Wondering whether or not you should drop a pumping session? Some exclusive pumpers would like to pump less often, but are worried about their milk supply. Here’s what to consider.
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When I was pumping seven or eight times per day, I really looked forward to the time when I could drop a pumping session.
Even though I planned to keep my total amount of pumping time in a day the same, it’s still a pain to stop what you’re doing, find a place to pump (if you’re not home), get hooked up to/unhooked from the pump, and store the milk.
It’s so much easier to do that four times a day than eight!
What will happen to my milk supply if I drop a pumping session?
Making the decision to drop a pumping session when you’re concerned about your milk supply can be hard.
The thing is, you never know what’s going to happen as far as supply goes when you drop a pumping session until you drop it (and sometimes, you don’t really know until a few weeks later). Your supply could go down, it could stay the same, or it could even increase.
So how do you decide to drop a pump when you don’t know what it will do to your supply? I put together the below flowchart based on my experience that might help you decide.
The main things that you want to take into account are:
- Your milk supply
- Whether or not your supply has regulated
- What you can handle
The Should I Drop a Pumping Session? Flowchart
Supply regulation usually happens by 12 weeks postpartum, and it just means that the extra hormone “boost” than you may have after birth has worn off. After your supply regulates, supply is driven solely by demand.
One thing that I firmly believe (and tried to reflect above) is that if you are losing your mind from pumping too much (or just don’t want to pump so much), that trumps everything else – you should drop a pumping session.
The most important thing that you can give your baby is a happy YOU – not an extra two ounces of breast milk.
Assumptions
I made a couple of assumptions in putting this together:
- The first is that you want to maintain your supply – if you’re trying to wean, you aren’t concerned with keeping your supply (in fact, you’re actively trying to make it go down), and you should therefore ignore this chart.
- The second assumption is that you haven’t already dropped a pumping session within the last two weeks. If you have, I would recommend waiting at least that long, and preferably a little longer.
- Finally, I assumed that you want to drop a pumping session. If you have concerns about supply and are perfectly happy with your current schedule, then there’s no need to drop a pump just because the above chart says to – this is intended more for exclusively pumping moms who are itching to consolidate their pumping time. (Though I’m guessing that that includes most people reading!)
I’ve decided to drop a pumping session. How do I do that?
There are a few different ways to do this:
- Drop the session cold turkey (meaning you just stop pumping at this time)
- Slowly decrease the volume pumped at the session you’re dropping
- Slowly decrease the time pumped at the session you’re dropping
- Move sessions closer together until you can safely drop one.
If you aren’t prone to clogged ducts or mastitis, cold turkey may the be the easiest method. However, if you’ve ever dealt with either, slowly reducing time or volume would probably be a better option.
Much more detail about how to drop a pumping session here.
Finally, remember that when you drop a pumping session, unless you’re weaning, you should always keep your total amount of pumping time in a day the same! Add the time from your dropped session back to the other sessions in order to maintain your milk supply.
Hopefully this gives you a good idea of whether or not you should drop a pumping session! Ask any questions you have in the comments.
Comments & Chitchat
Teresa says
Hi! I am 8 months post partum and still pumping 6x per day. On average I get 550ml per day. I pump at 6am, 10am, 1pm, 5pm, 8pm and 11;30pm. I dropped to 5 pumps but noticed a very rapid dip in my supply. I started 6 again but it’s still been so low, under 500ml for several days in a row. Can you recommend anything?? I feel like I am going crazy.
Devon says
Hi!
I’m not sure if you are still reading comments on this post, love your site it has been so helpful to me! I’m EP baby girl 5 weeks. I couldn’t handle the middle of the night feed and pumping so I am in the process of dropping it and letting everything regulate. So far it looks like my milk stayed the same, I did increase the session times from like 18 min to 25 min
I’m currently pumping 6x a day 25 minutes each. And produce about 32oz of milk. She only drinks about 24oz right now so lots of storage :). I’m fine supplementing and am thinking about adding a formula bottle at night after 8 weeks.
I would like to ideally drop the “dinner time pump” because it’s so hard to juggle toddler dinner / bedtime. I can eat and pump but it’s not my favorite! My goal is to keep it to 6 sessions until 12 weeks and then drop to 5. Thoughts on this, and would you just see how 25 minutes goes or up to 30 minutes. My pump cuts off at 25 minutes but you can turn it back on
Would love to drop to 5 sooner but sounds like the recommendation is 12 weeks
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Devon! Congrats on your sweet baby and happy to hear that suppply is good and you’re getting to sleep!
