You had your baby, you started your breastfeeding journey, and then suddenly, your supply dips or your baby wants more. What gives?!
Well, I’m here to tell you supply dips happen! It is okay and solvable. This is when power pumping comes into play.
What is power pumping?
Let’s start with the basics. Power pumping is when you do extra pumping sessions throughout the day to help boost your breastmilk supply. Power pumping is more common when you are exclusively pumping (if you are breastfeeding, you can put baby to the breast more often to do the same thing) or if you want to boost your supply and store some extra milk.
Why power pump?
Power pumping is powerful! Power pumping mimics on-demand breastfeeding, especially when baby is going through a growth spurt, sickness, or another time that they may be wanting a little extra. Power pumping mimics cluster feeding, where baby eats smaller portions more frequently.
How to power pump?
So how do you go about this? There are many different methods of power pumping. You can try one or all of them and find what works best for you.
“Walk-by” Method
Place the pump in a place in your house that you walk by several times a day. Every time you walk by it, sit down and pump for 10 minutes.
“Power Hour”
You take one hour a day and pump on and off for the hour.
Pump in these intervals:
- 20 minutes on
- 10 minutes off
- 10 minutes on
- 10 minutes off
- 10 minutes on
That is 40 minutes of pumping in one hour!
“Super Flex” Method
The goal of this is three or more milk removal sessions in a short amount of time, allowing you to be flexible. You can do this while watching a TV show or movie. Do it between getting things done in the house. Pump whenever you can fit it into your day.
Usually, power pumping is done for 3–5 days to mimic a growth spurt’s time frame. Some women may see an increase in milk supply in that time range. For others, it may take several more days to see an increase in milk supply. Everyone is different, and many factors go into how your body responds to this process. Be patient and TRUST YOUR BODY.
As always, we’re here to help. Reach out with any questions. You’ve got this, mama.
