A sincere thanks to everyone who commented on my post reaching out for advice on how to make more milk in 1 week’s time. I have some exciting and unexpected progress to share!

  I know the standard protocol is to pump every 2 hours and at least once every night for 30 min tops, but I conducted a little experiment on myself to see how I could maximize milk production in as little as 1 week. I was stuck at a plateau making 2 oz per day pumping 8x per day, so I decided to change up my routine. PLEASE NOTE: I am not suggesting anyone go and do what I did! I realize I’m unique in what I can tolerate, this update is for discussion and learning purposes only!

 My theory: a baby cluster feeds when undergoing a growth spurt and feeds (sometimes nonstop) for hours,  this triggers the mother to make more milk and engorgement in some mothers. 

 What I changed: instead of pumping 30 minutes I pumped for an hour or longer for 8 hours a day, the longest pump session being 4 hours, mimicking the way a baby feeds when undergoing a growth spurt.

 The results:

• Within the first day of extended pumping I noticed my breasts start to grow and ache, the way they did when I started producing milk
• Exhausted! Mimicking a hungry baby isn’t for the faint of heart, a lot of sleep was missed
• Output has increased by 1 oz per breast in total
• Mild nipple soreness

• Engorgement! Constant pumping the way I have been pumping caused my breasts to become engorged. I have not gone longer than 2 hours without pumping.

  I’m quite pleased with how everything turned out, minus the fact that my suckler ghosted me in the end. Happy milking everyone!