I always intended to breastfeed my son. Everyone told me it was natural, but for me nursing turned out to be anything but. My son struggled to latch and lost weight, and I had unexplained delayed lactation.
Though I know “fed is best,” it was important to me to provide breast milk for my child. I wound up having an oversupply, but since my son didn’t latch, I decided to exclusively pump.
I didn’t know this feeding method existed before having a child, and I quickly realized I had so many questions about maintaining supply, avoiding clogs, replacing pump parts, and keeping some semblance of sanity. The problem: There weren’t many answers out there.
So many people think “it’s bottle or breast,” but there’s a gap in information for those of us feeding breast milk exclusively out of a bottle.
Flanges, or shields, fit directly over your nipple and form a vacuum seal over the areola. Finding the correct size matters.
“It’s not as common as the other two options,” said Amanda Glen, a certified lactation counselor and founder of exclusivepumping.com. “But I think it’s gotten more common in recent years. With the Affordable Care Act in effect, moms are able to get a free breast pump and have it on hand. If they tried nursing and it doesn’t work out, they have a pump on hand so they can try that.”
During my search for answers, I joined the Facebook group associated with Glen’s site and found a community of moms like me with the answers and support I needed. I spoke with Glen—and drew on my own experience—to compile some tips and tricks for exclusive-pumping moms and hopefully provide some of the information that I’d looked for when I was new to this.
What equipment do I need to exclusively pump?
Pumps typically come with a set of parts, including flanges. Flanges, or shields, fit directly over your nipple and form a vacuum seal over the areola. Finding the correct size matters. Most pump brands offer sizes 21 to 36, and some may go as high as 40 mm. Mine came with a size 24, but it turned out I needed a size 21—the 24s were actually reducing the amount of milk my breasts removed each pump.
“If the flanges are too big and you are pulling in too much areola,” Glen said. “It causes tissue that shouldn’t be in there to decompress. If it’s too small, it means your nipple can’t move freely, and it leads to redness and irritation. If you are compressing milk ducts in a way that they aren’t meant to be compressed, it can affect how much milk is coming out.”
A lactation consultant measured my nipples and pointed this out to me. Consider asking the lactation consultant in the hospital what size flange you should aim for. You can also download a ruler or try out a few different shields. Glen decided to buy three sizes to see what worked best for her.
Exclusive pumping isn’t the “easy way out.” It’s actually twice the work
If you’re exclusively pumping, it’s also important to note that you’ll need to replace your pump parts more frequently than someone who is also nursing. Generally speaking, exclusive pumpers should replace
• Duckbills: once per month
• Valve membranes: every two to four weeks
• Backflow protectors: every three months
• Flanges: every six months
• Tubes: when they start sliding off easily or if you see moisture in them
How many times should I pump per day?
Exclusive pumping isn’t the “easy way out.” It’s actually twice the work. Instead of bringing baby to breast, you have to pump the milk and then feed it. Many moms want to know how many times they should pump per day. The truth is that it depends to some extent on your body.
At first, Glen recommends pumping 7 to 10 times per day.
“Where you fall on the 7 or 10 is going to depend on your supply or what you can manage,” she said. “If you have PPD or twins, you may not be able to manage 10 per day.”
When can I drop a pump?
I pumped 11 times per day (every two hours with one four-hour break at night) for six months. My schedule looked like this: 1 a.m., 5 a.m., 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m, 11 p.m. I reasoned that my son ate about every two hours nine times per day. Since I was an undersupplier at first, I thought adding a couple extra pumps would help me keep up.
This was unnecessary, and I nearly pumped myself into the ground. I almost gave up until women in my Facebook group encouraged me to drop pumps.
I could have dropped pumps much sooner—I had already regulated, which means my milk supply was established and I no longer needed to tell my body to “demand more.” Your supply tends to regulate in the first couple of months.
If you want to drop a pump, Glen suggests doing it between 8 and 12 weeks. Part of me was scared to drop a pump: I felt completely inadequate when I could not keep up with my son, and I didn’t want to lose any ounces. When I dropped from 11 to 8 pumps per day by ditching one pump per month, I didn’t lose supply. But some women may.
“There’s never a guarantee,” Glen said. “Anything can happen when you drop a pump. Your supply can go down; it can go up.”
