Power pumping is often recommended to women that are trying to increase their milk supply. One advantage of power pumping is that it doesn’t require trying any new supplements or medications, and anyone can do it. Here is everything you need to know to try it out.
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What is power pumping? How can power pumping help me increase my milk supply?
Power pumping attempts to mimic cluster feeding, but with a breast pump. (This is why it’s also called “cluster pumping.”)
When a nursing baby cluster feeds, he stays at the breast, nursing on and off and trying to get more milk. Often, this happens in the early evenings – both because that’s when babies start to tank up for a longer stretch of sleep and because breastfeeding mothers tend to have lower milk supply at that time. It also happens when babies have a growth spurt, and they need more milk than they normally do.
Because breast milk works as a supply and demand system – meaning that the more milk your body thinks your baby needs, the more it will make – the baby staying at the breast signals the body that there is more demand, which often leads to a higher milk supply.
Power pumping breast milk is just your pump staying at the breast and trying to get more milk, instead of your baby. (Fortunately, your pump is likely to be less fussy than a hungry baby!)
How do I power pump to increase supply?
In order to power pump, you’ll want to sit down and pump on and off at an interval for about an hour. You can choose the interval that works for you – you can do 20 minutes first and then 10 minutes off and on, 12 minutes on and 8 off, 15 and 5, etc.
The amount of time doesn’t have to be exact – cluster feeding babies don’t nurse for exactly 15 minutes, take a 5 minute break, etc. All I would suggest is to get through your first letdown before you switch to resting, and if you’re pumping and in the middle of a letdown, I would keep pumping until it’s finished.
That’s pretty much all you have to do!
One power pumping session replaces one of your pumping sessions from your normal schedule, so you can just pump at your usual time, but for longer than you normally would and at intervals.
Note: If you’re power pumping and nothing is coming out, you should keep pumping! Your goal is to get another letdown, which will give you more milk.
How often should I power pump?
Once per day is great.
If you want to do twice and you can manage it, that’s fine, but make sure that you don’t pump so much that you get burned out and miserable. You are worth more to your baby than a few extra ounces of breast milk.
Is there a best time of day to do it?
Any time that you can dedicate an hour to pumping is fine.
Many women power pump in the early evening after putting their baby to bed, both because it’s easier to do it while baby is sleep and because babies often cluster feed around that time.
Can I power pump with a manual pump?
Yes. To use a manual pump when you cluster pump, you could pump each side for 12 minutes, and then switch back and forth on each side for 8 minutes. So instead of resting completely, each side takes a turn to rest.
As an example, you could do:
- Left side – 12 minutes
- Right side – 12 minutes
- Left side – 8 minutes
- Right side – 8 minutes
- Left side – 8 minutes
- Right side – 8 minutes
- Left side – 8 minutes
- Right side – 8 minutes
(If your hand gets tired, you can obviously take a few minutes to completely rest in between sides, too.)
How can I make power pumping easier?
Do something that you enjoy while you power pump! Pick a time when you can sit and relax a little bit (just, you know … with your breast pump). Watch a show you love, read a book, spend time looking at cat gifs, whatever makes you happy.
Make sure that you have a pumping station set up with everything you need, since you’ll be there awhile. Also, a hands-free bra is key – no one wants to spend an hour holding flanges up to their breasts.
If possible, don’t try to take care of a baby and power pump at the same time. I would try to save power pumping for when your baby is sleeping or you have help.
What are typical power pumping results? Does power pumping work?
It takes a few days for your body’s supply to respond to the increased demand from your breast pump. Try to power pump for at least four days in a row (up to a week of “power pumping boot camp”) and then evaluate how it’s going.
I did an extremely non-scientific poll on Instagram, and about 62% of women who responded said that it helped them.
Good luck! If you’ve tried power pumping, please feel free to share your experience in the comments!
Stressed about establishing or increasing your milk supply while exclusively pumping? Always worried there is something else you should be trying? Check out my milk supply guide here (use code SUPPLY for 10% off)!
