This article is part of series titled ‘How to Pump Breast Milk Effectively’. To check other articles in this series, click here.
In the previous article, I have discussed how to choose correctly-fitted breast shield. Now you are one step ahead to pump more efficiently.
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 may contain affiliate links)
Tips #1: Nipple stimulation
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.
Tips #2: thinking about your baby
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, fountain)
Visualizing 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 oxytocine 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 summarizes 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.
Helpful Product:
A lot of moms report faster let-down when they use Lavie Lactation Massager when they pump. This little massager vibrates and help to stimulate milk flow.
Tips #7: Enjoy yourself
When you feel nervous, tense or stressful, your 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.
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.
Tips #8: Relaxation technique with deep breathing
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.
The book A Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk also consists a section which discuss about this relaxation technique in details.
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 frustrating when you pump but not able to get let down.
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.
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 summarizes my best pumping strategies that will help you pump effectively and get more milk!
Click here to download your pumping checklist
Hi Rina
I’ve been reading all of your posts – they really have helped to clear up some of my questions! Thank you! I’m a FTM and just had my baby 2 weeks ago via c-section after prolonged labor.
I had been trying to nurse her until her first appt with the pediatrician who told me that she had lost too much weight and her bilirubin was high so we had to start her on formula a few time a day and I also got a breast pump at that time so that I could measure how much she was getting.
I’m now using a hospital grade medela symphony (tried medela in style advanced but just wasn’t cutting it). I get anywhere from 1-2 oz each time I pump (every 2-3 hrs). I’m taking blessed thistle and fenugreek supplements as well. I’m trying to keep up with my water intake as well.
Despite all of this I still have to supplement my daughter with formula 1-2x per day (anywhere from 1-3oz).
I also have her nurse skin to skin a few times a day – don’t do this too often as she has a posterior tongue tie (likely why she lost so much weight in the first place!) which means she’s not very effective at nursing and needs to be given the bottled breast milk afterwards.
She’s only 13 days old and I know soon she’ll be needing more breast milk. I’m concerned that I’m not going to be able to keep up and will have to rely on formula more and more.
Do you have any other suggestions at this point? I am working with a lactation consultant for her latch which is an ongoing issue because of the tongue tie.
I am also not sure of ‘let-down’. I get the most amount of breast milk in the first two minutes of the expression phase of the pump and then it’s a very slow trickle. I do massage while pumping as well.
I’m very new to all of this and need help with getting my supply up!
Thank you so much!
For your low milk supply issue, have you asked your LC to do blood test and breast examination? This is to rule out if your supply problem caused by your hormone or breast tissue adequacy.
As for let-down, you are right, the spray of milk at the beginning of pumping.
If your milk flow diminishes after 2 minutes, it’s ok, mine is also like that (Perhaps only 5 mins or less). Once it switch to slow trickle, try to initiate another let-down (press the let-down button / restart the pump or do things that I suggest in the post above).
You are doing good.
I hope you can slowly wean your baby from formula and enjoy your breastfeeding.
Rina
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
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.
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.
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?
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?
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!!
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.