Being a mom comes with so many surprises. For me, one of the biggest ones was how hard and, honestly, stressful breastfeeding really was. I had this picture in my head of it being natural and easy, but it was the complete opposite. I ended up giving up on breastfeeding early in the newborn phase and switched to pumping only. That is a whole other story for another blog post.
If you’ve been pumping or breastfeeding and suddenly your milk supply drops or disappears for a while like mine did, it can really mess with your head. It’s frustrating and discouraging. You start to panic, wonder what went wrong, and then stress about having to give your baby formula. Even though formula is perfectly fine and many babies thrive on it, I personally still wanted my baby to have my milk if possible.
So I want to share what helped me from my own experience. If you’re a mama going through the same thing and looking for tips that actually work, I hope this helps you feel less alone and a bit more hopeful.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.
How Milk Supply Actually Works
Before jumping into the tips, I think it’s really important to understand how milk supply works. When I learned the basics, it helped me realize what I needed to focus on and where things were going wrong for me.
There are three things your body needs in order to produce milk. First, you need enough milk-making tissue in your breasts. Second, your body needs regular stimulation and milk removal. And third, you need the right balance of hormones that support milk production.
Inside your breasts, there’s a mix of fat and milk-making tissue. The milk is made in these tiny clusters of cells that are connected to small tubes called ducts. The milk flows through these ducts to reach your baby. This milk-making tissue starts to grow during puberty, then even more during pregnancy, and a little more once breastfeeding starts. But every body is different. Some women naturally have more of this tissue, while others have less. And you can’t tell by breast size. Small breasts can produce a lot of milk and large breasts might not.
If you don’t have much milk-making tissue, you might have a harder time with supply, even if your hormones are working fine and you’re pumping or breastfeeding often. This is sometimes called breast hypoplasia or tubular breasts.
What Happens During Pregnancy and After Birth
During pregnancy, your breasts go through changes to prepare for milk production. The cells grow, the ducts develop, and by the middle of pregnancy your body starts producing colostrum. That’s the thick yellow early milk. But your body does not make large amounts of milk yet because pregnancy hormones block the hormone called prolactin from doing its full job.
Once the baby is born and the placenta comes out, those pregnancy hormones drop and prolactin finally gets to take over. That’s when your real milk production begins. For the first few days, you’re still producing colostrum. Then around day two to four, your milk increases. That moment is called your milk coming in. It can happen fast.
Even though hormones trigger this shift, how much milk you actually make depends a lot on how often milk is being removed. If your baby is not feeding well or you’re not pumping enough, your body may not get the signal to keep making milk.
Now let’s talk about what actually helped me when I felt like my supply had disappeared.
1. Feed or Pump More Often
This was probably the number one thing that made a difference for me. The more often I pumped or breastfed, the more milk I was able to make. It really is all about supply and demand. When you empty your breasts often, it sends a message to your brain that more milk is needed.
I couldn’t breastfeed comfortably because it was painful and stressful, so I mostly pumped.( I used this medela pump, I really really recommend). But even just breastfeeding once a day and then pumping multiple times really helped. I would pump every two to three hours during the day and night. Yes, even at night when I was completely exhausted. But it helped my body get the message.
2. Power Pumping Sessions
Power pumping saved me. When I say I pumped multiple times , I really mean I went all in. I did what is called power pumping. That means mimicking a baby’s cluster feeding to trigger a higher milk supply.
I would sit down and pump for about 60 minutes total. Since my breasts are large and heavy, I had to do one at a time.
I would start by pumping for 20 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes. After that, I would pump again for 10 minutes, rest for 5, then pump again for 5 minutes, rest for 5, and repeat until the full hour has passed. I usually did this in the evening after putting my baby to sleep. It was a lot of work but it honestly made a big difference for me. Read more about power pumping here.
3. Skin-to-Skin Time with Baby
Skin-to-skin contact with your baby is not just sweet, it actually helps with milk supply. It boosts your oxytocin levels, which helps with milk letdown. I didn’t know this at first, but once I started doing more skin-to-skin, I felt more relaxed and I noticed that pumping was a little easier.
It’s also so calming for your baby. They hear your heartbeat, feel your warmth, and it helps reduce their stress. It’s a win-win. Whenever I could, I would hold my baby against my chest for naps or just while we cuddled.
4. Drinking Enough Water
I know this might sound simple, but staying hydrated really matters. Breast milk is made up of around eighty-eight percent water, so you need to be drinking enough fluids every day.
I’m not always the best at remembering to drink plain water, so I started adding slices of lemon, cucumber, or strawberries to my 2 litter water bottle to make it taste better. It made me want to drink more and that helped my supply too. I would aim for a big glass every time I pumped.
5. Don’t Wait for Your Breasts to Feel Full
I used to think I had to wait for my breasts to feel full before pumping, but I was wrong. If your breasts are always super full, your body might think it’s making too much milk and slow production down.
When your breasts feel soft but you still remove milk, it tells your body that more milk is needed. So even if you feel like there’s nothing in there, keep pumping or feeding. It’s all about consistency.
6. Ask for and Accept Help
This part is so important and it’s one I had to learn the hard way. Pumping and breastfeeding can be exhausting and emotional. You’re trying to feed your baby while also maybe dealing with other kids, cooking, cleaning, or just surviving the day.
If you can get help, take it. Whether it’s from your partner, family, friends, a social worker, or even a nanny if you can afford one. And when someone offers to help, say yes. Don’t try to do it all alone. You are not less of a mom for needing help. You are human and your well-being matters too.
Let someone bring you food or hold the baby so you can take a shower or nap. Let someone fold laundry or watch your toddler while you pump. It makes a difference.
Remember
If your milk supply has dropped, please know you are not failing. There are so many reasons this can happen and none of them mean you are doing something wrong. I went through it too and I know how heavy it can feel.
You are doing an amazing job. Try a few of the things that worked for me and give your body some time to respond. Be kind to yourself through this process. You are feeding your baby with love no matter what that looks like.
And remember, fed is best. Always.
