Pumping Tips for Moms!

Just a few ideas that I use in my practice as general guidelines for successful pumping. 

For Mom/Baby Separation 24 hours a day during the first few weeks postpartum:

1. It is advised to pump for 20-25 minutes with heat and massage 8 times in 24 hours which is every 2-3 hours with one 4 hour rest at night.
2. It is advised to use small colostrum containers from the hospital of from the Boobie Boutique when pumping in the first 3-5 days.
3. For the first 3-5 days postpartum depending on the amount of fluid you received you may or may not get any colostrum in the bottles. The purpose of pumping at this time is to provide effective and efficient stimulation to the breast to help bring your milk down to meet the baby as quickly as possible AND to signal the fluid you received in your IV prior, during, or after delivery to not enter your breasts and ‘hold your milk hostage’ and delay its flow. You NEED this 20-25 minute stimulation 8 times in 24 hours to trigger your hormonal cascade into high gear to make the appropriate amount of milk for your baby.
4. Following your 20-25 minute pump sessions it is advised to do 5 minutes of hand expression on each side. This will provide the compression needed to express the colostrum from the breast. A good 7 minute video to watch for this is the Stanford Hand Expression Video which can be found by googling or at: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/HandExpression.html

For Going Back to Work:

1. It is advised that while at work you pump every 3 hours for 20-25 minutes with heat and massage.
2. Prior to returning to work, it is advised that you begin pumping and bottlefeeding 2 weeks before returning to work. It is advised that you pump 2 times a day for 10 minutes to get your body used to your pump and to create a storage of about 1-2 ounces a day. It is usually advised that baby is bottlefed once a day for two weeks prior to your returning to work. This will give both the baby and your body time to get used to the pump.
3. It is advised that while pumping you DO NOT look at the pump. Forcing your milk to flow doesn’t work, but looking at pictures of your baby, talking to your baby by phone, or use of other distractions will relieve your mind of stress and assist you to let down for your pump.