What is Power Pumping?

Power pumping is a way to mimic cluster feeding, which in turns encourages your body to produce more breast milk. When your baby is cluster feeding, they are feeding more often than usual. Since you're feeding more often, your body is cued to make more breast milk more often. Power pumping is similar to this in that you are pumping more frequently in a set period of time so your body works on increasing your breast supply naturally. You can also use these tips in increase your breast milk supply. 

We would like to add that this should only be used if you actually need an increase in your breast milk supply. If your body is producing enough milk to keep up with baby's milk intake, this isn't for you. This could cause over supply which causes a myriad of other issues, including engorgement. 

For best results, consider doing this for up to an hour a day for a week. Some moms will do this for two hours a day. Be sure to take a break to avoid nipple soreness. This works best with a double electric breast pump. Here are two different examples of a power pumping schedule. 

Schedule 1:

• pump 20 minutes
• rest 10 minutes
• pump 10 minutes
• rest 10 minutes
• pump 10 minutes

Schedule 2:

• pump 5 minutes
• rest 5 minutes
• pump 5 minutes
• rest 5 minutes
• pump 5 minutes