If your baby eats more than you produce, it can be stressful! Many breastfeeding websites will recommend things like staying in bed and doing nothing but nursing when there are issues with supply so that a breastfeeding mother can get plenty of nipple stimulation and rest at the same time. While this is great advice, it won’t help women that are exclusively pumping. If you are making less than your baby is eating – or even if you just want the peace of mind of a freezer stash – here are six ways that you can increase your milk supply as an exclusive pumper.
1. Take Fenugreek and Other Lactation-Promoting Herbs
Many women use herbal galactagogues or lactation supplements to increase supply, and I personally have had a lot of success with them. Fenugreek is probably the most popular of these, and some mothers see an increase in pumping output after 24-72 hours of starting it.
Blessed thistle is another herb that may help increase milk supply; some lactation experts recommend taking it with fenugreek for the best results.
A detailed overview of fenugreek is available here, but the short version is that you can buy it online or in the grocery store, and generally, you can start with 2 capsules 3 times per day, and wait to see if you start to smell like maple syrup. If you don’t, you may need to increase your dosage, with the upper cap being 4 capsules 3 times per day. (It’s a good idea to consult a doctor or lactation consultant first.)
Smelling like maple syrup is key – that means its working! Once your output has gone up, fenugreek can typically be discontinued and the increased supply will stay (as long as you keep removing the milk from your breasts).
Another option is “nursing teas.” These teas contain a mixture of herbs (like fenugreek, blessed thistle, and fennel seed) and are intended to be used continuously, because the dosage is much lower than herbs such as fenugreek in capsule form.
2. Eat Oatmeal
Although there is no scientific research on this, enough women have noticed an increase in pumping output when they eat oatmeal that many lactation consultants recommend it as a way of increasing supply. Your can have a bowl of old-fashioned oats for breakfast, cook with them (i.e., oatmeal cookies, overnight oats, pancakes, etc.), or try some lactation bars (these Oat Mama bars in particular are delicious – I really like the Peanut Butter Chocolate).
With baby #2, I did an unscientific experiment to see if it would work for me, with some success. Currently, I’m nursing and pumping for baby #3, and I notice about an 1-2 oz increase in the amount I pump on days when I eat oatmeal or have a bar for breakfast.
3. Pump More Often or For Longer Periods of Time
It’s really important to pump enough in order to remove as much milk as possible from your breasts (which encourages your body to make more) and to provide nipple stimulation. You can try adding an extra pumping session or adding time to your existing sessions.
At first, the amount of milk you pump will probably stay the same, just spread out across the extra sessions/time. However, after a few days, you will hopefully notice an increase in output.
Make sure that you get the most out of your pumping sessions by doing breast compressions and setting your pump to the right speed.
I would caution, however, to be careful not to overdo it. Ideally, if you are exclusively pumping, you should spend two hours per day pumping. If you need to up that to get more milk, personally, I would not recommend going any higher than three hours per day. At some point, it’s just too much and will become exhausting. Plus, you have other things to do and a baby to care for and snuggle.
4. Replace Your Pumping Parts
Before you start ramping up your pumping session, consider replacing your the membranes on your pump parts (here are the Pump in Style replacement membranes and here are the Spectra parts) – especially if you’ve been using them for over two months. I have replaced my membranes on the Pump in Style and been shocked at what a difference it made in output.
5. Power Pumping
“Power pumping” or “cluster pumping” simulates cluster feeding. When a baby is cluster feeding, they are constantly on and off the breast, trying to get more milk. Many newborns – whether nursed or fed from a bottle – will have fussy evenings where they are hard to soothe and eat a great deal on and off over the course of a few hours. Cluster feeding in babies that are nursed signals the mother’s body to make more milk. This will also help you get more letdowns.
To mimic cluster feeding, hook yourself up to the pump (hands-free, of course) and pump on and off for an hour (say, 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off) while you watch TV or read something. Try to make it as fun and easy as you can by doing something that you enjoy while you pump, as relaxation should have a positive impact on your output. (Nothing tells your body to make more milk like pumping your way through a Netflix binge session.)
6. Medication Options – Try Domperidone or Reglan
There are two medications that are not intended for increasing milk supply, but have the side effect of doing so. These are Domperidone and Reglan, and they work by by blocking dopamine receptors, which results in an increase in prolactin levels.
These drugs will not work in women that already have normal prolactin levels. Both of these medications normally work within 3-4 days.
A few cautions about these drugs – Reglan is contraindicated in women with a history of depression, as one of its side effects is severe depression. Domperidone has fewer side effects, and is widely used in Canada and other countries; however, the FDA issued a much-criticized warning against it in 2004, which can make getting it somewhat complicated, but possible. Your doctor can prescribe it for you and you’ll need to get it from a compounding or international pharmacy.
