Stimulation of the breast milk ejection reflex
Try these tips to stimulate your breast milk let-down reflex:.
Follow the established pumping order.
One of the most effective tips is to create a routine. Express in the same place, on the same chair, drink the same drink. Prepare everything you need in the same order each time, use psychological techniques to relax. All of this stimulates your breastmilk ejection reflex.
Before pumping, take a few minutes to massage your breasts.
Start from the armpit and massage this one point on your chest in a circular motion with your opposite hand. Then move your hand slightly and massage again. Continue the massage, gradually moving around the breast and down in a spiral towards the areola (This is similar to how you or your doctor checks the breast for lumps). Finish the breast massage with a series of strokes from the chest down to the nipple, also repeating your movements around the entire breast. Then massage the other breast. If your milk flow slows down while pumping, a few minutes of breast massage will help restart the process.
"Fill the pump"
Drink a couple glasses of water right before pumping.
"Pump yourself up"
During the process, imagine mountain streams or rivers rushing to the ocean. Or imagine that you are a breast milk fountain or any other image that will help your milk separate and flow into the breast pump.
Look at the photo of your child.
Take a baby blanket or some item of your baby's clothing. Enjoy its smell. (Or ask the host family for a photo of your milk baby and look at it - approx.)
Find out what your child is doing.
Before expressing breast milk, call your babysitter and ask what your baby is doing. (The same technique can be used for infants - approx.)
Listen to music.
To avoid distractions during the process, try listening to music. Enjoy your favorite music while pumping or listen to the soothing sounds of nature: the ocean, rain in the forest - whatever suits you best.
Rules for expressing with a breast pump
During the feeding period, most mothers have to deal with a situation such as pumping. To protect yourself from unnecessary risks, every mother must know how to properly express her breasts using a breast pump so as not to harm herself.
The main reasons that force you to express:
- You have a lot of milk, so in order to avoid it hardening in your breasts, you must get rid of the excess;
- Your breast milk is not quite enough to feed your baby, so you need to pump to stimulate lactation;
- You need to attend an important event where it will be impossible to provide the child with access to the breast, or the baby remains at home without you with grandma and dad and they need to feed the baby;
- The child refuses to take the breast, but drinks milk from a baby bottle.
There can be a lot of options...
The correct technique for expressing with a breast pump should not cause any discomfort to the woman. Rather, on the contrary, full breasts after pumping bring a feeling of relief to the young mother. After the baby has eaten, it is worth expressing the remaining amount of milk and subsequently feeding the baby with it.
Below are tips on how to use a breast pump:
- first you need to take a comfortable sitting position and relax;
- One hand must support the chest with an open palm;
- press the funnel-shaped nozzle firmly against the center of the breast so that the nipple is inside;
- if the breast pump is a piston pump, you need to press the handle with rhythmic movements, up and down until the first drops appear; When using a pump device, it is necessary to squeeze the bulb frequently.
It is important to stimulate milk flow for mothers with fading lactation between feedings. You need to express for 10-15 minutes. If the baby misses night feedings and sleeps soundly at night, the milk needs to be expressed, provoking its flow.
The average time for expressing with a manual pump device takes up to 20 minutes on one breast. Devices based on the work of the piston will take half as much time from mom. Electric devices cope with sucking breast milk in a maximum of 10 minutes.
It is impossible to empty the breasts to the last drop, since milk production occurs constantly. You need to stop at the moment when the flow of milk noticeably decreases, only a few drops of milk will be released. A feeling of lightness in the mammary glands and their softer texture to the touch indicate that it is time to finish pumping.
Tips for pumping for sore nipples
If your nipples are already a little sore, try the following:
Try setting the suction level on your breast pump to a lower level.
If your nipples become sore, try reducing the suction on your breast pump or changing its mode if the device has several options. Make sure the nipple does not rub against the flange while pumping.
Apply a small amount of emollient
Apply an emollient containing lanolin to help soothe and heal sore nipples.
Choosing a breast pump
You need to choose based on your goals and your convenience. Of course, you can choose the simplest one with a pear. But this will not be so convenient for the mother herself. The best option is a piston. It is more convenient to use and faster than similar ones.
But if there is a need to express from both breasts at once, then it is best to purchase an electronic double one. This will especially save your time and make your life easier.
The most popular brand currently is Avent. Their quality is high, and it is possible to buy individual parts in case of breakdown. The price is not so low, but it is worth it. They are easier to use, even hand-held devices have a soft stroke. As many users say, expressing milk with an Avent breast pump is a pleasure.
But if the price does not suit you, then you can take a closer look at similar analogues. Try the mechanism before purchasing so you don’t regret it in the future. It is necessary that the handle moves softly and quite smoothly. And if it is electric: noise is the main criterion. It’s also good if it works not only from the mains, but also from batteries. But this function is only needed if you take it with you on the road.
The most important thing is the wishes of the mother. List them on a piece of paper and then you will understand what you need to make expressing with a breast pump a pleasure.
Tips for Expressing More Breast Milk
If you are faced with the task of collecting as much breast milk as you want, then try the following:
Pump as often as your baby feeds.
Usually this is once every 3 hours (or more often - approx.). If you're worried about whether you have enough breast milk, breastfeed more often . Frequency stimulates the milk ejection reflex more effectively than increasing the time of each pumping.
