Pumps often come with some “standard” flange sizes, but many times they don’t actually fit most women. If you have the wrong size flange, it could have a negative impact on your output.

I figured out my correct sizing from this short article on the Spectra website, where you can also find a measuring guide. *Even if you get sized in the hospital, I’ve heard from many mamas that this is not their expertise, so it's very possible the sizing was not done as accurately as possible. It can’t hurt to double check this yourself.

Your left and right sides may also measure differently from one another! Fun fact - your flange size is determined by the diameter of your nipple, and is not correlated to the size of your breast.

I needed a size that didn't come with the Spectra pump, so I ordered these flanges. They weren’t made by the same manufacturer, but they were still compatible. Always check compatibility when purchasing any additional parts for your pump!

A pumping bra was one of the best purchases. By being hands free, you can pump both sides at once (some believe this helps maximize output!) and also allows you to gently massage to encourage milk to flow.

There are so many pumping bras out there, but I LOVED this pumping bra accessory. It clips into any nursing bra, so especially if you already have some of those, these were a great investment!

Duck Valves – I replaced them every couple of months when the seal loosened, which reduced suction. I used these replacement valves.

Tubing – I didn’t replace this until almost the end of my pumping journey! The Spectra S2 was a closed system, so water shouldn't enter the tubes. If any liquids do get trapped or if mold starts to form, it's time to replace the tubing. This is the tubing I purchased.

Backflow Protectors – I replaced these every few months when they felt a little more flimsy than usual. These backflow protectors are the ones I ordered. If you grab extra flanges, you may need to purchase the backflow protector set, in addition to just the protector pieces.

Always fully dry your pump parts before using them again. We used a couple of these drying racks for all the pieces that were in rotation, and then would towel dry to remove excess moisture if they weren't ready in time.

I recommend investing in some extra sets of pump parts and bottles to help cut back on how often you need to wash them. I had 3 sets of everything, but definitely would have benefitted from another one or two!

Make sure you are drinking enough water and eating enough calories. Prioritize water and good quality foods (fruits, veggies, proteins, healthy fats, complex carbs). Your body needs fuel to produce milk, but it also uses a ton of energy while doing so.

There are many supplements/drinks/foods out there that are said to boost supply. I personally think if you consume enough of those Body Armor drinks, your output may increase, but primarily because you're drinking more liquids. Drink enough water and you may see similar results. Same with foods that contain lecithin (like Oreos). Is your body producing more milk from eating Oreos, or is it producing more because you’re eating more calories overall?

I know, I know! This one’s a toughie. The early days (and even months) can really be impossible to get more than an hour or two stretch of sleep at a time. Trust me – I’ve been there. Whenever you can get more sleep, even if it’s gradually as your little one gets older, or napping when you get the chance to – take advantage. Sleep really helps your body recharge, and as soon as I was able to increase my sleep from a couple hours to even 4+ hours, it seemed to really help.

I was so diligent (almost to a fault) sometimes about my schedule. I never missed a pump in my entire 9+ months. Later was better than never to me. However, this did mean that many times I was prioritizing my pumping over other events, but that was a personal decision that I made. I pumped during work and would just remain camera-off, if my pumping schedule conflicted with meetings.

Milk production is all about supply and demand. Dropping a pump before your body regulates may signal that the extra milk is not needed, and you may produce less as a result.

You typically regulate around 12wpp. I tried to wait until this time before I dropped from 7/8 pumps to 6. It can be so tough when you’re pumping around the clock, but it seemed to help with my output and I didn’t see a huge decrease in my supply when I dropped one.

Slowly eliminate the MOTN pump.

For me, the MOTN  (middle of the night) pump needed to be eliminated when I was ending my maternity leave and needing to get back to working full-time. I would push my MOTN pump back about 30 minutes one night, repeat for 2-3 nights, then increase another 30 minutes. I repeated this until my last pump of the night was around 10:30/11PM, and then my first pump would be 7AM. It took several weeks until I was able to fully eliminate it.