In these cases I think it’s okay to try to cut back to 5 sessions that are 25 minutes each but I think I would do it gradually versus all at once. I talk about that in this post – I hope it helps!
https://exclusivepumping.com/120-minute-rule/
Heidi says
Hey! I’m currently 8weeks pp and have been pumping 5-6 times a day for 25 mins each and get about 35-40+oz a day.
Was wondering if you think I could drop to 3-4 pumps a day? But keep the same time without hurting my supply too much?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Heidi! I think it depends on how long you plan to pump. If you want to pump until 4 months, for example, I think 4 times a day for 30 minutes each could be okay. (I would not do 3, I think it’s still too early.) If you wanted to pump for a year I would stick to 5-6 sessions per day for a few more months. Good luck!!!!
Chris says
THANK YOU FOR THE CHART! It’s surprisingly really hard to find resources that take into account the mom and not just the baby. I loved especially the “are you losing your mind over all the pumping” as a consideration because it’s so true and you are normalizing it. Thank you for giving me the strength to drop a pumping session that I’ve been having so much guilt towards. Seriously thank you
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Thank you so much Chris!!!
Jeanne Lumpkin says
Thank you so much for all of the helpful information and the lovely support you are providing! Appreciate you and all your efforts here. I am EPing for my 10 week old. Pumping about 55-60 oz a day. Goal is to EP for 5-6 months. I was pumping 6-7 ppd. Just got mastitis for the 3rd time so back up to 8 ppd. I really would love to decrease to 6 ppd and especially to decrease MOTN pumps. How log should I wait until after mastitis to decrease again? 1 week? I would love to Also right now I pump ab 15-20 min then hand express 5-10 min. I get a lot out w the hand expression at the end. I seem mostly empty at the end of this. I’m a little confused when you say add more time to sessions bc I don’t feel I would be producing more milk just by adding more time? I would love to get down to 3-4 ppd. Given my tendency to mastitis I guess I’m just going to have to do this very slowly? Thank you for your time and help!!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Jeanne! Congrats on your sweet 10 week old! I think 1-2 weeks is great for waiting until dropping a session. I’d just make sure you’re fully recovered and everything is back to normal.
If you add time to the sessions, you usually get more letdowns with the pump, producing more at each session (but with fewer sessions). I’d try it for a week after dropping a session and then reassess how it’s working for you with hand expression. The main goal is to protect supply long term. As you get closer to your goal it might not be as necessary. I hope this helps!
Serena says
Hi, thank you for the useful chart! I am close to 12weeks pp (a few days away 🙌) but I’ve not regulated yet. I wake up for my MOTN pump very engorged still. I’m really wanting to drop MOTN pump before a trip coming up in 2 weeks. I pump more than baby eats and I’ve gradually stretched the time between my last pump of the night and MOTN pump to 6 hours. I pump almost 200 minutes a day, 7 sessions. Do you think it’s safe to just drop the MOTN session without hurting my supply too much?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Serena! there’s no way to say for sure it will happen, but nothing about your plan concerns me – your total pumping time a day is good, you’re 12wpp, and you’ll still have 6 sessions. I think you can give it a try – good luck!!!
Megan says
I’m 9 mo pp pumping 5x/day and trying to make it to 12 months breastfeeding. I’m supplementing 4 oz/day since I’m a little short, but hoping not to increase the amount of formula fed each day. Is dropping to 4 sessions risky in terms of dropping supply? If I drop to 4, see a decrease, and go back to 5, will I be able to recover the supply lost?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Megan! Congrats on 9 months so far! There is a risk, but there is always a risk. Four sessions at 9 months doesn’t concern me, though I don’t think I would go lower than that until you hit your goal.
as far as recovering the supply – I think at 9 months postpartum it may be difficult. Everyone is different, but nothing I worked to increase supply (except eating oatmeal). So while it’s possible, I would be prepared that it might not work. Sorry I can’t give you a clear answer!
Michelle says
Hi, thank you so much for this post! I’m a first-time mom who’s been exclusively pumping since about a month ago. Because I really didn’t know much going into it, I’ve just been pumping until my pump times out at 30 minutes… about 6-8 times a day.
