Using The Breast Pump The Right Way With 9 Tips
Breastfeeding your baby is an intimate, very warm and beautiful action. Such an atmosphere affects the production of milk, which depends on some hormones closely related to the emotional sphere. For this reason, having an object that your baby remembers with you is one of the main tips for using the breast pump successfully. In this way, in fact, the milk will flow more easily.
Many mothers keep a picture of their baby with them, a garment impregnated with the baby’s scent, or call him to hear his voice if the extraction takes place outside the home. This is because milk will come out more easily if they stimulate their minds with memories of their babies or if they listen to a recording.
Although having a memory of the baby is a very useful strategy to stimulate the flow of milk, for a correct and effective use of the breast pump it is first of all essential that the woman is relaxed.
For many women this is obvious, but sometimes what is evident is underestimated, so it is always good to remember that to use the breast pump at its best you need to be relaxed, otherwise the results will be poor.
If you are away from home and need to express milk, try not to think about everything you have to do once you get home or about the last business meeting. On the contrary, we recommend that you go to a quiet and comfortable place where you can relax, think about your children and use the breast pump with ease.
Using the breast pump while breastfeeding is effective
If you use a breast pump at home, you can keep in mind some tips that will help you relax a little more and make this experience less painful. You can apply a heat source to your breasts before and during pumping ; the heat helps to dilate the ducts through which the milk comes out, thus facilitating its extraction.
However, if the breast is very full, tense and painful, in addition to the heat, it is advisable to resort to the technique called “reverse pressure” before proceeding with the extraction.
It is also recommended to massage the breasts before using the breast pump. Before expressing the milk, give your breasts a light tap and during the pumping do some compression massage. It is equally advisable to separate the breast from the breast pump from time to time and “shake” it gently; in this way, the milk will come out more easily.
Another trick is to use the breast pump while feeding the baby. At this time, the mother can take advantage of the ejection reflex produced by the baby who is attached to the breast, and in the meantime, with the other breast, fill the container in which she will keep the milk. Remember that the baby’s sucking is the best stimulus to produce milk, so it is easier to use the pump when breastfeeding.
Effects of stress on breastfeeding
Stress can inhibit milk from flowing out, which is why in addition to staying calm, it’s best to use a breast pump while engaging in an enjoyable activity. Many women entertain themselves by reading, watching television, or conversing with a friend while expressing breast milk. This relaxed state helps to empty the breasts completely.
One of the tips for using the breast pump to the fullest is, in fact, to extract the milk from the same breast again; after having emptied the other breast, it is advisable to return to the first one from which some more milk may come out, even if it has already been pumped previously.
It is very important to empty the breast as much as possible, as the milk that comes out last contains more fat; moreover, if not all is extracted, production decreases. It should also be borne in mind that the more milk is expressed, the more abundant it will be, as periodically releasing the breasts increases milk production.
Practice makes experts
Using a breast pump requires experience, which can be gained through patience and practice. Consequently, the more you use it, the easier and faster this experience will be. Do not despair if at the beginning it is not so easy to use this tool, because, as you already know, you learn by making mistakes.
Remember that there are no magic formulas or perfect solutions; some tips work great with some women, while others don’t.
The ideal is that each find the habits that best suit their person and, based on them, establish schedules and routines; on the other hand, there is not even an ideal time to use a breast pump. Some mothers prefer to express their milk in the morning, others in the evening; each must therefore try to find the best time.
