How to Get More Letdowns & Maximize Your Milk Output

Let’s be real: if you’re going to spend 15–30 minutes at the pump multiple times a day, you want it to be worth it. Whether you’re exclusively pumping, combo feeding, or building up a freezer stash for when you go back to work, getting more milk out of each session can make a big difference—not just for your supply, but for your sanity.

The good news? There are proven, practical ways to increase milk output while pumping—and most of them have nothing to do with pumping harder. It’s all about working with your body. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to get more let-downs during your pump session, how to use your pump’s settings to your advantage, and why things like flange fit, warmth, and hands-on techniques really do matter.

If you’ve ever felt like you were doing everything “right” but still not seeing much in the bottles, this blog is for you. We’re diving into what actually helps support milk flow, stimulate oxytocin, and make your pumping sessions more productive—and more comfortable. 

When you’re pumping, it can feel like all that effort should just magically lead to more milk. But one of the most important things to understand about building and maintaining supply—especially in the early days—is this: frequent and effective milk removal is everything.

Every time you remove milk—whether it’s with your pump, by hand expression, or nursing directly—you’re signaling your body to keep producing. That signal triggers the release of prolactin and oxytocin, the two key hormones responsible for making milk and letting it flow. When milk isn’t removed regularly (like skipping pumping sessions or going long stretches overnight), your body assumes it’s not needed—and gradually starts to make less. (1)

In the first few weeks after birth, your body is setting the baseline for how much milk it can make long term. The more often you remove milk during this window, the more prolactin receptors your milk-making cells will develop. Think of these receptors like little “docking stations” for prolactin—the more you have, the more responsive your body is to making milk. (1)

Studies have shown that the average baby eats an average of 25 ounces a day. You can divide that by the number of times your baby would typically need to eat (2). So if you produce an average of 3 ounces of milk per pump session, you will want to pump at least 9 times a day.

Removing milk around the clock, including at least one overnight session, will help you produce enough milk for your baby. Yes, even those exhausting middle-of-the-night pumps make a big difference—and your hormones are actually most responsive to milk-making at night. You can check out this blog from Legendairy Milk about the importance of nighttime feedings.

It helps to understand howa breast pump works to remove milk in order to be able to effectively use your pump to increase your milk supply.

Mode  – Most pumps have two main modes:  Stimulation mode  (also called let-down or massage, depending on the brand) and  Expression mode . Think of stimulation mode as your pump's way of mimicking your baby’s quick, shallow suckling to trigger a let-down. Once milk starts flowing, expression mode takes over with slower, deeper pulls to help with milk removal.

Vacuum Strength  – This is how strong your pump pulls. A higher vacuum doesn’t always mean more milk—it’s about finding the highest suction level that’s still comfortable for you. Too strong can actually slow things down!

Cycle Speed  – This refers to how fast your pump is pulling—measured in how many sucks (or cycles) per minute. Some pumps (like the Spectra) let you control both speed and suction separately, while others have preset combinations.

Ensure that you're using the optimal flange size. The best flange fit should maximize your milk output without causing pain or discomfort.

Start your pump in stimulation mode (fast speed, lower suction) until a let-down is triggered. Then switch to expression mode (slower speed, higher suction) while the milk is flowing and increase to your maximum COMFORTABLE suction level -- this varies for each person. ⁣

Check out this page for spectra settings to increase milk supply

Applying a warm compress or massaging your breasts for a few minutes before you start can help stimulate let-down and get the milk flowing (3). You can then slide the heat packs into your pumping bra to continue heating your breasts while pumping. ⁣ 

The Feher Method is a pumping technique designed to stimulate the milk ejection reflex—aka the let-down—by engaging the senses and leveraging the brain’s natural oxytocin response. Developed by Hungarian anesthesiologist Dr. George Feher, the method encourages parents to look at photos or videos of their baby, smell a piece of baby’s clothing, or imagine holding their baby close while pumping. These sensory cues can help trigger oxytocin release in the brain, which in turn promotes let-down and improved milk flow. The Feher Method is especially helpful for parents who struggle to let down for the pump but do not have the same issue while nursing. By creating a warm, emotionally connected environment—even in the absence of direct contact—it taps into the deep neurohormonal pathways that support lactation.

Dr. Stephen Feher showed that relaxation and guided imagery therapy may be a powerful method for mitigating stress and increasing milk volumes. His study included 55 mothers with premature infants in the NICU. They were either randomly assigned to the study group, where they were asked to listen to a 20-minute relaxation/guided imagery tape each day, or the control group, where they did not receive a tape.⁣(4)

One week later, study participants pumped during a visit to the NICU. The women in the relaxation tape group pumped an average of 63% more milk than the control group. Feher and his colleagues found that the recording was even more effective amongst mothers of infants who were on a mechanical ventilator -- these mothers had an increase of 121% more breast milk than those in the control group! ⁣

The 20-minute recording is linked here . We recommend listening to the recording once a day for a week, preferably right before or during your pumping session. (4)

Look at videos and pictures of your baby or watch a funny TV show/scroll through social media. Try not to stare at the pump bottles. ⁣Massage your breasts before and while pumping. See the Challenge highlight for demo videos on hands-on pumping. ⁣

When your milk flow slows, switch back to stimulation mode on your pump to see if you can stimulate another milk let-down. ⁣When milk flow slows to a trickle, stop pumping and massage each breast for 1-2 minutes. You can then choose to continue double pumping, single pump (using both hands and the pump on one side and then the other), or hand express to complete the session.

Combining hand expression with pumping can greatly increase how much milk you get. Some moms will pump until the flow slows, then stop and massage/hand express for a few minutes, and then pump again – often more milk flows out. Research shows that using “hands-on pumping” (massaging and hand expressing in addition to pumping) can yield up to 48% more milk for mothers of infants, especially those with babies in NICU (5). Hand expression helps empty the breasts more completely after the pump’s done its job, which in turn signals your body to produce more. So if you’re pumping and not getting as much as you’d like, try adding some hand expression to the routine.

Later into your breastfeeding journey, you may notice it takes longer to trigger a let-down. This is common both with a baby at breast and with long-term pumping. What works early on may change over time.

Some women report improved results later in lactation after they change to a different pump or use a different flange that fits the breast better. Follow us on Instagram @legendairymilk for more tips! 

1. https://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/basics/milkproduction/

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

3. https://www.legendairymilk.com/blogs/lactation-support/the-benefits-of-using-heat-for-milk-supply?_pos=7&_sid=197e21a68&_ss=r

4. Feher S D, Berger L R, Johnson J D, Wild J B. Increasing breast milk production for premature infants with a relaxation/imagery audiotape. 1989.
   Link to study

5. https://med.stanford.edu/newborns/professional-education/breastfeeding/maximizing-milk-production.html