Updated April 13th 2025
It’s an awful feeling to feel like *or know for sure* your milk supply has dropped. Especially if you’ve already been having a hard time with your milk supply. You feel defeated, sad, worried. I completely understand and that’s why I want to provide you some reassurance and walk you through what you can do to help bring your supply back.
Why did my supply drop?
Your milk production can slow down for many reasons. Because milk is made 24/7, the speed is what is changing but you see it as a drop in supply when it begins to slow. So why does this happen in the first place?
Getting your period back can reduce your milk supply. The hormones needed for ovulation compete (essentially) with the hormones needed for lactation. So when your body decides it’s ready to menstruate again, it can impact your milk supply. You might notice your baby is fussier at breast or you’re not pumping as much in the few days leading up to your bleed and the few days into your bleed.
This is quite common and considered normal. It will take your body two to three cycles before you stop noticing this dip before each period.
Your supply might also drop after a bought of sickness. If you had a cold or the flu and were really run down, you might not be pumping or nursing as often. You might not be eating or drinking as much and let’s face it, it can also feel stressful. This can all reduce your milk supply.
Your supply might have dropped because you decided to cut out night pumps or night feeds before your baby was ready. It might have dropped because you started a new medication such as birth control. It might have dropped because you had mastitis. There are many reasons you may see your supply drop.
What can I do to bring my supply back?
First, you want to find out what caused the drop because that will determine how to best approach increasing your supply. For example, if it was because of a cold, you can introduce power pumping for a little while to create a boost and/or add a pump session or two if you’re nursing. If it was because of a medication (birth control, decongestants and some anxiety meds) then you would need to speak with your doctor and discuss if there are any other appropriate options for you. In this situation I would also encourage you to work with an IBCLC (a Board Certified Lactation Consultant).
Power pumping is a technique that most people can use to act as a “boost” for your milk supply. It mimics a cluster feed essentially. You get lots of stimulation over a long period of time which sends the feedback the body needs to increase milk production.
How to power pump to increase supply
Power pumping is fairly straightforward. There’s several methods of power pumping/cluster pumping. I’ve shared the most common below.
With my clients, I suggest it 1x/day for 3-5 days in a row and then see how volumes have changed. Keep in mind in these situations, I’m also taking their health history into account and assessing the full picture of feeding and what’s going because there’s often more than one factor that’s affecting milk supply. I also look at their pump equipment to make sure it’s being used in the best way possible.
Power pumping takes 1 hour of on and off pumping as follows:
- 20 minutes of pumping
- 10 minutes off – just turn the pump off but leave it attached to your body. You have to be using a double electric pump for this. Not a wearable pump like Elvie, Willow, MomCozy or anything similar
- 10 minutes of pumping
- 10 minutes off
- 10 minutes of pumping
- You’re done!
Tips to get the most out of your power pumping session
While pumping, use gentle compressions and massage to maximize your output. This technique is called hands on pumping and helps your breasts empty. The research demonstrates that this increases how much milk you collect as well as the fat content.
Remember to always be gentle. Your breast tissue is not muscle. You cannot massage it as hard as you would other parts of your body. If you’re pushing really hard and being really vigorous with your massage, you can damage the very delicate breast tissue. This can lead to inflammation which could lead to plugged ducts and possibly mastitis. Not to mention you breast will feel sore and tender. So please be gentle.
The massage helps to unstick any of the fattier parts of milk. Basically, more milk is being removed which in turn means more will be made because an empty breast makes milk faster. You can also hand express after the pump session to ensure you’ve removed as much milk as possible.
Power-pumping sessions should be as enjoyable as possible since you have to devote an hour to them. Listen to your favorite podcast or music, watch a tv show or movie, or just lean back and enjoy some silence (if possible!). Have a snack or a drink as well because it’s important that you’re eating and drinking enough. You can do them anytime of day that works for you there’s no one time that works for everyone. With my clients, they often choose the evening hours because their partner is home and it means their partner can look after their baby while mom works on power pumping.
Alex Wachelka is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and mother of two. She is the founder of Motherhood Blooms Lactation, a private practice dedicated to helping mothers feel seen, heard and validated while helping them reach their breastfeeding goals. She provides care with a non-judgmental, evidence-based and holistic approach. With the birth of her first child and her own challenges breastfeeding for the first time, she found her passion for lactation support and education. She is dedicated to ensuring you feel well supported and confident in how you feed your baby.