After reading some of your posts I realize that’s about twice as much as the 120 minute total you recommend (I double pump)! Im wondering if it’s possible for me to shorten the time of my pumping sessions (eg, to eventually be 15min long each instead of 30min) without decreasing my supply. It would make life so much easier but I’m worried I because right now I pump just about as much as my baby takes (often he’s taking the last bottle of my BM as I’m pumping).
Any advice would be so appreciated!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Michelle! Congrats on your sweet baby! I do think you could shorten your sessions but I would do it gradually. This way it’s not a huge shock to your system, and you can monitor what’s happening with your supply. I have some tips on how to do this here that might be helpful – hope it helps!
https://exclusivepumping.com/120-minute-rule/
Jen N says
Hi! Thanks for this info! I’m currently EPing for my twins who are 10 months old. I want to be done breastfeeding by the time they’re a year old, but am also going crazy with how many times I’ve been pumping. I was doing 8 pumps a day until about 3 weeks ago, and then extinguished a session to get to 7, and then did another one to get to 6 by Thanksgiving. Still doing 6 right now, but am ready to be down to 4 asap. Would you recommend waiting 2 weeks before dropping to 5, and then another 2 weeks before going to 4? I don’t really mind much if I have to supplement with formula since I’ve been doing that off and on since birth, but also because at this point, I sort of want my supply to stop dropping a bit. Right now I’m currently pumping about 45 ounces a day.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Jen! Congrats on your twins and on your awesome supply! Since you’re okay with your supply dropping, I think waiting one week instead of two should be okay. But do what works best for you. And congrats again!
Wayla says
Thank you for including “are you losing your mind from all the pumping?“ as one of the factors to consider. I feel like that gets disregarded way too often in the pressure to give baby as much milk as possible. I am reluctantly a mostly exclusive pumper – I do nurse for one feeding a day, but don’t feel confident about how much she’s getting, so I try to make sure I have her daily intake covered with pumped milk plus a little formula if necessary. I have two questions. I’ve read elsewhere that another hormonal regulation happens at around six months postpartum. Is this something you’re familiar with? I am currently five months postpartum and pumping five times a day, I would like to drop to four but I’m trying to make it to six months before I do that. My other question is, do you have any information about pumping aversion? I’ve been experiencing things that sound like the descriptions I’ve read of breast-feeding aversion, except it happens with pumping (irritability, anger, skin crawling, feeling trapped…) and I can’t find any information about this anywhere. I really want to keep providing milk for my baby but it’s being really hard.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Wayla! It kind of sounds like you’re describing D-MER. (I’m so sorry that you’re dealing with that!) Here’s more information that might help.
https://exclusivepumping.com/d-mer/
I hope this is helpful!
Vanessa H says
Hi! Next week, Baby will be 9 months. When I went from 5 PPD to 4 PPD, my supply increased to near 40 oz a day – which was WAY too much – so over the course of a month (dropping a minute a day), I intentionally dropped to 3 PPD (30 minutes each), and have been spacing out pumps 6 (ish) hours apart (9, 3, 9). I seem to have gotten through with no clogged ducts but it’s been 2 full weeks now that I’ve been 3 PPD and my supply has dropped to 27 as of yesterday. How long does it take for your body to adjust and settle out? My supply has continued to drop and I’m getting nervous.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Vanessa! It’s hard to say for sure – it might settle down and it might keep dropping. In your situation what I would do is make the 3 remaining sessions 40 minutes each and see if that works. Usually to maintain supply you want to pump 120 minutes a day. I can’t guarantee anything but it’s what I would do – I hope that helps!
Joanna says
My supply decreased about 2 ounces when I dropped from 6 pump sessions to 5. 40 ounces to 38. Is it possible to recover?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Joanna! Yes, you can try a bunch of different things – adding that session back in, oatmeal, power pumping – and see what works. Good luck!
Lindsey says
I have been EPing for 8 months. I pump 5 times a day. 6a,10a,2p,6p&10p. I make about 30oz a day and baby drinks 28oz. I have a healthy freezer stash. Goal is to make it to a year. I did with my last EP journey but I was pumping 6 times a day up until the year mark. I stick pretty faithful to your suggested pump schedule. I’m ready to drop down to 4 a day. Should I expect the possibility of making less. I have reoccurring nipple trauma. I’m over it. But want to avoid supplementing. We are also going to Disney world in 20 days and can’t take a bunch of frozen with me. Should I just wait to drop until we are back from the trip?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Lindsey! It’s hard to say what will happen – there is the possibility of lost supply so I might wait until after the trip if you want to avoid supplementing. The hard thing is that it could also all be fine, but there’s no real way to know until you try it. I wish there was a clear answer!
