The 240-minute Rule™
The 240-minute Rule™️
We have seen the 120-minute rule mentioned for the exclusively pumping community. We are not sure where this rule originated and we are not saying that this rule is inaccurate in any way. In our professional opinion (and from working with many of my clients), I feel that The 240-minute Rule™ for the first 12 weeks is a better baseline to effectively establish milk supply and potentially create an oversupply as long as there are no underlying conditions.
What is The 240-minute Rule™?
In our opinion, The 240-minute rule™ is a best practice to establishing and maintaining a supply as well as potentially creating an oversupply. This means that you should pump at least every 3 hours for 30 minutes for the first 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, you should reassess based on your breastfeeding goals.
If you have an oversupply, you may want to consider dropping a pump session if you are interested in potentially reducing supply or you would like to pump less time. You can also drop a pump session and reallocate that session to your other pumps to potentially reduce the chance of decreasing supply.
If you are making just enough or an undersupplier, then you may want to maintain this schedule until you are ready to drop a session or accept that your supply may decrease with the dropped session and/or pumping less. You can also drop a pump session and reallocate that session to your other pumps to potentially reduce the chance of decreasing supply.
Our Premier Pumping Consults™ are lactation counseling services with a focus on breast pumping that help you survive your pumping journey and teach you how to pump based on your body. We teach you to increase your milk supply through recommendations on the right pump, flange, products and schedule as well as effectively, efficiently, frequently, and consistently draining your breast of available milk that is ready to come out and bringing in your doctor to check for underlying concerns. Book a consult or contact us below with any questions about our services.
Our counseling services help you survive your pumping journey. We can advise on the best settings for personalized breast pumping options, that are within your comfort zone and can optimize your milk supply. We can counsel you on adjustments that can be made based on your body and how it's reacting, including a pumping session, so that you can avoid nipple or breast pain, avoid them damaging your milk supply, and other personal advice helping you with this process. In addition, we can provide counseling about feeding times, storage options, and even travel advice. Please book a consult or contact us and we will be glad to provide more information about these counseling services to you.