7. Drink Beer
Beer – by which I mean “real” beer, like Guinness, not so much Miller Light (and I say this as a die-hard lover of Miller Lite) – may stimulate milk production.
Now, this one is a bit controversial. Some moms swear by it, most major websites (babycenter, kellymom) say that it doesn’t help. One thing that I noticed when reading those sites, though, is that they are all talking about nursing infants and the amount they take in, versus pumping output.
It seems to me that nursing infants might take in less milk for any number of reasons that don’t apply to pumping: they don’t like the taste, the very small amount of alcohol relaxes them and they are less hungry, etc. Fortunately, your breast pump doesn’t get tired when you’ve had a Guinness.
In any case, I think this one falls into the “worth a shot if you like beer” category.
Obviously, be careful not to overdo it while you’re nursing. You can also drink non-alcoholic beer if you are concerned about drinking and nursing, or you can test the alcohol level of your milk with milkscreen.
If you find you do need to supplement with formula, here are some tips on how to do it while exclusively pumping.
Note: About a year after I wrote this post, I did a survey of exclusive pumpers that asked about the effectiveness of all of these strategies for increasing milk supply. I wrote up the results (along with additional detail about each of these methods) in an e-book, which you can find out more about here. Thanks for reading!
References
- Newman, Jack, MD. “On the FDA and Domperidone.” https://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/informations/on-the-fda-and-domperidone/
- Newman, Jack, MD. “Domperidone General Information.” https://www.asklenore.info/breastfeeding/induced_lactation/domperidone_general.shtml
- Babycenter. “Alcohol and Breastfeeding.” https://www.babycenter.com/0_alcohol-and-nursing-moms_3547.bc
- Bonyata, Kelly, IBCLC. “Breastfeeding and Alcohol.” https://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/alcohol/
Thank you for the info! I’ve been doing 7 30 minute pumping sessions a day & have just gotten my supply to about 13 oz per day. Just found your site here & am wondering if you might know if my supply will decrease if I try to change to 120 minutes a day as you suggest. 20 minute sessions would be a lot more manageable! 🙂 Also going to try increasing my fenugreek intake to see if more than 6 capsules will make a difference. Thanks for any advice!
Good luck Lindsay! Why don’t you try decreasing one at a time a see what happens? I wouldn’t make the change quickly. Also the 120 minutes is a minimum, so you CAN do more if you want (though yes, WAY more manageable)! Good luck!
I had supply issues since my baby birth and was struggling hard to establish a good milk supply but fenugreek, power pumping, oatmeals nothing worked until I started drinking Healthy nursing tea that is an herbal natural supplement and now I am successfully bfing my son since one year.
My son was born at 29 weeks I have been breastfeeding him since birth I was making so much milk and I had something called Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex so I decided to slow my milk down but now I want to increase it. The problem is I only pump he dont actually latch on to the breast. So what can I do to increase my milk?
Hi Ronnisha! Have you tried anything yet (like fenugreek, oatmeal, power pumping, etc.)?
That’s from both breasts combined.
My little boy is 6wks on Monday. I’m pumping for 10 mins every 2hrs. I’m getting 1.5oz to 2oz off. Doesn’t seem enough. Is that about right?
I think I would make the sessions at least 15 minutes to see if you can get another letdown. Is that 1.5-2oz per side or total?
Healthy nursing tea REALLY helped bring my supply up after dipping around 2 1/2 months into breastfeeding. I have continued drinking three times a day for a month an a half and I am doing so much better. I did try to stop and saw a dip again. I WILL continue taking it until I am done breastfeeding.
Hi, is it absolutely necessary to pump multiple times during the night also?
I’m a single mom of a newborn (10 days) and I started pumping because my little boy was losing weight while I breastfed him.
He has a bad latch and probably couldn’t get the milk out efficiently.
He’s supplemented with formula right now, and I pump so I know for sure how much breastmilk I can give him. but I would very much prefer him to be only on breastmilk.
Sadly, I pump about 50 ml both breasts combined in half an hour (double electric pump).
I’ve started eating oatmeal and drinking fenugreek tea, and doing power pumping. And I think it may be starting to help…but my biggest problem is the night.
I’ve been pumping every three hours for about half an hour…but I’m afraid I won’t be able to cope with both feeding my child and pumping. My boy drinks every three hours, pumping, feeding and changing him takes me an hour easily which means two hours later I’ll have to get up again.
