How long to express breast milk? How long should you express breast milk? Manual expression: technique

Once upon a time, all pediatricians and obstetricians insisted that a nursing mother should express the breast to the last drop after each feeding of the baby. What has changed these days? Should a nursing mother pump or is it better to forget about this procedure altogether?

The answer may not be clear-cut, since everyone’s feeding situation is different. And regular pumping has both pros and cons.

Pros

Pumping helps the mother maintain lactation away from the baby, for example, if the mother went to school, went to the hospital, or started working.
Thanks to the receipt of expressed milk, you can feed mother's milk through a tube to babies who are born ahead of schedule or are in hospital.
Pumping helps alleviate the condition of a nursing mother if a lot of milk has come in and stagnation has occurred (this often happens during the period of lactation). In this case, the mammary glands need to be pumped only a little to eliminate painful overcrowding.
Mom will have to express milk during the period when she is sick and takes medicines passing into breast milk.
If a child is not gaining weight well, pumping after feedings can become an additional incentive to increase lactation.

Pumping after feeding helps to store milk and increase lactation

Cons

Although doctors previously recommended pumping to prevent milk stagnation and mastitis, pumping is one of the provoking factors for these conditions.
Opportunity to get to vicious circle: Too much pumping will cause you to produce too much milk. To remove heaviness in the chest, the mother will be forced to constantly pump.
Mom gets tired of pumping and begins to consider breastfeeding an unpleasant and difficult process.

What's happening?

When the mother gives breast to the baby on demand, the baby sucks the portion of milk he needs. Sucking stimulates the production of exactly as much milk for the next feeding as the baby ate.

If the baby's appetite has increased and the breast is empty, greedy sucking will become a reason to produce more nutrition in the breast for the next feeding. If the baby has eaten less and some of the nutrition remains in the breast, milk production will not be as active at the next feeding.

With more frequent and prolonged feeding of the baby to the breast, lactation will be stimulated. Pumping is also a stimulus for lactation - the more milk a woman receives from the breast, the more milk will come.

It is pumping and the number of attachments to the breast that will influence the production of breast milk

When is pumping necessary?

Separation of mother and child if a woman wants to maintain lactation.
A weakened or premature baby cannot suck out the required amount of milk to stimulate lactation.
Resuming breastfeeding after a break.
The mother goes to work if the child is less than 8-9 months old.
Milk stagnation to relieve breast congestion.

If the baby was born full-term, actively sucks, the mother feeds the baby on demand and the mother’s breasts are not full (there is no congestion), in this case pumping is not necessary either after feeding or at any other time.

How much milk should I express?

The amount of human milk that can be obtained when expressing may differ at different times:

Pumping “to the last drop” is recommended for mothers who want to stimulate lactation as much as possible.
If a mother stores milk for future use, she should try to express as much milk as the baby needs for one feeding.
In case of stagnation, it is recommended not to express large number milk, just to ease the condition and relieve chest tension.

Listen to yourself and express only when you feel the need to do so.

After each feeding

Previous recommendations for all women to pump their breasts after each feeding of the baby are no longer supported by pediatricians. This was once explained by the need to constantly stimulate lactation. However, if breastfeeding is done correctly, the woman's breasts do not need additional stimulation other than the baby's latches. Expressing only increases the “demand” for milk production, which can be detrimental (cause lactostasis or even mastitis).

Almost every mother during the period of breastfeeding sooner or later has to deal with pumping. Even if she is exclusively committed to breastfeeding, anything can happen. When starting this procedure, it is important to find out how to express properly breast milk. It is better to prepare and practice in advance so as not to comprehend the basics of this science in a hurry, otherwise you can damage your breasts.

Expressing milk is a common and long-debated question, but some mothers are also concerned about more unusual questions, for example, should I express colostrum?

The answer to this question is not entirely clear. If mother and baby are healthy, close and focused on breastfeeding, no one will need to pump. Colostrum is produced in optimal quantities, which does not burden the baby’s gastrointestinal tract, but supports his strength.

Expressing colostrum in the first days may only be necessary in a few cases:

the baby was born premature or weak and cannot breastfeed. Colostrum is offered to him on a spoon or through a pipette;
the mother cannot feed the child for some time after childbirth - due to anesthesia after the CS or illness. Then, you need to express colostrum with your hands to start lactation;
with severe jaundice in newborns and prescribed phototherapy;
with a special scheme for caring for a low-weight baby.