Don't drop pumps too early.

Milk production is all about supply and demand. I had a specific goal in mind, and wanted to ensure that I did everything in my power to get there. For me, that meant maintaining 5ppd until I was about 9mpp to meet the goal I set for myself. It wasn't worth the chance for me to experiment with dropping another pump.

Increase session length when dropping a pump.

To maintain supply, it's recommended to pump 120 minutes per day. Any time I dropped a pump, I would add that time onto other pumps to ensure I stayed within the 2 hours per day.

For example, when I  went from 7ppd to 6ppd, I’d take the 15 minutes from my dropped session and disperse that among the other 6.

So instead of pumping for 15 minutes 6x/day, I’d pump about 17.5 minutes (or longer, if I wasn't fully empty when the time was up.)

Try a power hour.

A power hour replaces one of your pumps for an hour-long session, to help boost supply as it closely mimics cluster feeding. During the power hour, you: pump 20 mins / take a 10 min break / pump 10 min  / take a 10 min break / pump for another 10 mins.

I power pumped every day for a couple weeks, but that was a little excessive (I had no clue what I was doing). It's sometimes recommended to incorporate a power pump daily for a week to help boost supply, as needed.

Can’t stress this one enough! I wish I learned this earlier in my pumping journey. If your goal is to build a stash, you should always pump until you are empty. If you stop pumping while your milk is still flowing, that can signal to your body to slow down because you don’t need as much. I’d usually pump for an extra 2-3 minutes once I was empty, just to be sure. 

Pumping both sides at once has proven to be more beneficial than pumping each side individually. I always double pumped, so my pumping bra really came in handy!

Don't watch the milk flow!

As you are pumping, DO NOT LOOK DOWN at your output! Put your shirt over it or look in another direction (I know, easier said than done!) Some believe creates added stress signals in your body, which can negatively affect your output. 

Experiment with settings.

There aren't any  "correct" settings but you should know how to use your pump, then you can experiment with different combinations. It's often suggested to start in letdown mode - quicker bursts to mimic a baby sucking extra to get the milk flowing. Then, switch to longer and stronger pulls to mimic the baby taking bigger gulps once things get moving.

However, I personally found that staying on letdown mode yielded the best results for me.

When you prep your milk for the freezer, once you’ve emptied the milk from your pumping bottles into your storage bags, turn the bottle on its side for a few minutes. The remaining drops will drip down from the sides and collect, giving you a few extra drops of that precious liquid gold. No milk left behind!

Check your duck valves! There’s often a few extra drops (or more) that collect in the seal of those valves, so carefully tilt your flange over the bottle so that the drops come out.

Milk stays fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days, but I tried to freeze it within 1-2 days, using these milk bags.

Seal the bags tightly and remove excess air. Lay a cookie sheet flat in your freezer and line it with parchment paper (to prevent sticking!) then gently lay your milk bags on top in a single layer until frozen. Learn how to create milk bricks by reading this article, so you can save space in your freezer.

Thaw your milk with care.

Thaw your milk in a clean dish (I used a glass Pyrex dish!) just in case the bag leaks. If it does, everything will still be salvageable and won't leak all over the fridge.

Empty your storage bags fully.

Once your milk is thawed and you are pouring it into a bottle, do so carefully! Get every last drop from the bag by emptying it, then letting it sit upright for a few more minutes so the rest of the milk can drip down from the sides. You can then pour the rest into the bottle!

There are so many pumping groups out there. If anything, these groups helped me know that there were THOUSANDS of other moms out there on their exclusive pumping journey along with me. It was so comforting to me to know that others could truly relate to how I felt at all different stages.

No two people are exactly the same. Pumping takes patience, dedication, love and lots of hard work! Just because one thing didn’t work for you, don’t feel like you have to give up if you aren’t ready to.