adding the dropped pump back in.
2. Dropping a pumping session by slowly reducing pump time
With this method, you start pumping less at the pump that you want to drop until you get it down to 5 minutes or so. Then you stop pumping at that time completely. Taking the prior example, where we drop the 3pm pumping session:
Old Schedule: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 10pm (each pumping session is 20 minutes)
Old Schedule/First Day Reducing Pump Time: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm (15 minutes), 6pm, 10pm (all other pumping sessions are 21 minutes)
Old Schedule/Second Day Reducing Pump Time: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm (10 minutes), 6pm, 10pm (all other pumping sessions are 22 minutes)
Old Schedule/Third Day Reducing Pump Time: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm (5 minutes), 6pm, 10pm (all other pumping sessions are 23 minutes)
New Schedule: 6am, 9am, 1pm, 4pm, 10pm (each pumping session is 24 minutes)
3. Dropping a pumping session by slowly reducing volume
This approach works great for weaning from the pump or for dropping a middle of the night pumping session when you’re prone to clogged ducts.
Essentially, what you do is just pump an ounce less every day (or every few days) until you’re down to 1-2oz at a given session, then stop pumping altogether at that time. This works well for women with oversupply because you are carefully controlling the amount of milk removed from your breasts at that time to allow your body to get used to the new schedule.
Old Schedule: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm, 10pm, 3am (normally you get 4 oz at 3am)
Old Schedule/First Day Reducing Pump Volume: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm, 10pm, 3am (3 oz – add time to morning session)
Old Schedule/Second Day Reducing Pump Volume: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm, 10pm, 3am (2 oz – add time to morning session)
Old Schedule/Third Day Reducing Pump Volume: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm, 10pm, 3am (1 oz – add time to morning session)
New Schedule: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm, 10pm (each pump is longer to account for dropped pump time)
In this example, I noted that time should be added to the morning session, while in the other example, I divided it equally between all sessions. What’s the difference?
You can do it either way, but I’ve found that when dropping the middle of the night pumping session, it can take longer to empty in the mornings, so adding at least some of the time then can work well.
4. Dropping a pumping session by gradually bringing them closer together
With this method, you move two pumps closer together until you can comfortably drop one. In the below example, you would move the 3pm and 6pm closer together until you are ready to drop the 3pm one.
Old Schedule: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 10pm (each session is 20 minutes)
Old Schedule/First Day Closer Together: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3:15pm, 5:45pm, 10pm
Old Schedule/Second Day Closer Together: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3:30pm, 5:30pm, 10pm
Old Schedule/Third Day Closer Together: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3:45pm, 5:15pm, 10pm
Old Schedule/Fourth Day Closer Together: 6am, 9am, 12pm, 4pm, 5pm, 10pm
Then drop the 5pm pumping session and re-space to the 12am to 1pm and you’ve got the new schedule:
New Schedule: 6am, 9am, 1pm, 4pm, 10pm (each session is 24 minutes)
Hopefully, this gives you some insight about how to drop pumping sessions so that you can hook yourself up to a breast pump less often!
References- Gray, Krista, IBCLC. “Why Breastfeed at Night.” https://www.nursingnurture.com/why-breastfeed-at-night/
- Bonyata, Kelly, BS, IBCLC. “My breasts feel empty! Has my milk supply decreased?” https://kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/breast-fullness/
Hi there,
Thankful for your website and hoping you can help.
After not being able to successfully BF due to latch issues after a traumatic delivery we decided to EP. Unfortunately my husband and I have decided that the emotional and physical toll it’s taken (no sleep, reoccurring clogged ducts, etc) is outweighing the benefits and have decided to quit.
The doctors office surprisingly advised going cold turkey which I imagine would be very painful and cause more issues given my history.
I’m hoping you have a suggestion.
I currently pump every 3 hours for 20 min. On average I only yield about 1.5-2oz for both breasts per session.
What is the safest/least painful way to wean from the pump all together?’
Thank you!!
Hi Alaina! Here’s the step by step plan I would follow! Let me know if you have any questions!
https://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-the-pump/
Hi Amanda, your blog has been so valuable in my EP journey! I’ve been EP since my daughter was 2 weeks old, and she’s 8 weeks old now. I currently pump 10x every 24H, for 30 minutes each time, as I’ve found that I have to pump that long because I am sensitive to higher vacuum strengths on my pump. Currently, I pump every 2.5H in the day, and every 3H in the middle of the night.
I average about 3-4oz each pump and my daughter takes about 3.3oz each time she feeds, 8x a day. I would like to drop a pump or two, and I’m wondering what would be the best way to drop a pump? I’m thinking of spacing out the pumps in the day to 3H between sessions, do you think that would work? And if I do so, should I add more time to my existing pumps?
Hi Eva! Congrats on your sweet 8 week old! I think spacing like you suggest would work great! About adding the time – I’m wondering if there are things to you can do to empty faster. I’ll put a link that has some ideas so that you don’t have to pump for longer. You are already pumping a lot!
https://exclusivepumping.com/pump-breast-milk-faster/
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for the great informative article.
My lo is 6 months old and I m in the process of weaning. I have come down to 4 (giving a week or two every time) pumping sessions by extending time gap till one session gets dropped.
Is it ok To continue the same method going further? (I am currently producing approx 11 oz each session).
Hi Amanda,
Not sure if my comment/query got posted?
Hi Amanda!
Thanks for such a great site.
