My 4-Step Method for How to Stop Pumping at Night and Maintain Your Milk Supply While Transitioning Away from Night Feedings
By: Kelly Murray, Pediatric Sleep Consultant & Creator of The Murray Method
In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, I want to share some tips with you on how to maintain your milk supply while your baby starts sleeping for longer stretches and begins to drop night feeds.
I know how hard you breastfeeding mamas out there have worked to establish your breastfeeding relationship and I want to make sure that sleep training doesn’t get in the way of you meeting your breastfeeding goals!
Yes, you can still breastfeed while sleep training.
I want to start out by affirming that your body is adaptable and oh-so-smart, and your milk supply will eventually regulate to become more plentiful during the day as opposed to at night. However, if you want to get ahead of the game by aiding your body in making this transition gradually, especially if you are prone to clogged ducts or mastitis, here are some tips on how.
Step 1
Pump Before Bed
Pump before you go to bed to ensure that your breasts are drained. You can store this milk for future use.
Did you know? Your evening milk supply contains your own melatonin, which can help your baby sleep!
Step 2
Pump At Night When Needed — But Do Not Drain
If you wake up in the middle of the night feeling engorged and are not planning to feed your baby within the next 2 hours, pump until you feel comfortable again. Do not fully drain your breasts as that will tell your body to continue to produce copious amounts of breast milk overnight. Over time, your body will adjust and you will no longer wake up feeling uncomfortable.
Step 3
Start Reducing Pump Time
After three nights, you can begin to drop the bedtime pumping session if you wish. However, if you want to continue to pump to build a freezer stock, more power to you! If that is not the case, now is a good time to start reducing your body's dependency on emptying your breasts before you go to sleep. To do so, just reduce the time in which you pump by five minutes every three nights until you are no longer pumping.
Step 4
Incorporate the Power Pump
If you feel that your milk supply has decreased, you can incorporate a power pumping session into your day. Your milk production is based on supply and demand. The more the baby demands milk out of your breasts, the more breast milk your breasts will produce. That is why a baby will cluster feed (feed frequently over the course of an hour or so) when they are going through a growth spurt.
With power pumping, we want to mimic a cluster-feeding baby so that our breasts will begin to produce more milk. Here is how it is done…
Pump for 20 minutes
Rest for 10 minutes (do not pump)
Pump for 10 minutes
Rest for 10 minutes
Pump for 10 minutes
I find that nap time is a good time to kick up your feet and turn up that pump! Also, if you want to use that time to get some stuff done, I highly recommend investing in this hands-free pumping bra.
Please be aware that it takes a few days to see a difference in your supply. So I would give it at least three to five days before you decide if it is working. I know, it can be hard to be patient, but the results are worth it. I exclusively pumped for both of my children due to breastfeeding difficulties and would incorporate a power pumping session into my day each time I saw my milk production start to take a dip. So I can tell you from experience that it works like a charm.
Once your supply rebounds, you can wean off of power pumping by skipping a “pumping step” every day or two until you are no longer pumping.
I hope that these tips help you to keep your supply up while you start to reap the rewards of your baby becoming an independent sleeper and sleeping long stretches overnight. I want you to be able to have it all — a long-lasting breastfeeding relationship and sufficient sleep!
Need some extra tips to help you navigate the ins and outs of sleep training? Check out more of my blog articles, or schedule your free 15-minute discovery call here to speak with me about your concerns. I’d love to help.
Sweet Dreams…
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.