Right now I have help during the nights but that won’t last much longer. Is there a way to keep your supply going without having to pump as much at night? Because if not, I fear I won’t last very long.
Hi Saskia! Congrats on your baby! You are doing a great job. Okay, here’s what I would suggest. Skip ONE pumping session at night – probably the first one of the night. Just get through the feeding/diaper change as fast as you can, with the lights low, and go back to sleep. The next time he wakes up, you can pump then. Try to get 8 sessions in in 24 hours (though they don’t need to be 30 minutes). As time goes on, he’ll start sleeping longer stretches at the beginning of the night – if at all possible, go to bed then. That might mean going to bed at 8 or 9pm, but it’s not forever. Your goal is to get a 4 to 5 hour stretch of sleep and get yourself through a full REM cycle. If you can do that, life will be much better. GOOD LUCK! Let me know if I can help with anything else.
I can not use fenugreek, is there something else I can try.
Have you tried oatmeal at all?
My supply has been completely stagnant. I’ve been exclusively pumping since birth because my son wouldn’t latch (4 weeks early) and on a magical awesome day can only pump around 800ml. I average around 700-750ml a day. He’s 12 weeks today and I’ve been increasing the number of pumping sessions (around 9-10 a day up from 7-8). Each session I average 1.5 oz a breast, pumping for 25-30 minutes. I know my breasts can handle storing a lot more milk on the offchance I miss a pump or two (like in the middle of the night when I sleep through my alarms) I can get up to 3 oz a breast. I’ve tried different flanges, power pumping, teas, oatmeal, and supplements. Right now, my setup is the Spectra S1 with the medela 24mm flanges. I can’t set the suction higher than 3. We’ve been supplementing with 1-3 extra bottles a day. He’s a big boy – almost 15 lbs – and has been taking in an average of 1000ml a day. Is there anything else I can do? Anything I’m not thinking of?
Hi Amber! You are doing a great job. The only thing I can think of that you haven’t tried is prescription meds, like Reglan and Domperidone. Those have their own disadvantages, so I would understand if you didn’t want to use them. But that would probably be the only thing you haven’t tried?
Hi I am weeks postpartum and started to pump at day 5 but wasn’t too religious in the pumping so did not see any improvements in milk supply.
3 days ago I started to pump more religiously, 7-9 times a day, each time 20-30 min long, but I am only getting 30-40 ml both breasts tgt (dual pump). My baby eats 120ml each meal already. What can I do to increase my yield?! Am I doing this wrong? Did I mess up in the first 2 weeks already and can never catch up? I am very stressed. Hope u can help!!
^3 weeks post partum
Hi! You’re doing great! I think I would give your body a little time to get used to the new schedule. I also had a really good experience at 3 weeks pp with fenugreek – have you considered trying it?
YEs I smell like maple now and I been taking them for three days now
Perfect! Hopefully you will see an increase in the next day or two then! Other than that, I would keep doing what you’re doing – stick to your schedule and power pump when you can (but don’t overdo it so you don’t burn out). Try eating oatmeal for breakfast and drink a decent amount of water. If you don’t see the increase you want from fenugreek you can talk to your OB about maybe trying domperidone? Anyway, that’s what I would suggest. Good luck!!! 🙂
Hi, I have a newborn that is taking about 3oz per feeding. I only make 1oz per feeding from my breast and I have to supplement the rest. I have been eating lactation cookies, taking 2 capsules of fenugreek three times per day so a total of 6 per day, eating oatmeal once a day, power pumping for four days already and trying to pump sometimes between feedings. When I pump between feedings i barely make half an ounce out of both breasts co mbined. Do you have any suggestion of what can I do?
Hi Evelyn! It sounds like you are doing all of the right things. How long have you been taking the fenugreek and do you smell like maple syrup at all?
Hi Amanda. Not sure if you have some advice for me but here we go. I was exclusively BF but went back to work three weeks ago and started pumping 3x at work but only get nearly15oz total for the day. I BF when I get to daycare and then for the rest of the night. This seems to not be enough anymore as for the daycare started supplementing (with my consent) to make sure she has what she requests. How can I increase my supply? Do I need to exclusively pump? Should I talk to my Dr for supplements? I’ve been taking fenugreek, lactation cookies, oatmeal twice a day and still only pump about 1oz a breast. Only on my first pumping session will I get 3oz per breast. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Hi! I don’t think you should switch to exclusively pumping for supply reasons, I think what you’re doing is good. Can I ask what dose of fenugreek you are taking?
Amanda
I’ve read your e book and your website – thank you for helping all of us pumping mums out there!