My LO is 5.5 weeks and we have been EPing for 3 weeks now due to an ineffective latch. I’d like to EP for his first year of life and am trying to figure out the best plan of attack for when to drop sessions.
I’m currently pumping 8 times daily (once in awhile I’ll have a 7 session day) and yielding around 30 to 35 oz per day currently. I’ve noticed that my supply continues to increase a bit each day, so I don’t think my supply has stabilized yet.
I was thinking of dropping sessions every 2 to 3 months, as I notice that the frequency of his feedings go down, starting with the lowest yielding sessions. Ive also noticed a few times when I go a bit longer between pumps, my yield is higher, too. Would love your input on a strategy.
I think that’s a great plan! I think you’re doing awesome and I think that plan for dropping would work great! 🙂
Hi Amanda, your blog is a life saver. I am currently 14 weeks postpartum. I have been exclusively pumping producing 29-30 oz a day (son consumes 26-28 oz). I dropped to 7 pumps last week (from 8-10), keeping the total time in a day same, and my supply has mostly remained the same. I also dropped my MOTN pump last week and moved my pumps closer together during the day. At what point can I drop to 6 pumps without impacting supply? Also for the past couple of days I have been able to produce the same amount by pumping for ~30 less minutes in a day. Should I still pump for the same total time that I had with 8 pumps or is it ok to reduce the time without impacting supply? Note I pump for 5hours a day.
Hi Meenal! Congratulations on your baby! 🙂
I can’t guarantee what will happen if you drop to 6 (now or anytime in the future – anything can happen when you drop supply! it can go up, down or stay the same) but I think at 14 weeks 6 sessions is good.
Normally I would say to up your times, but not at 5 hours a day. I think it’s okay to reduce.
Hope this helps!
Awesome! Thank you so much! For how long do you think I should continue with 7 pumps to make sure my supply isn’t dropping? It has been a week since I switched to 7 pumps.
I would give it one more week – two would be safest, but I think one should be okay. Good luck!
Thank you! Spoke too soon. Noticed a huge drop in supply today so I’ll add my early morning pump back in and instead drop a daytime pump. Hopefully that will bring it back up.
Hi Amanda! Thanks for your great website! And Happy Mother’s Day!
I’m wondering what your thoughts are. My baby is 4 months old, and I have been EPing since he was a few days old. I’m producing 40-50 oz per day with 5 pumps (5:15 am, 9 am, 12, 3:30, and 9:00 pm). I’d love to cut out the noon pump. Yesterday I was busy at noon so didn’t get to pump until 1:30, and I didn’t have any engorgement so wondering if now is the time to slowly push that pump later and cut it out all together.
I have so much frozen milk (upwards of 1500-2000 oz, and baby is drinking about 30 oz per day. I’m ok with losing a little supply since I have so much in the freezer. Do you think 4 months is too early to go down to 4 pumps though?
Thanks a ton!
Ally
Hi Ally! Congrats on making it 4 months! And happy Mother’s Day to you too!!
So it’s soooo hard to say because everyone is so different. Your supply might go UP if you go down to four or your could get your period back and it could go down and be a struggle going forward. I *think* it would probably be fine, though, and it sounds like you’re ready to go for it. How long do you think you’re exclusively pump?
Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication on this topic. It’s much needed and appreciated.
I am writing because I am exclusively pumping (5x a day). I typically pump at 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, and 10pm. I will return to work in 5-6 weeks and would like to wean off the pump totally. I have a very demanding schedule at work and do not want to hassle with pumping as I did with my first child.
How far out would you suggest that I start to wean from the pump? I do plan to continue to offer the milk that I have stored. I typically get anywhere between 40-50oz a day. Also, any tips on calculating how much milk I may need to have stored in order to last baby to six months. My daughter Ian currently 6 weeks old and drinks about 25-26oz a day.
Again thank you for all your hard work. I appreciate any help that you can give.
Hi Krystal! Thank you so much!
I would give it about a week for each pumping session you have to drop!
Do you have an iPhone? If so, I would download the MilkMaid app and use that to calculate it!
Hi, I have been exclusively pumping for 5 months 6x a time for 30 min each. I have been trying to wean off the pump and have made it down to 2 pumps! I have cut down each pump session to 15 min and am only making 1-2 oz each session. How do I cut out those last 15 min pumps? Thank you !
Hi Ashley! Congrats on weaning! I would probably cut one in half (whichever is most annoying) and then drop it completely the next day. Give your body a few days to catch up, and then do the same thing with the last session. Then pump one last time 36-48 hours later. Hope this helps! More here:
https://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-the-pump/
Hi… ur blog and articles are an awesome support system.
I am ep 8 times 20 mins each producing 47 ounces in total per day. (Which increased from 40 when I dropped from 12 to 8 sessions) My 4 month lo only Takes 30 ounces approx/day. I would like to decrease my production by dropping sessions. Had one case of mastitis around 2 monthspp. A) Is it possible
To drop session and decrease supply without having any clogged ducts and infection with this much of production ? B) most of my Milk comes out in first 10 mins . Can I reduce my 20 mins session to 15 ; as I feel last 5 minutes leads to sore nipples at times .
Thanks .. waiting for ur valuable response ₹:)
Hi there Isha! It’s possible, I would just take it really slowly to give your body time to adjust! And you can reduce the length, but I would do it for one session at a time, not all at once. Again, go slow and give yourself time to adjust.
Thanks Amanda … can I reduce a minute each every couple of days ? And sore nipples can be because of prolonged pumping ? Could you please suggest Quick healing solution for sore nipples ?
That sounds good!