References- Madden, Kate, IBCLC. “Empty Evening Boobs.” https://balancedbreastfeeding.com/empty-evening-boobs/
- Mlynek, Alex. “How to survive your newborn’s cluster feeding.” https://www.todaysparent.com/baby/breastfeeding/how-to-survive-your-newborns-cluster-feeding/
I breastfeed and supplement with formula. However due to the formula shortage I want to move exclusively to breastmilk whether pumping or breastfeeding. So I need to increase my supply. Is one session a day of power pumping enough to do this? Or should I add in extra pumping sessions after he breastfeeds as well? At the hospital they had me breastfeed, bottle feed previously pumped milk, then offer formula (then pump while he takes the formula). Should I go back to this in addition to power pumping? Or only do the one session of power pumping?
Hi Jay! I think i would start with power pumping once a day, give it a week or so, and see how it goes. If it’s going well, that might be all you need to do. If that’s not giving you what you need, then maybe try adding a pumping session after you nurse first thing in the morning when you have the most milk. Good luck!
When I power pump for the first 20 minutes, I of course start on the letdown setting and then switch to the “regular” setting. After the 10 minute rest, should I start the next 10 minute pump on the letdown setting again, or start right back in with the “regular” setting? Thanks!
Hi Jess! I just started back in expression mode, but this is more of an art than a science, so I would test it out both ways and do whatever seems to work better for you. Hope that helps!
This will be my second time power pumping due to sickness & losing supply. The first time I power pumped for two days & this article saved me! I was so worried I wouldn’t get my milk back and my baby doesn’t take a bottle. So thankful! I have to do it again today because I was just sick again and praying it works again!
Good luck Katie!!! ❤️
“You are worth more to your baby than a few extra ounces of breast milk.” This is EXACTLY what I needed to hear (read) today…deep breathe in… <3
❤️
Hi Amanda! I’ve been EP since my 5 month old was 1 month. Am I able to lower my pumping sessions from 8 a day to 6 per day? Is it true that as the baby gets older, pumping frequency can decrease?
Hi Iris! At 5 months 6 sessions a day is usually fine. 🙂 Here is what I did for your reference – hope it helps!
https://exclusivepumping.com/sample-pumping-schedules/
Hi, my baby is 3 months and 2 weeks and i am exclusively BF at present. She only feeds from one side at a time every 2 hours including night time feeds but with an exception of sleeping from 8pm to midnight.
When pumping at night after feeding her her last feed I am only getting 1oz off of the other breast and 1/4oz from the fed breast! I need to build up my supply as I am leaving her for one night in 7 weeks and need to have a supply for my partner to use. At this rate I’ll only have enough for 2 feeds.
When is best to power pump especially when she feeds so frequently?
NB. She is a content baby at a healthy weight
Hi Clare Marie! I actually think that is a reasonable amount to pump given that you’re nursing her and she is growing well! Have you maybe tried using a Haakaa on one side while you nurse on the other? I think that could help you gradually store up plenty for that one night. Another thing to think about is pumping in the morning rather than at night – most people seem to have more milk in the mornings. You can also try power pumping but i just want to be clear that I think your supply is likely fine!
Hello! I am about 6.5 months pp and have been exclusively pumping the entire time. I had to decrease the amount of pumping sessions when I went back to work and I lost supply. That was about 4 months ago. I’m at about 25 ounces with 4 40 minute pumping sessions. I added an additional 40 minute pumping session back 2 weeks ago and have not really seen any improvement. Could power pumping help? Would I just replace one of my 5 40 minute pumping sessions or would I need to add another session?
Hi Virginia! I think it’s worth a try. I would give it a week and see. I might also try oatmeal maybe – here is a list of things I usually recommend. I hope this helps!
https://exclusivepumping.com/increasing-milk-supply/
Would it be damaging if I power pumped more than twice A-day?
Hi Angela! I would go by how you feel – if you’re having pain or soreness I wouldn’t. If it’s comfortable and you’re not getting burned out, it’s likely not an issue.
