More recently, health workers advocated the regular expression of breast milk after each feeding, motivating it with the fact that if milk remains in the breast, its amount will begin to decrease and will not be able to satisfy the growing needs of the baby. However, today it is known that such tactics are not entirely true. The fact is that nature itself has programmed the woman for feeding, so if the baby is regularly sucking, milk will begin to arrive in the amount that is needed for the baby during this period of time.
Therefore, before thinking about how to organize expressing breast milk, it is necessary to ensure regular application of a peanut to the breast, and most likely, there will be no need for additional expressing. Moreover, purposefully “disperse” lactation, trying to increase the amount of milk by constant expressing of the breast should not be because it can lead to problems: stagnation, lactostasis and mastitis. And the result is a vicious circle - if you do not express, the chest begins to hurt a lot, and if you express, the next time more milk arrives. Therefore, if painful sensations and a feeling of fullness arise in the chest, then you can express a little, but do not seek to achieve complete emptying. And even better in this case, offer the breast to the baby.
When expressing is indispensable
However, there are a number of situations in which expressing breast milk is desirable and even necessary. Firstly, it may be needed in the first days after birth, when the milk arrives so swiftly that the baby is simply not able to suck everything out. The most important thing is to remember that in this case, decantation is necessary to facilitate, and not to completely empty the chest. Gradually, the breast will adapt to the needs of the crumbs and everything will return to normal.
Also, expressing breast milk is necessary if the baby for some reason can not be applied to the breast (as a rule, this is due to a serious illness of the mother or baby). In this situation, regular pumping supports the production of milk and helps subsequently return to breastfeeding. If the baby’s condition does not allow breastfeeding (for example, due to prematurity or after surgery), then mother’s milk is given to him from the bottle, using a special syringe or even through a probe. This gives the crumbs the opportunity to quickly gain strength and restore health.
If a nursing mother often or periodically goes away for a long time, expressing and storing breast milk will help to ensure the nutrition of the baby during her absence. Strained milk, which is much more beneficial for crumbs than the best mix, can be stored in the refrigerator (for two days) or in the freezer (for 3-4 months).
Sometimes expressing breast milk is the only way to organize natural feeding. If the child ate for a certain period of time from the bottle, he may subsequently refuse to take the breast. And mother is faced with a choice - switch to a mixture or continue to express and feed the baby with her milk. Sometimes in such a situation a consultation with a specialist in breastfeeding can help, who will tell you by what methods you can teach a toddler to breast. But such recommendations do not always help, in addition, not in all cases they can be implemented.
If for some reason you can’t do without pumping, it’s important for mother to know how to do it correctly (and best of all, if she is not just told how to, but also shown in practice). Because the wrong technique for expressing breast milk can lead to various problems: the appearance of severe pain, stagnation and engorgement. It is possible to decant both by hand and with the help of a breast pump (mechanical or electric), to facilitate the outflow of milk before the procedure, it is good to drink a cup of warm tea or compote, as well as take a warm shower.