Breast massage helps you increase breast milk instantly

Breast massage can be used before or during pumping to better empty the breasts and increase milk output. It can help alleviate clogged ducts and some of the discomfort that comes with engorgement.

While breast massage is helpful, the reality is most moms don’t have the time or energy to use their hands every single pumping session. The Lilu Lactation Massager + Bra does the massage for you, so you don’t have to.

Massage works

When creating the Lilu Massage Bra, we focused on breast massage, since it has been proven to stimulate milk let-downs and helps empty the breast more fully. Breast massage puts pressure on the milk glands, causing them to release more milk and increase milk flow.

Pumps use suction

Breast pumps do not provide the compression recommended by lactation experts — they only mimic the suction from a baby’s mouth. Because pumps don’t mimic breast compressions, many moms end up supplementing their sessions with breast massage by hand.

Lilu mimics massage

With the Lilu Lactation Massager + Bra, gentle breast compression and massage happen during a pumping session without any additional work. Working closely with lactation experts, we designed the bra to perform gentle, efficient massage movements that helped moms pump 30–50% more milk.

Clinical guidance

Gentle, not deep — and that distinction matters

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine advises against deep massage of the lactating breast, which can increase inflammation, tissue edema and microvascular injury. Its protocol specifically cautions against electric toothbrushes and other commercial vibrating or massaging devices.

The same protocol draws a clear distinction for gentle compression during pumping — the technique the Lilu Massage Bra was designed to reproduce.

“It should be noted that gentle compressions during breast pump usage, often termed ‘hands on pumping,’ provide an effect similar to hand expression and is safe if excessive manual force is avoided.”

ABM Clinical Protocol #36: The Mastitis Spectrum

Our research

We developed and tested the Lilu massager and bra with the help of hundreds of moms. We asked moms to record the time and date, duration, and milk output for each breast over seven days.

For days 1–2, moms pumped with only a breast pump and no compression. For days 3–7, they pumped with the same pump and the Lilu Lactation Massager + Bra. The data showed a significant increase in milk output when moms pumped with Lilu.

Average milk pumped with and without the Lilu Massage Bra, per session

~40 participants completed the study with the Lilu Massage Bra Gen 1, across 650+ pumping sessions.

+35% average increase in milk output, rising to 55% for the top quartile of participants. +36% increase in milk flow rate — more milk, in less time. 80% of sessions showed higher output with Lilu.

• Self-reported results from Lilu Massage Bra Generation 1 users.
• Excludes dropouts and reports of poor product fit. Based on raw averages.
• Results reflect impact versus each user’s regular pumping routine, which included manual massage — not versus no massage at all.

Other research

• Combining hand techniques with electric pumping increases milk production in mothers of preterm infants.
  Read the study → (Stanford Health Care)

• Compression stimuli increased milk ejection and efficacy of the breast pump.
  Read the study → (St Petersburg University)

• Simultaneous pumping is more effective at producing milk, and breast massage has an additive effect, improving milk production.
  Read the study → (NHS University Hospitals of North Midlands)

These institutions published the research cited above. Their logos identify the source of each study and do not indicate endorsement of Lilu or its products.