How to Power Pump: Simple Tips and Advice to Build Up Your Breast Milk Supply

Does this headline give you a vision of kettleballs and free weights? We’re talking about breast milk production here! We will discuss how to power pump enhancing your milk supply for your baby’s feeding demands.

What is Power Pumping?

Power pumping increases breast milk supply by mimicking your baby’s natural cluster feeding tendencies. When a baby cluster feeds, it signals that it is hungry and is more often on and off the breast or bottled breast milk. It tells your body to produce more milk by rapidly emptying your breasts.

Power pumping involves pumping breast milk in short and frequent sessions to stimulate production. Instead of feeding your baby at the breast, you do cluster pumping to replicate this action.

Why Would You Try Power Pumping?

Increasing your breast milk supply is the main reason you power pump. A few days of power pumping can increase your supply. Here are a few reasons you may feel your volume of milk is not sufficient:

• You’ve given birth to multiple babies.

• You need to take a medication that is decreasing your supply.

• You want to establish a freezer supply of milk because you anticipate being away from your baby for an extended time.

• You are going back to work.

• Your milk production is slow at first.

• You are introducing solid foods to your baby’s diet and not nursing them as much.

• You are not feeding your baby as often, e.g., not through the night, and you feel your breast milk supply is less.

• You’ve fed your baby formula for an interval, and you are restarting breast milk feedings.

• You are expecting a baby via a surrogate or adoption and want to induce lactation.

Before beginning to power pump, check with your physician or lactation consultant if you think you are not producing enough breast milk. Sometimes, new moms believe their babies are not getting enough milk, but their overall milk production is normal and healthy.

How to Power Pump

When considering power pumping, you must have a high-quality breast pump. This is the most critical piece of equipment needed for power pumping success. You’ll need a breast pump with a powerful suction strength.

When we talk about power pumping, we refer to the intensity of the pumping time and frequency. While you can certainly use a manual pump to increase milk production, an electric breast pump is more efficient and less taxing on your muscles.

The best tool for the job is a double-electric breast pump. Pumping both breasts simultaneously shortens the total pumping time and successfully stimulates the milk-making hormone prolactin.

The Momcozy M9 is a hands-free electric breast pump for single or double pumping. Its powerful -300 mm/hg vacuum ensures efficiency. The phone app allows you to control your pump(s) in the palm of your hand. It has multiple power pumping modes.

When is the Best Time of the Day to Power Pump?

The ideal time of day to power pump is when you can sit down and relax to concentrate on a power pumping session. However, because peak milk production is usually in the early morning hours, right after the baby’s first morning feeding seems to provide the most significant results in terms of volume.

If you are exclusively pumping, you can express enough for the morning feeding, and after your baby is satisfied, you can begin your power pumping session.

How Often Do You Power Pump?

It is always best to talk to your doctor or lactation consultant about how often to power pump, but once or twice daily is generally recommended. You can continue your regular nursing or pumping schedule for the rest of the day. Frequently, one power pumping session in the morning and evening is when many women find it best to make power pumping work.

How Long Do You Power Pump?

Pumping for one hour sessions one or two times daily should produce results. Again, it is best to consult your healthcare provider or lactation consultants about what is best for you and your baby.

What is a Power Pump Session?

A power pump session usually lasts about one hour. During this time, you will pump and rest at frequent intervals for a short period. Resting between the pumping stimulates milk production much better to enhance a low supply and boost the volume expressed each time the baby nurses or has a bottle.

How Many Days Will You Power Pump?

Most often, you will need to power pump for 2-3 days and then return to your regular regimen of breast pumping your milk. Sometimes, your physician may want you to power pump for up to seven days. This is why communication with your healthcare provider is so important.

Sample Power Pumping Schedule

Here is a simple schedule to explain how a day of power pumping may look. This gives you an example of a sequence of steps, but you can adapt it to a time of day that fits your lifestyle.

Power Pumping Tips

Deciding to try power pumping to increase your low breast milk supply is a big decision. It can take a lot of energy and persistence, but here are some helpful tips to make your power pumping easier and more productive:

• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and have some to sip on during your session.

• Eat well. Plan healthy meals and prepare nutritious snacks to reach for during the day.