Have you tried coconut oil at all?
Thanks … will try coconut oil . 🙂
Hi! Your post has been so helpful. I am down to 2 pumps a day. I am trying to wean completely due to insanity. I have been pumping 2 sessions per day for about a week now. 9am and 9pm, I try to space them 12 hours apart. My right side has double the supply and gets engorged all the time while my life gets clogs but doesn’t get full as my right. I still feel my milk come in ever 2 hours or so. It’s painful for me. I hand express while in the shower for just a minute so it can release some pressure. How do I go to only 1 pump a day and then completely off? It feels like my boobs are never going to stop making milk. I have tried reducing volume due to prone to clogs. But since there’s still lots of milk in my breast, they become full again shorter after pumping.. I’ve also tried peppermint tea and cabbage leaves. Nothing is helping.
Hi Lisa! So sorry you’re dealing with this. Have you by chance tried Sudafed?
I would wait until you are comfortable at 2ppd before dropping another session, which might take a week or so. I would slow down and let your body catch up, which I know is not ideal. Then once you are good at 2ppd per day, drop the next one by volume, slowly.
I hope this helps! Good luck!
Hi Amanda! Melissa H here and I wanted to say thank you for your help in the beginning on one of my previous posts. I am down to three pump sessions per day at 1 hr each and I made it to 6 months post partum. My freezer filled up so much that I had to buy a mini deep freezer and then when that filled up I started donating milk. I had mastitis in the beginning and was making a crazy amount of milk. But now I can make 36 or so ounces a day off three (1) hr pump sessions and I have not gotten clogged from sleeping through the night. Your community here is very uplifting and helpful and I just wanted to say thank you. After reading through everyone’s stories on here it helped me to understand I was not alone in being an exclusive pumper and now it is crazy to think I can pull off up to 10-16 oz per pump session. I still hope in the future my next few kiddos will have normal pallets so they can transfer milk but if worst comes to worst I will pump and it is nice that technology allows women to pump and to talk to eachother from the comfort of their home if they need to plug into a community in order to get through tough times. Thank you!!!
Thank you so much Melissa!! I am thrilled to hear that! (and yay for donating milk!)
Question. Baby is only 3 weeks but I’d love to be able to just feed her at night and not pump too. But my boobs get too sore. So even if my hubby takes a night feeding…I’m too sore to sleep straight through. I think I went 7 hours once but it was quite painful.
I’ve never had mastitis, but I have developed hard lumps that were sore. I’ve always been able to massage them away during the next pumping session, but they wake me up.
I’m getting 50+ ounces a day with only 4-6 sessions…so I def can afford to drop some.
I’m thinking maybe the cabbage leaves over night?
I would start at the longest you can go that is comfortable for you and then slowly push it back from there – 30 minutes or an hour at a time. You want to train your body to go longer.
One thing though – since you are only 3 weeks pp, your supply might not have regulated yet. If you don’t want to pump at night I would keep at 6 sessions during the day so that you don’t lose a bunch of supply when this happens (I speak from experience). Good luck!
I am trying to wean off pumping and Confusing myself. I GUEss I did two ways to wean instead of sticking to just one. Currently pump when I feel pain. But have been trying to do every 6 hours and only pump for 5 mins each session. For instance I pump 3, 9, 3, 9 sometimes if I hurt I’ll pump in between during the day. Help!!
I would make your sessions slightly longer for now so that you’re not leaving a lot of milk in there and drop one session at a time. Just wean one way! The risk of all the milk staying in there is clogged ducts/mastitis.
Hi Amanda! I am currently exclusively pumping 4 times per day (7:45am, 2pm, 6:45pm, and 10:00pm). The amount of milk I pump gradually decreases throughout the day with approx. 8-10.5 ounces at 7:45am, 6-7 ounces at 2pm, and 3-4 ounces at 6:45pm and 10:00pm each for a total of 20-25 ounces per day. The last two sessions often do not even total the second pump of the day! Do you think I would risk a significant decrease in my production if I drop to 3 sessions per day and pump once I wake up (approx. 7-7:45am, 2pm, and 10pm)? My baby is 3.5 months old and my production as been steady since I started pumping when he was a week old. Thank you for your help!
Hi Alexandra! Congrats on your baby! The big risk is that the longer breaks between pumping sessions would trigger your period, which could possibly mean a lower milk supply. I think it depends on your goals – if you want to pump for a year, I would probably not risk it. If you want to pump for 5 months, I think it would be probably be fine. So it kind of depends on your goals and risk tolerance. I hope that helps, I know if wasn’t a straight answer!
So I’m currently trying to wean from pumping and am up to 5ppd with 20 minute sessions. Should I start to decrease the time for each of my sessions rather than waiting to completely emptying? At this point I make about 8oz extra per day from my last pump session of the day. I try to get 3 8oz bottles filled for my son each day so that he has enough for a few days. At this point I have enough frozen to get him to 6 months if I stop by the end of this month.
Noooooooooooo! 🙂 I mean, do that, but only for one session at a time until you can drop it. Just don’t reduce the time on all at the same time or you’ll never empty and get a clogged duct.
Hi Amanda! I will soon be 11 weeks PP and am pumping 6x per day (7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm, 11pm, 3am). I will be going back to work in a few weeks and can only pump 5x per day. I’d like to drop my overnight session by pumping at 11pm and again at 6am. The few times I accidentally slept through my alarm, I pumped a large volume when I woke up but ended up with clogged ducts and mastitis. Using your strategy of decreasing the volume at 3am, will I typically see a corresponding increase at my morning pumping session? I’m terrified my supply will suffer but I also don’t want to end up with mastitis again. Thanks!
