Letdowns and Using the Willow Pump
Letdowns are responsible for the majority of milk removal when pumping, so not getting a letdown can make or break a pump session. It’s easy to understand how you can easily become fixated on letdowns when learning to use the Willow pump, but knowing what to do is the part that is harder to understand and interpret.
How do you know if you are having a letdown with the Willow Pump?
When you are pumping with traditional clear plastic pump flanges, it’s pretty easy to spot a letdown, you can see the milk spray rapidly from the nipple.
Willow Pump doesn’t allow you to see the milk spray since it’s in your bra hidden away from sight, so how do you know? Some people will feel their letdown, typically perceived as a tingly and warm sensation as the ducts rapidly contract and expand. Others don’t feel their letdown sensations.
Since letdowns are the rapid periodic transfers of milk, if you can’t see it or feel it, here is what we are looking for:
When milk is transferring rapidly, you will hear the pump gulping every few seconds as the Flextubes move the milk to the bags or containers.
If you are using the app, you should see a period of more rapid milk amount increase.
Typically, letdowns occur for short periods of time with longer periods of time where milk is removed more slowly, so the letdown is often punctuated by times the milk appears to be removed slowly (or even seems like nothing is happening at all).
Read here to learn more about letdown reflexes in general.
How do I get my body to letdown for the Willow?
Letdown reflexes are trained reflexes. Willow Pump works unlike any other pump on the market, and the price we pay for a pump that provides this kind of freedom is the need to put in some work to make it work for you.
Read here about the ways you can train your body.
What should I do if I can feel the letdown sensation with Willow but no milk is being removed?
This is super frustrating when it happens, but it can happen. Typically, this occurs when sizing is not right (typically too small to start with, or too big and swelling is occurring rapidly before letdown), alignment is off, or the bra is too tight. All of these things can serve to effectively block the flow of milk. Oftentimes, when the pump is removed after this, the breasts feel very full and nursing or pumping with another pump rapidly empties the breast.
Check those things, and if you don’t see a clear reason, it’s time to book professional support.
What if I typically have multiple letdowns but only have one with the Willow?
The first thing to check with this is your output. Sometimes, Willow can empty the breasts so fast and effectively that one letdown did the trick. If you are getting similar output with both pumps, enjoy the win! If not keep reading…..
The main culprit here is typically sizing, and this is where things can get tricky. Sometimes, we have to balance smaller sizing to prevent pain and damage, and allow just enough room to prevent blocking the flow of milk.
So what do you need to do?
Check, double check, and triple check your sizing!
If you are not at exact or exact plus one millimeter sizing, switch your sizing to this typical range.
If you are at exact or exact plus one millimeter sizing, we would want to carefully assess how your nipple is responding to the pump to determine what options we have for improving this concern.
There is a risk to sizing up with Willow, but sometimes, we have to carefully take that risk.
I highly recommend doing this under supervision of a lactation consultant to help minimize the risk of damage and rapidly address it if it occurs. If you want to do the DIY approach, though, go very slowly one millimeter at a time.
In rare cases, we may try lubrication (Lanolin or Nipple Butter) if the nipple doesn’t appear to be overly elastic to allow some additional safe stretching. The stretching of the nipple is what releases the oxytocin which triggers the letdown. Again, this has risks, so it’s not the first step we take with Willow as the risk of the mushroom nipple is real.
What if I am letting down on one side for the baby/other pump but not the side with Willow?
We go back to the basics…..we check sizing, alignment, and bra fit.
We are looking for the issues that typically inhibit milk flow. If we find the issue, we can address it. If we can’t find the issue, we carefully trial other brands and close sizes of inserts, moving very slowly, to allow time to assess what works and what doesn’t.
What if I’ve tried everything and nothing is working?
Here there are two outcomes:
Willow may not be the pump for you. It happens with all breast pumps, and sometimes, it’s just not what your body needs no matter how convenient or desirable it is.
You haven’t actually tried everything, it just seems like you have because it’s frustrating. Sometimes, you tried a different size or style, but tried to too quickly, or had other issues interfering. This is more commonly what I see, and typically, with a little assessing and planning, we can find a path forward for you!
Also, double check that you’ve done the Willow Pump Adjustment Protocol. If you haven’t, try this, then, let me know.
Not sure where you actually stand here? Book a consultation and I will help you sort pumping out :)
