Power-pumping-to-increase-your-milk-supply

Power Pumping to Increase Milk

Power pumping is a method used to increase a mother's milk supply, mimicking cluster feeding.

Power Pumping: What Should You Know?

It involves short, frequent pumping sessions over a few days to signal the body to produce more milk.

Is Power Pumping a Good Method?

Power pumping can be effective for mothers looking to boost their milk production without medication.

For mums who have a diagnosed low milk supply, finding ways to boost their milk production can be tough. The best way is to nurse your baby frequently – sometimes with a supplemental nursing system (SNS) – but sometimes this might not be possible. One method that some parents out there have found helpful is power pumping. We’ll split this blog into two parts: first, we’ll discuss what power pumping is and how to do it. Then, in the second half, we’ll look at which Haakaa products can help you out!

What is Power Pumping?

What is power pumping, you might ask? It’s encouraging your body to produce greater amounts of milk in the same way frequent nursing does, but by using a pump. For a couple of days, you’ll find an hour each morning to pump more frequently – similar to the way some babies’ cluster feed. The idea is to encourage your breasts to realise that more milk is being demanded, so they needs to increase their supply. For those using an SNS when feeding their baby, provided you’ve followed your country’s safe breastmilk storage guidelines, this expressed milk can be used as supplemental milk. Before we go further, though, it’s important to remember that power pumping isn’t intended to replace your usual pumping routine, nor is it designed to be done for more than 2-3 days. Finally, you will ideally do this on each side – so having two pumps to hand is a real time saver!

How Does it Work?

So how does it work? As mentioned, it involves taking an hour each day – and while morning is best, whenever you can find the time is fine. Because you’ll be doing it for a couple of days, choose a time you can do each day you’ll be power pumping. The important part of it all is the pumping pattern; you’re going to be mimicking the way a baby feeds when they’re having a growth spurt. As you may already know, milk production works on a supply-and-demand basis – by demanding more, your baby signals to your body to increase that supply. The pattern is fairly simple and is as follows: