10 Tips On How to Stimulate Let Down Reflex (Other Than Pump’s Let Down Button)
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This article is part of series titled ‘Pumping 101’. To check other 10+ articles in this series, click here.
Now, let’s discuss about let down reflex. I believe right now you already know that milk flow depends on let down reflex. Only after achieving let down, milk will flow out of breast.
But how do you achieve let down reflex, or, more specifically, how to stimulate let down reflex QUICKLY?
Is the let down mode in some of the pump brand the only way to get this? Fortunately NO.
There are other ways to achieve let down other than relying on your breast pump’s let down function.
Here, I would like to share 10 tips to achieve let down reflex faster. Combining some of them may help you to achieve let down faster and finish your pumping session quicker.
This post is part of PUMPING 101 series. Click here to see the list of other articles in this series
Using your hand, you can do nipple stimulation by gentle pulling (tugging, stroking) and rolling your nipple.
If you double pump, this may not be necessary if your pump has let down massage button. But I found that sometimes combining pump massage in one breast and doing nipple stimulation on the other helps me to achieve let down faster, especially in aiming for second or third let down.
This can be done by looking at your baby’s photos, recorded babbles, or videos. Some mothers also used their baby’s clothing or toys which smells like them.
For me personally, video is best, because you can see your baby’s movement and voice at the same time.
Tips #3: Imagine Water Body (Waterfall, River streams or Fountain)
Visualising water flowing or spraying reminds you of milk spraying out from breast after let down. And a lot of moms say that this really help triggering the let down reflex.
Tips#4: Warm Drink before Pumping
If you never tried this before, you should. Having a warm beverage (like this nursing tea) before pumping helps you to relax and trigger the oxytocin hormone (or so called the ‘happy’ hormone) inside your body and stimulate faster let down.
Are you struggling to pump enough milk?
This FREE pumping checklist summarises my best pumping strategies that will help you pump effectively and get more milk!
Click here to download your pumping checklist
Tips #5: Warm Shower before Pumping
Well, you can’t really have a warm shower before every pumping session. But if you could, it certainly help. I remember one night I was pumping after shower and without realising it, my bottle was already full of milk. You should try!
Tips #6: Warm Compress and Massage
Combining breast massage and warm compress right before you pump will help the milk ducts releasing milk faster. The warm sensation is relaxing and good for let down. You can use a reusable breast therapy pads to easily warm compress your breast before pumping.
When you feel nervous, tense or stressful, the let down may not come easily. This can occur because you are too concerned about your pumping output or you feel stressed for something else.
If you are pumping at work, you might experience this quite frequently. I used to be nervous before my weekly progress meeting, and as a result, it took me longer to achieve let down.
Let it go!
This advise may sound easy to say, but not so easy to do.
Try to think about something else, watch a short movie, browse your Pinterest or Facebook feed, or any other thing that may make you more relaxed.
There are a lot of ways to do relaxation. Deep breathing is one of them, which is part of progressive relaxation technique. To do this, find a quiet place free from distraction.
You can follow a step by step guide, such as outlined in here, or follow a video guide, like this one.
Tips #9: Practice Conditioned Let down with ‘Let Down Cues’
Do you always do something before pumping?
Perhaps drinking a cup of warm tea. Or always sit at the same place in certain room. Whatever it is, when you have a so-called ‘routine’ before doing pumping, it will help to train your body that it is time to pump, and thus you will achieve let-down easier. KellyMom has a great information of how to practice conditioned let-down and cues that you can practice to get let down faster.
Tips #10: Stop Your Pump, … then Restart Again
It is so frustratingwhen you pump but not able to get let down.
Instead of getting lots of milk, you only get drips.
Don’t let it continue. Stop your pump, take a deep breath, and restart again.
A lot of mothers claimed that this action helps them to achieve their let-down. Perhaps a short break is just what your breast need, and stopping the pump for a moment serve that purpose well.
PS: If you experience nipple pain while pumping, this can be a huge reason why you cannot get your let-down quickly. As we know, pain inhibits oxytocin, the hormone responsible for achieving the let-down. So please try to solve the discomfort. I discussed more about nipple pain while pumping in this article.
So, there you have it. Ten tips to achieve let down faster, other than relying on your pump’s let-down button.
What is your favorite trick to achieve let down?
Are you struggling to pump enough milk?
This FREE pumping checklist summarises my best pumping strategies that will help you pump effectively and get more milk!
OMG! So glad I stumbled on this site. Went on a girls weekend and pumped throughout trip but came back to fussy baby, hard to pick up nursing again with him and wasn’t pumping out as much as usually do. Was concered n thought my nursing days were numbered. Then I tried your suggestion to drink something hot b4 pumping to help with let downs….. best tip ever, not only did I pump my usual 5 oz’s again, I did it in recored time!! Thank you soooo much! You’ve made me a happy momma shain ❤️
Hi,
I’m glad that trick helps with your let down =)
All the best
Rina
Leah Hambysays
This site is great. My baby is 5 months old and nursed great until I went back to work. I do not really make milk for a pump. I started out pumping about 7-8 oz in 3 sessions at work. That has dropped and dropped to almost nothing now. Takes me 6 pumping sessions to make less than an oz. So obviously we are having to supplement A LOT. I ordered 15mm flanges, tried renting a hospital grade pump, tried power pumping, relaxing, watching videos of her nursing. Nothing made any difference. Output just dropping to less and less every week. I used to get a little bit of a let down but I haven’t had actual let down to the pump in a couple weeks now. My baby is very constipated from all the formula and I don’t know what to do anymore. All these sites are great with tips for boosting output but what do I do when absolutely nothing is working?
So sorry to hear about it, Leah.
Wanna talk more about it? Perhaps I can give a few more suggestions.
I’ll PM you.
ritasays
I’m a low supply mum. I’m working and I pump at office at home I DL baby. My yield have gone down to 4 oz..I feel sad and not enough for my LO consumption. I try all kind of milk booster all did not work..power pumping also did not work. I don’t feel reflex for let down..im stress up and ended up now reducing my yield.
Let it go. I bet you are so stressful doing all of these things so that your milk supply tanked. Though it sounds like the opposite, I suggest you do more self-care, get enough sleep, don’t bother too much about the exact amount of milk you get from pumping. Do you know that a lot of moms, when they let go things like this, surprisingly get the supply up again?
Geraldinesays
Hi, I love reading your articles; they’re so concise and informative!
I’ve a qn regarding pumping / letdown. When pumping, should I stay in letdown mode till letdown occurs?
Scenario: assuming letdown doesn’t happen after 1 min and I switch to express mode, will letdown happen eventually?
When pumping, should I stay in letdown mode till letdown occurs? Ideally, yes.
assuming letdown doesn’t happen after 1 min and I switch to express mode, will letdown happen eventually => I guess this depends on individuals. For some, the let-down will eventually come, for others it’s not that simple.
Have you tried the 10 tips to stimulate let-down? https://livingwithlowmilksupply.com/how-to-stimulate-let-down-reflex?
Risasays
Hi Rina
I’m a second time mom and my LO is one month old. I’ve been trying for quite some time. My daughter does not exclusively breast-feed and I have had to supplement with formula every time we try to breast-feed. I have been having a huge problem with my letdown reflex, in the sense that I do not feel anything, and as opposed to other moms, my milk does not drip or spray out of my breasts. Is it perhaps that I am doing something wrong? I’ve been so depressed because my dream is to exclusively breastfeed her and I haven’t had much success. When I try to pump I don’t get anything much. The last time I pumped was close to 2 weeks ago and I barely got anything. A total of 1.5oz from both breasts. Help!!
