Googling ways to increase milk output is a common pastime for many pumping mothers. There are plentiful supposed pumping hacks out there, and it’s normal to wonder if one of them might be the silver bullet for you; most of us have fallen down that rabbit hole at least once or twice.
So, we decided to save you time - and money - and we tested some of the most popular pumping hacks ourselves! Have you tried out any of these tricks?
#1 Drinking sports drinks
We’re sure sports drinks are great for athletes that actually need them, but we will stick with plain water thanks. Although there have been anecdotes published online praising sports drinks for boosting milk supply, we suspect that those successful cases may be related to the mother requiring hydration.
We personally didn’t notice any difference to milk output, and didn’t love the taste at all.
#2 Warming your cushion or flange
Okay, this one we have mentioned before…
Check out Milkdrop’s 5 tips for pumping more milk (including warming your flange)
But many women do see an improvement using a warm flange, and this hack has been backed by research. We found the warm Milkdrop cushion really comfy and we had a good session using heat. We approve of this hack!
#3 Breastfeeding biscuits
When we came across this popular pumping hack, we didn’t hesitate to add some choc chip breastfeeding biscuits to our cart - yum. Many women LOVE lactation cookies, and we can see why.
Although we didn’t notice an increase in milk supply, we very much enjoyed this experiment - an indulgent and easy pumping snack to have on hand.
#4 Lactation hot choc
Again - you didn’t have to ask us twice to test this pumping hack. Although there are heaps of flavour options out there these days, we opted for traditional hot chocolate from a well known lactation snacks brand.
Having a hot choc in bed before a nighttime pumping session quickly became a lovely routine! But did we see any difference to our pumping output? Not reliably, although the calories and relaxation factor sure didn’t hurt.
#4 Relaxing
Being told to relax when you have a baby to care for and pumping to be done can feel frustrating, but it is a very popular pumping hack. Many online sources suggest using meditation and breathing techniques while pumping to help with milk output.
Did it work for us? We failed to accurately test this hack as our Guinea pig had her baby climbing all over her during the experiment. But it is backed by research, so we say if you can manage it - go for it!
Drinking tonnes of water
It’s pretty common to spot mothers lugging around a big bottle of water, and many of us will know that it’s essential to be hydrated while pumping.
But how necessary is drinking loads of water? It might not be, as long as you are adequately hydrated. Adding extra water beyond that won’t really do anything other than increase your trips to the bathroom.
We had fun testing out these popular pumping hacks. We enjoyed some more than others - looking at you, cookies - but the more reliable tricks were those that were backed by research.
You can find some more ideas for increasing your milk output here.
