Triple Feeding: What is it and why it should be only a short term plan
If you've been told to "triple feed," you're not alone, and you're also probably wondering how on earth you're meant to sustain it.
What triple feeding actually involves
Triple feeding usually means three steps, repeated every single feed:
- Breastfeed
- Top up with a bottle of expressed milk or formula, if required
- Express to remove excess milk and stimulate your hormones
It's often recommended in the early days and weeks when there are concerns about milk transfer, supply, or your baby's weight gain.
It can help, but only as a short-term strategy
In the short term, triple feeding can genuinely help. It protects your baby's intake while also stimulating your milk supply, covering both problems at once. But it's demanding, time-consuming, and not something most families can, or should, sustain for the long haul. If you're exhausted by it, that's not a sign you're doing it wrong. It's a sign the strategy was only ever meant to be temporary.
The questions worth asking if you're triple feeding right now
- Why was it suggested?
- Who suggested it?
- Is it still necessary?
- Is it working? Are you actually seeing supply increase?
- What's the plan to scale it back?
- Who's linking in to offer continuity of care, and a clear, supportive plan to assess your baby's intake and your supply as you transition off it?
Without clear answers to these, triple feeding can quietly tip into exhaustion, frustration, and overwhelm, with no end point in sight.
Often, it can be simplified
In many cases, small changes make a bigger difference than another round of triple feeding. Improving positioning to help your baby achieve a deeper latch can increase milk transfer on its own. Pumps also aren't one-size-fits-all: there are different ways to pump, dozens of pump models, and they all perform slightly differently. Getting your flange size right can make a significant difference to how much milk you're actually removing.
If topping up is genuinely necessary, the volumes need to be adjusted as your supply increases or your baby improves at the breast. Sticking with the original top-up amount indefinitely often does more harm than good.
Come off it gradually, not all at once
It's also important to reduce pumping gradually rather than stopping abruptly. You've worked hard to build that supply, so it's worth maintaining it carefully until you're confident your baby is removing milk effectively and getting enough on their own.
If triple feeding feels unsustainable, that's because it usually is without a plan
Triple feeding without a clear exit strategy is one of the fastest routes to burnout in the early weeks. What you need isn't more willpower, it's a proper assessment and a transition plan that actually accounts for your baby and your supply.
Inside the Best Start Breastfeeding Membership, you'll learn how to assess latch and transfer, understand what your supply is actually doing, and get support building a plan to scale back triple feeding safely instead of guessing at when it's "enough." You'll also have weekly group calls to bring exactly this kind of situation to in real time, and a community of mums who've been through the same exhausting stretch and come out the other side.
You get 12 months of access for one payment of $299, or $70/month if you'd rather spread it out.
Join the Best Start Breastfeeding Membership
If you've been advised to triple feed and it feels unsustainable, please reach out. We'll help you build a sustainable plan and guide you through the transition safely.
Eve Coote Best Start Lactation — "Evidence-based breastfeeding support for you and your baby."
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