What You and Your Baby Should Expect with a Triple Feeding Plan
Published Date:May 26, 2026
By Ali Weatherford in consultation with Cassie Terrillion, IBCLC
Last week’s article was all about power pumping, a very trendy technique, mainly used to maintain a good milk supply by people who are exclusively or primarily pumping to bottle feed their babies. There is another pumping strategy called Triple Feeding that is even more intensive, but might be recommended and just the right thing to do in special cases.
What is Triple Feeding?
For TRIPLE Feeding, you would do the following THREE things approximately every THREE hours.
- Feed your baby at the breast.
- Give your baby supplemental milk. This might be pumped breast milk, donor milk, formula, or a combination of these options. The milk can also be offered in a variety of ways. You can use a bottle, cup, syringe, or even just a spoon.
- Then pump.
The amount of time you spend doing each of these three things can vary. Your baby might spend more or less time at the breast, take more or less milk from a bottle, and you might spend more or less time pumping. Triple feeding is a very intensive treatment plan and needs to be managed carefully. I would not recommend doing this unless it is prescribed and supervised by an IBCLC. Use this link to view our detailed How-to Guide for Triple Feeding. As you continue triple feeding, you and your IBCLC will monitor and make adjustments along the way.
Less Standard Triple Feeding Methods
The above instructions are recommended the vast majority of the time, but sometimes it might not be quite right. If the standard method is not working for you, or if you and your lactation consultant discover that it might not be a good place to start, you might end up doing it a little differently. You might end up needing to rearrange the order of steps. For example, you might actually start with the supplemental milk. Sometimes, a baby who is not yet comfortable at the breast will refuse it when they’re especially hungry. If you can offer your baby a small of amount of milk from a bottle, they might then take the breast afterward.
Sometimes using a supplemental nursing system (SNS) or at-breast supplementer can be part of your triple feeding process. That might take the place of step 2. But instead of a completely separate step, your baby gets time at the breast while also receiving supplemental milk.
Sometimes it will be recommended that you end the process with your baby at the breast, whenever possible, or maybe in place of the pumping. Again, there may need to be modifications to the standard, and that’s another great reason to only do triple feeding under the guidance of your IBCLC. They’ll help ensure that you find the most effective and stress-free system possible.
Why Would Triple Feeding Be Recommended?
Triple feeding is a plan usually reserved for people who have medically fragile or struggling babies. Some examples include:
- Preterm babies
- Babies with low blood sugar
- Babies born small for gestational age (SGA)
- Babies born large for gestational age (LGA)
- Babies who are not getting enough milk from the breast, which can be assessed based on not enough weight gain, not enough diaper output, or by doing a weighted feed with your lactation consultant.
Triple feeding might also be an option for people who have a healthy baby but are struggling to maintain a good milk supply. Having the baby at the breast is the best way to stimulate a milk supply. You do that at every triple feeding session. You give your baby supplemental milk, because they have not been getting enough at the breast. That ensures the baby has a full belly and adequate weight gain. Then the pumping step is important for extra breast stimulation. This should help to boost your milk supply. With enough triple feeding, you should be able to get to the point of having a full milk supply and can then reduce the triple feeding until you don’t need it at all anymore. Many people are very successful using this strategy and get to the point of exclusive breastfeeding with no more supplementation or pumping needed. The best way to taper off is with the help of your IBCLC.
Triple Feeding For Special Cases
Sometimes triple feeding is recommended for people who are relactating or inducing lactation. Relactation is when someone has breastfed before, then stopped, and is attempting to create a milk supply again. Induced lactation is when someone who has never lactated before is attempting to start lactating even though they haven’t given birth. This can be a complicated and intensive process, best initiated under the care of an IBCLC.
When Should You Consider Triple Feeding?
I know I sound like a broken record but every IBCLC I talk to reinforces the idea that not take triple feeding lightly and you should be monitored very carefully. You should consider it after meeting with an IBCLC if they are recommending it. They might also recommend that you try some other things first. They understand that it’s a difficult path and don’t want you to feel overwhelmed or discouraged. It’s true that it can be a great solution when done properly, and that you can use it to achieve your ultimate goal. However, if you end up losing confidence and hope because it’s too hard, then it’s not a great solution. You should let your IBCLC know if you start feeling too overwhelmed after getting on a triple feeding plan.
How Long to Triple Feed
Triple feeding can be all-consuming. Doing the three steps every three hours, you might barely finish washing pump parts before it’s almost time to start all over again. This is a very big deal. We know how hard this is. Your mental health matters. This is a treatment plan, a prescription. You should receive an expectation for a timeline. It might be that you know it won’t be longer than a certain amount of time and could be shorter. I love my daughter’s orthodontist for many reasons, but especially for this. They told u at the beginning that her treatment plan was going be approximately 24 months. Last month, she was able to tell us that because my daughter has been so diligent and compliant with the plan, it looks like she’ll get the braces off six months early! If you don’t get this kind of estimate, ask for one. A great question to ask is, “What is the longest you think I’ll have to do this?” Then you might ask about the possibility of ending sooner if all is going very well.
The ultimate goal is to get you off of this plan as quickly as possible. It’s very rare to continue a triple feeding plan for more than three weeks. If you get to that point and don’t see an end in sight, please ask for more clear expectations. It might be that you need to reassess your goals and find a new solution. Your IBCLC should be able to work with you to find a feeding plan that is effective and can keep you both feeling healthy and happy.
