If you have a new baby and you’ve been exclusively pumping, you may be wondering when you should drop the number of pumping sessions you do per day.

Here you can learn when and how to safely reduce your pumping sessions postpartum. This will ensure you have a smooth transition without compromising your milk supply or well-being. Read on for expert insights and practical tips from new moms.

One of my followers sent in this question:

“I’m 7 weeks postpartum and I’ve been exclusively pumping from the start. I’ve been doing 6 pumps per day this whole time because I just couldn’t make myself do 8 pumps per day. 

I pump every 3 to 4 hours during the day with normally a 6-8 hour stretch at night. I typically get around 40 ounces per day.

When could I try to go down to 5 pumps per day? I don’t want to hurt my supply but would love to be able to drop a pumping session.”

My Tips About Dropping A Pumping Session

Pumping is definitely a time commitment and most of us look forward to when we can drop to fewer pumping sessions.

One thing I always tell moms that are wanting to drop pumping sessions is to keep your goal in mind. Exclusively pumping is a balancing act between providing milk for your newborn, your sleep, and your stress level and mental health. 

Periodically, you can think about your goals and if you are at the point where you are ok to lose a few ounces of milk supply in order to gain some time back in your day (or night). 

Consider if you are ok supplementing with formula or milk in your freezer stash in order to drop the pumping session.

I would wait until you are at least 10 weeks postpartum to experiment with dropping a pumping session. If you can hold out until you are 12 weeks postpartum, that would probably be even better.

Usually your milk supply will regulate around 10 to 12 weeks postpartum, which means that your body will have gotten used to producing the same amount of milk per day that your baby needs. 

If you are not ok with losing any milk supply, you may want to stick to your current pumping schedule. 

You could also look into wearable pumps, or look into making your pump portable which will make it easier to multi-task.

Whenever I used a wearable pump, i felt like i got time back in my day even if I was continuing to pump the same number of sessions. You can find out more about the Willow pump here.

Testing Dropping A Pumping Session

If your goals are to maintain your milk supply, and if you are ok with possibly losing a few ounces per day, you can start to test out dropping a pumping session and see what happens to your milk supply. 

I would try dropping a session for 2 to 3 days and see what happens to your milk supply. If you are still ok with this new volume of milk, then keep up with the new schedule for a week.

Some moms are able to maintain their full milk supply when dropping sessions and some moms will lose a few ounces. 

Personally, I always lost a few ounces whenever I dropped a pumping session. To make up for the lost ounces, I would add extra minutes to my pumping sessions earlier in the day. 

This usually helped to add a few extra ounces, especially during my first two pumping sessions of the day.

You can read more about pumping every 4 hours here.

You also may want to take a look at the different pumping schedules that are recommended by week in this article.

Advice From Real Moms

Here is some feedback from moms who experimented with dropping pumping sessions. Your results may vary depending on your individual milk supply. 

For example, over producers or moms with a large milk storage capacity tend to have an easier time maintaining their milk supply.

Moms who are producing just enough milk for their little ones, or maybe produce a few ounces over and above what their baby eats, typically tend to lose a few ounces when dropping pumping sessions.

Just remember that anything you are able to produce for your baby is an amazing gift. You are doing an amazing job.

Mom 1: I Lost Supply When Dropping Pumping Sessions

I am 12 weeks postpartum and I tried last week. I lost 5 ounces per day. I even increased the time in the rest of my pumps. 

I really wanted to drop the middle of the night pump before going back to work. But to me, I want those 5 ounces right now. 

I’m going to reconsider in another month. Everyone is different though. You may be fine. You can also do what I did and try for a few days and see.

Mom 2: Check For When Your Milk Supply Regulates

You’ll want to watch your body for when you regulate. Everyone says it happens around 12 weeks but it could be a little sooner or a little later. 

I’ve regulated at 10 weeks for both of my exclusive pumping journeys. 

You’ll notice that you fill up but don’t feel as painfully engorged. You will (mostly) stop leaking, and you will make about the same amount in 24 hours each day. 

Then you can try dropping to 5 pumps per day.  You may also need to increase the time per pumping session  to keep the amount produced the same.

You can read more about when your milk supply is established here.

8 Signs of an Established Milk Supply (and When It Is Established)

Mom 3: I Successfully Dropped A Pumping Session at 10 Weeks Postpartum

I’m almost 10 weeks postpartum and have also always done 6 pumps per day. Just this week I started experimenting with 5 pumps per day. 

I make 45 – 50 ounces per day and I have been holding steady in that range on the days that I only pump 5 times. I will say that for me, once I start to drop a pump it is hard to go back. 

With a toddler who is not sleeping well and a baby who is not sleeping much at all yet, I find this schedule much less stressful. 

We have to supplement with preemie formula anyway to get the little one’s size up so I’m ok with losing a few ounces per day.

Mom 4: I Dropped A Pumping Session At 12 Weeks

Sometime between 11 to 14 weeks I gave up trying to get to 6 pumps per day. You could try to intermittently do 5, for a couple days per week. 

By 3.5 to 4 months I was already down to 3 to 4 pumps per day and I did lose some of my supply. 

I went from about 35 ounces per day to about 25 ounces per day over the course of 2 months. 

What To Do If You Lose Milk Supply When Dropping Pumping Sessions

The biggest concern most moms have when dropping pumping sessions is losing milk supply. Unfortunately, the only way to know if your milk supply will drop or if it will hold steady is to test it out.

If you are disappointed with your milk supply after dropping a pumping session, there are a few things you can try. 

The first thing to do is to go back to your schedule. For this mom, she would return to 6 pumps per day.

If this does not bring back your milk supply, the next thing I would try is to add a power pumping session to your day for at least a week. 

You can read more about power pumping here.

Power Pumping To Boost Milk Supply (& 3 Secret Tips)

It can also be useful to add time to your pumping sessions during the middle of the night or in the early morning when your prolactin hormone is the highest.

If these things do not work, you may want to try out a few supplements that encourage milk supply.

Resources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36763610

https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/milkcalc

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