Some mothers begin to produce colostrum during pregnancy. In this case, there is no need to express it either - this will only aggravate the problem. At the same time, milk after childbirth, or more precisely, its quantity, does not depend in any way on the quantity.

Is pumping necessary?

Previously, expressing milk was considered a prerequisite for maintaining lactation, and this made sense - mothers fed their babies according to a schedule, and this caused a cessation of milk production. It was possible to maintain lactation only with additional regular pumping.

Today, WHO and AKEV experts answer the question of whether it is necessary to express an unequivocal answer - no! This procedure is used only in extreme cases when there is a direct threat to the health of mother and baby.

Dr. Komarovsky believes that a healthy mother with normal lactation does not need pumping. However, he emphasizes that today there are few women with normal hormonal levels, whose body will normally react to the remains of milk in the breast after feeding. It often happens that in response to this, the body “curtails” lactation, believing that there is too much milk.

AKEV specialists are confident that this situation can be corrected by natural feeding without additional pumping. If you make a little effort and offer your baby the breast more often, lactation will improve in a few days and reach the required level of lactation. In any case, if there are no health risks, the mother herself decides whether to express or not, based on the advice of the pediatrician and her own goals.

Do I need to express milk after each feeding?

Based on the opinion of the World Health Organization and AKEV consultants, we can say that women do not need to pump after each feeding unless there is an extremely serious reason for this.

Waiting after feedings can provoke the development of hyperlactation and, as a result, constant congestion or even mastitis. The child simply will not cope with such a volume of milk - he does not need it.

If the mother’s milk supply is low and the baby is malnourished (this is noticeable by weight gain), you should first of all try to strengthen lactation by putting the baby to the breast more often. Nature has provided for all situations, and within a few days the body will adapt to the child’s needs. According to WHO, breastfeeding after breastfeeding to enhance lactation can only be used as a last resort.

Should I pump my breasts before breastfeeding?

In the past, it was often recommended to “pump” the breasts before breastfeeding in order to develop them. Modern breastfeeding consultants are of the opinion that there is no need to express the breast before feeding - if the mother and baby are healthy, they were not separated after childbirth, and the mother does not take harmful medications. A healthy baby is quite capable of independently stimulating the mother’s milk production.

When should you really express milk?

There are several situations when expressing milk is necessary to maintain the health of the mother or baby:

during stagnation (lactostasis), if the baby cannot cope on his own;
during the mother’s illness, if medications harmful to the child are prescribed. At this time, the baby is usually switched to formula, and the mother regularly expresses milk to maintain lactation, imitating the baby’s feeding regimen;
at the birth of a premature or weakened baby, when he cannot suckle on his own. Feeding with expressed milk will be much more the best option for babies than mixtures;
When the breast is overfilled with milk (“stone breast”), the nipple may become deformed and flattened, then the baby will not be able to latch on and eat normally. To make the task easier for him, the breast is pumped a little - until the nipple “appears”, then the child can cope on his own;
to preserve milk supply. If you are planning a long separation from your baby (going to work, a session, traveling on business for the whole day), you can express it into a bottle in advance after and between feedings and freeze it by hour X.

Many mothers are interested in the question of whether it is necessary to express milk when stopping lactation. If breastfeeding ends naturally, breastfeeding occurs gradually, the demand for milk is reduced and the body, accordingly, reduces its production. In this case, there is absolutely no need to express - everything happens very smoothly and without any unpleasant sensations for the mother.

In the case when weaning is carried out abruptly, for example, due to the mother’s illness or other circumstances, the body needs much more time to adapt, and the mother may suffer for some time from the unpleasant consequences of refusal - breast fullness, pain in the breast, or even mild inflammation.

If possible, such a sudden weaning should be smoothed out as much as possible - gradually (once a week or at least every 2-3 days) by removing one of the feedings and replacing it with a mixture or other food.

If this is not possible, you will have to pump. The main thing is not to empty your breasts until they become soft - this will only stimulate the production of prolactin. When you stop breastfeeding, you can express milk only until you feel relieved. If you don't pump at all, stagnation, lactostasis, or even mastitis can form.