Yes, you should see an increase in your morning session! Here is more info on dropping the middle of the night session that might be helpful:
https://exclusivepumping.com/drop-middle-of-the-night-pumping-sessions/
Thanks so much for all this helpful information! I have a question about how to best drop down to two pumps and move my second pump significantly earlier.
I’m 13mpp and am currently pumping first thing in the morning, around 2pm, and before bed at around 10pm. I work so my exact pump times vary based on my day. I’d like to stop pumping at 2pm, so have started dropping the time of that pump. My question is this: do I wait until that pump is dropped to start moving the 10pm pump closer to 7pm, or can I drop the 2pm and move the 10pm earlier at the same time, and if so how?
THANKS!
Hi Claire! I would do it at the same time, I think. Maybe take however many days you’re going to take to drop the 2pm and then divide the three hours by that, and move it up that much every day. So if you’re going to take 3 days to drop the 2pm pumping session, you’d move the 10pm up by 1 hour a day? Hopefully that makes sense!
Thank you soooo much! One last question, do you think it’s better to go by oz or time for dropping since I’m prone to clogging. The problem is none of my pumps are consistently the same amount. They range from 6 oz to 8 oz, with my left boob producing more. I’m inclined to go with time but also clogged ducts suck!
I would go by oz if you’re prone to clogs! It’s more annoying to track but more precise. 🙂
Hi! Thank you so much for this website and for this information! I’m trying to wean from pumping and I have a question about the methods. Right now I’m pumping 6 Xs a day avg 13 min a pump. I’m producing about 50 oz a day (25 more than my 4 month old baby eats so I’ve got a pretty good stock). I’d like to stop pumping completely and I’m starting with dropping my 2:30am pump. Unfortunately, I’m prone to clogged ducts (I’ve had 2 now and a bunch of almost’s). Looking at your method of going by ounces I noticed that you suggest transferring the time over to other pumps.. Do I still need to do this if I’m weaning completely off? And what’s the reasoning behind this? If I go by time, do I still need to add time to the other pumps as well if I’m weaning? Thank you again for such a helpful website!
Hi Amanda! No, you don’t add the time when you’re weaning! This post might actually be more helpful:
https://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-the-pump/
Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions!
Your Instagram and website have been so helpful during the long days and nights of having a newborn and EPing. My baby is 6 weeks old and I’d like to decrease to only pumping twice per day because I’m emotionally and physically not doing well with little sleep and stress. I’ve gone down to pumping 5 times per day with about 5 hours in between pumping sessions of 15 minutes. I get 5-6 ounces per session and I’m ok with using what I have in the freezer and supplementing with formula. I’ve tried increasing the time between sessions to 6 hours while decreasing the pumping to 12 minutes. How can I safely decrease to pumping twice per day while still having some breast milk for my baby? Thank you!
Hi Jesse! I would drop one session at a time versus increasing the time between. So write down your schedule and figure out about when you usually pump, figure out what you want your schedule to be, and drop the three sessions that you need to to make that happen. Does that make sense? I would NOT decrease the length of all at the same time because of the risk of clogged ducts or mastitis. Let me know if you have any other questions!
And then I can continue with 20 minute sessions, don’t have to do do the combined session as 40 minutes?
You would redistribute the 20 minutes among all of your remaining sessions. So if you’re dropping to 5, they’d each become 24 minutes. 🙂
I want to drop a session by gradually moving sessions closer together.
Should I continue to pump the same duration per session while doing this? I usually pump 20 minutes per session. So continue to pump for 20 minutes even when I’m on the fourth day and they’re only an hour apart?
THANK YOU!
YEs, keep the same length until you combine them! 🙂
Ok. I see. I was taking lecithin but it caused large stinky green colored poops to my baby (I am laughing but it is true-smelled like hard boiled egg) It gave me something to laugh at in the middle of the night when I was awake pumping and could hear her tooting away. I found that staying hydrated and taking hot baths frequently helped with previous small clogs. This is the first clog that a hot shower/hot bath and hot compresses didn’t relieve but for the amount of milk that is coming in I am surprised this did not happen sooner. Anyways! I started moving the 0500 pump to 0600 in fifteen min increments and after that one settles I will adjust the 2000 to 1800 slowly in the same manner. Haven’t decided if I should move the 1500 pump to 1200 or mesh it into the 1800. Thanks for your time! Appreciate you!
Good luck!!! Too bad about the poop!
Hello!
I am exclusively pumping since week 5 post partum. Baby girl had a high pallet and had a great latch but would fall asleep at the breast and the minute I would lay her down she would begin crying-that pattern went on for a few days before we lost our minds and introduced a bottle. I make plenty of milk (about 40 oz a day). I pumped for a couple of days 12x/day way in the beginning and switched to 8x/day and I dont exactly remember when I switched to 6x/day but around 2 months post partum I was pumping every 4 hrs and stayed that way until 9 weeks post partum when I dropped to five pumps per day. My supply was on its way to 50oz a day when I dropped to five pumps a day a few weeks ago (9-10 weeks post partum-this was also right around the time when I gave back my rented medela lactina pump and switched to a spectra s1). I got so engorged and I am 12 weeks post partum now with mastitis as of this morning. I just started antibiotics today. They told me to try to increase to 6x/day but I really really do not want to do that. I was hoping the supply would decrease to 35 oz or so upon dropping from 6x/day to 5 but the milk increased from 40oz to 50oz and mostly showed up in the morning pumps. I am worried it will happen again. I think I am one of those people who when they sleep more, they make more milk. Should I just keep to 5 pumps per day for a while or reduce to my goal of 4xday? If I should stay at 5-how much longer should I stay there? I am 12 weeks post partum today, and I am a stay at home mom so I will not be returning to work. I just want to 4 pumps per day eventually so I can have a life again (go grocery shopping!, and sleep a little bit more! and maybe go for walks to the park!-you know-participate in life again! =] ) I feel like 4x/day is way more manageable even long term, and I could do that but if I can barely make it to five hours without clogging and heading down mastitis road then I do not know how I am going to make it 6 hrs in between. I think it is funny but I literally dream of having to only pump 4x/day. haha…..I really hope I can get there.
