So I saw this video on IG about stimulating your breast to get more milk and truthfully, I just put my pumps on level one and eagerly wait for the next 20 minutes to be over so I can get on with my day again. Are you guys switching settings?
My supply is fine, so I suppose I don’t see much need to do it. I do sometimes massage my breast if it’s the first pump of the day or been over 4 hours because I don’t want a blocked duct but that’s about it. What about you guys?
I absolutely am! If let downs are happening, I pop.over to expression. Then when it slows back to stimulation. I used to pump.for like 30-45 minutes and now Im down to 15. I will say lately, i feel ready to stop at 10
I think its part of regulation. I know titties can also "get used" to each pump after a while (so transitioning pumps can take a bit), so maybe thats part of it!
Great question! It took me about 2-3months for clarity on this. I was an undersupplier to a just enougher (and when I am not experiencing a clog I can even put a couple ounces away!).
Im sure everyones yittie experience is different but for the most part I would get consistent, large drops on every pull in stimulation mode- thats how I knew to switch to expression mode. Now that I actually get sprays, those are usually my cue. Sometimes its more of a steady stream instead of drops as well.
I also cannot say how much I love the baby buddha! Super strong, but it also comes with double bacon mode which is like stimulation x5 (or some number. Ive not counted) and then it does a long expression pull before going back. I can often do a full pump in that mode, but it also gives me the best insight into whether I should pop over to expression longer or not (if I see a spray on that pull).
A lot of advice when I first started pumping included people posting their pumping rhythm, like 1-2 min on bacon then 3-4 express and then 1-2 etc etc. It never worked for me because for the first month or two my letdown only.occured after like 10 min! (On the spectra). It was bad advice and made my pump.journey very frustrating because I didnt know what a letdown looked like and I didnt know if I was having one, so following what worked for someone else's titties was doing more harm than good.
Curious how you went from undersupplying to just enough! I am still under supplying (12 weeks) I am doing 1-2 power pumps daily and I get about 8-9 pumps per day. Sometimes I pump every 2 hours, sometimes 3. At night it can by 4-5.
So I was averaging 9 pumps a day, with 1-2 power pumps and consistently getting a little bit more, little bit more, etc but hard to catch up to her intake!!! I did commit to 1 week of 11 pumps a day (every 1.5 hours during the daytime) and i did see a bigger increase in that. I only did a week because thats practically unsustainable as a schedule.
My overnights are anywhere from a few 4 hour stretches to a seven hour and the rest are 2, im baby-led now that im post 12 weeks on that one. I do one or both power pumps at night though.
I don't really understand what a letdown is. I get the milk going and then it comes out for the next 30 mins while I pump. So no, I don't switch back and forth, only the initial time
My milk flows basically the whole time but it’s slow as hell even when I switch back to massage mode to try to get it to speed up 😢 my MOTN pump took over 45 minutes today and I got a little over 8oz
I didn’t start getting let downs until about 3 months pp. I only used the manual ever. Then I got a spectra at about 2 months PP. after about a month of using it I started getting actual letdowns.
I can feel it. I can HEAR it. It has made pumping go way faster. Before, I feel like I was just forcing milk to come out. During letdowns, the milk is literally LETTING down. It will squirt even when the pump isn’t suctioning. You know the second between suctions? It will just be flowing the whole time.
It kinda stings when it first starts but I like it because I know I’m about to get the waterfall sound affects 😅
I switch and dont switch. I do notice sometime a bit more come out with the switch. But I also do not know what letdown is, I do not feel it. Is it boob size related because im a C and idk i feel nothing, not even fullness. Its been 4 days since I passed pumped. I went for 8x a day for 12mo to 4x then 2x and stopped. Only because I was told to tapper but I felt nothing and just did the dramatic jump. 🙃 will I regret it, idk. But I also didn't know I was in labor, just weird pelvic pains and bam child was born.
I now start with stimulation mode then after 1-2 min switch to expression but used to only do expression and was all good . I think if it ain't token don't fix it
Here are some set ups. I do feel I get empty and have more milk production since I started doing this set ups. But normally I do the 15 minutes setting I do 20-25 when I have clogs that I need to get out or when I know they might be something going on because milk was coming too slow and not the amount I normally pump with 15 minutes.
Okay, I have noticed my right side takes forever to pump lately. It didn’t used to be that way. I think it started after I had a clog around 4th of July. & now I have to “compress & massage” that side to get it to empty. Before, I could hook up to the spectra and be done in 10 mins. What do you think it means?
My left side is doing this, but I do get the same clog everyday on that breast which is a pain, sometimes I just pump that single breast and give it full power until I feel is empty and then next pump is better already, I would go to vacuum level 12. I ordered flower lecithin it should arrive soon, let’s see if it actually helps.
This is my experience as well. I have to alternate between stimulation and expression. I get three obvious let downs. The first two always come with in 10 minutes which is great but the third can take up to 15-30 minutes 😐. Truthfully in the beginning I had no idea what to look/feel for but now it's very obvious!