Have you tried pumping while nursing your baby? That way, your baby will stimulate the let-down for you. In that case, you’ll know for sure if your milk sprays or not during let-down (after let-down, baby will gulp the milk, observe her jaw movement to notice this). Some herbs can also help with let-down reflex (I could not remember which one), perhaps you can refer to my other post about herbs to increase supply.
J Lualhati says
OMG! So glad I stumbled on this site. Went on a girls weekend and pumped throughout trip but came back to fussy baby, hard to pick up nursing again with him and wasn’t pumping out as much as usually do. Was concered n thought my nursing days were numbered. Then I tried your suggestion to drink something hot b4 pumping to help with let downs….. best tip ever, not only did I pump my usual 5 oz’s again, I did it in recored time!! Thank you soooo much! You’ve made me a happy momma shain ❤️
Rina says
Hi,
I’m glad that trick helps with your let down =)
All the best
Rina
Leah Hamby says
This site is great. My baby is 5 months old and nursed great until I went back to work. I do not really make milk for a pump. I started out pumping about 7-8 oz in 3 sessions at work. That has dropped and dropped to almost nothing now. Takes me 6 pumping sessions to make less than an oz. So obviously we are having to supplement A LOT. I ordered 15mm flanges, tried renting a hospital grade pump, tried power pumping, relaxing, watching videos of her nursing. Nothing made any difference. Output just dropping to less and less every week. I used to get a little bit of a let down but I haven’t had actual let down to the pump in a couple weeks now. My baby is very constipated from all the formula and I don’t know what to do anymore. All these sites are great with tips for boosting output but what do I do when absolutely nothing is working?
Rina says
So sorry to hear about it, Leah.
Wanna talk more about it? Perhaps I can give a few more suggestions.
I’ll PM you.
rita says
I’m a low supply mum. I’m working and I pump at office at home I DL baby. My yield have gone down to 4 oz..I feel sad and not enough for my LO consumption. I try all kind of milk booster all did not work..power pumping also did not work. I don’t feel reflex for let down..im stress up and ended up now reducing my yield.
Rina says
Hi Rita,
Let it go. I bet you are so stressful doing all of these things so that your milk supply tanked. Though it sounds like the opposite, I suggest you do more self-care, get enough sleep, don’t bother too much about the exact amount of milk you get from pumping. Do you know that a lot of moms, when they let go things like this, surprisingly get the supply up again?
Geraldine says
Hi, I love reading your articles; they’re so concise and informative!
I’ve a qn regarding pumping / letdown. When pumping, should I stay in letdown mode till letdown occurs?
Scenario: assuming letdown doesn’t happen after 1 min and I switch to express mode, will letdown happen eventually?
Rina says
When pumping, should I stay in letdown mode till letdown occurs? Ideally, yes.
assuming letdown doesn’t happen after 1 min and I switch to express mode, will letdown happen eventually => I guess this depends on individuals. For some, the let-down will eventually come, for others it’s not that simple.
Have you tried the 10 tips to stimulate let-down? https://livingwithlowmilksupply.com/how-to-stimulate-let-down-reflex?
Risa says
Hi Rina
I’m a second time mom and my LO is one month old. I’ve been trying for quite some time. My daughter does not exclusively breast-feed and I have had to supplement with formula every time we try to breast-feed. I have been having a huge problem with my letdown reflex, in the sense that I do not feel anything, and as opposed to other moms, my milk does not drip or spray out of my breasts. Is it perhaps that I am doing something wrong? I’ve been so depressed because my dream is to exclusively breastfeed her and I haven’t had much success. When I try to pump I don’t get anything much. The last time I pumped was close to 2 weeks ago and I barely got anything. A total of 1.5oz from both breasts. Help!!
Rina says
Hi Risa,
Have you tried pumping while nursing your baby? That way, your baby will stimulate the let-down for you. In that case, you’ll know for sure if your milk sprays or not during let-down (after let-down, baby will gulp the milk, observe her jaw movement to notice this). Some herbs can also help with let-down reflex (I could not remember which one), perhaps you can refer to my other post about herbs to increase supply.