• Get the right pump. A hands-free double electric pump will be the fastest and provide the best milk supply power pumping.

• Get a hands-free pumping bra. This will make pumping less work and more convenient.

• Plan your breast pumping sessions. You will have more successful results when you have time to relax and be uninterrupted. Remember, power pumping is a technique that takes about one hour, so make your power pumping schedule fit the best times for you to relax.

• Think about your baby for a few minutes before you start pumping. Do some deep breathing to help calm yourself. You can have photos nearby or their blanket to inhale their scent, allowing you to stimulate letdown.

• Massage your breasts with your hands or a lactation massager to stimulate milk production. For the best results, continue to do this throughout the pumping session.

• Warming your breast pump flanges and applying a lubricant to your breasts can help initiate letdown and make the pumping action more comfortable for more frequent pumping. This action also increases the seal of the flanges.

How Long Does Power Pumping Take to Work?

The time it takes to increase breast milk supply successfully is different for many moms. Whether you’ve decided power pumping is needed for more milk per session, your baby’s body weight is not increasing, or you want to boost the amount of milk you produce to build up your supply, results will vary.

Power pumping is most often recommended for 2-3 days, but some moms may need as many as seven days to see improvement in their milk supply.

When your baby goes through a growth spurt, and it seems that cluster pumping may be needed, increasing the milk supply is essential, as regular breast pumping may not be enough.

How Much Milk Can You Get With Power Pumping?

Results from power pumping vary. Once you’ve begun seeing them, you may get 2-4 ounces per power pump session.

Remember, this is in addition to your regular breastfeeding or breast pumping sessions. Do not change your baby's regular feeding schedule. This is in addition to your daily routine.

Although these sessions take about an hour, they do not replace feeding your baby according to their feeding cues. Yes, it is time-consuming, but when you consider that an hour twice a day for a few days is helping your baby grow, you realize it’s not such a sacrifice.

Do I Have to Power Pump at the Same Time Every Day?

No. Powering pumping at the same time every day is optional. You must do it when it fits into your schedule.

However, sticking to a power pumping schedule helps establish a routine. In the mornings, milk production is highest after the baby nurses or drinks your pumped breast milk to empty your breasts. This time of day may yield the most volume of milk.

Remember that power pumping mimics cluster feeding, so you want frequent pumping intervals with rest in between. This helps stimulate more milk and boost the low milk supply.

FAQs About Power Pumping

Q: How do you power pump with a single pump?

A: This is an example of how to power pump with a single electric pump:

• Pump the left breast for 10 minutes.

• Pump the right breast for 10 minutes.

• Pump the left breast for 10 minutes.

• Pump the right breast for 10 minutes.

• Pump the left breast for 10 minutes.

• Pump the right breast for 10 minutes.

Q: How long after power pumping can I breastfeed?

A: If it is time for your baby to eat again and they display hunger cues, they can eat immediately. If not, wait 30 minutes to one hour to breastfeed again so that your breasts have time to refill completely.

Q: Explain the benefits of power pumping with a Momcozy product.

A: The Momcozy M9 Mobile Flow™ Hands-Free Pump is a perfect breast pump for power pumping! Features include:

• Powerful Suction. The motor offers up to -300 mmHg to increase milk output.

• More Patterns for More Comfort.The app lets you personalize patterns and adjust the mode and intensity to suit your comfort for efficient power pumping.

• Milk Volume Tracking. Record and monitor the milk supply to track the results of your power pumping.

• Personal Alerts and Notifications. Set and receive cues of your power pumping schedule.

• Sealed Comfort. The DoubleFit™ flange provides a snug and comfortable fit.

• Streamlined Design. Provides mess-free milk expression that offers convenience, portability, and freedom from cords.

• Extended Charge. A single charge provides 4-5 pumping sessions.

Conclusion

The best way to increase your breast milk supply is to power pump. Frequent emptying of your breasts by pumping as if your infant was cluster feeding helps to trigger your breast milk production.

Power pumping will help you produce more breast milk with richer fat content and better nutrition for your baby. It requires a commitment of about an hour twice daily for two days to a whole week.

Find the best and most convenient solutions to assist you in making your power pumping sessions successful! By doing so, you’ll provide your baby with the most generous breast milk supply and help them grow healthy and strong.