Dropping too quickly can cause you to become engorged or “too full,” which is painful and can lead to even more painful clogs if things build up too much.
Keep in mind: You’re more than the ounces you make, and your child needs a happy mom more than they need a breast-milk-only diet. Believe me, I know that’s easier said than done, but it’s worth keeping that perspective.
My schedule now looks like this: 2 a..m, 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m.
How do I drop a session?
Part of the reason it’s important to drop slowly is that you want to prevent clogs. Dropping too quickly can cause you to become engorged or “too full,” which is painful and can lead to even more painful clogs if things build up too much. Worst-case scenario? Mastitis, a painful breast infection, can form if the clog isn’t removed. As an oversupplier, I am prone to clogs, even when maintaining a strict schedule. After a bout with mastitis at eight months, I began starting taking sunflower lecithin, which can help reduce how sticky milk is and prevent it from clumping together and clogging ducts.
That said, some women can drop a pump cold turkey. Glen typically advises erring on the side of caution.
“Our bodies are designed to respond to gradual changes in breastfeeding rather than sudden changes,” she said.
You can try reducing the time on a pump by a third each day. For example, if the pump is 15 minutes long, shave off five minutes the first day, five the next, and then drop it completely.
How can I increase supply?
If you’re an undersupplier, you may have well-meaning people asking you if you’ve tried supplements like fenugreek or lactation cookies. But supplements can actually decrease supply—and there are some low-risk fixes you can consider instead.
“Make sure it’s not a problem with milk removal and not supply,” Glen said. “Do your pump parts need to be replaced? Are your flanges the correct size? Can you do breast compressions?”
You can also try power-pumping and eating oatmeal. To power-pump:
• Pump for 20 minutes
• Rest for 10 minutes
• Pump for 10 minutes (It’s OK if milk doesn’t come out. You are signaling to your body to make more.)
• Rest for 10 minutes
• Pump for 10 minutes
“If [the low-risk solutions] don’t work and you want to try the high-risk stuff [like supplements], look into it, understand the risks,” Glen said.
It’s time to wean from exclusive pumping—how do I do that?
Whether you’ve reached a goal or just need to stop for your mental health, it’s important to wean slowly to prevent clogs and mastitis. Drop pumps as you usually would. It’s typically best to work on dropping one pump at a time to give your body time to adjust. Every person is different, but it’s safest to wait at least a week in between dropping pumps.
“When you are down to three, you want to make them eight hours apart,” Glen said. “Then, you’d drop the middle-of-the-day one—so they are 12 hours apart. Then, pick the one that is most annoying and drop that one gradually. Wait a few days and slowly drop the second one. Thirty-six to 48 hours after the last session, maybe do one last pump to clear the pipes if you want.”
How can I make my life easier?
I spend 165 minutes per day pumping. I also have to clean pump parts and make bottles. It’s essentially a part-time job.
“The more routines and systems you set up, the better off you’ll be,” Glen said.
Having multiple sets of pump parts has helped me cut down on the number of times I do dishes each day. I also make the bottles the night before. Around six months, I began using the pitcher method: pour milk from the previous day into a pitcher (just make sure it’s all the same temperature when mixed to prevent bacteria from forming), and then make the bottles and freeze what’s leftover. This cut down on the number of storage bags I used, which saved money and space in my refrigerator.
Glen also suggests getting your partner involved by having them clean your pump parts and baby’s bottles.
“You’re making the baby’s dinner, so they can clean up,” Glen said.
How can I practice self-care?
It’s easy to lose yourself as a mom, regardless of how you are feeding your baby. I wasn’t particularly good to myself when I was pumping 11 times per day.
Try to make pumping more enjoyable.The middle-of-the-night pump is often the most brutal.
“Make it a date for you to do something that you don’t normally have time to do,” she said.
Think: watching Netflix or playing Candy Crush. Personally, I just close my eyes during the middle-of-the-night pump, and during the others I scroll through my phone or work.
It also helps me to keep perspective. Sometimes, I take a step back and look at my son—he’s happy, meeting his milestones, learning, and growing. My milk is helping him do that. He smiles at me, and I know all the hard work is worth it.
Like this piece? Subscribe to our newsletter for real stories about women on their journey to motherhood.