Can I Drop The MOTN Pumping Session?

Many new moms who are pumping for their newborns are exhausted and have one burning question: When can I drop the middle of the night (MOTN) pumping session?

This pumping session is important because it helps to build up and maintain your milk supply. However, it can be draining to set an alarm to wake up and pump sometime between the hours of midnight and 4am. 

It is especially difficult to set this alarm if your baby happens to sleep through the night. If your newborn starts to consistently sleep through the night, you may be wondering if you can drop this pumping session and get a few extra hours of sleep.

The biggest concern most mothers have is if this will affect their milk supply, and by how much. Will they lose a large number of ounces per day? Will they have the same output?

Many of the answers to these questions depend on how far along you are postpartum, the volume of your milk supply, and how your individual body will respond. Are you ok with potentially sacrificing some ounces in order to get some extra sleep at night?

One of my followers asked this question:

“What is your best advice for dropping the middle of the night (MOTN) pumping session? My baby is 8 weeks old and is finally starting to sleep through the night and not asking for a MOTN feed. 

Last night she fell asleep at 9:30 pm shortly after a feed and slept until 6:30am today before waking up wanting a bottle! Setting an alarm to get up to pump while she and my husband were sleeping soundly was not fun.

Is 8 weeks postpartum too early to be dropping a MOTN pump? I currently pump 6 times a day (7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm, 11pm, 3am). 

She currently eats between 28-32 oz per day and I pump closer to 60 ounces per day. I have been consistently pumping this amount for about a month, so I’m not that worried if my supply takes a little hit.”

My Recommendations

Dropping the middle of the night pumping session is definitely a balancing act between maintaining your milk supply and your energy levels.

I would keep the middle of the night pumping session for another few weeks until your baby is at least 10 weeks old. 

You can try to shorten the night time pumping session down to 15 minutes so that your body gets used to producing less milk at that time of day.

When you get to 10 weeks postpartum, many moms’ bodies start to shift from a hormone-driven milk supply to a demand and supply driven milk supply.

At this point, your milk supply starts to regulate and you can have a little more flexibility with your pumping schedule without affecting your supply as much.

This is the time where you can test out dropping the middle of the night pumping session. If you notice a drastic change in your milk supply, you can add this pumping session back into your schedule.

You can start to test out dropping the MOTN pump by pumping sometime before you go to sleep around 10 – 11pm, and then be sure to pump first thing in the morning close to 6am. 

You may also need to add extra minutes onto your first pumping session in the morning and expect to pump a larger amount than usual during your first few morning pumps.

After I gave up my middle of the night pumping session, I usually needed to pump for 40 minutes during my first morning pump at 6am to make sure I was fully empty.

Dropping a MOTN Pump Depends on Supply

This mom is also very lucky to have such a large supply. A “normal” milk supply is close to what your baby eats in a day, around 30 ounces per day, and this mom is pumping about twice as much as her baby needs.

If you were concerned about losing any milk supply, I would keep up the middle of the night pumping session until you are at least 12 weeks postpartum. 

The pumping session between the hours of 12am and 4am is the most important one for maintaining or building up your milk supply due to how your hormone levels fluctuate throughout the day. The hormone prolactin, which is important for milk supply, is highest during these hours.

Because you are not concerned about losing milk supply, you can try testing it out at 10 weeks. I would not try to drop this session any earlier, because around 10 to 12 weeks your body switches from a hormone-driven milk supply to a supply and demand driven milk supply.

If you notice a huge drop in milk supply after 3 to 4 days, you can add back that middle of the night pumping session into your schedule.

Some moms may become overconfident in their high volume milk supply. If they drop too many pumping sessions before their hormones have transitioned over to a demand-driven supply, then they can lose their milk supply very quickly at 12 or 16 weeks postpartum.

It is much easier to maintain a milk supply than it is to build it back up once you have lost it, so you don’t want to drop pumping sessions or the middle of the night pump too early.

Here is more information on how you know your supply is established or regulated. 

Advice From Real Moms

Here are the thoughts from a few other moms who are in a similar situation.

Mom 1: Test Dropping This Pump Session and Bring It Back If Your Supply Drops

I would say to try it and if you notice a huge drop, bring it back! I was able to drop mine without my supply budging so everyone is different. I aim to pump 5am, 8am, 1pm, 5pm, 8pm, 11pm but sometimes its 5 pumps per day and sometimes it is 6 pumps per day. You can always add back in your pumping session if you’re unhappy with a drop in supply.

Mom 2: I Dropped The Night Pump When My Supply Regulated

I wanted to make sure I didn’t negatively impact my supply, so I dropped my MOTN pump when I regulated at 16 weeks postpartum.

I could tell I was regulated because I stopped getting that “i need to pump now” feeling and was no longer engorged. Some people see their ounces become consistent. It is also the time when your milk is not regulated by hormones but by supply and demand.

Mom 3: I Dropped My MOTN pump When My Baby Started Sleeping Through The Night

I would also try it. At 60 ounces per day you are ok to lose some supply and the sleep is worth it in my opinion! I dropped mine too as soon as baby started sleeping longer. My last pump is around 11 / 11:30pm and then the next would be whenever she woke up.

Mom 4: Keep Pumping 6 Times Per Day

I make around 60 ounces per day and am 5 weeks postpartum. I pump 6 times per day and just pump when she eats. So last pump is around 9:30pm and next pump is around 4:30am when she wakes up for a bottle. If you can push your day pumps to be a little closer together to remove the nighttime pump but still pump 6 times, i would do that.

Mom 5: Be Careful of of Dropping This Session Before 12 Weeks

I wouldn’t drop the MOTN feed until at least 12 weeks. You have a great supply but I’ve seen so many people have an oversupply before regulating and then an undersupply by 4 months. You’re almost there!

Mom 6: I Dropped My MOTN Pump at 10 Weeks

I’m in the same boat.  Baby is 10 weeks and just slept 8:30pm – 6:30am last night. I did not wake up to pump because for me my mental sanity and needing a good night’s rest is important.

I am an over supplier though so I know I’ll still have enough milk. I pumped about 17 ounces when I woke up this morning from sleeping all night with no pumps.

If you’re an over supplier then i would definitely drop it! Get that sleep mamma!

Next, Check Out These Articles

1. 8 Signs of an Established Milk Supply
2. How To Pump Milk For Daycare
3. Do Oreos Really Increase Milk Supply?

Resources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10900018/#:~:text=Prolactin%20is%20controlled%20by%20the,levels%20at%20night%20%5B7%5D.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2092340/#:~:text=Prolactin%20levels%20decrease%20as%20lactation,which%20promotes%20continued%20milk%20production.

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