Current schedule: I get about 7-8 oz total at each pump-little more in the AM and a little less around midnight. Right side produces 3-3.5oz and is currently my infected side. Left will make more than 4 oz but I try to keep an eye and stop it just before 4oz or at 4oz if I am too full to cut it short. Sometimes I get 4.5 if I forget to check it.
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I welcome any thoughts!
I think I would stay where you are until the mastitis is resolved and then slooooowly drop one session. Are you taking lecithin for the clogs? If not, I would start. And I would stick to your schedule as much as humanly possible. And I would consider using cabbage leaves while you drop that session.
Hope this helps!
The plug came out finally. There was 2 oz stuck in there and things feel sooooo much better so I think the mastitis may have been prevented but I overall do not know for sure. Things are back on track but it has only been 24 hrs since I started antibiotics and I have 9 more days of antibiotics to complete. How long would you wait if it were you before dropping the fifth pump? Are you saying to keep to 5 sessions for as long as I can tolerate? Would it work if I emptied every other pumping session while trying to drop to four sessions? I think that was the mistake that eventually caused the plug and then the infection in the first place. I tried reducing a little with all sessions when I dropped to five pumps per day. Thank you so much for your input! I soooo appreciate you putting this site together and taking the time to check on everyone who writes to you on here.
So glad it came out and you are feeling better! I would just wait a few days to confirm there are no other issues and then go ahead and drop to 5. and I was saying to just not miss pumping sessions (to improve your chances of not getting another clog) – not that you needed to stay at 5 long-term.
I think I would focus on dropping one session at a time versus emptying every other because consistency helps your body know what to expect (it’s trying to match supply to demand). That’s not super important unless you’re trying to avoid clogs and such. Definitely don’t reduce all at once – you’re absolutely right that that was probably the problem.
I hope this helps/makes sense!
Thank you so much for all of your helpful tips. You are the reason why my baby is getting any breastmilk! I do have couple of
questions about dropping pumps and pumping schedules. My baby is just over the 3 month mark and I’m currently at 6 pumps trying to go down to 5. I currently pump at 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, 10pm, 2am. I’m trying to get rid of the 10pm as I’m having a hard time staying up. I have no issues waking up for the 2am pump and my lo is still wanting milk around that time anyway. I need to keep my morning pumps the same due to my work schedule and think I can live with 6am, 10am, 2pm, 8pm, and 2am. My question is do you think it’s okay to implement that schedule, knowing I might want get sick of the 2 am and need to adjust to a different schedule still with 5 pumps? Also, is it okay to have a different schedule on the weekends? My 10am and 2pm are required for work, but I’d love to spread them out on sat and sun.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Rachel! Yes, I think that’s fine. When you go to drop the 2am, you can move it back to right before bed. It should be fine.
Totally fine to have a different schedule on the weekends. Babies don’t nurse by the clock, so you would if you were pumping at work and nursing! Just get the sessions in. 🙂
Hi Amanda,
Let me start of my saying you’re awesome for providing such great advice to everyone. I don’t know how I would’ve survived these past 2 months without it! My LO will be 3 months on Nov 19… I’m currently pumping 7x day every 3-3.5 hours. My schedule isn’t much of a schedule… I pump 4am, between 7-8am, 11am, between 2:30-3pm, 5pm, 8:30pm and 11pm. Two weeks ago I was on a great schedule and was pretty on top of pumping every 3 hours.. but these past few weeks have been hectic. My supply seems to be regulated … I pump an average of 27-30oz through out the day and my little one drinks about 24oz a day. I’m wondering what your schedule was when you were pumping 6x/day. I would like to pump every 4 hours and was thinking 4am, 8am, 12pm, 4pm, 8pm and 11:30pm. I don’t mind the 4am pump since I get the most ounces during that time. I’m wondering how I can help my body adjust to this schedule without hurting my supply… I’ve been pumping for 20-30 mins each session or until I’m “empty.” Do you think I should just start the schedule or try to push some sessions back 30mins?
Hi Jenny! This sounds like a great schedule! I would just switch to it cold turkey – so one day you’re on the old schedule and one day you’re on the new (unless you have a history of clogged ducts or mastitis)?
Hi there! I’m currently exclusively pumping. My little one will be 2 months on October 18th. My goal is to reduce my pumping sessions significantly by the time he is 3 months, mainly for sanity and sleep deprivation sake. So that means I
would like to be reduced by November 18th (if feasible). I will keep the reduced schedule until he is 6 months then wean off completely. Currently I pump every 3 hours at about 1am, 4am, 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, and 10pm. Of course there are some variations in that. When I pump I get about 8-10 ounces total. I would love to get my sessions down to 4 a day. Perhaps getting rid of the middle of the night session (either 1 or 4am). I unfortunately am prone to clogs and engorgment but have never had an infection (knock on wood). Can you help me determine if this goal is feasible in the designated time frame and if so what’s my best approach, perhaps provide a sample schedule. Any help is greatly appreciated. Mama needs some relief!