My supply was established well with a professional (we got to 685mls per day by week 3). I then took bad advice and it went through he floor. After taking all the advice on your blog I’m back up – getting back to the previous level was quick and easy – took a week, no supplements no power pumping. But we’ve then only crawled up to 720mls per day after a full week of power pumping and doing everything you recommend. I have the patience and the commitment but want to know – when you had to work hard to get supply up over time, approx how many additional mls per week were you making ie how long will it take me to get to more like 850. Power pumping is exhausting so would be nice to know where the light at the end of the tunnel is!
Hi! I’m SO GLAD to hear that the book was helpful and that you’ve been able to get your supply back up! I actually think that seeing results from power pumping in a week is really good. It takes your body a while to get the message that your baby “is having a growth spurt” (what power pumping is trying to tell your body) and kick up production. So I think your results are great.
I think my supply went fairly quickly from fenugreek and then slowly climbed from there as I stuck to my schedule and power pumped. It’s hard to speak to the exact rate because supply is so inconsistent – the trend line can be up but individual days can be down. I wish I had a more clear answer for you!
Power pumping is definitely exhausting! Make sure that you are taking it as easy as possible when you do it – watching Netflix or reading a good book or something. 🙂 You are doing an AWESOME job!
I have been exclusively pumping since my baby was a week old. He is now 7.5 weeks old. I pump every 4 hours for 30 min but I can’t seem to increase my milk supply. I’m only getting about 20oz a day and I feel like he needs at least 24. I’ve tried cookies, teas, and supplements. Any other suggestions to help me increase my supply?
Hi Natalee! What supplements have you tried?
I have tried several different brands of fenugreek and blessed thistle supplements
What dose of fenugreek did you take, and did you smell like maple syrup at all?
The brand for the fenugreek is mother’s select: 2 capsules 3x daily and it is 1220mg per serving. The blessed thistle is 2 capsules 3x daily and is 800mg per serving.
OK great, that’s a good dose. Did you find that smelled like maple syrup at all?
The other two things (besides prescription meds) that I can think of to try are having a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and power pumping. You could also try domperidone or Reglan but you need a prescription.
I’m taking Fenugreek and noticed it’s faster for me to pump the normal 2oz that I usually get. I now can achieve this is 15min vs. 30min. Does this mean I should still pump
the 30 min to ensure increasing my supply, since it typically took me 30 min to empty my breasts? I get lazy and just enjoy the 15min sessions but something tells me I should pump longer. Thanks!
I think it depends what your goals are. If you want to increase your supply, then it probably makes sense to pump longer. If you were just looking to be done faster, then you are probably okay. How many times do you pump a day?
I think 6 by the time I start work( 3 at work and 3 at home). I would love to eventually get down to 5 if possible –I think it is more likely I will stick with it longer. I haven’t tried power pumping yet either so I can add that in but again, not something I can do daily, not sure if the benefit is there if done a few times per week?
Okay if you only have one session to drop, I would do it the week before you go back to work. And yes, I do think there is a benefit to non-regular power pumping. Good luck!
Hi! Thanks for the advice. The last few days, I have noticed my supply has increased so now I am pumping 30 oz daily, and I am freezing milk since my baby is not eating as much. Is decreasing my sessions next week too early to drop if I just noticed this change? Will it drop my supply? Or if I drop the sessions, do I extend the time slightly?
Hi! That’s great! I think next week is fine. There is no way to tell what will happen (your supply could go up, down, or stay the same), but that’s true whenever you drop the session. Yes, you do extend the time slightly in order to minimize the chances of losing supply. Your total amount of time pumping in a day should stay the same.
Hi! Love this site! Quick question- I am essentially exclusively pumping due to aversion from reflux and refusal to latch. I have noticed my supply has decreased a little since my baby stopped nursing and I rely on the pump more over the last week. My baby is 9 weeks old, I pump 7 times daily for 20 minutes and get 3-5 ounces for a total daily volume is 24-26 oz. we do typically need to supplement with 8 oz formula per week. I go back to work in 3 weeks and would need to cut down on pumping frequency to make the schedule work. When is the right time to do this so I dont lose the supply I have? I would ideally like to have a few ounces more but not sure that is possible without spending a ton of extra time pumping- I just need to sleep one 3 hr block now that baby is! Any advice?
Thanks!
Hi! How many sessions can you do per day once you’re back at work?
This is the second time I use Healthy nursing tea. I had milk supply issues with my first baby and this tea really helped to boost milk production. Luckily, there are no issues with milk production with my second baby, but I use the tea to increase milk production so that I could build my milk stash for when I go back to work. It really works and tastes great!