How To Choose A Breast Pump

It is true that returning to work for nursing mothers is always tough since they have to cope with continuous feeding the baby and being at work. The way around this challenge for many mothers is to use the breast pump.

Breast pumps are generally used to ensure continued production of breast milk when you cannot feed your baby - whether you are back to work, traveling, taking medication, or just out of town. 

Milk production in the breasts work on the same principle of demand and supply. The more breast milk your baby consumes, the more your body will need to make. 

Basic types of pumps

Breast pumps can either be battery operated, hand operated, semi automatic electric, or even self cycling electric.

1.         Hand pumps

Manual hand pumps are designed to use the strength of your hand or arm muscles for pumping one breast at a time.  You can also get pumps that will use the leg and foot muscles for pumping both breasts at one time. 

Mothers that with carpal tunnel syndrome may want to consider using a pump designed for the arm or leg muscles or even an automatic model.

2.         Battery operated pumps

Pumps with battery operation are the best for women who have an established supply of milk and want to pump once or even twice a day.  These pumps use batteries to create suction, minimizing any type of muscle fatigue.  Most battery type pumps are designed for pumping one breast at a time and are recommended for occasional usage.

3.         Electric pumps

Even though electric pumps are more efficient than hand or even battery operated pumps, they also tend to be more expensive.  You can however, rent them if you need to.  Electric pumps can normally plug directly into an outlet and are designed for pumping both breasts at a time and even frequent use.

Hospital grade pumps are the most efficient for initiating and maintaining milk supply, and are available for rent or purchase, even online (Amazon).

How To Use A Breast Pump So You Can Resume Work

Cope with the challenging of resuming work while still breastfeeding is always tough for many nursing mothers. How can they manage tending their baby and still cope with the responsibilities of work?

One possible solution is pumping to store breast milk for the infant. But many young mothers find it hard to use the pump.

Just like breast feeding, pumping is a skill that you learn.  When first trying a breast pump, most mothers are only able to express a few drops of milk. With proper practice and knowledge, the mother will be more efficient at pumping.

Preparing the breast pump

1.         Read all the instructions in the kit very carefully.

2.         Every part of the breast pump will need to be sterilized before you begin using it.

3.         After use, all the parts of the pump will need to be washed in warm, soapy water, then rinsed with hot water and drained on a clean towel.  The plastic tubing doesn't need to be cleaned unless you get milk into it.  If you do wash it, it should be hung to allow time to dry and drain thoroughly.

4.  If your doctor feels the need, the entire kit can be sterilized every day.

5.  When you first start with an electric pump, the suction level should be on the lowest possible setting. 

How to begin

• Warm compresses, gentle massages of the breast and gentle nipple stimulation will help to stimulate a quick let down.

• You should always relax while doing breast massages during pumping.  Some mothers prefer to close their eyes then think about nursing the baby, imagining the baby in their arms. The more relaxed a mother is, the better let down she'll have and the more milk will be dispensed.

• Your first attempts at pumping should be considered practice sessions with learning to use the breast pump as the goal, not how much milk is actually dispensed.

• When you use a hand pump, quick, short pumps at the start is stimulating and will imitate more closely the way a baby breast feeds.  Once the let down occurs and milk starts to flow freely, long, steadier strokes are more effective and less tiring.

• When you learn to pump, you should practice for 5 minutes on a side at least once or twice a day.  Always pick the least stressful part of your day for pumping. 

Relaxing and realizing that the pump is your friend is the single most important thing that a mother can do. 

There are several things that a mother can do to help herself relax, such as putting a picture of the baby on the pump, playing cards or a game with friends, watching television, read books, or talk on the phone.

Simply watching the collection bottle is not helpful and will probably put more stress on you than you actually need.

Breast pumps and breast pump bras can be bought from your regular mother-care shop or get them online (especially from Amazon) delivered to you.

Coping With Breastfeeding As A Working Nursing Mother

 

One of the most challenging times for working nursing mothers, is when the return to work after their maternity leave is over. At such times, the baby still needs breast milk, which must come at regular intervals.

Many husbands would want their wives to stay at home to tend their babies; but for a career woman, she must resume work after the maternity leave. And she must contribute her quota to the sustaining the home and maintaining her career.

How then do career women cope with this challenge?  How do they return to work and still continue to breast feed?

As a nursing mother, if you live close to work or have an on-site daycare, you may be able to breast feed during your breaks.  But if that isn't possible, there are two choices you might consider:

1.         Keep your milk supply by using a high quality automatic electric breast pump to express milk during the day.  Save your milk that you collect for your baby sitter or nanny. 

2.         If you don't want to or can't pump at work, you can gradually replace daytime feedings with formula while you are not at home but still continue to nurse at night and in the morning. The milk your body produces may not be enough to keep your baby satisfied, even if you only need enough for 2 feedings.

Advantages of pumping at work

Pumping at work will help stimulate your production of milk, so you'll have plenty available when it comes time to feed. You can also collect the milk you pump, so your baby will have the health and nutritional benefits of breast milk even when you aren't there. 

To make things better, pumping can be an ideal way to feel a connection to your baby during the work day.

Although it can seem like a hassle, many mothers find that the benefits of breast pumping far outweight the inconvenience.

To manage pumping at work, you'll need to have the following:

1.         Breast pump, preferably a fully automatic electric pump with a double collection kit so you can pump both breasts simultaneously.

2.         Bottles or bags for collecting and storing the milk.

3.         Access to a refrigerator or cooler to keep the milk cold until you return home.

4.         Breast pads to help protect your clothes if you start to leak.

Make sure that you get used to pumping before you return to work, so you'll know what to expect and how it feels.  You'll be much more confident with pumping at work if you already know that you can produce enough milk. 

At work, you'll want to have somewhere that's away from everyone else when you pump, such as an empty office or empty room. This way, you'll be away from everyone else and you can have the quiet tranquility you need to pump.  In most offices, this shouldn't be a problem.

For the time frame, you'll want to pump every 2 - 3 hours if possible.  If you can't, every 4 hours or so will have to suffice.  After you have finished pumping, store the milk in the bags or bottles, clean yourself up, then go back to work.  When you return home, you can feed the milk to your growing baby.