You all must know about pumping breast milk.
How to Pump and Store Breastmilk While Breastfeeding? How long should I breast pump? How to Pump and Store Breastmilk While Working? How to increase breast milk? How to maintain an adequate supply of milk and breastfeed your baby even when you are away? How to Increase Breastmilk Supply When You’re Trying to Feed Twins?
The answer to your questions about how to express breastmilk and store it – have it available when you’re not around.
Why is there a need to pump breast milk?
– To boost milk supply if you are making less milk than your baby needs.
– To feed a premature baby
– Taking time off to feed or care for your baby while you are at work
– Preparing milk for midnight feedings, where both you or your partner can bottle-feed the baby.
– Provides relief from engorged breasts when your baby feels full
– If you are hospitalized and cannot keep the child nearby
– If you are taking certain medicines, including those your doctor has advised you not to breast-feed the baby (to maintain your production)
How to Express or Pump Breastmilk
Breastmilk can be pulled by:
1. Expressing milk from breasts by hand. This method can be used when milking is a rare or one-time activity.
Lean forward (to use gravity) and place your index finger and thumb on either side of your breast, making a “C” with the rest of your hand. Press your fingers back toward the breast, using a rolling motion to remove the milk. You need to stimulate the area under the nipple, rather than pulling or tugging. It may take some practice to find the spot.
Stored milk can be poured into the mouth widely from a sterilized container. You can also secure it directly into the feeding bottle. After you have expressed enough, cover the container with a tight lid to keep out any germs.
2. Pumping is done with the help of breastmilk pumps. They have a cup-like shield that covers the breast and creates suction to draw in the milk. It is transferred directly into the container connected to the pump. Most often, these containers are a bottle, where you can detach the pump and attach the bottle cap and nipple for the baby’s direct use, or storage.
Pumps may be manual or electric. A manual pump has a handle or bulb that must be continuously pressed to extract milk. It takes about 45 minutes to empty one breast and can be used when pumping does not need to be done several times a day.
The electric pump has a motor, which applies suction to empty the breasts. It takes about 15 minutes to empty one breast and is very efficient as well as convenient.
Points to remember:
– Make sure your hands are cleaned with an antiseptic soap
– Sterilize any equipment that comes in contact with your breast, or nipple, including pump and bottle parts
– Pump milk when you feel that your breasts are full, and you are relaxed
– If you think about your baby, or see them, or there is a smell in their blanket or clothes, milk is produced better.
– Pumping is done on average once every 3 hours
– Breastmilk can be frozen for the purposes of using it later
With the challenges of modern life, it can be difficult to take care of your baby, but proper guidance on how to increase breast milk supply and how to pump breast milk is a great help. Investing in a convenient hand pump can take the breastfeeding experience to a whole new level, making it convenient and beneficial for the mother as well as the baby.