Hi Kista! I think that’s feasible. I would start by dropping the 1am by pushing it back 30 minutes – an hour each night. (More on how to do that here: https://exclusivepumping.com/drop-middle-of-the-night-pumping-sessions/). Then I’d do the same thing for the 4am (maybe move the 7am up to 6am or the 10pm back to 11pm if necessary). Each of those should take about a week to a week and a half. Then you can drop whichever middle of the day ones are most annoying for you and respace your remaining sessions. Let me know if that doesn’t make sense. Good luck!
Hi Amanda,
Thank you so much for your website! I wish I found it sooner. I have a 2 month old. I was BF for the first month but had to stop because it was just not working for me. Instead I started pumping. I’ve been pumping 6x day and supplementing with formula. I pump: 2am 6am 10am 1pm 5pm 10pm. I usually get 2.5oz – 5oz each session depending on the time (less in the 10am-5pm sessions). I return to work in the next month and would like to continue pumping but move it to 5x a day and then hopefully 4x. What can you advise I do? I feel like dropping the 1pm session because I feel like I can go out anywhere for a long time. I do have a medal harmony but don’t want to be in the go and still pumping – it’s too overwhelming. Then hopefully I drop the 2am session.
I think that sounds like a good plan! Maybe drop the 1pm and move the 10am back to noon? That way you could do it at lunch? I think that would work well!
I have a 2 week old and was exclusively pumping but need to wean completely and start formula. I had a plan w a lactation consultant that I would start by decreasing each pumping session from 17 min to 14 min, which I put in effect yesterday. Then today I increased the time between two morning sessions by about 45 min while also reducing just that later session to 11 min. My breasts slowly became painfully, unbearably engorged over the last 2 days. I now have mastitis and am on an antibiotic. The LC said I should go back to pumping every 3ish hours but that it would be okay to make each session 15 min so that I’m not entirely back at square one. I am also keeping cabbage leaves on my chest and having occasional peppermint tea. However, I feel extremely depressed and in pain and just want this to end. I can’t go weeks longer trying to wean when every step towards weaning causes more engorgement and pain. Any suggestions on how to do this safely and effectively but also quicker? I’m desperate 🙁 thank you
Hi Alexis! I would drop one session at a time instead of decreasing them all at once. The reason behind this is that you never fully empty your breasts at any of your sessions, which can lead to clogged ducts and mastitis. Here’s a step by step plan – good luck and so sorry you are dealing with this!
https://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-the-pump/
Hi! I’ve been pumping throughout the day (15 min each breast) 7x ( 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm, 12 am) and nurse only at night. My goal is to completely stop producing milk since I have to return to work in 2 weeks. I just started one of your methods-dropping 1 session cold turkey style- but my question is after the dropped session (6pm) .. do I continue to pump for the same amount of time on all my other sessions or do I start reducing the time on those ? Also is it safe to give the expressed milk to my baby since I believe it’s mostly foremilk.. or should I toss that out ?
TIA!!
Hi Liz! Since you’re weaning, you keep the remaining sessions the same (15 min each breast) except for the one that you’re dropping. (If you weren’t weaning, you’d add the time from the session you’re dropping back to the other sessions).
For the milk – if your baby isn’t on solids yet, maybe freeze it and give it to him or her mixed with solids after they start? Breastmilk mixed with fruits or veggies works well and it doesn’t matter if it’s all foremilk for that.
Good luck!
If I may ask, how much did your supply decrease when you went from 4 pumps to 3. I currently pump 4/day and get about 34-38oz/day. My daughter is 4.5 months and drinks around 25-27oz, unless growth spurting, of course! I have a stash in the freezer that I could supplement with if my supply drops below her intake. I’m just wondering if there’s a good rule of thumb about how much a supply can drop if dropping to 3. Thanks. Your blog has been a lifesaver for this unplanned-EPer!
Hi Shannon! When I went from 4 to 3 was when I starting losing supply (I hadn’t before that when dropping sessions). I believe I went from about 45 oz per day to about 35oz, but this drop took awhile – it was over several months. I also got my period back around this time which likely contributed. I hope this helps – everyone is different but for me 3 was when the drop started. 🙂
Hi Amanda,
I have twins, 14 weeks old. I have dropped to 4 pumping sessions, 30 mins per pump, and am producing 60-64 oz a day. My schedule is 4am, 10am, 4pm, 9:30pm. I would like to switxh up my schedule so I can stop waking to pump in the middle of the night since my boys are now sleeping till 7am. Do you think if I go from 10pm-6 am my supply will decrease?
I’ve never gone 8 hours between pumping. 6 has been the longest. Until 2 weeks ago I was still pumping 8/7x’s a day and was able to cut back to 4 with no decrease. Thank you!
Hi Megan! If you don’t change anything else, just push the 4am back to 6am, my guess is that you will be fine. 🙂 Good luck!
Hi Amanda,
I have a 12 weeks old baby girl. I just went back to work last week. Currently I pump at 6am, 10am, 2pm, bf at 6pm, 10pm, and 2am. I am trying to drop the 2am pumping session. I got mastitis earlier this month, what willll be the best way to drop without hurting my supply? Thanks!