Bushra says
Hello dear
Let me thank you for the amazing website and content , I M from the Middle East and u have rescued my from stopping feeding my baby boy.
I am EPing for 11 weeks now , I pump for 7 session a day each for 30 min (total time 210) and I get around 24 to 25 oz which nearly enough for the baby and I was wondering about dropping a session to make it 6 but. I am afraid that might affect my supply
Is pumping for 30 min is too much , as I don’t feel Ian empty by 20 min
I pump
5 am
9 am
12 pm
3 pm
6 pm
9 pm
12 midnight
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Bushra! Congrats on your baby! It sounds like you are doing a great job EPing! I think 30 minutes is fine – no worries there.
As far as dropping a session – the only way to find out is to try it. Anything could happen – your supply could go down, stay the same, or go up – there’s no real way to know until you do it. I think at 11 weeks, your supply has probably regulated, so it might be a good time to try. I hope that helps!
Vanessa says
Hi!! Thank you for the post! It has been so helpful!
My little one is almost 4 months old and we do combination breast/pump but she seems to refusing the breast as she now likes the bottle more. I’m looking to EP since I will be going back to work next week. I’ve noticed that I seem to make an ounce an hour. I pump at 3am and 7am for about 20-25 minutes and get about 4-4.5 ounces. I combo breast/bottle feed (top off with 2 ounces) at 8:30am, 11:30, 2:30, 5:30p and 8:00pm. (I usually pump x10min after the combo feed and get about an ounce). I’m looking to stop putting her on the breast and soley pump and cut out that 3:00am pump. Any advice? Obviously my main concern is decrease in supply which is why I’ve been scared to cut out 3am pump 🙂 thanks!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Vanessa! Congrats on your sweet baby!
Okay – as far as switching over – here is a post that kind of describes how to do that. Basically, you just want to be one bottle ahead:
https://exclusivepumping.com/how-to-start-exclusively-pumping-breast-milk/
And then, once you’ve switched over, I’d give it a few weeks to adjust and then you can look at dropping the middle of the night pumping session:
https://exclusivepumping.com/drop-middle-of-the-night-pumping-sessions/
I think that’s how I’d do it. I hope that helps!
Ashley Burk says
I’m 11 weeks pp. I was sort of alternating between 5 and 6 pumps a day for a while (depending on when I went to bed). I decided to stick to 5 and did that for 9 days. I got mastitis in both breasts two days ago so wanted to quit entirely from the pain and sickness. I decided yesterday to try sticking it out and doing 4. My supply was on track yesterday but so low today. I was making 40-48 oz doing 5/6, now I’m thinking it’ll be about 32. I wanted to build my freezer more to give with formula after 6 months.
I also was consistently pumping 45 mins at wake-up, and 30 mins each time after. I can’t keep that up. Advice please! I’m so close to giving up.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Ashley! Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that you got mastitis. Honestly – that could have affected your supply a lot, and a lot of times it recovers on its own. More on that here:
https://exclusivepumping.com/mastitis-milk-supply-recovery/
In terms of what to do going forward – I would think about what is manageable for you right now. What do you think you can handle? Are you okay with the effects of what that might mean for your supply if it’s a lot less? And then I would move very slowly in making changes to get there in order to reduce the risk of getting mastitis again. Hopefully that makes sense! Let me know if you have any questions.
Ashley says
Thanks for the reply, Amanda!
I have dropped to 4 sessions a day for the last 4 days. It’s helped me emotionally. It’s funny now I was worried about my supply dropping because it went up and back to normal and plus some some days. Should I wait a week to drop to 3? I really have more milk than I can handle at this point and don’t think I can handle the mental load pumping has on me even with 4 pumps a day.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Ashley! Yes, I would wait a week and then go ahead. 🙂 So glad you’re doing better with 4 sessions!