I have been power pumping for 3 days now. I pump an average of 20mins 9 times a day. I am 4 wpp. I have been taking legendairy supplements for about 5 days now. How long should I be power pumping? When would I see an increase in supply. I am told that I am still early in the game. I am only producing about 1-1.75oz from both breasts per session. It’s just killing my confidence
Hi Sweta! Oh I’m so sorry to hear it’s hurting your confidence. I would give power pumping about a week to work. Are you working with a lactation consultant at all?
Hi I’m exclusively expressing to provide milk for carers for my 5 month old he isn’t taking from me any more which he was for 4 months i have a reduced supply will power pumping help the demand as I was only getting to feed him myself 3 times a week until a month and a half ago, thank you so very much,
Hi Danielle! It might, I would try it for a week and see how it goes, and then reevaluate. Good luck!
I’m 6mo pp. When I dropped from 6ppd to 5ppd (dropped MOTN) in Oct, I saw I was losing a couple oz and tried power pumping in the evenings but then I lost a couple more oz. Is that common? Anything I can do?
Hi! how many total minutes are you pumping in a day? Did you add the minutes from the dropped session back to the remaining sessions?
Hi, I’m 3w postpartum. I bought your courses but I’m still confused about power pumping. I currently pump 7 times a day for 20 mins. I’m going back to work in 9w and I would like to decrease sessions to maybe 4- 4a, 12p, 4p, 8p I would like to try power pumping on 2 of those 4 sessions.
I don’t know when to start power pumping and how to go about this transition without affecting my supply. I consider myself a “just enougher” as sometimes we have to supplement with a couple of Oz of formula. My risk level is medium.
Also, the setting of my Spectra S2 that I’m using is the massager, 70 (lactation consultant said this). I haven’t felt what people describe as letdown. I’m not sure if I don’t have it or if I’m just not sensitive enough to feel this. Please help!
Hi Giovanna!
Okay first regarding the letdown – do you see your milk start to spray at all when you pump? (Like it dribbles, then sprays, then dribbles again?) if you don’t feel it but see it then I wouldn’t worry about anything.
Regarding hte power pumping. I’d make one change at a time. So what you could do is drop one session and make another a power pumping session. (So then you’d be at 5 regular and one power pumping.) Then I’d give it a week or two and see how it’s going. If all is well, then you can repeat so that you’d be at the schedule that you want. I hope that helps!
If you do it right before bed won’t that just make you have more at night time when they are asleep? I typically have too much milk after she’s asleep but not much during the day.
Hi Amanda! You can test and see if it has that effect for you. Lots of nursing babies cluster feed right before bed, so I think it’s common to do it at that time – but if it doesn’t work for you, then you can do it at any time that does!
Hi! My baby started sleeping through the night – so he’s just waking up at 4 instead of at 1:30 and then at 4. Should I add a pump session in between-like at 1 when he used to get up? I had a low milk supply and am concerned I’ll lose it again. My breasts are of course SUPER full at 4am and baby is falling right back to sleep after emptying both breasts. What should I do? Also I added a power pump session in the evening after he’s in bed to increase my supply.
Hi Juanita! How old is your baby?
I’m currently down to 3 pumps per day but I’ve turned into a just enough-er when I used to be an over producer and I would like to rebuild my freezer stash so that I can think about weaning soon. Little one is nearly 8 months and I want to be weaned by her birthday but I want to make sure she has plenty to make it to her birthday. I have about 400 ounces in the deep freeze but haven’t been able to contribute since I got COVID and then mastitis in August. Should the power pump replace my 40 minute pump or should I do an additional pump?
Hi Paige! I think in this particular situation (where you’re already pumping for 40 minutes at once), I would add a separate session for power pumping.
Hi! I am currently breastfeeding but my supply has dicreased, I was thinking about doing this to increase it, when would it be best to do it? After feeding baby? Or between feedings?
Hi Emma! I’d do it after – after putting baby down for the night can work well!