Add another pump early in the morning.
Early morning is when you produce the most breast milk. If you're trying to build up a "strategic stock" in your freezer, this is a good time of day to achieve your goal.
Check your breast pump.
Sometimes the most effective advice is the most obvious. Have you assembled the device correctly? Is the bolt or any other parts worn out? Check with the manufacturer (the phone number can be found in the instructions). If you purchased or rented a breast pump from a lactation consultant or La Leche League leader, she may be able to advise you on replacing worn parts.
Try pumping one breast while your baby nurses on the other.
The baby will trigger the milk release reflex and it will be easier for you to collect milk from the other breast. (This is easiest to do with an electric breast pump rather than a manual one)
Double pumping.
For most women, double pumping (from both breasts at the same time) is the most useful recommendation, because... this usually results in more pumping. Prolactin levels in the blood are also higher if you stimulate both breasts at the same time. The best and easiest way to do this is to use good quality electric breast pumps, but some manual ones can be operated with one hand. Get 2 of these breast pumps and you can double pump manually.
If pumping is not going well, try a different breast pump.
It is best if you try a breast pump that is an order of magnitude, or even two orders of magnitude, better quality than the one you are using. Rent a clinical unit for a week or two. You might be surprised by the difference! (Some women express more effectively by hand. We do not recommend that everyone use exclusively clinical breast pumps, as it may seem from the text - approx.)
Preparing to pump
Before you start pumping, you should thoroughly wash your hands and breasts with soap. If the mammary glands are very swollen, you can take a warm, relaxing shower, or apply a warm diaper to them. This will promote better milk flow.
To prepare your breasts before pumping, you need to gently knead them. It is necessary to support the breast with one hand, and with the other make circular massaging movements from the armpits towards the nipples. The mammary glands should be uniform in density; if lumps are felt, they need to be gently kneaded.
If a woman is expressing outside the home, it is worth placing a photo of the baby in front of her. This will promote the release of the necessary hormones responsible for the flow of milk.
Before using a breast pump, it is imperative to sterilize it. To do this, you need to disassemble it and wash all components thoroughly with soap. If you have a sterilizer at home, then the disassembled breast pump is placed in its container and the mode is set in accordance with the instructions.
You can boil the milk expression device in a regular saucepan. The device is disassembled and placed in a saucepan, filled with water and boiled for about 10 minutes.
After sterile processing, all parts of the pumping device must dry on a clean towel, after which it must be assembled and begin pumping.
How to Make Expressing Breast Milk More Comfortable
Try these few tips to make the process easier and more convenient.
Wear two-piece clothing for easier access to your breasts.
One of the tricks that makes life easier for mothers is to wear comfortable clothes. It's easiest to pump (just like breastfeeding) if you wear a loose top that can be removed separately from the bottom. There are cute and comfortable nursing clothes on sale with special hidden holes for the breasts.
Lean forward while pumping.
This will prevent milk drops from getting on your clothes.
Double pumping with one hand.
Try leaning over the table to hold the breast pump using the edge of the furniture, and use one hand to hold the flanges of the breast pump on your chest. Your second hand will be freed up for flipping through the pages of a magazine or eating. Or try using a footrest or thick book to elevate your knees so that you can rest the collecting bottles on your knee as you lean forward.
Original: https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/breastfeeding/while-working/19-tips-better-pumping
Translation by Maria Lobas for “Milk Mother”
What if nothing works out?
It often happens that during the test it is not possible to express milk. There are two possible options here. One of them is that the device was applied incorrectly. In this case, it is best to watch a video or ask a lactation consultant how to express breast milk.
Another possibility is the wrong breast pump breast shield. Then you can simply change it or use a silicone tab for greater contact.
But the saddest option is that you have no milk. Of course, it is very rare, occurring in only about 5% of all women, but it is possible. This is unpleasant, especially if you were determined to breastfeed. But in the modern world, various milk formulas are available or you can resort to donor breast milk.
In the first two cases, when correcting mistakes, the mother manages to pump.
How to store milk
Expressed milk can be stored in containers or special bags. It is stored depending on the ambient temperature. It should be stored in the refrigerator or frozen.
If it is in the refrigerator at a temperature of 10 to 15 degrees, then no more than 2-3 days. At temperatures from 0 to 10 – no more than a week. You can store it frozen for a month or two. But it is best not to give it after such a long shelf life. After a maximum of 3 weeks, the milk should be given to the baby or discarded. Or add to complementary foods: porridge or vegetable puree.
For storage it is better to use special disposable bags. If containers are used, they must be boiled before each use.
Do not use a microwave or similar appliance to heat milk. There is a bottle warmer for this. If the milk is from the freezer, then you need to defrost it first. To do this, you can pour hot water, but it is best to thaw at room temperature. This will not remove the essential nutrients from it.
A mother who has a lot of milk cannot do without it. And in order to produce a sufficient amount of milk, that is, to stimulate its secretion, you need to constantly express yourself.
It is believed that expressing breast milk with a breast pump, coupled with breastfeeding, is the prevention of breast cancer. But many people find it easier to pump and bottle feed. This is the wrong decision; a newborn needs a mother and feeding from her. This creates an invisible spiritual connection. We must not forget that nothing can replace the mother's breast.