Madison says
I’m 8 weeks pp, and I think my supply has regulated. I no longer have much engorgement (yay!) and my breasts are way softer than usual. I’m down to 6 pumps as a stay at home mom because I am finding it difficult to manage pumping more often while caring for my son and trying to get some sleep. So far my supply has stayed the same with increasing the duration of my pumps to around 15-20 minutes more total in a day than when I had 7 pumps. (Too bad my son now wants even MORE milk than before!)
Is it okay to pump extra sessions on the weekends or when I have help at home? Is that going to cause engorgement on the days when I go back to 6 pumps?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Madison! I think that would be fine – but try it and see how it goes. You can try adding one session on a Sunday and see what happens Monday/Tuesday. If all goes well, you could add one Saturday/Sunday and see how it goes. Hopefully that makes sense!
Sarah says
Hi! I am about 2 months post partum, and exclusively pumping. I dropped my MOTN feed about a week ago and so far no issues with supply. I am pumping about 45-49oz a day. As of now I am pumping 8 times averaging 20 minutes a session. My schedule is roughly 5am, 7:30, 10, 12:30, 3, 5:30, 7:30, 10pm. I would like to drop a session and wasn’t sure which would be best. The 5am is somewhat firm due to work. Thanks so much for all of the help
And information wish I had found your blog with my 1st pregnancy!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Sarah! Congrats on your baby! It sounds like you have a great supply. What about dropping the 5:30 and moving the 3pm back to 4? Would that work?
Sarah says
This worked well thank you for the advice! When do you think it would be safe to cut back to 6 PPD so I am on an every 3 hours schedule? I didn’t see supply drop when going from 8 to 7.
Thanks so much!!
Mika says
Hi! Thank you for posting such incredibly helpful posts. My baby is 2.5 weeks, and I’ve tried exclusively pumping since I was in the hospital. I had a C-section, so they mentioned my supply may come in a bit later, but even with power pumping and supplements and helpful foods, I’m still averaging only 1oz combined at each pumping session (8x per day for 20 mins with 1 power pumping session in the AM). I am feeling so down and just really don’t like pumping and am uncomfortable with it, so I hope to cut sessions to see if that helps. But I wonder if that’ll diminish my meager supply completely. Do you have any tips? Thank you!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Mika! Congrats on your sweet 2.5 week old! I think in your case – it’s just too much. I think dropping to 7 with the one power pumping session can be a good experiment. It could be that the break actually helps your supply – there’s not really any way to know for sure without trying it. I don’t think there will be drastic consequences for dropping one session, though obviously I can’t guarantee anything. Also – just wanted to say, remember that not everything is in your control. It sounds like you are doing an amazing job at what you CAN control. ❤️
May says
Hi! I am exclusively pumping for my 11 week old baby. I only pump 5 times a day (not on a specific schedule but around certain times, when I am able to) for about 20 minutes each. I get on average 35 oz a day which is more than my baby needs so I freeze one, sometimes 2 feeds-worth a day. I have on occasion only fit in 4 pumping sessions but then was anxious to get back to 5 and not lose my supply. Do you think I can safely drop to 4 sessions a day? Would be so helpful! Thank you!
Also- until a few weeks ago (maybe a month?) I found my supply fluctuated a few times despite not changing my routine and I obsessively pumped when I seemed low. That hasn’t happened since- does that mean my supply has regulated?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi May! A lot depends on your goals – how long do you think that you want to pump? If you said 6 months, I would think it was okay but would make sure to increase the length of your remaining 4 sessions to 25 minutes each. If you want to pump for longer, like a year, I might hold off for a while still. I hope that helps!
CD says
Hi Amanda. Thank you so much for making this website. I have found it incredibly helpful that all this information specifically addressing my situation is in one place. I am not up to dropping sessions yet since I am still struggling a bit with supply, but I was wondering – does the rule about keeping the time when dropping sessions apply when the original sessions were an hour long? I have a Lansinoh pump, which automatically switches off after an hour, and I’ve been pumping about 5 times a day, almost always for the full hour. My son is 7 and a half weeks old and eating everything I pump (about 30 oz) as well as another 2-12 oz of formula per day. There was one day I only had time to pump 3 times – also an hour each – and that day I got 38 ounces, but I think it was before my supply regulated. Am I pumping too long? I am considering switching to more shorter sessions (maybe 8 sessions of 30-40 minutes) but I am concerned that my breasts might not get fully emptied then. They are often still dripping at the end of the hour. When I do get to dropping sessions, should I be pumping over an hour each session? So far it seems like in general I get more milk if I pump fewer times a day, without increasing the time.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi there! Congrats on your sweet baby. I’m going to post an article for you about emptying faster – can you take a look and see if you think any of those options might help you not need to take the full hour? I am not sure that I would add back time after you drop sessions given that you’re already pumping for an hour.