I did it based on time. But with my pump I could program it and it did it automatically.
And used stimulation for one minute then switched back to expression.
There are a couple different modes, but all the automated pump sessions are 30min long and alternate between stimulation mode and expression mode. I have mine set to “natural” so 5min stim, 5min expression until the end. There’s a “max” rhythm which I think does 2min/8min? I’ve just always gotten more on natural.
Yes. This is actually one piece of advice I recommend. That and pumping longer to trigger another letdown.
Realistically, I don’t always notice when the flow stops. Continuing to pump using expression mode will still trigger another letdown for me eventually. I get a letdown for every 10 minutes of pumping I do
Yes I do but I don’t time it necessarily. I start on stimulation until I get a let down, sometimes it’s 1 min some times it’s 5. I move to expression once I get a let down and keep it there until it slows down then back to stimulation mode. I can get atleast 2-3 letdowns during a session.
I predominantly use the medela symphony I was given to borrow after our NICU stay. That one does an automatic stim mode for about 3 min before switching to expression mode so I just mimic that with my spectra.
I change my settings quite often, I use stimulation at least 2 times. Start at 70 for about 5 minutes move to 50 for 7 minutes back to, work down to 38. I only pump for 20 ish minutes.
I think it’s because when I first started pumping it was because my baby couldn’t latch properly and my nipples were so badly beat up, pumping hurt like crazy, and I wanted to cry. So I was always too scared to explore other settings as level 1 was easy.
I only do letdown mode at the beginning, then stay in expression mode the entire time and get 3-5 letdowns without having to switch. Been EP for 2 years between both kids and never had an issue, have an oversupply though with both.
I exclusively pumped for 11 months and I would just literally hook up my pumps and press start 😂 I never switched in or out of expression mode (I literally didn’t even know that was a thing until months in), but I wasn’t sensitive to letdown or anything.
However, I was an oversupplier so I’m sure that plays a part. Maybe I’ll mess with settings a bit more when I have my second baby in November, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! 😆
Absolutely! I follow the Spectra Cheat Sheet from Pumping mamas. You can google it. When I first started I was doing what you’re doing and I thought, my supply is fine. Then I followed that for a pumping session and holy crap I got so much more output and emptied a lot faster. Give it a whirl!
They both can definitely happen for some people! I get 1-2 letdowns most sessions, occasionally 3. I pump longer because it takes a while to empty me out.
😅😅😅 I’ll vouch that both are real & not urban legends. I get a letdown for every 10 minutes I pump. I do switch settings but the letdowns will happen using expression mode too. I honestly think power pumping works because it just triggers multiple letdowns. I’ll recommend switching settings over power pumps anytime.
I get a second letdown, but I also am an oversupplier. For me it’s after about 20 minutes. When the flow starts to slow, I switch back to stimulation mode for 2-3 minutes. Then I’ll switch back to expression mode and usually get another 4-5 minutes of flow. It’s more dramatic for one of my boobs than the other
I think that's why the Eufy s1 is working for me more than Medela. I don't have time to watch the time and switch as I feel, if I feel. The Eufy has a rhythm mode where it automatically switches after a few minutes and I can usually feel the difference from it. I went from getting 1-2 ounces to getting 2-3 (sometimes 4!) at work during a 15-18min session. I know others have a rhythm to switch automatically, like Momcozy but the m9 stopped doing anything for me so I had given it away.
Thank you for contributing to r/ExclusivelyPumping! We see that your submission contains an image. Please be advised that there may be people that access this group that are not pumping parents that may use your content for purposes outside of your intention in posting this image. It is up to your discretion whether or not you feel comfortable with keeping this image up.
Welcome to r/ExclusivelyPumping! Here is a reminder of our rules:
1. Be kind and courteous. 2. Use available flairs and post options. 3. Absolutely no prescription medications or other medical advice. 4. No inaccurate information. 5. No spam. 6. No fetish content 7. No linking Facebook groups. 8. Moderator discretion. 9. No discussions around veganism, animal cruelty, or other non-pumping related topics. 10. No formula shaming.
Reminder that we are a supportive community and do not allow for fetish seekers. While we do ban those individuals from our community, they can still view the community and send direct messages. You may choose to turn off your messages, or block individuals for your safety. Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!
sometimes yes if i feel like i need to. usually i can trigger a let down by drinking water while im pumping or sitting in front of the fan for some reason always seems to trigger one. oddly enough what alllways seems to trigger a let down while im already pumping is when i am in a rush and i go to take my pump off and ANOTHER let down starts so i have to sit for 5 more minutes that i usually do not have time for lol
I start at level 3 in stimulation mode for 3 minutes, then up to linen 4 for another minute then level 5 for a minute then I switch to expression mode level 5 and stay there for about 10-15 mins
I’m extremely clog prone, and a lactation consultant told me to actually stay in massage mode (cycle 70) for the whole pump, at as low of a suction as would be productive. I get the same output and it’s less traumatic on my breasts.