Hi Linda! Sorry to hear about the mastitis. I would slowly push it back, maybe by half an hour a night. So, the first night you’d do 2:30, then (either the next night, or you can wait a few days to let your body adjust), you’d do 3pm, and so on. Once you can go to 5am you can consolidate the 5am and 6am into one pumping session, make it longer, and then push it back to 6am. Hopefully that makes sense! Also – make sure that you add the dropped time to your remaining pumping sessions so that your total pumping time in a day stays the same. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks so much for the quick response. I’ll give that a try. I could for sure make the 9:30am longer and start earlier if I needed to. I’m just so full in the am I dont know if I can make it, but will definitely try! LOL. I probably get another 8 ounces in the am after he feeds. I am not taking anything for the clogs but will definitely try the lecithin! I probably get 1 a week, which is no fun. Thanks again.
Good luck! You could also try weaning yourself off of that morning session – instead of 8 oz stop yourself after you pump 4, say. You could try that for a few days and then see if you can get to 9:30. 🙂
Hi Amanda,
Question. My son is currently 3 months and I pump and BF. Right now I BF at 7am, pump whatever is left to empty, about 10 minutes, then pump again at 9:30, 12:30, 3:30pm. I nurse at 6:30, 8:30 then a quick dream feed at 10pm and pump again until empty, usually around 10 minutes. I’d LOVE to reduce this schedule in some way as I’m definitely over producing. I don’t mind having the extra but if it went down a bit it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Where do you recommend I cut back? I’m worried to loose the am and pm because I am prone to clogged ducts but would love to skip the morning pump after I BF or lose one while I’m at work. Any suggestions? Thanks!
I think you’d be okay skipping the “whatever is left to empty” pump after 7am since you pump again at 9:30. I would start with that and see what happens. Can you make the 9:30 a little longer, if necessary? If your schedule allows you could also move it up for a week or so while you transition to dropping that morning session. Are you taking lecithin for the clogs? That might help too!
Hi,
I’m currently weaning from the pump and looking to use the reduction in volume method to drop one of my sessions however I’m wondering whether doing so could create a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance? If I don’t pump until breast is empty will I still get all the fatty hindmilk?
Thanks.
Hi Lisa! At that session, you wouldn’t, no – but your other sessions should be fine. How old is your baby? I wouldn’t be too concerned if he or she is old enough for solids and is getting hindmilk from the other sessions.
Hi, my baby has been sleeping through the night for 2 months and I am ready to drop or push up my 1am pump. I also went back to work 3 weeks ago so I am pumping 4x a day and breastfeeding 2-3x a day. My pump is currently +\- 30 Mins at 9am, 11:30am, 2pm and 5:30pm. I last bf around 9/9:30am and pump at 1am, my baby wakes up at 7:30/8am. I want to push my last pumping session to ideally at 11pm or latest 12am, how do I go about doing that? I am semi prone to clogged duct. Thanks!!
I forgot to mentioned I have tried pushing up pumping time 15 mins at a time but I still get woken up by engorgement around 6:15-6:30am everyday. Ideally I’d like to get 7 hrs of sleep straight so hoping to sleep from 12-7am or 11:30-7am. Thank you!
Hi Karen! Have you tried lecithin at all for the clogs? I think I’m not getting what is happening right now with you moving back the pumping sessions. Are you currently able to move the 1am all the way back to 6:15am? Or were you referring to something different? Sorry if I’m not following!
Hi Amanda, sorry for the confusion. what I am trying to achieve is to push up my 1am pump to 11pm or 11:30pm. How should I make this happen, I am usually really engorged around 6:15-6:30am when I pump at 1am?
Got it! Sorry, two follow up questions – how old is your baby and how’s your supply? Is it something you’re concerned about or do you have oversupply?
Hi Amanda, my LO just turned 5 months and my supply has been on par with demand but could use a bump if she wants to feed more. She has been STTN since 3 months so we can only get 6 feedings in during the day. I have pushed my 1am pump to 12:30am for a little over a week and I am still awaken by pain around 5:30am, she doesn’t get up until 7:30/8am so I am really hoping I can get through until 7am without being in pain so early. In an ideal world, I’d like to pump at 11:30pm as my last pump session and get up at 7am, please let me know the steps I can take to get there. Thank you so much!
Hi Karen! So sorry to hear about the pain at 5:30. What do you do when that happens? Do you pump? Assuming you do, I think the two things I would do are a) putting a cabbage leaf if your bra at some point (ideally, around 3 or 4, but I don’t want you have to wake up for that, so maybe if you wake up at some point to go to the bathroom? if not, at 5:30 is fine) – this will help with the engorgement and b) only pump enough to get the pressure off at 5:30 and then pump a regular session in 15-30 minutes so that you can train your body to go later. Push that back as you can, just like you’re doing with the 12:30 session. Also, don’t overdo the cabbage as it can affect supply. You’re doing great, sorry this is so tricky!
Hi Amanda,
Normally when I wake up in pain I would massage and hold out until LO wakes up around 7:30-8am, sometimes I can go back to sleep in 30 mins and sometimes I am awake until baby is up to feed. I will try pumping a little at 5:30a(whenever I am awake from pain) to get the pressure off, I tried expressing a little but it didn’t take away the engorgement and uncomfortableness. When you mentioned I should do a regular pumping session 15-30 minutes later do you mean I should add another pumping session to my day and eventually push that session out until my feeding time? I am really trying to be able to sleep a longer stretch at a time since my LO has been STTN for two months already and I do have about 4-5oz extra of pumped BM. Thank you again for your help!