After pumping, you can apply a cold compress or a cold cabbage leaf to your breasts. They are good at removing incipient inflammation and relieving the feeling of fullness in the chest.

By hand or breast pump

You can express milk either by hand or with a breast pump. Each mother can choose the most comfortable method for herself, since both have their own advantages and disadvantages:

expressing breast milk by hand is available to every mother and does not require any extra costs or additional space;
in some situations, you can express only with your hands, for example, with severe swelling of the breast (“stone breasts”);
Expressing breast milk with a breast pump is a little faster than expressing it manually. But at the same time, most devices are most effective with full breasts, and from soft breasts they express milk worse, and the mother has to finish their work with her hands;
The use of breast pumps is prohibited if the skin of the breast and nipples is damaged.
Any pumping - by hand or with a breast pump - must be preceded by a light breast massage, which will cause a flow of milk.

If a mother pumps rarely, from time to time, the manual option may well be enough for her. Breastfeeding consultants consider this method more physiological and safe. If you have to store milk constantly and in large quantities, the breast pump will become a good helper, the main thing is to choose the right model.

How to Express Breast Milk by Hand

The technique of expressing breast milk is very important element the entire procedure. If the technique is not followed, the results can be disastrous. At best, expressed breast milk will unpleasantly surprise the mother with its quantity, and at worst, it can seriously damage the breast tissue.

Many mothers, having tried to express milk for the first time and received a few teaspoons of liquid in response, come to the conclusion that they have hypolactation, the child is not eating enough and this whole thing urgently needs to be stimulated. However, if a child gains weight normally, the issue here is not at all in quantity, but in the inability to “get” it from the breast without the baby’s help.

Both manual and mechanical pumping require more than just theoretical knowledge. To properly express milk, mom will most likely have to practice for a while. The psychological attitude is also very important - confidence in your abilities and positive results will help you relax.

Preparation

For the pumping procedure to be effective, the mother needs to prepare properly. First of all, you need to wash your hands and chest and prepare a clean container. Then you need to create a tide. You can do this in different ways:

drink warm tea or any other warm drink;
apply a warm, damp towel or diaper to your chest;
hold the baby in your arms (in the first weeks after birth, sometimes just thinking about him is enough);
most effective remedy- light breast massage before pumping;
You can put the baby on one breast and express the other at this time.

After the onset of hot flashes, you can begin to express breast milk manually or using suction.

For manual expression, several techniques have been developed that increase the effectiveness of the procedure.

Marmet technique

This technique was specially developed for breastfeeding mothers to make pumping easier. Algorithm of actions:

The thumb and index fingers are located at the border of the areola and the skin of the breast, forming the letter C. The remaining fingers and palm support the breast;
The index finger and thumb slightly squeeze the chest and move towards the chest, as if grasping the milk ducts. At the same time, they should not slide over the skin, they remain on it and move with it, otherwise abrasions will appear.
Then the fingers “roll” along the ducts lying under the areola in the direction of the nipple. squeezing it a little.
Repeat until the milk flows. When the intensity of milk release has dropped, you can move to the second breast or change the position of your fingers by moving them a little in a circle.

This technique allows you to express breast milk with your hands during congestion, since the fingers, moving in a circle, affect all lobes of the breast and help the lumps to dissolve. At the same time, you cannot exert any special influence on them - kneading, pressing, trying to knead them!

It is important to remember that trying to squeeze milk out of the nipple is pointless, there is no milk in it. Expressing milk by stretching and squeezing the nipple can only be done if the milk ejection reflex is strong, although the effectiveness will still be questionable.

Nipple compression method

Sometimes it happens that a lot of milk has accumulated in the breasts, and the nipples become rough, painful, or completely flattened. The baby cannot latch onto it and help the mother, so the nipple needs to be reshaped.

To do this, place all fingers on the nipple and begin to gently press on it for 3-4 minutes. There is no need to move your fingers - the pressure is static. It softens the breasts and allows you to either pump painlessly or attach the baby.

This technique allows you to properly express during lactostasis, reducing breast soreness and getting rid of excess milk. However, with stagnation, the main thing is not to overdo it and strictly follow the rules for expressing breast milk during lactostasis, so as not to worsen the situation.

