When Should You Consider Pumping?
We all know the benefits of breastfeeding our babies, but in many cases having skin-to-skin nursing sessions is nearly impossible. That might be you’re away from your baby, either that’s for work or other reasons. Some working mothers even booked in courier service to deliver their breast milk to their babies. Or maybe you just can’t get the gist of hand expressing milk so you’re switching to a breast pump. Another case mothers would feel frustrated is when their babies don’t latch on properly even after seeking help from lactation consultants.
What is Exclusive Pumping?
Exclusive breastfeeding means you are breastfeeding your baby solely, the one and only nutrition source for your baby is your liquid gold.
Exclusive pumping means you’re feeding your baby expressed human milk solely, the nutrition source for your baby is your breast milk as well. In other words, your baby is still enjoying all the benefits she should get from human milk.
Is it going to work? “Bottle-feeding” breast milk?
Yes, it works. Don’t feel bad if your baby isn’t drinking directly from your breast but through a bottle, human breast milk provides invaluable benefits to the baby. Those benefits won’t disappear just because you’re using bottles to feed.
How often should I pump?
Newborns usually get nursed every 2-3 hours, you follow this and pump 8-12 times per day. Yet we’re back to the same old question, are you seeking to increase or decrease the amount of milk you produce? Increase – pump out the milk more often. Decrease – pump out the milk less often.
Must-Have Tools
Breastpump
Choosing a breast pump is hard. Before investing in a pump, ask yourself: how often am I going to pump per day? Having a good quality pump will save you loads of time and prevent nipple soreness.
Shield size
Take a good look at the shield size to see if it fits you. A wrong shield size will lead to nipple soreness. We’ve seen mums switching the shields from different brands while using the same machine, this might work for you when the shield comes with the pump doesn’t fit your shape. You don’t have to make a decision when you’re pregnant. Purchase one when you see the needs.
Bottles
Buy something easy to clean.
Breast Milk Storage Bags
Check the volume of the storage bags.
See if you can write on the bags using pens as you’ll be labeling each bag with the date (and name).
Hand Wash
Whenever you need to handle breast milk don’t forget to wash your hands! Water & soap washing for 20 seconds.
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