https://exclusivepumping.com/pump-breast-milk-faster/
CD says
Thanks. I found that page before and have started working on it already. The breast compressions have been really helpful, but anything that requires my attention while pumping is taking up more of my time rather than saving it since I usually try to get other things done while pumping. Hand expression afterwards helped with my supply, but also made the whole process take longer. I’ve also noticed that flange size/shape and my mood both make a huge difference in how fast the milk starts flowing. I have recently been able to cut down the time to 47-55 minutes sometimes, but other times it takes an hour + hand expression so I don’t know if I’m really saving time yet.
Ashley says
Hi! First off let me say how helpful this site has been, thank you! I am 11 weeks pp. I’m not sure if I have regulated yet, but I’ve been steadily averaging 55-60oz a day and my son is eating about 30. I pump 7x a day. 45 min in the morning and 30 min the rest. I would like to drop since I am such an overproducer and it can be hard for me to get 7 in, but it takes me a while to empty. I know it’s hard to say, but do you think I could drop to 6 a day? Do you think it would work if I pumped for like 45 min 6 times a day?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Ashley, I think that would likely be okay. This post might be helpful in terms of getting to empty faster? I hope it helps!
https://exclusivepumping.com/pump-breast-milk-faster/
Katy Kelly says
I’m currently 14.5 wpp and I’m pretty sure I’ve regulated, producing a little more than baby is currently taking per day. I pump 7x for 130 min (2am, 5:15am, 9:30am, 12:30pm, 3:15pm, 6pm, 9:30pm) and I can’t really move or adjust the 5:30am, 9:30am, or 12:30pm due to my work schedule(6am-3pm). I’ve noticed the 6pm pump is pretty consistently the lowest producing pump–if I’m wanting to drop a pump should I work on dropping that one? Do I try to scoot back my 3:15pm and move up my 6pm to meet somewhere in the middle like 5ish? I don’t really want to drop my 2am since that’s my highest yielding pump…
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Katy! Yes, that’s what I’d do – drop the 6 and scoot back the 3:15. Good luck!
Lin D says
My LO is 16 weeks and I pump 6x/day for around 130 min (2am, 7, 10, 1pm, 5, 9) making 32-35oz and want to drop the MOTN. With my 2am and 7am session, I normally get about 14.5oz. If I drop the MOTN, in theory would I still get that 14.5oz during my single morning pump?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Lin! It’s definitely possible. Many people get most of that milk in the morning and maybe some throughout the day. There’s no real way to know until you try it. Make sure to add the time from the 2am session to your other pumping sessions – you may want to make the morning session longest when you do that. Good luck!
Jazmin says
Hi! Currently 3.5 months postpartum, pumping 8x a day and making about 30-32oz per day. I would love to drop a session, my schedule is 1am/4am/7am/10am/1pm/4pm/7pm/10pm pumping for 40mins. How exactly would I drop a session and which one?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Jazmin! I would start with the 1am probably! Here’s what I would suggest:
https://exclusivepumping.com/drop-middle-of-the-night-pumping-sessions/
Ashley says
Hi! I my son is currently 2.5 months old and I’ve been pumping and supplementing because I was never able to regulate my supply. I currently pump 6 times a day for an about 120 minutes total. I want to try and slowly drop sessions, as it’s becoming overwhelming to keep up with the 6 sessions. I am just nervous that my supply will drastically drop. I am only producing about 14 ounces a day as I am an under supplier. What do you suggest? Do you think it’s possible to keep my supply the same while eventually dropping to 4 or 3 sessions a day?
Thank you!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Ashley! I would maybe try dropping to 5 and see what happens! Make sure to increase your time to keep it at 120 minutes a day. If that goes well, I’d give it a few weeks and maybe drop to 4. I don’t think I would go down to 3 until you’re within a month or two of wanting to wean. I hope that helps!