Warm bottle method

Another way to soften breasts with lactostasis or excessive tension is the “warm bottle” method. In this condition, manual expression of breast milk is extremely painful, and the baby cannot latch onto the breast. To alleviate the mother’s condition, you need to heat the bottle (neck width is at least 4 cm) with boiling water, and then cool the top part and lubricate the neck with Vaseline. It is applied to the breast, the nipple gradually begins to retract inward and milk drips from it. When the intensity of the jets drops, the bottle is removed.

How much milk can you express at one time?

The amount of milk produced directly depends on the time of pumping. After feeding, there may be very little or none at all, except in cases of hyperlactation. If the mother expresses before feeding, you can get about 50-100 ml of milk. Although this figure is quite individual, a significantly lower result indicates incorrect technique, and not a small amount of milk.

Expressed breast milk should be signed immediately so you know its expiration date. It stores well in both the refrigerator and freezer. Bottle feeding with expressed milk allows the mother to go away on business, entrusting the baby to relatives or dad.

Common difficulties and mistakes

First of all, you need to remember that pumping should not cause pain! If a mother’s breasts hurt after pumping or already during the process, it means that she does not follow the technique - she squeezes too much or fidgets with her fingers on the skin.

If milk is not expressed, the reason is the same, incorrect technique. You need to relax, choose a comfortable position and be sure to try again. Giving up pumping because of the first failure is also a mistake.

If you can’t cope on your own, breastfeeding consultants or a pumping service can help. They will show the correct technique and teach the mother to cope with this procedure on her own.

There are many conflicting opinions and beliefs surrounding breast pumping. Sometimes it can be quite difficult to resist the established habits of older generations or common myths, but breastfeeding is too important a process to risk. Mothers need to pump their breasts only in the most extreme cases, and in all other cases, the baby can handle the milk just fine on his own.

Every mother knows how much benefit breast milk brings to babies, and especially newborns. The most important advantage of this type of feeding over artificial feeding is the activation of the baby’s immune forces. Breast milk is also completely sterile and is always heated to desired temperature, which greatly simplifies feeding your baby while traveling and outside the home in general. In addition, breastfeeding helps a new mother quickly recover after childbirth and significantly strengthen the emotional bond with her child.

Due to the inexperience of young mothers, it happens that breastfeeding brings a lot of disappointments instead of pleasure. Milk does not come, or there is very little of it, cracks in the nipples do not go away, or the child flatly refuses to take the mother’s breast - there can be many reasons, they become especially relevant in the baby’s first month.

To solve any of these problems, women often start pumping their breasts. It is worth noting that modern doctors advise not to overuse pumping, they recommend simply feeding the baby, following not the clock, but its requirements. In this case, the mammary gland will produce exactly as much milk as the baby needs.

At the same time, in order to help herself during inflammatory processes such as lactostasis and mastitis, a woman should express breast milk until the inflammation goes away. Soon the baby will begin to empty the breast during each feeding and the likelihood of illness will be reduced to a minimum. As a rule, this will take a month while lactation is established.

It is important to know when to stop

Many young mothers are concerned about the question: how long to express full breasts to avoid congestion? A couple of decades ago, experts answered this question unequivocally: to the end, so that the breasts become completely empty. Today their position is not so categorical: it is recommended to express the breast until it feels comfortable, so that the feeling of fullness and distension disappears.

If you adhere to the “to the last drop” rule, breast milk will begin to be produced with redoubled force, and there will be more of it than one baby can suck. With a high degree of probability, such tactics will lead to congestion in the chest.

How to prepare and express milk

Pumping itself is not pleasant for every woman. In order to overcome discomfort, you need to create a favorable environment: calm music helps some, cold tea helps others, many mothers also recommend back massage... In other words, as many women as there are, there are as many ways to deal with unpleasant physiological sensations.

By the way, it’s worth trying to express breast milk both with your hands and with a breast pump: there are approximately equal numbers of adherents of both the first and second methods. True, in the case of a breast pump you have to put in less effort, especially if the device is electric.

If the baby quickly and actively sucks the breast, you should not buy a breast pump, but if the child is not gaining weight well and sleeps a lot, the device will not be superfluous. As for the question of how long the procedure will take when expressing by hand and with a breast pump, the answer is the same: it will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

Secrets and subtleties of manual expression

Before expressing milk, you need to wash your hands well using antibacterial soap, and find a suitable container (for example, a bottle) with a wide neck, boil it well and place it near the breast. After this, you need to start the pumping procedure with two fingers: place the thumb above the nipple, the index finger under it, and then press on the areola on both sides. Pressing should be alternated with relaxing the fingers. When expressing, you need to carefully ensure that there is no pain. If they occur, the tactics were chosen incorrectly and need to be changed.