Hi! I’m currently pumping 4x day for a 6 month old. I’m ready to drop down to 2x a day. My current pumping schedule is 4am 10am 4 pm 10 pm. I really want to drop the 4am for my sanity (have to get eldest daughter ready for school at 6 so I’m pumping and taking a nap in between). I’ve have mastitis 2x so I’m super terrified and don’t know where to begin. Should I start by moving my 10am pump closer to my 4pm pump? Or can I just drop my 10am and 4 pm and replace it with a 2 pm pump? Then it will be 4am 2 pm 10 pm. From there I’m not sure what to do to move my 4 am pump to at least 6 am. Please help!
Hi Priscella! Okay, what I would do is slowly push the 4am back to 6am. (Maybe 30 minutes a day? You can see what feels right for you.) Once you’re at 6am 10am 4pm 10pm, I’d drop the 10am and move the 4pm back to 2pm. So to do that I would move the 10am back until you can get to 2pm without issues. I’m guessing that won’t take too long since you’ll be pumping at 6am instead of 4am. Does that make sense?
My baby is now 16 weeks, and I have been (almost) exclusively pumping since my baby was 12 weeks when we discovered that nursing was not going well (long story short, our tongue and lip tie release at 2 weeks was not done far enough, so while I was pain free, baby couldn’t effectively pull milk and was coasting on the huge letdowns form my early oversupply). I recently tried to drop a pump to go down to 7. My schedule was previously 2am, 5am, 7am, 10am, 1pm 4pm 7pm 10pm and this was working great! I decided to drop the 7am since it was so close to the 5 and move the 10 a little earlier (it is spaced this way because of my commute to work). However, after only 3 days being down to 7 pumps and redistributing the time of the dropped pimp my supply seems to be going down a little. Do I need to add that 8th pump back in? Will I be doing 8 pimps for the whole duration of the one year I want to breastfeed?
Hi Amy! Ugh, 8 pumps a day for as long as you pump would be terrible. How much supply did you lose? Maybe you could try making the last session of the day (or whichever one works) a power pumping session and see if that helps?
He is almost 4 months. I pump every 3 hours, occasionally I’ll go 4. I’d like to maintain my production without as many pumping sessions if possible. I have a lot stored up but don’t want to make the mistake of severely decreasing my supply.
I think you should be able to do that. I would just do it gradually (like don’t go 8 hours at once, but stretch it an hour at a time), so that you can reassess as you go. And make sure your total amount of time pumping in a day stays the same. Good luck!
I’m in desperate need for sleep at night! I’d like to continue pumping but sleep more if possible. If I’m pumping mostly every 3-4 hours can I go 8 hours at night? Perhaps 10p and then 6am?
Hi Melissa! How old is your baby and how many pumping sessions are you doing now?
Hi Amanda,
I’m hoping to wean completely in the next 2 weeks due to a healing breast abscess and galactocele. I currently pump 6x a day at 15 mins each time (8a, 12p, 4p, 8p, 12a, 4a). How would you recommend weaning quickly but responsibly as I’m prone to infections/clogs. I currently make about 30-38oz each day. Thank you!
Hi Rit! I wasn’t sure if you’d seen this:
https://exclusivepumping.com/weaning-from-the-pump/
That’s definitely what I would recommend. Definitely email me if you have questions. Also if you would be willing to talk about your experience with a galactocele – I would love to interview you about it!
Hi,
I want to stop pumping and my baby is 7 weeks old. I can now manage to space out to 2 sessions about 15-20 mins, 12 hrs apart but my breast feel really hard and I’m scared of getting Mastitis. Any recommendations ? Should I just stop cold turkey ?
That’s great! I would drop the remaining sessions one at a time. Slowly drop one, and then when your body adjusts, slowly drop the other. Try cabbage leaves too! Good luck!
Hi Amanda,
Thanks a a lot for the quick and prompt response. Yes I am prone to the clogged milk ducts and already started taking lechithin and probiotics, also I have pumping pals and they are as helpful as hands free pumping bra! Currently I am pumping 30+ Oz during 5 sessions and they are about 15 min each. From your own experience what should I expect from my supply for 3 sessions a day? I know it depends but just for reference? I am pumping around 8 weeks
Thank you
Yuliya
Hi Julia! I think when I dropped to 3 sessions I went from 45-40 oz (at 4 sessions) to 35 oz (at 3 sessions). I also got my period back (it can come back faster the less frequently you pump, and then affects your milk supply). So maybe a 15% loss? Hope this helps!
Hi, I am currently pumping 10 times a day and starting to go slightly crazy. My son will be 6 weeks tomorrow. I only get about 3oz in total on average per session (it varies quite a bit from time to time how much I get) and am just marginally exceeding his needs at this point (since he only feeds 8 times a day and I pump 10). I am already on prescription meds and a bunch of herbals to boost my supply. Am I ever going to be able to decrease how often I pump? His requirements are only going to go up from here and pretty soon even at 10 pumps a day I won’t be able to keep up.. Is there any hope that I would be able to drop to 6 pumps a day (my max number I think I could sustain long term) while also being able to meet his needs?
Thanks
Hi! Yes, there is definitely hope. When you drop a session anything can happen, but as long as you add the time from the dropped pump back to the other sessions, the most likely outcome is that your supply will stay the same. I would start by dropping one of the ten sessions and seeing what happens. Assuming your supply stays steady, you can drop another, and so on. Give it at least a week in between. Good luck!