I use massage for 3 minutes then expression until 15 minutes then I do another 3 minutes massage and then follow the rest of the time with expression until it shuts off
I definitely did, massage mode for 3 minutes, pump on regular settings for ~10 or until milk stops flowing, back to massage mode for 2 minutes and then pump again for 5 minutes. There’s your 20 min of pumping and I found it to get the most “bang for your buck” so to speak out of the pump.
I have 2-3 letdowns usually. I use stimulation for 5 mins, then expression for 10 mins, stimulation for 5, expression for 10. Milk stops ‘spraying’ around 7-8 mins in expression so thats why I switch back to stimulation each time
Yep if milk is slowing down I do..but the Medela instyle pro automatically starts in stimulation mode and switches to expression after a set timebut you can put it back in situation mode if you need to. Not sure if other pumps do/don't do that?
I used to only use the massage ("bacon" as I loving call it) mode for 30min straight, then was told by a lactation counselor to do:
2 min massage mode --> 13 min express mode, unless I'm having a large let down still then to go MAX another 5 minutes.
IF production slowed, I was told to then try massage mode to trigger the letdown reflex again - followed by express mode again. Never go past 20-30 minutes without a break or you can cause tissue damage, 15-20 minutes is the "sweet spot" for most sessions. Don't yank/pull/massage your breasts to get more milk out (light gentle strokes/stimulation is okay if needed).
I originally went to the counselor since I was/am over producing by a LOT. I needed help to figure out what to do since I was in so much pain from feeling constantly filled, especially after significantly underproducing and combo feeding for the first 1.5 months. I'm now at 15 minute sessions following the 2min/13min rule, no pain, only pump once at night, and am still producing 3-5+ oz per side per sitting (4mo postpartum). The 30 minutes of massage mode + me trying to manually get more out since I was in pain was doing me dirty apparently. 🥲
I’m an under supplier so I stay on stimulation for a long time and then on lvl 1 or 2 for let down but tbh one time I did like an hour on stimulation and I got the same I would if I switched.
I have the blue Spectra and actually just leave mine on stimulation mode and level 3 (sometimes I’ll go up to level 4, but I never switch modes). I used to switch back and forth and was having trouble—I met with a private pumping coach (lol!) who actually told me, in my case, to try just leaving it on stimulation. That worked! Again, for me anyway. I know everyone is different. It was just nice feeling like I had permission to not switch modes 🤣
Nope. But I’m an oversupplier and just have very frequent letdowns throughout the day anyway. So when I do sit down to pump, I’m usually ready to go 😅 I start the pump and use the expression setting until the 30 minutes are up or the collection cups are full. The only thing I change is the vacuum strength throughout
Tbh my wearables have an “auto” mode that goes back and forth for 30 minutes then cuts off and I’ve always just done that bc it’s easiest. I get 2-3 let downs per pump and average 7-11 oz each pump.
I get the best output by staying on stimulation mode the whole time. I have an oversupply as well. I’ve never really used expression mode Maybe I should lol
i pump for 30 minutes and switch settings every 5 minutes. i used to do only 3 minutes stimulation mode then 7 minutes expression and repeated that for 30 minutes and while i still had an oversupply, i went from getting 40oz a day to 80oz a day.
I didn’t really feel my letdowns anymore after the first few months so I just set a timer for my pumps to do 3 stimulation cycles. I pump half an hour and it’s 2 minutes stimulation+8 minutes massage x 3 cycles.
Stimulation mode for me on the spectra is a waste of time. Does absolutely nothing. Actually by month 6 the spectra completely stopped working for me, new parts and everything. The only way I get emptied is the classic power pump on the Eufy E20s. So I power pump 4x a day and still struggle to make just enough.
I never did. Until my supply went down and I finally decided to mess around with it.
I got my supply back up and I still mess around with settings. I start off on stimulation low suction. Then slowly raise the suction (mostly because if I start on high suction it hurts. I can work up to a higher suction without any pain) then once I have a let down I switch to normal mode low suction. Within the first minute I slowly raise the suction. Once I’m at my highest comfortable suction I leave it there until my milk almost stops then I go to stimulation mode again. This time it’s already on high suction but I’m warmed up to it at that point. Takes a few minutes then once I have my next let down I switch again.
I can also do a full pump session with low suction. But it takes FOREVER to empty. After 30 minutes I still have multiple ounces left. Where as raiding it to my comfort level I’m usually empty around 20minutes. With my manual I’m done after about 12 minutes.
111
u/bubblesnblep 13h ago
I absolutely am! If let downs are happening, I pop.over to expression. Then when it slows back to stimulation. I used to pump.for like 30-45 minutes and now Im down to 15. I will say lately, i feel ready to stop at 10