If the actions are correct, milk will drip from the breast, and if the ejection reflex is active, it will flow. After the flow decreases, you need to pump both breasts in turn for another 3 to 5 minutes to make sure that there is no excess milk left in any part.

It happens that the breast becomes engorged, soreness appears in it, the nipple becomes tight, and it is completely impossible to express breast milk. In this situation, you can use the pumping method using a bottle.

You must first pour it into a sterilized bottle. hot water, wait and pour out. After the neck has cooled (ideally, its diameter should be approximately 3 cm), it must be tightly fixed to the areola of the nipple. After a couple of minutes have passed, it will retract into the bottleneck and milk will drip into the container. To avoid damage to the nipple, you will soon need to remove the bottle and express breast milk into a regular container.

Often mothers are interested in how much and under what conditions to store expressed milk. Specialists in breastfeeding They answer like this: in the refrigerator - 4 days, and in the freezer - up to 4 months.

Frequency of the procedure

As for how many times a day to express, this is a controversial issue. So, with the arrival of milk, and with it a feeling of fullness in the breast, it needs to be expressed for 1-3 days, 1-3 times a day.

If the newborn is separated from the mother (this is still practiced in some maternity hospitals), after each hourly feeding, missed by the child due to sleep or refusal, both breasts are expressed in turn for 10-15 minutes.

It is worth noting that when milk comes in and lactation is established, you need to gradually stop expressing your breasts, reducing the duration and number of procedures. This usually occurs within the first month of a baby's life, and it will take about a week to completely stop pumping.

So, until the baby is one month old and normal lactation is established, you may have to resort to pumping. However, doctors advise not to delay abandoning this procedure, so as not to provoke the development of inflammatory diseases associated with excess lactation.

1. To develop the mammary glands, especially for mothers who have given birth for the first time.

To develop the mammary glands after the birth of the baby, be sure to express colostrum (first milk) every time after feeding for the first few days after birth. This serves as a signal for further milk production.

Experienced obstetricians and gynecologists recommend manual expression, considering it the most effective method for preparing the mammary glands for feeding. Manual expression is a rather labor-intensive procedure, the skills of which are acquired with experience.

Therefore, you should not be upset if you fail to express the first time. Ask your doctor to show you how to express colostrum. He will definitely show you and, if necessary, prescribe another physical procedure that dilates the milk ducts, helping to increase the outflow of milk.

After this procedure, expressing milk will be much easier. Don’t be alarmed, it will be difficult only at first, then your breasts will adapt to the needs of your baby, and milk will begin to be released in the volume that the baby requires.

2. If after feeding you feel that there is a lot of milk left in the breast.

If you have a lot of milk left after feeding, you need to express it. This best prevention stagnation and complications that arise during it.

3. If you need to leave home for some time and leave your baby in the care of your family.

When you need to go out, leaving your child with dad, try to plan your affairs in advance. Knowing when you will have to leave home will give you time to prepare. First, learn how to express milk from your breasts. Read carefully how to express milk by hand or using a breast pump. Try both methods, evaluate your capabilities and choose the option that suits you.

The expressed product is stored in bottles or in specially designed containers. Milk bottles should be used within 5 to 6 hours if left in the room. Can be kept in the refrigerator for 5 - 7 days.

When frozen, if sterility is maintained during expression, milk will last for about a year. However, doing this at home is problematic and unsafe. It is better to store expressed milk at home for no more than a week, so as not to doubt the safety of its use and not harm the baby.

4. To prevent mastitis (inflammation of the mammary glands) as a result of stagnation.

Stagnating in the ducts, milk forms milk plugs, creating compaction (lactostasis). If the situation is not controlled, stagnation will turn into inflammation, which is much more serious.

5. If the child cannot suckle on his own.

In some cases, a newborn baby is not able to breastfeed on his own. This occurs when a child does not have a sucking reflex. Most often these are babies born prematurely (premature) and babies born after a difficult birth, who need time to adapt.