Nicole Smit says
4.5mpp and pumping 30min at 4a/7:30a/11:30a/4p/7p/9p. If I slowly dropped my 4am pump, would that make me extremely engorged then by my 7:30am pump time? Or does our body get used to the new schedule and begin to only produce BM during those scheduled pump times?.. if that makes sense?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Nicole! You want to go slowly so your body gets used to it. You would be very full, but it should be manageable if you go slowly enough. Good luck!
Erika says
Help! I’m 6 mo pp and I’m pumping 5x a day (6,10,3,7,10) at 30-45min a pump. I would love to drop a pump but not sure how to start. You also mentioned that you keep the amount of time pumping the same so even if you pump one one or two times a day, you’re still pumping for 4-5 hours? That seems odd to me.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Erika!
Here is exactly how to drop a session. I would probably drop the 7pm and move your 3pm back to 4pm or 5pm if possible (though I know that can be a hard time).
https://exclusivepumping.com/dropping-pumps/
For the pumping time the same – I wouldn’t recommend dropping to 1-2 sessions a day until you’re ready to wean, and I usually recommend pumping for 120 minutes a day regardless of how many sessions you have until you start to wean. So no, not 4-5 hours a day. 🙂 Hope that helps!
Jenna says
Hi! Baby is 4 months old and I am pumping 5x a day (160 min/day) producing about 32-34 oz. I would love to drop to 4 pumps a day. How much does supply “drop” though for most people? Is it like a few oz a day or can it be drastic like in half?
Im ok with supplementing a bit if needed, but dont want to SIGNIFICANTLY drop my output– so nervous but need sanity!!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Jenna! When going to 4 ppd I don’t think it will be that dramatic (you might not even lose any) if you keep your total pumping time in a day the same. 3ppd might be a different story (or not – but 4 is less risky). Good luck!
Mandy says
Yes, I’m taking lecithin. I don’t know if that causes any side effects to my baby. His stool seems to be more watery.
What I meant by emptied is no more milk coming out from pumping.
Mandy says
Hi Amanda,
Thank you for your reply. I don’t think I can pump for 30-45mins each session. Basically my breasts are emptied within 10-15mins. I tried to lengthen the time in between two sessions for 8hrs today. Clogged ducts happened again.. Everything was good earlier.. now I’m frustrated.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Are you taking lecithin at all?
When you say your breasts are emptied – what do you mean?
Mandy says
Hi Amanda,
I need help! I got mastitis when my baby was 7 weeks old. After finishing the 10-day antibiotics, I decided to drop pumping sessions as I will be returning to work in a few weeks. I think I did it too aggressively. I dropped 2 pumping sessions within 4 days. It was 6 pumps daily (every 3 to 5hrs, 27-30oz, 120mins a day). Then I dropped it to 4 times daily, every 6hrs, and shorted to 70-100mkns. My body didn’t adjust to it that well. I have had lumps come and go. It’s getting so hard to pump but I’m still able get some milk out. Volume dropped about 1-2oz per day since last Thursday. I was hoping to keep one or two pumping sessions and now I don’t know what to do now. The nurse said it’s a normal process of weaning off. She told me it’s all or nothing. She told me to stop pumping and let the milk dry up. The lumps may or may not go away.
Any ideas how I can keep some milk supply while making the lumps go away?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Mandy! You can definitely try two sessions per day. I would make them 30-45 minutes long if you can. As for getting there – I would just drop one pumping session at a time and do it slowly so your body has time to adjust. That should help with the lumps. I think the nurse is wrong, FWIW. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, though some people will struggle to maintain a supply with two sessions a day. Good luck!
Samantha Minc says
Hi!
I have an almost 9week old and had a very rocky start due to poor latch and transfer. I managed to get my supply up from 2oz a day to 20-22oz (got 23 yesterday!). My LO takes about 24 oz a day and I pump 8 times a day for the 4.5-5 hours (about 30 min each time with some extras thrown in here and there). I go back to work in a month and am desperate to drop a pump to get more sleep. Any advice on how to drop a MOTN pump without losing supply? Am losing my mind here!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Samantha! Congrats on your 9 week old! That’s awesome about your supply. Here some info about dropping the middle of the night session:
https://exclusivepumping.com/drop-middle-of-the-night-pumping-sessions/
Basically your best best is to keep your total pumping time in a day the same. You’re pumping a LOT already but I would do that first and then maybe see if you can cut that down a bit?
