The most likely reason you're getting extra milk from your other flange after using our flange is simply that you triggered another letdown (milk ejection).
There's normally two or three letdowns with each feeding or pumping session. The milk flows strongly at first then dwindles down, but a few minutes later another letdown happens and the milk begins flowing stronger again.
Try leaving the silicone flange on for a few more minutes and see if the second letdown happens without changing flanges.
As a company that designs products to be more comfortable, we sometimes walk a fine line—creating gentle stimulation while still supporting a strong letdown. Comfort matters, but so does helping your body recognize what’s happening.
A letdown is simply your subconscious responding to stimulation at the breast. When that stimulation feels very different from flanges you’ve used before, your body may need a little time (and reassurance) to make that connection.
You’ve probably heard this before, but it’s worth repeating: your body is biologically wired to respond to a baby, not a pump. When a baby nurses, your subconscious picks up on cues—sight, smell, touch—and that’s what tells your body, “It’s safe to release milk.” With pumping, the stimulation alone often isn’t enough. Your body needs help connecting the dots.
That’s where your mind comes in. When you pump, try to gently shift your focus to your baby—picture their lips, gums, tongue, and the familiar sensation at the tip of the nipple. Drop your shoulders, take a few slow breaths, and mentally treat the session like a nursing moment rather than a mechanical task. You’re helping your subconscious understand that this stimulation is coming from a baby who wants milk.
What’s happening physiologically is this: when your subconscious gives the “go-ahead,” your body releases a hormone that causes the muscles around the milk-holding areas of the breast to tighten and squeeze. That’s what moves the milk into the ducts and out. When people feel a letdown, they’re feeling that hormone interacting with those muscles.
One of the most overlooked parts of pumping is this mental-body connection. The more you can help your body believe there’s a baby at the breast—not just a pump—the easier letdown often becomes.
Reviewed by Diana West, IBCLC
June 10, 2021