Mothers have to feed such babies with expressed milk using a bottle, or doctors feed them breast milk through a tube until the newborn learns to suckle.

Also, the child is not given the breast when the mother, due to illness, is forced to take strong medications and she needs to express milk to avoid stagnation.

Of course, the most best way pumping is putting the baby to the breast. But when this is not possible, expressing manually or using special devices will help ensure the flow of milk.

How to express milk?

You can pump 2 ways:

Expressing milk by hand.
Pumping with.

How to properly express milk by hand?

Preparing to pump

It is advisable to relax before expressing. Take a warm shower, drink a cup of tea and lightly massage your breasts. Breast massage is a prerequisite and an excellent preparation for pumping, which helps to release the breasts quite well and painlessly.

You can warm your chest only if there is no fever. You can measure the temperature correctly only in the elbow bend. A nursing mother's temperature in the armpit area is always higher than normal.

prepare the container. Choose a container for milk that is wide and deep (cup or bowl). Expressing into a bottle is very inconvenient. After pumping, you can easily pour the milk into a previously prepared bottle;
learn directly the pumping technique. The technique for expressing breast milk varies. The most common, safe and effective Marmet technique. Let's break it down step by step.

How to properly express breast milk by hand using the Marmet technique?

Choose a comfortable position. The most comfortable position is sitting on a chair with a backrest in front of the table. In this pose, your back experiences less stress.
Apply gentle pressure to the breast by placing your thumb over the nipple and the pads of the other four fingers under the nipple. Use your free hand to hold your chest from below.
Use your fingers to squeeze the breast from above and below, moving towards the nipple. Press only on the areola (the area around the nipple). You should not put pressure on the nipple, this leads to cracks and the development of inflammation. Do not make sudden movements, move your fingers smoothly. With your free hand, massage the dense, hard places on your chest.
Don't overdo it with force. This can complicate things.
Squeeze and unclench your breasts until milk comes out of your breasts. If done correctly, milk flows out in a trickle.
Move your hand in a circle to express the breast from all sides. Make sure your thumb is always with opposite side from the palm. The duration of pumping is 30 minutes, no less. After pumping, your breasts should be soft. There is no need to ensure that milk stops coming out completely. This is impossible. A new portion of milk takes the place of the expressed milk.
After pumping, place a towel soaked in cool water on your breasts.

When pumping, think about your baby, or better yet, have him near you. This stimulates the production of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for the flow of milk into the breast, which makes pumping much easier;
provide yourself with comfortable conditions. Play music that you like. This will help you relax and make it easier to express breast milk.

Experienced midwives advise involving the father in sucking milk when stagnation occurs and mother and child cannot cope without his help. They always tell young mothers that this is the husband.

Therefore, do not be shy and ask your husband to help you if you are in pain and cannot cope on your own. Let your spouse massage and help you pump your breasts. Often men do this more tenderly and more carefully, feeling sorry for their wife and sincerely trying to help her. And, as a rule, they achieve positive results.

Modern mothers are offered a large selection of simple and effective breast pumps. But our ancestors had to use their hands. The first breast pump was invented in the 16th century and was intended for women of noble birth. It was used to relieve pain from engorgement. Nurses were hired to feed children. Modern breast pumps began to be produced about 25 years ago, gradually improving them.

We learned how to express milk correctly. And if you have such a need, I think you can handle it without any difficulties. The main thing is to follow the recommendations. Proper pumping will relieve you of pain and prevent injury to your breasts.

However, do not forget, if you are unable to express and your breasts are very painful and already very tight, seek help from a doctor. Timely treatment will help cope with the problem and prevent the development of complications.

In order to determine whether it is necessary to express, you need understand the physiology of milk production. Provided that the mother breastfeeds the baby when he needs it, the body produces exactly the amount that the baby needs at the moment. The whole process is controlled by the mother's hormonal system.

Under what conditions does breast milk form?: physiology of the process

The hormone prolactin is responsible for the lactation process. When a baby begins to suckle, a signal is transmitted through the nerve endings of the areola to the pituitary gland, which produces prolactin. The more often and more actively the baby sucks, the more hormone is formed and the greater the volume of milk will arrive at the next feeding. If the child is rarely brought to the breast and given a nipple, it starts to accumulate, which reduces the amount of hormone in the future. You can increase the flow by putting your baby to the breast more often.