Ash says
Hi,
My LO is 14 months old and I currently exclusively pump with a goal to stop in 2 months. I currently pump 4 times a day, 40 min sessions and it is enough for her for the day. If I drop to 3 sessions with adding that 40 min time into the 3 sessions, do you think this would work? Im prone to clogs, but am so over the 4 sessions taking time away from my family. Thanks! I love your site so much!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Ash! You can’t know for sure until you try, but I think it’s worth a shot! Good luck!
Ariane Hardjowirogo says
Hi there,
I recently had a bout of mastitis but it seemed to resolve quickly with antibiotics. I am pumping about 7 times a day for 12
mins each and roughly making 55-65 oz a day while my baby only takes about 26-32oz a day.
I am so tired! When would I be able to drop the middle of the night pump? He’s going to be 8 weeks old this week. I do become pretty engorged although I have been using cabbage leaves and that definitely helps. I only plan to go until he’s 6 months old with EPing, but I’m just wondering how I can get rid of a late night/early morning session.
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Arianne! At 8 weeks with a 6 month goal and that supply, I think you’d be okay to go to a 6-8 hour break overnight now. Ideally you’d wait until 12 weeks, but your health/a happy mom is important, too. Is your baby sleeping through the night?
Hilary says
Hi there!
I am currently pump 7 times a day for 20 minutes each session (total of 140 minutes a day). I started doing this before I knew the 120 rule. I would really like to get down to 120 every day. Is this possible? I am 13 wpp and regulated milk at this point. Thanks!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Hilary! This post has some information that might be helpful on how to do that! Basically, you drop the extra 20 minutes slowly. Hope this helps!
https://exclusivepumping.com/120-minute-rule/
Priscilla says
Hi Amanda,
My son is 7.5weeks and drinks 20-25oz each day. I pump 7 sessions for a total of 36oz. I’m not sure if my supply is regulated yet as I get some occasional let down still, breasts seem to be softer but sometimes feels stiff before pumping.
I’m wondering if it’s ok to drop to 6 sessions; I’m planning to breastfeed til at least 6 months or more (max 1 year) depending on how it is when I return to work when he’s 5 months old.
I’m just worried if my supply will decrease a lot if I have my period later on.
Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!!
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Priscilla! I can’t for sure but would guess it would be okay. Just make sure to make your sessions longer so that your total pumping time in a day is the same!
Carolyn says
Thanks for the suggestion!! I’ll try that
Finnegan Smith says
I pump 6 times a day 25-30mins each session and get 55-60oz on average in a day. My baby will be 12 weeks in a few days time and I wanted to drop a session as it’s been incredibly hard for me mentally but I’m not sure if my supply has regulated yet. I want to make it to 6 months and have been stashing the excess in the deep freeze to try to get her to a year with milk. I got rid of the middle of the night pump session a few weeks ago but I still leak quite badly over the 6 hours of sleep I get, and my chest is always engorged when I get up. I know I have a massive oversupply as baby only eats about 20-24oz a day but I don’t want to risk dropping sessions before my body is ready and ruin my supply for her. Any advice is totally accepted and appreciated!! 🙂
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Finnegan! I think you are doing great! It might just take a bit more time for your body to not be so engorged overnight, and hopefully the leaking will let up soon. You could maybe try cabbage leaves and see if that helps you stretch out the time without pain?
For the leaking, these pads might be helpful as I found they stay in place better overnight:
https://www.davinandadley.com/products/paisley-bra-liner
Carolyn says
Hi! I’m so happy to have found your site and the great info! Very helpful.
My supply recently dropped and I got my period. I wanted to give a good try of regaining my supply to what it was before accepting the new volume.
I nurse/pump and additionally rotate day/night shift work. I use to pump 5-7 times (1 hr 20 min total) for a total of 25-35 oz. but since my period, I Have been pumping 6 times For 1 hr 20 min total and produce only 20 oz.
For me to Try to regain, I was planning to pump every 2 hours for 6 sessions but my question is how many days should I attempt this before conceding that my supply is diminished?
Additionally if I accept my new volume, could I be pumping less sessions Or less total time during the day or should I maintain the # to maintain my current supply?
Amanda Glenn, CLC says
Hi Carolyn! I wonder if a calcium/magnesium supplement might help with supply dropping as a result of your period? Here is more info:
https://exclusivepumping.com/what-to-do-when-your-period-tanks-your-milk-supply/
I would give it about 2-3 weeks. Good luck!