We all know some facts about breastfeeding. It helps protect your baby against ear infections, respiratory tract infections, and urinary tract infections and even reduces the risk of childhood obesity.
Learning about the benefits of breastfeeding helps influence your decision to breastfeed your baby.
But when it comes to nursing your baby, everything does not feel magical. Some babies won’t latch on, do not want to breastfeed, have a growth spurt, and start eating solid foods.
As a woman, you might see a drop in the milk supply during a nursing session, which makes pumping or nursing difficult. But a sudden drop in milk supply does not mean your breast pump days are over. Some mothers can increase breast milk production with power pumping.
Read how you can combine breastfeeding and pumping
What is power pumping? Can it increase milk supply?
As a young mother, you may have heard others talk about power pumping. But what is power pumping?
Power pumps can help increase breast milk production. Power pumping is called cluster pumping as it mimics infant cluster feeding and provides more milk.
With cluster feeding, your breastfed baby will have shorter feedings which are more frequent than usual. So, rather than one complete feeding every 3 hours, your baby will have 2-3 short feeds every few hours.
But, since your baby feeds more often, you will respond to the demand by naturally increasing the low milk supply.
It may produce similar results. So, the idea is to pump more often within a set time frame every day so that your body naturally has an increased demand for milk supply.
Why would I power pump?
One power pumping session is required if you do not have an adequate supply of milk for your baby. Some other methods to increase breast milk include taking supplements like oatmeal, fenugreek, and flaxseed or asking doctors to prescribe medication. But these are effective for some women.
Power pumping is a faster option to increase your milk supply in a few days. Also, it does not involve any risky side effects from medication or supplements. That may cause nausea, headaches, restlessness, and sleep apnea.
It is an excellent approach to producing milk with a low supply and is even recommended for women who need to extend their milk supply.
But keep in mind that supply can drop for multiple reasons. For example, some mothers face a drop when they return back to office work and cannot breastfeed frequently.
Similarly, skipping breastfeeding sessions can cause a reduction in supply. This occurs when your baby starts eating solid foods and does not nurse often or takes longer naps.
Breastfeeding may also drop if you are ill or menstruating. Finally, you can reduce your supply when taking contraceptives or pseudoephedrine medication. So, do not feel let down.
Read How to Put a Baby to Sleep in 40 Seconds
How often do power pumps?
There are no specific rules regarding exclusive pumping durations or schedules. However, the general idea is that pumping should occur during a specific time every day so that your body adjusts and responds to the extra demand naturally.
If you want the best results, devote at least an hour a day for one week to the power pump. But some mothers may even devote 2 hours a day.
However, do remember to take breaks during the supply power pumping session to avoid soreness around the breasts and nipples.
If you are planning to power pump, there is no specific schedule. Just pump whenever you have some downtime so that you can rest. Also, do not overexert yourself, as it may not happen on the first try.
One sample power pumping schedule you can follow is:
- Power Pump for 20 minutes
- Rest for 10 minutes
- Power Pump for 10 minutes
- Rest for 10 minutes
- Power Pump for 10 minutes
Repeat this pumping schedule once or twice daily or try another schedule of:
- Pumping for 5 minutes
- Resting for 5 minutes
- Pumping for 5 minutes
- Resting for 5 minutes
- Pumping for 5 minutes
This pumping schedule can be repeated 5-6 times a day.
But the length of power pumping boot camp will depend entirely on you, your baby, and your body. Many moms have great results with a single-hour session in a few days, while other mothers may need to power pump for 2 hours a day for at least a week to increase supply.
You could use an electric or manual pump. But a double electric pump gives you better pumping frequency. With a manual pump, you can get tired and stop mid-session. But do not give up your regular power pumping sessions.
Does power pumping work?
According to a study by Dr. Fiona Jardine, of over 1700 pumping parents, 82% saw an increase in milk production due to power pumping. Other than this, hundreds of articles and research from lactation specialists and moms agree with this fact.
So, in most cases, a power pumping session for your baby does work. But it is essential to remember that results vary from person to person, session to session, and even day to day.
The best way to measure if power pumping works is to measure the baseline of how many ounces of breast milk supply you pumped over the week without exclusively pumping. That way, you can compare the ounces of milk you pumped over the week with one or more normal power pumping sessions.
How to power pump to increase milk supply?
It is not complicated if you are wondering how to power a pump. It is something similar to cluster pumping as it mimics cluster feeding. Most mothers and lactation specialists suggest the typically advised pattern mentioned above.
Breastfeeding a baby is not an exact science, nor is supply power pumping. Listen to what your body thinks and says and follow your instincts, especially when a power-pumping session replaces your regular schedule.
If you are producing more breast milk post the 10 or 20-minute mark, or you do not start producing milk even after a minute of trying, then go with the flow. Do not try to force.
But keep going, keep trying if you are maintaining your schedule and still not producing milk. This is essential as you signal to your body that it needs to produce more breast milk. So how much milk is enough to consider power pumping a success?
Some breastfeeding mothers may see a difference in a day or two, while some see an increase after a week after they start exclusive pumping. This is normal. Give yourself time to respond to the process and work out a routine that works for you.
Some tips to help increase power pumping:
- Pump often
- Pump after your baby nurses
- Use double pumps for breasts
- Use the right machines
- Maintain your prolactin levels
- Maintain a healthy diet and stay hydrated by drink plenty of water
- Rub coconut oil on your breasts to reduce soreness
- Take a hot shower or warm compress to improve blood flow
FAQs:
Q1) What is considered power pumping?
Power pumping is a technique that imitates cluster feeding, where a baby nurses for shorter, more frequent periods. This tells the mother’s body to produce more milk. These are similar to rapid-fire feeds that involve back-to-back pumping sessions.
Q2) Does power pumping work?
According to most mothers and lactation professionals, power pumping does work. But it would help if you were diligent about your schedule. If you have the plan to pump, then stick to it.
Q3) How do you correctly power the pump?
To correctly power the pump, find an hour during the day when you can pump uninterrupted. For example, try to find time during the morning as most women’s supply is at its highest. Then, you can try the 10 or 20-minute pumping sequence followed by 10 minutes of rest in that hour.
Q4) How often should I do power pumping?
As a new mother, you must devote at least one hour a day over a week to try power pumping. But some mothers may try for up to 2 hours a day. Remember to take breaks between pumping so that you avoid nipple soreness.
Conclusion
A drop-in breast milk supply is frustrating physically and emotionally, especially if you always wanted to breastfeed. But rather than giving up, why not experiment with power pumping?
Try it by tricking your body into producing more milk. But be patient; it takes time. Again, please do not get power pumped, as it may again reduce the supply.
Some mothers start seeing an upsurge in explicit milk production in as little as 1 to 2 days, while for some, it might take a week or longer. If you want to know more about power pumping and its effects, then connect with a lactation professional.