Oxytocin is responsible for its release directly during feeding. It affects the muscles surrounding the mammary gland, which contract and push the accumulated fluid towards the nipple. If there is less oxytocin, both feeding and pumping will be very difficult even when the breasts are full. This physiological aspect can completely debunk the myth about the need for complete pumping. After all, next time not only the amount needed by the child will be formed, but also the volume that was expressed last time. An increase in the production of this product is called hyperlactation, which entails the development of lactostasis and subsequently mastitis.

Breastfeeding advice: should I pump after feeding?

The first and most basic recommendation is not to wash your breasts before or after feeding, while using any hygiene products. It would be better to use clean water. Strong odors from gels or soaps can scare a child away. It's best if the breasts have a milky smell.

Mother's milk is conventionally divided into two types: anterior and posterior. The foremilk is bluish in color. It provides the baby's body with fluid needs and is rich in protein and milk sugar (lactose). There is no need to constantly express after feeding; sometimes this can even lead to unpleasant consequences for the child. If a woman expresses after each feeding, the baby receives primarily only foremilk, which can lead to excess lactose in the intestines. Digestive system the child cannot cope with such volumes of sugar, causing fermentation and abdominal pain. The stool becomes greenish and liquid.

Such consequences can be avoided if the baby also receives hind milk. It is thicker and greasy. It contains a large amount of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down milk sugar and helps it be better absorbed. In addition, the back contains a lot of nutrients, necessary for the child. Therefore, it is not worth weaning the baby from the breast before hind milk begins to be released. After feeding, be sure to squeeze out another drop and lubricate the nipple. This simple technique will help prevent cracks from occurring.

Do I need to express milk after feeding?

Nature does not provide for such frequent production of large volumes of milk in women, which is provoked by frequent pumping. There are two options for feeding babies:

In the case of an established lactation process, when the mother is healthy, the baby is full-term, he grasps the nipple well and attaches correctly to the breast, both methods of feeding will be acceptable, and pumping may be practically not required.

When is it necessary to pump?

First of all, before expressing, you should prepare the dishes. It must be washed clean and sterilized. Then the woman herself must prepare for pumping. Makes the pumping process much easier relaxing environment, close contact with the child and positive emotions. Stress and bad mood make it difficult for milk to flow. It is recommended to take a hot shower and rub your body with a towel before pumping. Warm drinks will also help make pumping easier.

If the mother does not yet have experience pumping, it is advisable to consult a breastfeeding specialist or doctor. Midwives in the maternity hospital can also help with the first pumping. Subject to correct technique process, pumping will be successful and painless.

Massaging the mammary glands towards the nipple also has a beneficial effect on pumping. It will stimulate the production of the hormone oxytocin, which will help increase flow. When pumping, you should squeeze your breasts in the area of the areola, since milk accumulates there.

You can express like using a breast pump, and manually. If a woman chooses to use a breast pump, she will need to ensure that it is clean and sterile before each pumping session and that there are no cracks in the nipples. The device will work best when your breasts are full. While expressing, you should press the breast shield tightly, change the position of the nipple relative to the breast pump, and take short breaks. At correct use The device makes the pumping process much easier, however, if the breasts become limp, you will have to pump out the milk with your hands. The movements should be performed smoothly and slowly, without applying unnecessary effort. Otherwise, it may have a bad effect on the milk alveoli.

The milk is expressed until the breasts become completely soft; this can take from twenty minutes to half an hour. No lumps should be felt in the mammary glands. If compacted area detected, it needs to be precisely kneaded. At the initial stages of pumping, it may turn out that the milk stops flowing, although the breasts feel full. In this case, you need to take a break and either start expressing the other breast, or take a little break and rest.

How much breast milk should I express?

The amount of milk you need to express will depend on your goals. If you need to stimulate lactation as much as possible, you will need to express your breasts completely. If pumping is carried out to ensure a supply of milk for future use, the volume required is that required for one feeding. During congestion, it is recommended to express very little to relieve tension in the chest.

Methods for storing milk depend on the period of time for which it is planned to be stored:

Each woman must decide for herself whether she needs to express after each feeding or not. However, no expert will recommend pumping after every feeding. After all, the more milk comes - the more a woman expresses it, which is not always necessary and takes a lot of time and effort.